Befriending Scripture: Sidways Glances at a Theology of Reading
By (Author) Dr Jonathan Rowlands
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
T.& T.Clark Ltd
13th November 2025
United Kingdom
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Bibles
Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts
Hardback
224
Width 156mm, Height 234mm
What are the unspoken assumptions that animate and give rise to current discussions about theological hermeneutics
What cultures of reading are currently at play in the Church and the academy What cultures of reading ought to be at play In Befriending Scripture, Jonathan Rowlands suggests that much modern biblical hermeneutics has paid insufficient attention to the foundations of theological reading. For theological interpretation to make meaningful progress in both methodology and results, the very foundations of what it means to read, and to read theologically, must be examined and articulated afresh.
In this detailed and wide-ranging work, Rowlands addresses various topics relating to the Scriptures reading in the Church, including questions of Scriptures ontology, biblical hermeneutics, literary theory, antisemitism, historiography, and spiritual formation, amongst others. By rethinking Theological Interpretation of Scripture from its very foundations, Rowlands mediates between historical and theological approaches. In doing so, he offers a vision for theological reading that bridges the continuing disciplinary divide between biblical studies and systematic theology.
Jonathan Rowlands is Graduate Tutor and Lecturer in Theology at St. Mellitus College, UK