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Book review

 

James Rowe Adams: From literal to Literary: the Essential Reference Book for Biblical Metaphors (Pilgrim Press, 2005-2008. $25)

by Hilary Wakeman for open Christianity, an occasional newsletter of hope for Christianity in Ireland

 

Part of progressive Christianity’s task, Adams says, is to save the metaphors of the Bible from those Christians who have taken it all literally. Metaphors like Son of God, for example, or Resurrection of the Dead. This impressively researched book is a dictionary of hundreds of such metaphors and how we might read them non-literally. Some entries concern themes rather than specific words. Themes such as homosexuality, and Trinity (the words do not appear in most translations of the Bible). Under ‘Pray, Prayer’, we find sixteen different Greek and Hebrew words with sixteen different meanings, which have all been translated into English simply as ‘pray(er).’ Lost riches indeed.

        Some of the contents seem to suffer from a degree of narrow thinking. Under ‘Holiness’ we have Rudolph Otto’s description of it as a primitive experience of being fascinated but also of being in terror. Such a view has surely been outdated by later writers such as Dean Inge and Alister Hardy. And – returning to the subject of prayer – that too seems to lack a ‘right-brain’ understanding. It is treated purely as a verbal activity, with no allowance for contemplative silence, such as Jesus must surely have engaged in when, as we have no reason to doubt, he spent whole nights in prayer.

        But overall, any Bible reader would benefit from exploring this book. In particular, anyone who preaches will find it hugely enriching – as will his or her listeners.

 

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From Literal to Literary: The Essential Reference Book for Biblical Metaphors