Brennan Breed – Nomadic Text

 

AT A GLANCE: Relax in your Yurt and tune in as Brennan Breed joins us to discuss his recent book Nomadic Text: A Theory of Biblical Reception History (Indiana University Press, 2014). This episode is virtual road trip through the world of biblical studies, reception history, and beyond. Along the way, Breed discusses his run-in with a bear, theories about the end of the world, UFOs, and why he thinks biblical texts are more at home on the road.

GUEST: Dr. Brennan Breed is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In addition to his recently authored Nomadic Text, Breed contributed reception-historical commentary for the Old Testament Library Daniel commentary by Carol Newsom (WJK Press, 2014). Breed’s research interests also include Hebrew poetry, biblical theology, textual criticism, ancient and medieval visual art, and philosophy. He is currently working on an Ecclesiastes commentary with Davis Hankins.

BOOK: Nomadic Text was a winner of the 2016 Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise. In this book, Breed ‘claims that biblical interpretation should focus on the shifting capacities of the text, viewing it as a dynamic process rather than a static product. Rather than seeking to determine the original text and its meaning, Breed proposes that scholars approach the production, transmission, and interpretation of the biblical text as interwoven elements of its overarching reception history. Grounded in the insights of contemporary literary theory, this approach alters the framing questions of interpretation from “What does this text mean?” to “What can this text do?”’ (from the IUP website – http://bit.ly/22nGVXy)

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