Well, that was quite something! And appreciate. I sometimes feel that trying to get a theology correct causes a loss of the dynamic flow needed for sanctification. I particularly liked your comments around holiness in it's various forms. Whether "social" or Great Commandment, the action and idea also invite the attributes of "ambassadors of Christ" and Kingdom of God. Thanks for the post.
If scripture interprets scripture - and with it, we read individual texts in light of the entire canon - what are the implications for our hermeneutics and “ontology of the Bible” (sorry, couldn’t think of a clearer way of saying it) when a later scriptural interpretation of an earlier text is NOT, well, a “good” interpretation — grammatically, literarily, soteriologically?
For example, I find the Jephthah narrative within Judges to be condemnatory toward him and the entirety of pre-monarchy Israel. I hold this interpretation both because of the individual narrative of Jephthah AND its place as the near-climax in Judges’ circle of moral/theological shenanigans.
Then, I read that Jephthah is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews. And I find that to be utterly hermeneutically and soteriologically problematic.
And yet, that’s how scripture interprets scripture.
What would Wesley or a Wesleyan interpreter do with that?
Thanks for the note! On the one hand, when I refer to Wesley's interpreting Scripture with Scripture, I am not speaking of how a NT writer works with Israel's Scriptures. If one of our contemporaries were to make this sort of connection (i.e., the sort the author of Hebrews makes), we might well want to know why she or he has done so. But, again, how Hebrews reads Judges isn't the hermeneutical concern I mention in this brief article. On the other hand, we might well ask, as you do, what's Jephthah doing in the list we find in Heb 11?! Contemporary Hebrews scholars often raise the same question. I notice, for example, that Amy Peeler writes in her Commentary for Christian Formation (2024) concerning the list in v. 32: "[T]he names leave readers wondering what [the author] would have said about these interesting and sometimes revolting characters...." She goes on to suggest aspects of their stories, including Jephthah's story, that might "prompt connections with the aims of Hebrews"—summarizing, in his case, that "Jephthah had moments of faith but also moments of infuriating and heartbreaking foolishness, which brought about the death of his own kin." Peeler is not a Wesleyan, but I would say that she exemplifies what a Wesleyan might do in response to your question, namely, ponder how Hebrews could possibly locate Jephthah in such a list (without covering up or covering over the force of the question!). As for Wesley's Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, there we find only a reference to God's protection of Jephthah in battle (Heb 11:32–34).
Well, that was quite something! And appreciate. I sometimes feel that trying to get a theology correct causes a loss of the dynamic flow needed for sanctification. I particularly liked your comments around holiness in it's various forms. Whether "social" or Great Commandment, the action and idea also invite the attributes of "ambassadors of Christ" and Kingdom of God. Thanks for the post.
Many thanks! It's fascinating to see how many ways Wesley glosses holiness—so that we really are dealing with a wholistic vision....
I’ve wondered about something: concerning #2.
If scripture interprets scripture - and with it, we read individual texts in light of the entire canon - what are the implications for our hermeneutics and “ontology of the Bible” (sorry, couldn’t think of a clearer way of saying it) when a later scriptural interpretation of an earlier text is NOT, well, a “good” interpretation — grammatically, literarily, soteriologically?
For example, I find the Jephthah narrative within Judges to be condemnatory toward him and the entirety of pre-monarchy Israel. I hold this interpretation both because of the individual narrative of Jephthah AND its place as the near-climax in Judges’ circle of moral/theological shenanigans.
Then, I read that Jephthah is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews. And I find that to be utterly hermeneutically and soteriologically problematic.
And yet, that’s how scripture interprets scripture.
What would Wesley or a Wesleyan interpreter do with that?
Thanks for the note! On the one hand, when I refer to Wesley's interpreting Scripture with Scripture, I am not speaking of how a NT writer works with Israel's Scriptures. If one of our contemporaries were to make this sort of connection (i.e., the sort the author of Hebrews makes), we might well want to know why she or he has done so. But, again, how Hebrews reads Judges isn't the hermeneutical concern I mention in this brief article. On the other hand, we might well ask, as you do, what's Jephthah doing in the list we find in Heb 11?! Contemporary Hebrews scholars often raise the same question. I notice, for example, that Amy Peeler writes in her Commentary for Christian Formation (2024) concerning the list in v. 32: "[T]he names leave readers wondering what [the author] would have said about these interesting and sometimes revolting characters...." She goes on to suggest aspects of their stories, including Jephthah's story, that might "prompt connections with the aims of Hebrews"—summarizing, in his case, that "Jephthah had moments of faith but also moments of infuriating and heartbreaking foolishness, which brought about the death of his own kin." Peeler is not a Wesleyan, but I would say that she exemplifies what a Wesleyan might do in response to your question, namely, ponder how Hebrews could possibly locate Jephthah in such a list (without covering up or covering over the force of the question!). As for Wesley's Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, there we find only a reference to God's protection of Jephthah in battle (Heb 11:32–34).