Divine Eloquence and Human Transformation: How to Read Scripture

Fortress Press recently sent me their fall catalogue. One of their imprints is the Emerging Scholars series, largely featuring recent dissertations in theology, including this one with a nod to one of the greatest theologians of the Christian East, St. Gregory the Theologian: Ben Fulford, Divine Eloquence and Human Transformation (Emerging Scholars, 2013), 256pp.

About this book we are told:

Key to a theology of scripture and how theology functions in relation to the interpretation of Christianity's religious texts is the important issue of faith and history. Seeking to address a critical problem in theology and the interpretation of scripture raised by modern historical consciousness, Ben Fulford argues for a densely historical and theological reading of scripture centered in a Christological rubric. The argument herein uncovers a pattern of triune action and presence in the rhetorical use of Christian sacred texts, one which draws readers into fuller participation in the shaping of history in Christ. Tracing the problem through the modern theological heritage, the author turns to a comparative account of theologically patterned reading represented by patristic theology in Gregory of Nazianzus and postliberal theology in its pivotal founder, Hans Frei. The book addresses the challenge of historicity and historical consciousness, argues for the relevance of pre-modern approaches to scripture, and offers a fresh and extensive account of two salient figures from the early and contemporary tradition, thus enacting a theology of retrieval as a resource on a present issue of vital importance.