Saturday, March 15, 2008
Emergent Theology and Midrash
The term Midrash describes a library of ancient Jewish commentaries on the Hebrew Scriptures. One type of Midrash took the form of a collage. The creator of the Midrash might put one passage from the Bible on the center of a page. Then, he would surround the passage with a variety of commentaries pulled from different generations of rabbis. Each of the commentaries displayed a different perspective. Some often disagreed or challenged one another. It sounds like an Emergent Cohort!
This method invites the reader of Midrash into the process of interpretation. The reader can consider each commentary and allow the entire collection to speak. This act moves the reading of scripture from passive to active interpretation and from individual to communal meaning. It encourages the reader to wrestle with different perspectives. This visual form of exegesis allows meaning to emerge through the active dialog between the present reader, generations of ancient commentators, and the Biblical text.
Too often, our study of scripture devolves into a form of intellectual masturbation as we wrestle with texts on our own. Another common problem is when we let a single human authority dictate the meanings for us. Midrash combines generational wisdom, individual enlightenment, and a profound sense of community as we are encouraged to work together through the historic and present meanings. I appreciate this Midrash form of communal and inter-generational interpretation. Midrash forces us to move from a blind allegiance towards a holistic understanding of deep meaning. It helps us see the Bible as God's living Word not simply God's words.
Emergent communities are becoming more aware of the transcendent in popular culture. Music, art, poetry, and even movies are all thin places that allow us to glimpse the transcendent. One Emergent use of Midrash techniques is to borrow this notion of surrounding a passage of scripture with a collage of poems, lyrics, and pictures. I can imagine how effective that might be as a group activity. Combining ancient writings with layers of historical and current voices allow us to connect to our sacred texts.
Read more posts about Midrash
4 comments:
Just a question: How does pop culture build an awareness or sensitivity of the transcendent? Interested to hear how you work through that idea.
Drew,
You never heard a song or saw a movie that gave you a glimpse of something transcendent? You have to have seen or heard something that made you feel love, or understand community, or simply want to be a better man.
Interesting. Just probing it a bit. This is kind of like Schleiermacher who found the presence of God in aesthetic experience. But I wonder if our aesthetic sense of the sublime acts as an icon in that sense. I am not sure it gives us an actual glimpse of the transcendent as much as a feeling that there is something beyond our sensory experience of things that somehow regulates reality. In other words feeling and the actual existence of the transcendent I think can be confused rather easily...
But I do agree with the idea that anything can function as both icon and idol depending on the function one attributes to the object in question.
mike,
I followed your comment on my blog over here to yours and I'm glad I found it! I'll have to add you to my list of blogs.
This is a fascinating synthesis you have going on here between midrash reading of scripture and emergents. I find it very useful.
Good to meet you, Mike!
peace,
Chad
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