Reading the Bible Again for the First Time is Marcus Borg's follow-up to Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Like his earlier book, this one is written for lay people whose faith has been frustrated by their misapprehension that fundamentalism's claim to be the one true faith is valid. Borg, a professor of religion at Oregon State University, describes an alternative to fundamentalists' so-called "literal" readings of scripture. (He believes that such "literal-factual" readings do not live up to that description, and that the limitations of such readings have alienated many people who would otherwise remain part of the church.) Borg calls his alternative "historical-metaphorical" reading, a way of "taking the Bible seriously without taking it literally." Reading the Bible begins with a history of recent conflicts regarding biblical interpretation. Borg navigates the minefields of his subject with sensitivity and precision, explaining, for example, the important distinction between evangelical and fundamentalist readings of the Bible. He then offers historical-metaphorical readings of some key texts from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Throughout, Borg writes with calm assurance and respect for those who would disagree with him. Reading the Bible is a credible guide to the project it names. It is a faithful exercise of reason, undertaken to help Christians hear more clearly the many voices recorded in the Bible. --Michael Joseph Gross


From Publishers Weekly
The title of this book comes from the author's experience of "unlearning" his literal reading of the Bible from childhood in favor of a "historical-metaphorical" reading derived from his 35 years of studying the Bible as an academic. Borg, an Episcopalian who teaches at Oregon State University, is a member of the Jesus Seminar, author of The God We Never Knew and the counterpoint to evangelical N.T. Wright in The Meaning of Jesus: Two Views. Borg offers a highly readable and succinct introduction to biblical criticism, outlining the kinds of cultural, theological and historical lenses through which people read the Bible and explaining how those readings affect their relation to God. The historical-metaphorical reading that Borg presents includes both the "historical illumination of a text in its ancient context" and a metaphorical approach that "enables us to see and affirm meanings that go beyond the particularity of what the texts meant in their ancient setting." He applies this approach to the Bible in sections, wending his way from the creation stories to Revelation even as he advocates a journey from "precritical naivete" (the acceptance that the Bible is literally true) through "critical thinking" to "postcritical naivete" (accepting again that the Bible is true even if that truth does not depend upon factuality). The book is copiously footnoted without being in the least stodgy, and is open about Borg's own spiritual journey without being didactic or disrespectful of the tradition he has left. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Borg (religion, Oregon State Univ.) initially understood the Bible as the authoritative word of God and later saw it through the lens of modern critical thinkers. Now he has moved on to see the Bible with a postmodernist perspective. Reading biblical stories, he finds the truth in events to be the truth of metaphors; in this, he has discovered a path free from "spiritual bondage to the lords of convention and culture." Readings become a "sacramental" and "relational" experience of the presence of God, affirming that, as in the sacrament of communion, the Spirit of God addresses us "in, with, and under" the human words of the Bible. The book provides many excellent metaphorical readings of biblical accounts, which unify the Bible's stories. Borg's thinking and judgments are highly subjective, however, and the themes he chooses to promote are freedom and political correctness. In doing so, he completely ignores the Bible's dominant, redemptive theme that culminates in Jesus Christ. Recommended for large public libraries. George Westerlund, formerly with Providence P.L. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Growing number of Christians both inside and outside the organized church are unwilling to abandon the modern world of science and critical thinking in order to believe, and are searching fro an enlightened, modern way to understand their faith and the Bible. Leading biblical expert Marcus Borg offers them a bold new understanding of scripture that respects both tradition and reality. Covering all the essential texts of the Old and New testaments, Borg demonstrates how such stories as Adam and Eve, the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Gospel miracles, and even the Resurrection are not historical reports as much as vital teaching stories about our relationship with God and Jesus. Moving away from the narrow literalism that drives so many away from the profound richness of the Bible, this groundbreaking book blends the best of biblical scholarship with a profound concern for authentic Christian faith and how it can be lived today.

About the Author:Marcus J. Borg is the best-selling author of The God We Never Knew and the Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion at Oregon State University. He lives in Portland, OR.

SYNOPSIS

Special e-book features: This PerfectBound e-book contains an exclusive interview with Marcus Borg and in-text hyperlinks to each of his notes and to key passages in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

FROM THE CRITICS

Lawrence Kushner

Marcus Borg's Reading the Bible Again for the First Time is an easy, wise and deeply spiritual stroll through the Mother of all Books. Borg deftly guides the reader-Christian and Jew, conservative and liberal alike-around the landmines and toward the treasures strewn over the biblical landscape. Here is a superb introduction for the beginning and intermediate student. Borg's teaching resonates with the counsel of the ancient rabbis that eachperson standing at the foot of Mount Sinai heard a revelation uniquely tailored for his or her own level of awareness and life-situation.

Karen Armstrong

In a literal-minded age, when people read texts only for information and have lost the ability to read scripture in the traditional way, this book will make an invaluable contribution. Borg's analysis is profound, challenging and engrossing; it will enable readers to use scripture creatively once again and truly make it a bridge for the divine.

Harold Kushner

This welcome book removes many of the barriers that separate thoughtful people from the wisdom of the Bible.

Peter J. Gomes

Borg is one of the very few New Testament scholars of our age whose learning is so lucid that it takes the Bible back from the specialists and makes it in all its complexity and splendor available to the thoughtful reader: nothing short of a blessing, even a miracle!

Publishers Weekly