Book Notice: The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture

Michael Graves

The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture: What the Early Church Can Teach Us
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014.
Available at Amazon.com

Michael Graves’ book on patristic views of inspiration and interpretation is a particularly informative study of what we can learn from the church fathers on reading and studying the Bible. In a nutshell, Graves pursues what ancient views of inspiration entail about Scripture and what we can learn from patristic interpretive strategies.  He covers the areas of the usefulness of Scripture, the spiritual and supernatural dimension of Scripture, modes of expression, historicity and factuality, and agreement with truth. Graves puts forward a strong case that leaders in the early church saw Scripture as true and trustworthy and binding on believers … but only in the precise sense that they understood Scripture.

The conclusion alone is definitely worth reading as Graves makes several valuable points. First, the church can learn great things from the church fathers about inspiration and hermeneutics, however, we have to acknowledge the distance and difference between us and them. While one might endorse Origen’s view of the theological unity of Scripture, many will not accept his belief in allegory. Similarly, I’d add that if one wants to flee to Augustine for a belief in the inerrancy of the autographs, one has to remember that Augustine’s view is part of a wider hermeneutical project that included allegorical readings and the inspiration of the Septuagint. Second, we might want to leave behind some elements of patristic exegesis, like their attempt to draw meaning from the etymology of names. Even so, they are a great corrective to an over-reliance on a literal sense of Scripture. Going beyond the literal is a useful way to apprehend contemporary meanings, meanings worthy of God, and suitably christocentric and ecclesiocentric too. He states: “Thus, the early church can challenge the modern church to see connections between subject matters of all scriptural texts and Jesus, and also to interpret the meaningfulness of all scriptural texts through the lens of Jesus’ mission and teachings” (p. 136). Third – and the best observation in my opinion – is what this means for hermeneutics and authority. There is no escaping subjectivity in interpretation and Graves is cautious about those who appeal to the “literal sense” or enduring “principles” to buttress claims to religious authority as if such appeals mean that they are somehow immune from subjectivity. It is not that there is no authority in operation, but it is where it is located that is the point. He writes: “God speaks to Christians through Scripture, and Christians believe themselves to be under the authority of God. When Christians read Scripture, they do so with the belief that they will hear God’s message and should follow God’s authority. But the complex nature of biblical hermeneutics means that the authority of Scripture functions to mediate God’s authority to me as an individual Christian, and does not give me divine authority to exercise authority over others. I may testify to what I take Scripture to be saying, and I may even try to persuade fellow Christians to adopt my position, but for God to exercise authority through Scripture to these other persons through my doing so, they would need to come to the same perception as I have in their own reading of Scripture” (p. 141). Finally, Graves offers a case for liberty in reading Scripture, though it sounded a bit like soul competency to me, whereas I’m more in favor of catholicity.

A great book on patristic views of inspiration and interpretation. A good reminder that learning how to read the Bible means more than following Warfield or Calvin, but should go back to ancient church for guidance and advice. I did like it, but I have to confess that I’m still a big fan of Craig Allert’s book A High View of Scripture? which deals with similar issues.