Hearing the Living Word of God today? : a systematic-theological investigation into the authority and interpretation of scripture for contemporary Korean Presbyterianism
Date
2011-12
Authors
Yoon, Hyung-Chul
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die krisis rakende Skrifgesag vra ‘n dringende sistematies-teologiese ondersoek om ‘n
weg vanuit dié krisis aan te dui deur ‘n oortuigender, meer verstaanbare en belowende
benadering te bied om opnuut die sinvolheid, waaragtigheid, toepaslikheid en gesag van
die Skrif vir ons geloof en lewe te bevestig. Die oorkoepelende oogmerk van hierdie
verhandeling is dus om ‘n meer toepaslike sistematies-teologiese raamwerk te vind om
oor die gesag en interpretasie van die Skrif te kan praat. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik,
maak die verhandeling gebruik van drie hoof benaderings – epistemologies, dogmaties
en hermeneuties – in ‘n dinamies geïntegreerde, onderling afhanklike, en holistiese
wyse.
Om die epistemologiese status van die Skrif as God se waarheid te bevestig, het ons ‘n
meer genuanseerde epistemologiese model nodig waardeur die uiterstes van sowel
moderne dogmatiese funderingsdenke asook van postmoderne nie-funderingsdenke
vermy kan word. As alternatiewe model sal ’n vorm van post-funderingsdenke as
benadering hier ontwikkel word, te einde die valse verdelings tussen objektief en
subjektief, ontologies en funksioneel, en epistomologies en hermeneuties te oorkom.
Ons kan dus die objektiewe eenheid van die waarheid en gesag van die Skrif as
beslissende weg na die realiteit van God bevestig, sonder om ons bewussyn van die
voorlopige, kontekstuele en feilbare aard van menslike kennis te ontken.
‘n Dogmaties-ontologiese verantwoording van die Skrif plaas ons spreke oor Skrifgesag
binne die konteks van die drie-enige God se ekonomie van verlossing. Vanuit ‘n
trinitaries-pneumatologiese oogpunt word die gesag van die Skrif afgelei vanuit die
drie-enige God se self-kommunikatiewe spraak-akte, sodat dit beskryf kan word as
goddelike kommunikatief-performatiewe gesag binne die drie-enige God se
verlossingsdrama. Die Skrifte kan gesien word as die teo-dramatiese teks wat ons binne
die verbondslewe met God bring en ons deur die dinamiese, dienende en vormende
werk van God se Gees oproep om aan die grootse drama van God se verlossing deel te
neem. Hermeneutiese oorwegings en nadenke moet as ‘n wesenlike en kritiese deel van ons
totale gesprek oor Skrifgesag ter sprake kom. Hermeneutiek help ons om hermeneutiese
afgode bloot te lê en om die werklike teenwoordigheid van God in ons lees van die
Skrifte te onderskei. Dit fasiliteer voorts ons beliggaming van bybelse tekste in die
spesifieke en tydelike kontekste van die lewe. Dit stel ons bowenal in staat om realiteite
van andersheid te herken en om na (‘n) ander stem(me) te luister. In die lig van hierdie
drievoudige hermeneutiese taak, kan ons die gesag van die Skrif as die viva vox Dei,
wat tot ons spreek in ons hier-en-nou lewe, herwin, terugeis en bekragtig. Ons herken
dus opnuut die gesag van die Skrif as goddelik kommunikatief-performatief,
verbondsmatig, dinamies-transformerend, lewens-deelnemend en veelvormig. Deur die
Skrif te lees, daaroor te mediteer, dit te geniet en uit te leef, ervaar ons die drie-enige
God se intieme teenwoordigheid, en aanbid en verheerlik ons God met eerbied en
vreugde.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the face of the crisis of scriptural authority, an urgent systematic-theological task is to chart the way beyond that crisis by providing a more convincing, comprehensible, and promising way to reaffirm the significance, truthfulness, relevance, and authority of Scripture in our beliefs and lives. The overarching aim of this dissertation is thus to search for a more appropriate systematic-theological framework for talk of the authority and interpretation of Scripture. To this end, this dissertation engages with three key dimensions — epistemological, doctrinal, and hermeneutical — in a dynamically integrated, mutually dependent, and holistic way. To affirm the epistemological status of Scripture as God’s truth, we need a more nuanced epistemological model by which to avoid the extremity of the modern dogmatic foundationalism and the postmodern relativist nonfoundationalism. A postfoundationalist approach as an alternative model would provide the way to overcome the false dichotomy between objective and subjective, ontological and functional, and epistemology and hermeneutics. Without losing the awareness of the provisionality, contextuality, and fallibility of all human knowledge, thus we can affirm the objective unity of truth and the authority of Scripture as the ultimate way to the reality of God. A dogmatic-ontological account of Scripture brings our talk of scriptural authority within the context of the triune God’s economy of salvation. From a trinitarianpneumatological viewpoint, the authority of Scripture is derived above all from the triune God’s self-communicative speech-act and hence it can be described as the divine communicative-performative authority in the triune God’s drama of redemption. Scripture can be thought of as the theo-dramatic script, which brings us into the covenantal life with God and calls us to participate in the grand drama of God’s salvation, by the dynamic, ministerial, and formative work of God the Spirit. The hermeneutical concerns and reflections must be brought, as a constitutive and critical part, into our whole talk of scriptural authority. Hermeneutics helps us to expose the hermeneutical idols and to discern the real presence of God in our reading of Scripture. It also facilitates our embodiment of biblical texts in the particular, temporal context of life. Most of all, it enables us to recognise the realities of otherness and to listen to other voice(s). In light of this threefold hermeneutical task, we can retrieve, reclaim, and reaffirm the authority of Scripture as the viva vox Dei speaking to us in our here-and-now life. We thus recognise anew the authority of Scripture as divine communicative-performative, covenantal, dynamic-transformative, life-engaged, and multifaceted. By reading, mediating, enjoying, and living Scripture, we experience the triune God’s intimate presence, and worship and glorify God with reverence and enjoyment.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the face of the crisis of scriptural authority, an urgent systematic-theological task is to chart the way beyond that crisis by providing a more convincing, comprehensible, and promising way to reaffirm the significance, truthfulness, relevance, and authority of Scripture in our beliefs and lives. The overarching aim of this dissertation is thus to search for a more appropriate systematic-theological framework for talk of the authority and interpretation of Scripture. To this end, this dissertation engages with three key dimensions — epistemological, doctrinal, and hermeneutical — in a dynamically integrated, mutually dependent, and holistic way. To affirm the epistemological status of Scripture as God’s truth, we need a more nuanced epistemological model by which to avoid the extremity of the modern dogmatic foundationalism and the postmodern relativist nonfoundationalism. A postfoundationalist approach as an alternative model would provide the way to overcome the false dichotomy between objective and subjective, ontological and functional, and epistemology and hermeneutics. Without losing the awareness of the provisionality, contextuality, and fallibility of all human knowledge, thus we can affirm the objective unity of truth and the authority of Scripture as the ultimate way to the reality of God. A dogmatic-ontological account of Scripture brings our talk of scriptural authority within the context of the triune God’s economy of salvation. From a trinitarianpneumatological viewpoint, the authority of Scripture is derived above all from the triune God’s self-communicative speech-act and hence it can be described as the divine communicative-performative authority in the triune God’s drama of redemption. Scripture can be thought of as the theo-dramatic script, which brings us into the covenantal life with God and calls us to participate in the grand drama of God’s salvation, by the dynamic, ministerial, and formative work of God the Spirit. The hermeneutical concerns and reflections must be brought, as a constitutive and critical part, into our whole talk of scriptural authority. Hermeneutics helps us to expose the hermeneutical idols and to discern the real presence of God in our reading of Scripture. It also facilitates our embodiment of biblical texts in the particular, temporal context of life. Most of all, it enables us to recognise the realities of otherness and to listen to other voice(s). In light of this threefold hermeneutical task, we can retrieve, reclaim, and reaffirm the authority of Scripture as the viva vox Dei speaking to us in our here-and-now life. We thus recognise anew the authority of Scripture as divine communicative-performative, covenantal, dynamic-transformative, life-engaged, and multifaceted. By reading, mediating, enjoying, and living Scripture, we experience the triune God’s intimate presence, and worship and glorify God with reverence and enjoyment.
Description
Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.
Keywords
Authority of Scripture, Interpretation of Scripture, Korean Presbyterian, Dissertations -- Systematic Theology, Theses -- Systematic Theology, Bible -- Evidences, authority, etc.