Scripture as Inspired

Ways of Interpreting Scripture

In this course, Dr James Carleton Paget (University of Cambridge) explores a variety of ways of interpreting scripture and a brief history of biblical exegesis. In the first module, we introduce the foundations underpinning the notion of scripture as inspired; both from the text itself and Ancient Jewish thinkers from Alexandria. In the second module, we examine changing attitudes to scripture from the Enlightenment, and growing interests in historical and critical study of the Bible. In the third module, we come to look at Friedrich Schleiermacher and David Friedrich Strauss’ contributions to biblical criticism, before turning our attention to a range of modern interpretations of scripture in the fourth module. In the fifth and final module, we focus on the significance of Karl Barth’s contributions to the study of scripture, and the challenges which he presents to modernity.

Scripture as Inspired

In this module, we examine introduce the background behind the idea of scripture as inspired, focusing in particular on (i) Paul’s statement about scripture as inspired by God at 2 Timothy 3:16 (ii) the foundations of the view that scripture is inspired from Jewish writings in Alexandria (iii) Philo’s allegoresis of scripture (iv) the role of Hellenistic philosophy in Philo’s interpretation of scripture (v) Origen of Alexandria's three levels of scriptural meaning.