116 __New Meanings for Ancient Text ‘and Empire Iniial Explorations (Harvisburg, PA: Teinity Pres Lernationl, 33. Fernando F. Segovia, Decolonizing Biblical Seuie: A View fom the Mergine (Maryknol, NY: Orbis Boaks, 2000), 125, jh, “Poscolonial Theory,” 551-52. ‘Caner, Matthew and the Margins A Socgpoiial and Religious Read- ing (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999], 66-89; Carer, “The Gospel of Mat- thew,” in Segovia and Sugrehasjah, Poneolomial Commentary, 68-104. 36. Carcer, Mathew and she Margins, 112-16. 37. KC. Hanson and Douglas Oalenan, Palawie in she Time of Jee Socal Sorc ture and Social Confit (Minneapolis: Foruess, 1998), 106-10. 38, Juvenal, Satie 437-55 bridge, MA: Harvard Us 39, Richard A. Horley, Hearing the Whole Stary The Polis of Plot in Mark's Gapel (osisvile, KY: Westsinste John Knox, 2001), 212-1 spel Hauntings: The Postcolonial Demone of New Te “Moote and Sepovis,ede., Pstcolonil Biblical Critsiom, 43. Laura Donaldson, samen Crvicism,” 46. RS. Sugirchanjah, “Salves from the Vieworian Pulpit Conscticion of Texts by Victorian Preachers during che Indian Rebellion of 1857,” in Sugitharsjah, Enpire: Poscolonial Explorations (Cambridge, MA: Cambridge 5, 2005), 60-97, esp. 66-67. FOR FURTHER READING Dube, Musa. Petcolomi! Feini Interpretation ofthe Bible ‘Moore, Stephen, and Fernando Segovia, eds. Ponceloal ‘lina Inenections (London +T. 8 T, Clare 2005). Segovia, Femnando, and R.S. Sugireharjah, eds. 4 Pasolonial Commenter on the Now Tenamens Writings New Yorks T. 8 7, Chat, 2 ‘Young, Robert. Poscalomalism: A Ver) Short Intoduct ‘press, 2003) Louis: Chalice, 2000). isl Crises ised ford: Oxford Universisy Chapter 7 Postmodernism Hci S. Pyper Postmodernism is nota technique but an attitude, a way of approaching ching Te might be elds wordvew, xp thar one of fa cnt ene itt ony claim co an overaiching theory or model that accounts for the way things are is, in principle, unsustainable. It takes lesve to question every so-called grand ‘makes universal claims. Many the repertoire of techniques of biblical erxcism, another rool ro employ in the service of textual analysis, higher «titcism, and historical inquicy ‘This is perhaps nevi stakes the nature of postmedem reading. While there may be methodological insights to be gleaned from postmodern readings, postmodernism can set a question mark against the whole enterprise of reading: why we zead, how we read, and who we 2s readers are. For those who have a term paper or an article on a biblical text to produce, such que- ‘tions may be a luxury, but to shy away from them or leave them unexami- fed may leave us trapped in a series of unconscious assumptions and cultural uy[New Meanings for Ancient Texts ‘Acs best, postmodernism Tn cha process, ie makes a berween levels of undecidabliry. Our usual understanding when we are trying to make a decision is that we should gather all the faces and then decide. Postmodernists have a number of problems with thax process. Can we ever gather all the facts? How do we know whar counts as a telvane fac? Does that we have to make prior decisions about fandamentally, if we ever were in pos- session ofall the facts, then would we need to make a decision a all? The course of acion would presumably be logically deducible from the facs. Decisions are only necesary where we cannot deduce things. This does not mean that we can face of what we know. Ie is only by hacd ‘which facts and deductions fail us and s0 have an idea of what decision we are faced with. ABRIEF HISTORY OF POSTMODERNISM Postmodernism is characterized by a rejection of what is called “the genetic fale you have explained power of the raona and objective human intelligence to uneavel the secrets of nature and of the under question. Afterall, che same rational man who mas- aspect of human experience, but by label “cencury of nightmares.” World War and its afermath only confirmed that the sival rights ir has a good realty ofthe human capaciy co dstoy the planet with nuclear weapons. We should nor underestimate, howeve jndependence. Jacques Derrida (d. 2004), the most prominent bares over postriodemism, was 2 French Jew from Algeria. An . To oversimplily drastically, his theory broke with he dea haa word meaning could be here is a primordial meaning reading of the story ofthe simply coneut i looking behind the word to the objece ic matches, buc by neg120 __NewMeaings for Ancient Tes relacvity and he development of quantum theo led uncertainey pri Godel put forward ‘no system that describes the . There is always some axiom ygnie or endorse che more popular ideas, but chey confirm the rurn against grand narrative a matter of principle, not even the “grand narratives” of physics or mathematics could be all-encom, “Another important source i the wotk of Sigurd Freud and hi ‘of the unconscious. Feud, afterall, for all his obsession wich being ‘ously as an objective scientist, was a man who worked with texts and whose ‘more explicit than any of his predecessors, although it was no new discovery, is the way in which what texts do noc say is at least as significant as what they do say. Furtherm: authors may explain the text as he or she is che lase you end up with the work of Jacques Lacan (France; d. 1981). The strengths and weaknesses of postmode:nism asic developed into a ctitical movemen largely stem from Lacan, He was an asture reader, but he was also an invecerae cease. Nothing pleased him moze chan to produce a deliberately outrageous and mystifying ddevoced readers proceeded to find profound insights in ic and to turn ie into a new methodology. He is rather a King Canute figure. CCanute'sartempt to mun back the sais that of the power-mad, What is offen forgotten is thatthe original story is one of king who goes through with the charade in order to shame his courtiers who were flattering him by ascribing miraculous powers to him. Like Canute, Lacan is inthe business of cempring his followers into betraying their own folly, bue has beca taken by many asthe source of thas folly. His fundamental insight, chat the unconscious is its structured like @ language, underlies much postmodern though. So too do the ideas of the philosophers Gilles Deleuze (France; d. 1995) and Pierre-Félx Guattai (France; d. 1992), whose writings dely easy summary. ‘Their writings embody their atcempt to subvere the metaphor of the “ire of knowledge,” « hierarchical and ordered structure. This is a biblical reference, of although not confined to the Bible. is che “thizome,” al, underground spreading network. Thei ina way cts this new paradigm rather than propagating the rach and Posimoderim 121 ‘The ideal would be to be fused with the understanding of the author, or even, ’s well-known slogan, to understand che author better than. hhe understands himself,122 __New Meanings for Ancient Tents. ‘The need to rely on language is a sore of fll. Writing then becomes a further fal. Ic may allow communication ac a distance in space and time, but at che price of losing the nuance of tone of voice or facial expression and che immediate context of the There is a hierarchy that valorizes presence over speech xy om its head. Presence isnot the presupposition «we have; ic isthe notion of presence that is a that pardcular approach to text needs to asume. some caricatures, postmodern and postsructural- con the most derailed and careful arention to th text [cis not at all a maver of frivolous and careless miseading justi personal whim and fantasy. : of postmodern rea they have lazily glanced at. Only n will show, however, where there are grammatical «may betray the tensions and suppressions thatthe text bears wirness to. ‘One element of postmodern ceading of the words and the texs often manifested i between words chrough puns and assonance. ative ond suggest tention co che literal seructure rguments based on associations the right hands this can be cre ad toa kind of serile word play the way in which the rlation- is exploited. “Text is related to “cexile” and “texcure” through the Latin root sexere, “to weave.” One way t0 understand che postmodern approach to texts isto see it in terms of this meta- in Platonic tems, as an instantiation of some perfec" ither way, however, the substance of any shire and che 4 point where the thread begins and ends. Find cha be unraveled. The thread can chen be rewoven into any other texcile that might be desied ‘This may seem banal in the extreme, bucit isa necessary counter to any claim thatthe shire has some kind of mecaphysial essence and the chread is the same way, the argumene goes, any spetk, 2 poinc where the inevitable mismatch y iment ofsome prior Word and ies of language will surface. Find that poine, and the cextcan be unraveled, deconseructed. Posimodemim 123 THE HUMAN CONDITION A postmodem approach to reading is thus not juse dificult ro encapsulate in a set of propositions and formulze; to do so goes against the spirit of the approach, The diffcule works of Deleuze, Guatari Lacan, and Dertida actively esstsum- ‘mary and reduetion to sound bites. The diffculy of reading chem is |, because the canvas that seems to be reproducing the scene through the window i, inevitably, becween us and what- ever is 10 be seen through that part of the window. For all we know, che rel scene through the window could be of a derelicc building ora parking lot. Shor: of removing che canvas, we cannot tell. We have no way of knowing whether the tree in the painting is our chere of isa product ofthe artistic imagination of ‘whoever painted the picture. ‘This in turn may comind us that chere ing. If we could delete the painting of all we would see isthe bare canvas Magritce used. We cannot see out of this window. Indeed, for all we know what appears to be a window giving us a view of the outside could itself bea rompe-oeil painting on che wall ofthe room in front of which the canvas has been placed. Is there a real ree out there? That becomes a very complex question. This ally no “out there” in the paint coriity ofthe texc and the to asking the question, Is there areal tree more nuanced version, Is there a tee outside the window? How we This isthe point behind Derrida's much derided statement that “Id ny a pas de dors texte (There is nothing outside the cx This analysis of Magrine’s painting dé and thar they can be seen through windows directed tothe painting are not anowerab deny chat there are rel cess ly shows char such questions imagine an assiduous artNew Meanings for Ancient Tes «ici viskcing Magriee's house and finding the one in the paining, looking out on a window exactly like sw. IFhe then dizcov- ce ‘outside the window in the painting, what would that prove? one in the painting, ie would the ree outside? Empirical investigation can tell us much, b tion of the tree inthe pai "he whole point o tw leave us guessing and thus to make us reflect on the way which we make sense (and the emphasis is on the word make) of patterns of color on canvas. Even if we pressed him have no way of checking say yes or no, would we believe his answer? We he is elling the truch. Afterall, unless we catch hhim at the moment of creating the painting (and how do we pinpoint that), the Magrite we ask has to remember what a younger Magrite did. Are we 5 would ever have known the answer existence of the tee is undecidable. We will never have sare which alternative is correct. the heart of the postmodern analysis, [xis where things undecidable char decisions have ro be made. In contrast co a modern- ist view, which would say that we can only decide beeween alternatives once we the full picture and al the information necessary, a postmodern approach chat the fall picture is never full enough and that, in the end, deci. ‘a phrase often associated with the philosopher Kierkegaard, a Tha of analysis, is the "human condition” that of rexts seems a good place to sphere of human culture. As we ha surface; passages where the ion are foregrounded are the ones to Postmodernism 125 JESUS READS THE SCRIPTURES News (phim) has been spreading through che neighborhood, radiated from the figure of Jesus. What he has been teachin readings of Jesus “The naan chen turns to the specific incident sn unusual honor part of the usual expected of any visio126 __New Meanings for Ancens Tex caking readers know of the convene is one thing chat Luke does make synagogue, but one where expects- ‘ions hed grown that a unigue evene might take place. However that may be, the next slows down quite sige sificanly 28 verbs of action begin o pileup. Jesus i given sero of the prophet Isaiah, he wnrollsit and he finds the place where a passage that Luke quotes for us iswriten, Again, the deails are hard to pin down. We do not know how free or hhow radical his choice ofthis text was. Was ie the appoinced reading for the day, or chosen for him by someone ele, Whae the text docs tellus is that, the scroll and finds the specific passage, ‘urns ous reading gaze onto what Jesus is doing, not wh ‘why this painstaking focus on Jesus’ actions? “How did Jesus find the passage chat Luke goes conflated passage, basically drawa froma Isaiah 58:6. Unless the synagogue at Nazareth had its own unique and otherwise unatcested version of Isuah, Jesus could not literally have found "the place where ic was water.” Note, too, that Luke could nor be ‘more specific that what he is quoting to us ae the words the words that Jens spoke.* We are reading over Jesus’ factis thatthe only place the exact words recorded in Luke ‘writen in that form sin Luke 4:18-19, acrculaity chat can do odd ‘hinge he ‘ind if one chinks too long about it. Lec us quote this passage in the RSV version: ‘on to cite? What Luke quotes (61:12 with insertions from ‘The Spire of the Lord tives and recovering, of ‘oppressed, ro proclaim decaled explanation of relatively routine actions, which again serve to increase narrative suspense. But one key verb is missing, We are never told thar Jesus Jesus must at least open the scroll ing what is too obvious to question is the exucial move jon of a text. Why can we nox read this as a story, not of lently scrutinized the passage. Holding that ded it to the attendant, and sat down with the gaze of all upon him, leaving the audience dumbfounded by his ations but now in an even more impatien Fever ro hear what he might be about to say. “What a powerfol dramatic gesture! What a focus, coo, on the gaze of the con- gregation, on the eye rather than the ear. They are watching, not listening, As a result, moreover, what a weight of expectation is thrown onto the words that , the fs direct expression in the text of Lule's Gospel oF the synagogue of this period breaks o fin sha alshough commonsense may iss that Jesus must read the sol, on sense in this case has no direc textual support. Second, the o ic ofsexprral seaing in synagogues found only in his passage.® Quite bl ing whar the norm for such an occasion might have been. Third, whatever is happening her, itis not a normal event. to begin with by the heightened expectations of the congregation based cxceptional reputation of the reader, but whatever happens goes further and confounds een hee espinal expectations Four th ce of he “impor “begins to speak,” and the narrator speech with this slighty ponderous circumlocution that may also reinforce che 1 words are Jesus’ Bese direct words of preaching. As 2resue of all readers and audiences. Inthe present ease here was in Nazareth (a date in che fourth decade of the “today” of the writing of dhe text (at least a few decades lacet, and i ‘multiple as the number of cecensions the text has been through), and there is the “today” of the reader. The seme word can point to atleast these three sorts128 New Meanings for Anciene Tes iy for the present discussion, Jesus’ actions and words provoke the congregation to its own act of reading, as Stephen Moore explains: ‘Who he's, what he has done, and what his words mean ae al questions raised for these reader of Jesus in dhe Nezareth synagogue, What would ful rs by direc: addeess—"your hear ‘Yet falfillment isin the eas,” not in the sight. Fulfillment is not co occur before the eyes, which have been fixed ‘emancipation of the ear. “Your 2" Of course, ies highly artificial narative convention to gregation speak one question with one voice; only the narra source ofthis question. This is not unimportant, however, and it | shall continue co treat che congregation asa single implications ofthis claim of the fulfillment of the Sczipeues. Indeed, we cannot tll fom this eaction what the andience has beard ofthe Isiah passage. [es reaction i not tothe text but to Jesus ist explicit is minis inthis Gospel. As far asthe congregation is & humble beginnings the local boy made something designed ether to establish or to maintain a common narrative context ; ben provoked into giving voce to Jesus. By categorizing him as Joseph's whom the community has a claim. aligning himself with the Scip- begins. What they will sy is not original, however, but the recitation of a prov- xb, even a cliché: “Physician, heal yourself”! They have heard what happened eration of che centrality of pati 1 accident. Again theNew Meanings for Ancient Tests ‘may be under satirical atack here. Yet if we follow the usual assumption thatthe crowd's ini- tial reaction is favorable, something odd is happening. Jesus in chat reading, has just received a favorable reception in his fatherland. Does that mean he is no a hat person isnot a prophet or he is “at home" inthe synagogue in Nazareth cual texts that deal with prophers. congregation a reading of two episodes from the books of Ki congregation understandably assumes, be manifested in the healing of and lepcous of Nazareth, Far ftom the ciy being able to base in the reflected ory of get car of those who “today” synagogue on the day ofthe who hear the story, those who not to chose gathered eo see Jesus in synagogue at Nazareth. Those present ‘The main accusation against postmodernism is as well as derived sense. The postmodern reading,132__NewMeaning for Ancient Tens swerable to anyone and refuses the responsibilty of be historical context, and the intentions of is au id ame questions? Would they Woald the be ale co interpret he subtle aes Mag. the edge of the canvas as implying that there was a in fone of the window? a nce we begin to ask that question, gender, race, age, language, and innumerable other between people, Clearly, chen, chere ng. In particular, the chance for oppressed voice heard seems 10 be undereut, with the that the political and economic status quo iy of effective opposition. Postmodemism becomes a sore of effee fiddling while Rome burns that has silenced the mast vulnerable and rendered argument poindes. A mote postive view is possible, however. Postmodemism reminds us that the act of communicating depends on faith, on taki chance onthe unde able question of whether we share enough and vice versa. What becomes entrenched with no po about who has power and wha hat Maggi sm and che possibilities. Je depends on a shared vocabulary of painting, and his work was done in Belgium around a Biblical seudies from a culural context ger share. We can be we know who the painter of this painting is, even if chat oa compared to sch ny text is about negotiating with undecidabl of the community of readers, then any other readers and indeed may ‘Yer, once you have made the point that undecidai lading biblical cexts, what is the way forw in and deconstructive approaches to esa reflection, ad ida np st in providing some defi triumphant Roman cemen vyll pss.” What they can do isco keep all forms of reading humble ind each reader that every reading decision they make reader as it does about the text. They remind us of che ined by Derrida that combines cements P and that expresses hi134 __NewMeanings for Ancient Tens Postmodernism 135 perception and resolution of differences in a cext rather than being some- the prernt wrcer, but makes no more fem a sacement chan the following thing that an auchor posseses and chen gives wo a reader ee et plac in the pre70 genetic fallacy. The mistaken idea that a complex system can be explained by 7. Readers may ow pe ‘this must mean that Jesus rad aloud to stary of its origins. The corollary is that the origins of a those who are spoken ngregation must know what" face like a text cannot be unambiguously deduced from its sefersto, But we ave already ee than che arto sense, fer toa pasagein Ls . ut the possibly that Jus has emsived lent, as in tha eae “eis wtng™ and narrative. An account of the way chings are that claims to havea valid- ® ings ar chac claims co have a valid ud recto the eae writen srl. ity for any observer regardless of his or her poine of view. While allowing rand narrative claims such a claim of teanscende sch lai of idig wha to power by ase logocenram. Nasiowly, ie asumption undelying te Wesrer radon that thority and authenticity than the wriecen on meaning, Rigorous sary 0 pinpoine undecid NOTES cape. The synagoguc in Nazarech rdesm-—its particularity and Jocal- (Gloorsington, IN: Indiana Universiy Press, 2000), 220. FOR FURTHER READING ‘Adam, A. K.M., ed. Handbook of Pasrmadern Biblical Inerpetation. St. Louis: Chalice. 2000. ed. PosmodernInterpretasion ofthe Bible: Reader, St. Louis: Chalice, 2001. Faithful Inerprention: Reading the Bible in a Pormodern World Minneapolis: sicy Pres, 1995, Colin, Johan J. The Bible afer Babels Hisorical Critciom in a Paroodern Age, Grand Rapide Eerdmans, 2006, Hare, KPormderni: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2004. Tis Fp rd Reval Sci, es Th Porat ile Re Marguera, Danis, and Ywer Bourquin, How to Reed Bible Sti, London: SCM, vues, He has more interest in the quest ae ee136 _New Meanings for Ancient Tex . The Bible on Theory Crisial and Poweriial Esa, Adlanta: Sociesy Literate, 2010, ‘Naru, El carmase Word, Incrbed Flach: Johns Prologue and the Pestmadern, Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Pres Sherwood, Yeonne, ed. Derrida’ Bible (Reading Page of Scripture with a Little Help fom Derrida). New York Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, Sherwood, Yvonne, and Kevin Hare, eds. Derrida end Religion: Other Testment, New York: Rousledge, 2008. Chapter 8 Psychological Biblical Criticism D. ANprew Kine sed, pychological biblical crc uss the cools and modes of fF understanding human behaviot and mental processes such logy. No step-by-step inscructions exis 137New Meanings for Ancient Texts Recent Approaches to Biblical Criticisms and Their Applications EDITED BY STEVEN L, MCKENZIE JOHN KALTNER WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX PRESS