Text and Paratext: Book Order, Title, and Division as Keys to Biblical Interpretation

by Gregory Goswell

The neglected contexts for biblical interpretation

Context is king, so the maxim goes. Sensitivity to context―of a verse, chapter, or book―is essential for proper biblical interpretation. Yet the Bible contains another set of key clues that readers rarely consider. In Text and Paratext , Gregory Goswell explores paratext and its implications for biblical interpretation. Paratextual features are the parts of a text that surround the main text itself, such as a book's canonical location, title, and internal divisions. These features have been intentionally added to support the text and direct readers. Different arrangements of the Old and New Testaments reveal connections and associations. A book's title announces the focus of its content. Book divisions create breaks and form units of text. Commentary is baked into paratextual features, making every Bible a study Bible. Rather than veiling the text's meaning, paratext highlights interpretive possibilities both ancient and fresh. While often overlooked, paratextual features guided interpretation throughout church history and should inform our study of Scripture today.

With the help of glossaries and study questions, Goswell's study equips readers to understand paratext and its implications and become better interpreters of the Bible.

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2022

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I read a book that not only teaches me more about something I already knew, but shows me things I didn't even know that I didn't know. Text and Paratext by Dr. Gregory Goswell is such a book. What a creative, delightful, and highly informative read!

[John Dekker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for any student of the Bible. It is both scholarly and accessible, although it does get a bit more complex in its final section. But Text and Paratext deals with matters not covered in any other book. Goswell has published his ideas before in journal articles, but now they are all together for the first time in a single volume.

Goswell clearly distinguishes between the sacred text of Scripture, which is not to be tampered with, and the paratext, which "though deserving of respect, is not to be treated as sacrosanct" (p. 180). Paratext is everything in our Bibles that is added to the text, and Goswell covers three areas: the ordering of biblical books, the book titles, and textual divisions, like chapters and verses.

Goswell discusses the differences between the order of Old Testament books in the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint. More importantly, he reflects on the meaning behind one book following another. In this way, the book is a bit like Stephen Dempster's excellent Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible, except that Goswell rejects the idea that the Hebrew ordering is the "real" one, and in fact – and here is where the book is particularly instructive – there is considerable variation in book order among both Hebrew and Greek manuscripts (see p. 191). A similar variation exists in the New Testament: both the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Alexandrinus put the Catholic epistles (James – Jude) before the Pauline epistles. For readers who did not realise this before, this book will open up new vistas of knowledge.

The second part of this volume is about the names of biblical books. Goswell notes that these constitute "valuable but fallible commentary on the text" (p. 121). So he views the title of Ezra-Nehemiah as misleading: it "subverts the ideology of the book that would focus on the part played by the people" (p. 99).

The final section of Text and Paratext covers textual divisions. This includes chapters and verses, but Goswell takes the reader a bit deeper, and examines the traditional Jewish seder readings (in the Old Testament) and the extra textual divisions (kephalaia) in the Codex Alexandrinus (New Testament). He laments that "the usual pattern is that chapter and verse divisions are only noted by students of Scripture when they are mocked and discounted as nonsensical" (p. 171) and provides some examples of helpful chapter divisions: e.g. the chapter division at Matthew 2:1 has the effect of (a) placing 1:18-25 with the genealogy, emphasising that Jesus is the Son of David, and (b) making chapter 2 all about the clash of kings (p. 154).

Goswell's stated goal in Text and Paratext is to "provide readers with new tools to use in seeking to understand and apply the text of Scripture" (p. 178). In this he succeeds admirably and has produced a really indispensable work. (And of course, I was gratified to see that the author cited me on p. 95.)

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I doubt I ever imagined I read a book that focuses on the titles of biblical books, the ordering of the biblical books, and the chapter and verse divisions of the biblical texts. But that's exactly what Goswell's volume does. It was always interesting, though not always convincing.

So, consider book order. Does it make a different that Ruth follows Proverbs in most Hebrew collections of the OT? Or that Chronicles is the last book, not Malachi? Or that Daniel is with the Writings, not with the Prophets? I'd say, yes, it does. This affects the frame of mind with which we read the book.

Or consider titles. Does it matter if a book is titled "In the Wilderness" (Hebrew) or "Numbers"? Surely so. Goswell has issues with some titles, such as Acts of the Apostles or Revelation, but his arguments here are weak. But that doesn't mean we should disregard his main contention, that the titles do matter.

Most interesting, and most applicable to daily reading and regular exegesis is the discussion of chapter and verse division. You can "hide" text by burying it in the middle of a chapter. You can highlight it by having it front a new chapter. You can affect how we read a pericope by grouping it with another pericope as one chapter. You can chop up two texts that should be read as a unit via an unfortunate chapter division. And so on and so forth. We probably mostly all know this intuitively, but it's good to slow down and think about such matters from time to time. Goswell has provided such an opportunity.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess that I knew nothing about paratext before picking up this book. I’ve always loved studying structure of biblical books, and heard paratext might intersect with it. It is also a study that emphasizes the “final form” over pointless study of sources and I fully favor that as well. It turned out to be fascinating, even if it at best is only of secondary importance.

The first section looks at paratext in terms of book order and the differences and what they suggest. This was my favorite as it made helpful comparisons and even more fruitful interconnections between Bible books.

The middle section on book titles just didn’t seem as fruitful to me. The final section on book divisions made a few help connections to structure and was more profitable.

Without doubt, this book taught me paratext clearly and with a skill that I could easily say, “I got it”. That’s a success for any book. The significance of the concept of paratext, though, will vary among readers. I’ll leave that for you to decide.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Will Cunningham-Batt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars feels harsh, as this book is well researched and full of useful nuggets. The problem is that Goswell’s whole approach is flawed in my mind. I was not convinced by his case for the ordering of the Old Testament as a merely paratextual feature (I think there are definite clues of authorially intended connections between books). Similarly, the line was often blurred between textual divisions through later chapter/verses numbering and inherent literary design. However, what seems most problematic is the whole reader-orientated approach that Goswell advocates. Surely we want to ‘encounter’ the text through the lens of the author’s meaning? But if every feature of paratext is valid (within reason), then how do we go about the work of interpretation responsibly? What criteria to we use in order to access ‘meaning’ and not just come up with wacky ideas of our own? To be fair, Goswell doesn’t go quite this far, but nor does he give any help in answering these questions. Unpersuaded overall.

[Ched Spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the endorsement I contributed for this volume:

Most biblical readers value resources that help them understand the Scriptures but often take for granted the various interpretive aids that are already embedded in the Bibles they are reading. In this volume, Goswell explains the meaning and function of paratextual features such as the ordering of books in canonical collections, the titles given to individual works, and the subtle ways manuscripts and print editions mark and divide sections within biblical texts.

Far from being beside the point, these features that are physically “beside the text” have the potential to influence the way a reader approaches and navigates a passage of Scripture or a biblical book. Drawing on Goswell’s extensive scholarly work on these features, this volume is rich with analysis of ancient evidence, synthesis of contemporary scholarship, and reflective connections to biblical theology.

Because of these factors, this volume itself would be an excellent paratextual resource to come alongside your study of God’s word.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes we need a person like Goswell to point out the obvious. The things around the text affect the way we read the text. Here, Goswell expands on his subtitle in some detail. Along the way, he helps us learn to read the Bible with those who have gone before. If you want a clear summary of the book, read the "Conclusions" chapter. He also provides study questions for each chapter, as well as a useful bibliography. While these issues have been under discussion in academia, Goswell makes it accessible to a wider public. Recommended.

[Ryle]

Lots of cool little insights that I hadn't thought of before, but nothing all that crazy. It's a solid book, but lots of the information that I cared about could've been condensed into an article.