Nomadic Text books

Brennan W Breed claims that biblical interpretation should focus on the shifting capacities of the text viewing it as a dynamic process rather than a static product Rather than seeking to determine the original text and its meaning Breed proposes that scholars approach the production transmission and interpretation of the biblical text as interwoven elements of its overarching reception history Grounded in the insights of contemporary literary theory this approach alters the framing questions of interpretation from What does this text mean to What can this text do Nomadic Text A Theory of Biblical Reception History Biblical Literature This book is a most welcome contribution to the field of reception history but should not be missed by biblically interested students in general It is at one a devastating critique of the scholarly propensity to create rather arbitrary borders to separate original from secondary texts and to construct cages i. Nomadic Text books contexts in which to keep texts put Breed uses the humorous image of scholars as zookeepers Breed s proposal is that rather than seeing texts as static we should view them as nomadic moving from one territory to another In each territory various virtual capabilities of the text are activated Breed takes Job 19 25 27 as his text piece It s a nice selection since it s had a lively history Full of great metaphors dense at times but overall an engaging and important contribution English