Biblical Interpretative Horizons and Ordinary Readers: An Empirical Study
The notion of interpretative horizons and the different interpretative worlds of author, text, and reader are important concepts in biblical hermeneutics, but there is little empirical evidence to show if they relate to ordinary Bible readers. Horizon separation and horizon preference were assessed...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2006
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| In: |
Research in the social scientific study of religion
Year: 2006, Volume: 17, Pages: 157-176 |
| Further subjects: | B
History of religion studies
B Social sciences B Religionswissenschaften B Religion & Gesellschaft |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The notion of interpretative horizons and the different interpretative worlds of author, text, and reader are important concepts in biblical hermeneutics, but there is little empirical evidence to show if they relate to ordinary Bible readers. Horizon separation and horizon preference were assessed among 404 lay members of the Anglican Church from central and southern England using the healing story from Mark 9:14-29 as a test passage. Low horizon separation was associated independently with a general belief that supernatural healing happens today, biblical literalism, membership of a healing prayer group, and familiarity with the test passage. Preference for the author horizon was unusual and associated with high levels of general or theological education and scepticism about supernatural healing today. The opposite was true for preference for the reader horizon, whereas preference for the text horizon was linked more specifically to biblical literalism among more educated readers. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Research in the social scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/9789047411413_011 |