Friday, May 28, 2010

It's a matter of perspective

“Postcolonial approaches to Joshua and to other narratives of the Old Testament have helpfully drawn attention to the terrible ways in which some biblical narratives might be misused, such as by Puritan emigrants to America, and have helpfully forced interpreters to reengage with the texts and the frames of reference in which they are read and appropriated. But postcolonial readings in themselves often fail to be good readings of biblical texts such as Joshua inasmuch as they encourage the adoption of a readerly stance that is not fitting for the text—Joshua exists to shape and challenge identity from the perspective and context of one who is inside the community for whom the text is valued, and not for those outside. In other words, for the perspective of the insider, Joshua provides a searching challenge to attitudes towards outsiders such as Rahab, thus in fact encouraging openness and embrace of ‘the other’, as well as a searching challenge to the behaviour and attitudes of insiders (Achan). Postcolonial readings in which Joshua is read from a Canaanite perspective only seem to find in the story of Rahab the story of a colluder with imperialism, or a traitor...But, as we have seen, this is to misconstrue Joshua.”—Reading Joshua as Christian Scripture, pages 234-235

<idle musing>
A valid critique of post-colonial readings, but also an important reminder that the Bible has been misused for nationalistic purposes far too often.
</idle musing>

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