SPbCU's Rector, Dr. Alexander Negrov is the author of the newly published book - Biblical Interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Mohr Siebeck , a German prestigious publisher in Tübungen has published Dr. Alexander Negrov book. The book is based on the PhD dissertation that Dr Negrov wrote during his doctoral studies at the University of Pretoria.
Alexander Negrov. Biblical Interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church: A Historical and Hermeneutical Perspective (Beiträge zur historischen Theologie 130) Mohr Siebeck: Tübungen, 2008. XV, 348 pages, ISBN 978-3-16-148371-4 (hardcover), € 89.00
According to Alexander Negrov, the current circumstances of Russian Christianity stimulate a rethinking and reevaluation of the Orthodox past in order to make the present more meaningful not only for Russian Orthodoxy, but also for the whole of Christendom. In this context, his monograph attempts to survey the landscape of Russian Orthodox religious thought relevant to Bible interpretation and hermeneutics. The monograph seeks to establish a firm outline of the essential elements of Orthodox biblical hermeneutics as they developed in the history of interpretation. It seeks to stimulate the appearance of new works in the field under review and to assist researchers at the start of their careers.
The purpose of Alexander Negrov book is to provoke an awareness of the focus on the historical character and controlling factors of inquiry in the field of biblical interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church. By means of surveying the history of biblical interpretation within the Russian Orthodox Church, analysing the anthropological aspects which are relevant to hermeneutics, and pursuing a case study - namely, New Testament hermeneutics as reflected in the writings of the Russian Orthodox ordained priest and biblical scholar Archbishop Vasilii (Dmitrii Ivanovich Bogdashevskii, 1861-1933), this study attempts to fill in some of the gaps that exist in knowledge about the Russian Orthodox approach to interpreting the Bible.
The main aims of the book is to survey biblical interpretation in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, from the Kiev period of its history (tenth to thirteenth centuries) until the Synodal period (1721-1917) and to concentrate on Orthodox biblical hermeneutics within this period of Church history. Chapter Two starts out with a few remarks about the scientific conceptions of historiography and then specifies the methodological app-roach applied to the treatment of the subject in this analysis. Chapter Three then focuses on the characteristics and controlling factors of inquiry in Bible interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church. A historical survey of biblical interpretation is presented specifically from the viewpoint of this study - to discern the Russian Orthodox biblical hermeneutics. The next three chapters, Four through Six, provide a reflection on Orthodox biblical hermeneutics. In order to make my focus on Russian Orthodox biblical hermeneutics concrete, a special attempt was made to outline biblical hermeneutics reflected and implied in the Orthodox theological teaching about man, the writings of the Russian Orthodox ordained priest and biblical scholar Archbishop Vasilii (Dmitrii Bogdashevskii). Consequently, Chapter Four narrows the focus from a general historical perspective to the specific theoretical position of the Orthodox Church that communicates the issues of biblical hermeneutics. This chapter shows how Orthodox anthropological ideas shape Orthodox biblical hermeneutics. Chapter Five presents a case study, limiting the analysis to the writings of one particular scholar - Dmitrii Bogdashevskii. The advantage of this is in having a detailed study of one writer as an example of the hermeneutical trends present in the Russian Orthodox Church. Chapter Six identifies and summarizes the hermeneutical issues that are specifically important for an understanding of biblical interpretation within the Russian Orthodox Church. The study concludes with a recapitulation and summary of the findings of Alexander Negrov's research.
Alexander Negrov. Biblical Interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church: A Historical and Hermeneutical Perspective (Beiträge zur historischen Theologie 130) Mohr Siebeck: Tübungen, 2008. XV, 348 pages, ISBN 978-3-16-148371-4 (hardcover), € 89.00
According to Alexander Negrov, the current circumstances of Russian Christianity stimulate a rethinking and reevaluation of the Orthodox past in order to make the present more meaningful not only for Russian Orthodoxy, but also for the whole of Christendom. In this context, his monograph attempts to survey the landscape of Russian Orthodox religious thought relevant to Bible interpretation and hermeneutics. The monograph seeks to establish a firm outline of the essential elements of Orthodox biblical hermeneutics as they developed in the history of interpretation. It seeks to stimulate the appearance of new works in the field under review and to assist researchers at the start of their careers.
The purpose of Alexander Negrov book is to provoke an awareness of the focus on the historical character and controlling factors of inquiry in the field of biblical interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church. By means of surveying the history of biblical interpretation within the Russian Orthodox Church, analysing the anthropological aspects which are relevant to hermeneutics, and pursuing a case study - namely, New Testament hermeneutics as reflected in the writings of the Russian Orthodox ordained priest and biblical scholar Archbishop Vasilii (Dmitrii Ivanovich Bogdashevskii, 1861-1933), this study attempts to fill in some of the gaps that exist in knowledge about the Russian Orthodox approach to interpreting the Bible.
The main aims of the book is to survey biblical interpretation in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, from the Kiev period of its history (tenth to thirteenth centuries) until the Synodal period (1721-1917) and to concentrate on Orthodox biblical hermeneutics within this period of Church history. Chapter Two starts out with a few remarks about the scientific conceptions of historiography and then specifies the methodological app-roach applied to the treatment of the subject in this analysis. Chapter Three then focuses on the characteristics and controlling factors of inquiry in Bible interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church. A historical survey of biblical interpretation is presented specifically from the viewpoint of this study - to discern the Russian Orthodox biblical hermeneutics. The next three chapters, Four through Six, provide a reflection on Orthodox biblical hermeneutics. In order to make my focus on Russian Orthodox biblical hermeneutics concrete, a special attempt was made to outline biblical hermeneutics reflected and implied in the Orthodox theological teaching about man, the writings of the Russian Orthodox ordained priest and biblical scholar Archbishop Vasilii (Dmitrii Bogdashevskii). Consequently, Chapter Four narrows the focus from a general historical perspective to the specific theoretical position of the Orthodox Church that communicates the issues of biblical hermeneutics. This chapter shows how Orthodox anthropological ideas shape Orthodox biblical hermeneutics. Chapter Five presents a case study, limiting the analysis to the writings of one particular scholar - Dmitrii Bogdashevskii. The advantage of this is in having a detailed study of one writer as an example of the hermeneutical trends present in the Russian Orthodox Church. Chapter Six identifies and summarizes the hermeneutical issues that are specifically important for an understanding of biblical interpretation within the Russian Orthodox Church. The study concludes with a recapitulation and summary of the findings of Alexander Negrov's research.
We sincerely hope that this study will serve the processes of theological enrichment of all Christian traditions.