Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 65:2 (Jun 2022)
Article: Metaphors We Read Canonical Collections By: Exploring The Nature And Effect Of Canonical Contextuality
Author: Ched Spellman

JETS 65:2 (June 2022) p. 261

Metaphors We Read Canonical Collections By: Exploring The Nature And Effect Of Canonical Contextuality

Ched Spellman*

^* Ched Spellman is Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Cedarville University, 251 N. Main Street, Cedarville, OH 45314. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: The biblical canon is a hermeneutically significant context in which readers encounter individual biblical texts. The “canonical context” is formed by the material form of the collection of biblical books but also functions as a mental construct for readers. The distinction between “mere contextuality” and “meant contextuality” can clarify the role of biblical authors, believing communities, and later readers when studying the concept and context of the biblical canon. Exploring the metaphors that are often used to illustrate the way this canonical context functions can also demonstrate the significance of this area of study. The ways we choose to conceptualize the canonical context will inform the way we understand its function in the task of exegesis and biblical theology. This type of analysis suggests further that the ordering and grouping of canonical sub-collections should be understood as complementary concepts.

Key words: biblical canon, biblical theology, canonical approach, hermeneutics, mere and meant contextuality, metaphors

One of the core claims of a canonical approach to biblical studies is that the shape of the two-testament Christian canon is hermeneutically significant. But what does this mean? While much fruitful work proceeds under the banner of a “canonical approach,” there is still sometimes a surprising amount of confusion about the nature and effect of the canonical context (however we define this concept). My modest proposal here suggests that the ways we choose to conceptualize the canonical context will inform the way we understand its function in the tasks of exegesis and biblical theology. The primary metaphors we use to describe how the biblical canon works both illuminate and obscure specific aspects of the canonical context. In this regard, seeing both the ordering and grouping of canonical sub-collections as complementary concepts can help us account for the tension and compatibility between the different analogies used for the hermeneutical effect of the canonical context. Moreover, these ways of conceptualizing the canonical context are part of the effective history of the Scriptures that can help readers identify and clarify the role that canon plays in the interpretation of biblical texts.1

JETS 65:2 (June 2022) p. 262

Ι. Canon A...

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