Abstract
If you are looking for a book that establishes best practices for Trinitarian Exegetical exercises, consider Biblical Reasoning: Christological and Trinitarian Rules for Exegesis. A book that offers “Theology for better exegesis” is a lofty task that two authors have undertaken in Biblical Reasoning. Released in July 2022, R. B. Jamieson (PhD, University of Cambridge) and Tyler R. Wittman (PhD, University of St. Andrews) explore the depths of the often challenging task of engaging in Hermeneutical inquiries. As can be seen from this title, there is a limited framework in which this is attempted, namely Christology and Trinitarian theology. Through these methods, the authors guide the reader through their established practices of performing biblical reasoning. They make their point and purpose very clear by stating their end goal is to assemble a toolkit for biblical reasoning to, ultimately, see “God” (p. xvii).
The authors approach biblical reasoning from two completely different perspectives. One approach is that of the theologian, while the other is of a biblical scholar. However, each unique contribution brings about a thorough explanation of the material contained within this book. The book, in two parts, then proceeds in a literary exercise to enable the reader to see God in Trinitarian Exegetical engagement. These two parts provide unique rules and guardrails for doing the Exegesis oriented towards seeing God.
Part 1 is on biblical reasoning. The authors see biblical reasoning as a method of exegesis to (1) Reveal Christ's glory and (2) Engage in the concept of eternal life via Christ's glory. This is a tall order for any book that is not the Holy Scriptures, yet the creators behind this book accomplish a masterful job of doing so by using Scripture and Tradition to validate their approach. They claim, “Nothing is more central in Scripture than the triune God” (4), to affirm point 1 (glorification of the second person of the Trinity) and point 2 (work of the second person of the Trinity for bringing about life eternal).
Part 2 is somewhat more difficult to define due to the varied standards of engagement with Scripture that they use throughout this part. The second part uses the vehicle of honoring God to bring about exegesis that is centered upon both Christological and Trinitarian frameworks. Understanding and defining the Trinity is a task to which many theologians and biblical scholars have devoted a significant amount of time. These authors do so with exceptional precision with a focus on the individual works of each person of the Trinity. The content of two entire chapters in Part 2, chapters 5 and 6, are devoted to explaining complex Trinitarian concepts, expounding upon the timelessness and indivisibility of the Trinity. Early on in Part 2, it is easy to see that one of the many strengths of this book is the amount of time the authors devote to what Scripture says of the two natures of Christ. The extra effort to exegete passages that speak to these two natures makes this book stand out among some other books that focus on Hermeneutics and Exegesis. Reading through the early chapter of Part 2, one of the rules the reader will see introduced is what is labeled “Partitive Exegesis.” To them, this is a method that tries to determine which particular nature of Christ a New Testament author is referring to in a given passage to thoroughly exegete what is intended and what meaning can be extracted. Then, the rest of Part 2 focuses on particular relative attributes of Trinitarian concepts, concluding in connecting their end goal of seeing God to the content leading up to the end.
Another way this book stands out is how these authors take complex Theological truths derived from Scripture and present them as something more than just abstract. The content is something to be lived since the rules provided in the last chapter, chapter 10, offer practical “dos” and “don'ts.” This final chapter focuses on how to make use of the toolkit that the authors presented in the preceding chapters. The rules stated are as follows; Rule 1: The Analogy of Faith, Rule 2: Pedagogical Pressure, Rule 3: God-Fittingness, Rule 4: Common and Proper, Rule 5: Inseparable Operations, Rule 6: Appropriation, Rule 7: The Unity of Christ, Rule 8: The Communication of Idioms, Rule 9: Partitive Exegesis, and Rule 10: From Another.
In the Conclusion, the authors restate very clearly their hope and intent, stating, “We pursue this project of biblical reasoning in service to biblical living, in the confident hope that one day faith will give way to sight” (p. 236), which is another way of reaffirming their entire purpose of seeing God (faith giving way to sight).
Reading through the content of the book, it will be apparent very early on that the intended audience is more academic circles. This is due to the more advanced concepts contained within the writing. The book would not benefit the average layperson. This book does not attempt to answer every single question a lay person may have, but in fact, is something like a manual in exegetically interacting with biblical concepts with at least a moderate understanding of the significance of the Trinitarian God. For example, late in the book, the authors state, “When discussing the hypostatic union, we are not solving but stating the mystery” (p. 8). Therefore, this is not a book of answers but a book of exercises and some hermeneutical gymnastics, so to speak. Someone not well versed in Hermeneutics may struggle with the content and therefore make biblical reasoning, and therefore seeing God (the aforementioned purpose of biblical reasoning according to the authors) seem far away.
A weakness, or at least a challenge to the book, maybe in some of the unsupported statements. An example is when the authors claim, “Scripture is therefore not just the written word of God but also an instrument in the Teacher's hands, inseparable from his presence and activity” (p. 47) when discussing the nature of Scripture. Equating graphē (scripture/writings) with the presence of the Trinitarian persons is a concept that seems worthy of a challenge as it almost elevates scripture to a deific level. Equating the collection of 66 books with the very presence of God is a premise that many readers may not endorse. Read in the entire context of the chapter; the reader may agree with their conclusion or, like me, may disagree with their conclusion. Regardless of where one lands with such statements, overall, the works exhibit high performance in terms of scholarship and enlightenment.
A theologically focused academic or exegete may well ask themselves, “Do I really need another book on Hermeneutics?” I think that no matter how practiced one is in biblical reasoning or Hermeneutics, strengthening those skills can be a by-product of this book.
The book set out to walk readers through exegetical exercises to better see the Trinitarian God of Christianity. Overall, it seems that they have successfully achieved this endeavor through careful research and the data presented. It is certainly more ideal for the academic audience rather than the layperson, even though the goal of seeing God is for everyone. This is a book that may require more than one read or revisitation to fully grasp and utilize the rules contained. The authors seem to realize this and state that our objectivity can quickly fade, and “We must seek again and again to shut off our projectors so that the light of God's true revelation of himself can shine into our darkened minds and hearts” (p. 65).