An 'expansive classroom' on the Bible

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FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Vol.27-April 47, No. 89,| $2.95 March 2015

An ‘expansive classroom’ on the Bible

By SOLI SALGADO

Half of the U.S. population says they have read Scripture in the past year, and nearly 10 percent say they read it daily, according to a 2014 study by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. Yet only 44 percent of those who read it said they sought help in understanding or interpreting it.

To tackle these problematic numbers, the Society of Biblical Literature founded Bible Odyssey, a website for scholars to contribute context and analysis of biblical passages, places, people and themes, all with “news magazine readability.”

“The Bible is particularly susceptible to misinformation, bad information, or even hurtful interpretation,” said John Kutsko, the society’s executive director. “[Those numbers] highlight the urgent need to provide good, credible background. We can’t understand Shakespeare and Elizabethan English without notes. The same goes for the Bible.”

Bible Odyssey, intended for high school students and older, provides a nonsectarian, academic approach to biblical text, using a variety of interpretations through objective readings. The site — BibleOdyssey. com — does not address spiritual, theological or religious questions except through historical examples, and in doing so, Kutsko said, could still inform persons who use the Bible for spiritual reflection.

While “bible study” and “study of the Bible,” suggest two very differ-

—CNS/Michael Alexander

ent approaches, he said they should be complementary.

“If you’re using the Bible for personal study, you might ask what harm is there for literal reading or reading without context,” Kutsko said. “But what if you’re asking yourself, what does the Bible mean for me as a member of community, of democracy? What’s my attitude toward personal wealth, or social issues like immigration, civil rights, women’s rights, science? It’s hard to make a fine distinction between personal understanding of the Bible and one that has consequences for living in the modern world. A deeper understanding of the Bible’s background helps us know how we can and can’t use it, which is just as important.”

One attribute important in develop-

ing the site was making clear the variety of interpretations and approaches a passage or theme may have, to “showcase debate rather than a right answer,” Kutsko said.

The society hopes that the respect and openness among scholars on the site will present an example of civil discourse. “In many ways, the Bible intentionally embeds diverse views and voices, and that may be a message in itself; the text doesn’t strive to be black or white,” Kutsko said.

He noted that the Catholic church has a long-standing tradition in understanding the difference between “Bible literacy” and “interpretive literacy,” placing a high value on not what the Bible says, but what the

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NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER Bible means. The best of modern humanity’s tools — history, archaeology, linguistics, natural science, human reason — need to be used in order to make sense of biblical text today.

Elizabeth Shively, a lecturer in New Testament studies at St. Mary’s College in Scotland and a contributor to the site, says too many people read the Bible assuming it parallels how the world works today.

“We need to be like archaeologists who unearth features of a time and a culture that isn’t ours, so that we might understand elements of the biblical text that aren’t apparent at first glance,” she said.

For contributor Diane ApostolosCappadona, a professor of religious art and cultural history at Georgetown University, Bible Odyssey proved to be especially helpful as a base to teach her students, who have a wide range of familiarity with the Bible. For this reason, she first addresses how the Bible was written, if it was written, if it was oral, if it was handed down, and whether it should be presented solely as a piece of literature or as a historical narrative.

“That becomes a problem if you have a fundamentalist or a literalist in the class, so hopefully it opens conversation — that’s the goal,” she said. “I try to say very clearly that everyone’s belief is their prerogative and their privilege. But in the classroom, we must acknowledge that this is all open to interpretation and these are sources.”

Apostolos-Cappadona said that educators have to be careful what they’re giving a student to read at all times, that it’s not written in a way that makes an argument for one side, or defending the “right” side of a case.

“Bible Odyssey is much more ecumenical in that it’s hermeneutically open to different forms of knowledge and experience,” she said.

As a contributor, she also knows that the Society of Biblical Literature worked hard to limit specialized, academic language to make the site accessible to the educated, general reader. Each entry is designed as a jumping-off point for users, with text or videos highlighting the most important information, then providing sources for further

March 27-April 9, 2015 in-depth material.

One particular feature Kutsko is excited about is the “Ask a Scholar” button on every page, granting immediate access to a specialist on any subject. It creates an “expansive classroom” for scholars eager to share “why their subjects are important to being a modern citizen,” he said.

“To have a basic understanding of the Bible is essential for functioning in the world,” said Shively, who also answers “Ask a Scholar” questions.

“More than any other book, the Bible has been quoted and written about, represented in art and music, discussed and debated, and it continues to inform modern life — implicitly or explicitly, for good or for ill — in a variety of ways,” she said. “Scholars ought to be connecting their research with teaching, not just by entering the traditional classroom, but also by engaging the public to help people think accurately and critically about the Bible and the areas of life it touches.”

[Soli Salgado is an NCR Bertelsen editorial intern. Her email address is ssalgado@ ncronline.org.]