‘Bauckhum, Richard. “Reading Scripture as a Coherent Story.” The Artof Reading ‘Srinturd. Ed, Ellen F. David and Richard B. Hays. Grand Rapids, MI: ‘Eerdmans, 2003. 38-53. Reading Scripture as a Coherent Story Richard Bauckham ‘The chars reading of Srptare ar sll presuppose it arate ny thats thatthe whale ofthe ible the ileus ahole— tle ace Deen story Any pat of Srp contribute too lint in some wey this one ory, which ithe sory of Goes purpose fo he wos If Sipe oes indeed al be try of Go's parpos a te word, then we shold ce tainly expect to fad unity and eberenee init Bat the en fading Sep ‘urea nied praises problematic fom te two wry dre especies () that of bial share fo whom th rest eri fe ales makes the dim of unity inconsistent with he naar the Bi beand @) tha postmodern eit for whom a nied nara woald tahoe Christan athe oppressive metanarrative tht history has ‘ery fen been This tay begins with ston tat respond any othe frst perspective The argument abot the Bie then true by ct cal consideration of the second pespecie (the posodern eetgue of ‘nctanrratives) in order 1 resume, in the third section, daca ofthe "Sie story wih some concep ole povided by te postmodern ap. 1 The Biblia Story — Unity and Diversity ‘We should fist be cle about he ene in which Sree dety not ‘nifed marae it ot al Spree are Tove bok tht arin ox aig men tel eae otc » smatoiathas been copied under iconce Tom CANOPY: necator copying ot GAS atest eset prob Reaing Sopra as a Coherent Story = 39 ‘rate frm sometimes contain nannaratie materi within the aave ‘tert (ov in Edu Deuteronomy). Some books cota no eae tivermateal tal, but tino diel ose that the canon npc giver Some nonnaraive books (eg, alms, Iamematons) «macs sting within the try ld bythe narrative Boks Ina ens he tre the arge (St eaepcy of sonsareative work nea Testamen: prophecy aad spor. ‘ol eter. (The Hebrew Bile exit signal the maratve cote of prophecy y calling the hstorelboks fom ost King he Fret "Propet andthe prophetic books the Later Prophets) Prophecy and por ‘oles are insted the ibe story to which they co stanly refer even smariing and eeling parte The ibe aratve of God his people and the wld seuchre thr thenlogy and ie pres sed inthe wy they aes the preset and the fare. The apocaypen anil and Rea, prs of the Pens: erage te myo ‘in eovisning itr ccatlogilGondinon Tan weno a Spare 1 general arate can reasonably be ced that he tony Spare tal fom cretion to new ceason, ithe ning element hat held ere ‘ur of other eves together with arate in a eligible whale "oweve tere ae ae books of wich thi i moe iil to Song of Songs Proverbs Eeests Aseation with Slomon ink hes ‘incl tothe sory of rac bt they sem to lack trie coection witht? The presence of these bool pte anon might gp that Seip "Ge Bs uni ot in he ory el but inthe God tout whom ‘speaks (though the roblem of ook tht doesnot speak of God at ll — ‘SongefSongr— woul til ein) Bu snot convincing incon, since Srptarin grea ows who God iom the sory of Gods ‘eopleand the worl The solution rey es in ecgaining ta, although ‘sary focuser o the partly of Gassing as pe lyin bepaning (Gent, espns God's general reaonhp ao ‘ovesgn Creator tothe whele creation and ll people In ay ene portant wo note with he wend of scala sete dete ofthe bial ‘heaogy movement ta the supe ofthe anon eter if ie ten ogy oss on sation hoya the expen of ete te wisdom eeare ofthe Ol Testament or the signianc cretion thoughout the canon "Theresa second sense in which Srp no fed nae: te The Bie dos no el ingle ory inthe way that eter novel or eat ee Dai nt thy ag Sng a ih ‘pitta Ome a en Fes Roi es a ‘fp nae mia os)40+ Riched Bauctham ‘modern work of historiography bya single autor might. Whatever nity has isnt the hndofeberenc that «ple thor might if is othe ‘work, The areatve books in fc adopt a wide varity of kinds of ory and hisrigraphy, whl the Ftre completion ofthe sory can tral be ingle aly by aaratie means gute diferent frm tov at ln whatever aya soy sein the past Mereoe no on before nal eds ‘or compler ofthe New estument anon even pute te smb of rely this collection of works Of cour, Crisis bee that Gos Spritinpied thee books and God provdcne guided the caleeton. bt this doesnot waren ur upping thatthe Bible must he the Kind of sn human author might pe wo a work Ge’ nepiaion seven ot suppres the diversity of the many aman mind and ccustances| that athe human level hve made Sept he clletion of wiley ried ‘tials ht ti Perhaps we could appeal to Mikal atts notion of the plphonic nove in which the aces ofthe various race sd eve ‘hemurtatorae sonoma and eel” The uni of chs novel cot the dialogue of conitng voices The sation of hear o selene ‘nove might constitute kindof analog forte relation of God a Sepa, ‘tit woud remain an analogy. Serptre ar ether he bind odes a the kind of unity polpboni ove! dow, ‘Wile the ible doesnot have the kind of unity an cobeence single an autor might give a iterary work there inverts earl ‘otto which the baltic vcogaie ad ee ine eer sarily comalative manner, the unity o the sory they tel. The books fs Genesis 2 Kings constitutes ingle ete history fom eesti thee, though th ets especialy ofthe Pettus were evident cone tole stand a pood de of aii he aiions thoy incorporate I they serves something of modal forthe compiles fhe can sel, The books ‘fa Cronies pu the same prio ax Genser Kinga employing gene Alogyin the is eght chapters ar opined meee epreseating thc ‘ior fom Adam to Dei Although En Nebeminh no ced at 2 Chronicles in the Hebrew anon the torreon of he opening ‘ries of Eat the end fs Chronicles dos cst ink ndetig te cons tinuton ofthe sme stor. Aawell athe wo paral marae etching fom ceton in one case the ee an inthe thes the recosaton at » eo a i elo hppa nord ms Dona Tc Beet ‘sonar ew ae pg ere ‘shane Tarbes ranean Sapte Reading Sciptare ea Cahrent Sry + ‘erthe ele the Ol Tstument conan thee tort orcs Rath, she and Jonah“ Ech piesa paspective iguifcamy diferent from those preset thin theo major sarative sequences but thi i pone only beeaae ‘chs xpi the rer yf rel Rat ay Eth 2 (omaha wih 3 Ke 439 ‘The oe bibl book that. ints way matches the span of the whole ‘anon isthe Gospel of ob, wich bein vith delbernt echo of he pen Ing words of Genes and ends eth» refeence tthe parson eh “tl come” Jos st words andthe lt word of the Gore before the