Epistemology and Biblical Theology: From the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel

by Dru Johnson

Epistemology and Biblical Theology pursues a coherent theory of knowledge as described across the Pentateuch and Mark's Gospel. As a work from the emerging field of philosophical criticism, this volume explores in each biblical text both narrative and paraenesis to assess what theory of knowledge might be presumed or advocated and the coherence of that structure across texts.

In the Pentateuch and Mark, primacy is placed on heeding an authenticated and authoritative prophet, and then enacting the guidance given in order to see what is being shown—in order to know. Erroneous knowing follows the same boundaries: failure to attend to the proper authoritative voice or failure to enact guidance creates mistaken understanding. With a working construct of proper knowing in hand, points of contact with and difficulties for contemporary philosophical epistemologies are suggested. In the end, Michael Polanyi’s scientific epistemology emerges as the most commensurable view with knowing as it appears in these foundational biblical texts. Therefore, this book will be of interest to scholars working across the fields of Biblical studies and philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2017

About the author

Dru Johnson (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is Templeton Senior Research Fellow and director of the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. He is also a visiting professor at Hope College, director of the Center for Hebraic Thought, editor of the Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism series, and cohost of the OnScript podcast. His books include Biblical Philosophy and Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments. Johnson splits his time between Holland, Michigan, and Oxford, England.

Reviews

[Jonathan Ammon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a much more thorough presentation of Dru Johnson's thesis that biblical epistemology can be understood trusting authorities that guide one in the proper rituals to gain knowledge. There is much that is admirable and exciting here. I do have some important disagreements. First, Johnson is attempting to distill epistemology from the biblical text without any appeal to modern epistemology apart from Michael Polyani's. I confess don't understand why Polyani is the choice here or why his work is so popular among theologians. Johnson argues that it is because Polyani's epistemology comports with modern science, but I can think of a number epistemologies and even religious epistemologies that are as much or more founded on science. Johnson's thesis is also overtly theological. He states that he is uncertain as to why gaining knowledge through authorities is not more noticed by philosophers and theologians, but I can think of several obvious reasons the largest being that there are a large number of epistemological issues that must be settled before one can even recognize that there is an authority. Again, a number of epistemologies do find a place for authorities, but gaining knowledge through authorities has some necessary limits that can perhaps be succinctly alluded to by the old quip, "Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes?"
I do think Johnson is correct that trusting authorities and ritual theory are important parts of biblical epistemology, but I do not think it is the dominant epistemological theory in Scripture or can stand as the foundation of knowledge. I do see the Scriptures addressing prior epistemological questions in ways that are relevant to both the premodern authors of Scripture and modern thought.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent book on epistemology, specifically focused on the question of what sort of epistemological process the Bible uses: How does one come to know rightly in the Bible? How does one come to know wrongly?

While excellent, this book is definitely of the academic vein. Copious endnotes coupled with Hebrew and Greek terms (utilized with minimal explanation) really show that he was expecting his theological, philosophical and academic peers to read and critique this work.

He utilizes some Polanyian epistemology, which may be off-putting for some, but Johnson makes an excellent argument for why he does so (it is one of the best articulations I have found for why Polanyi's epistemology is relevant and significant for a Biblical epistemology).

So, in all an awesome book. Probably not for all readers, but definitely for anyone who likes some in depth exegesis as well as Biblical Theological work. Highly recommend!