All this hoop jumping an technique labeling, to get at the exegetical method
Paul himself was explaining. "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."
The idea that we must know the letter of the law was foundational for Paul,
which is very much equivalent to the modern idea that we can have some kind of
certain knowledge about a text's meaning. The postmodern claim is essentially
that inherent meaning does not exist, that individuals invest reality with their
own meaning (true enough), and so there is no concrete meaning to the Bible
beyond what we say; this is like trying to start with the Spirit, and end with
the Law, the reverse of the New Testament project. But, as one prophet put it,
we must worship God "in Spirit, and in Truth." We must pay attention to what the
text says, and what the author's themselves intended to communicate to their
audiences, and we must also pay attention to the underlying Spirit, the
principles and intentions that reveal themselves as relevant for all audiences
at all times.
In short, we must have both approaches, working in tandem, and preferably
with a new label, if we are to have something resembling truly Biblical
exegesis.
Series of essays with a focus on the New Testament, edited by two prominent scholars in postcolonial criticism. In the chapter by Sze-kar Wan, The Letter to the Galatians, he explores the ethnic tension in the letter and the dangers of over-simplification when examining ethnic categories such as Jewish and Gentile. He further discusses how "Roman imperial discourse was ... revised and appropriated for the use of the Jerusalem Jesus-movement." A focus on how empire shapes a minority community and the power dynamics within the community itself. Bibliography could be expanded by examining the work of the individual authors.
