Discipleship
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 50, No. 2 - Spring 2008
Managing Editor: Malcolm B. Yarnell III
By Daniel J. Treier. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. 278 pp. $30.00.
What is the nature of theology? What should be the respective goals of theological education and the theological interpretation of the Scriptures? Is it scientific knowledge, exegetical insight, or something else? In this revised dissertation, Daniel J. Treier, Associate Professor of Theology in the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College, seeks to answer these questions. He is troubled by a litany of “fractured relationships: between academy and church, biblical scholarship and theology, theory and practice, even between holistic thinking and specialist detail” (xiv). His concern is to chart a map whereby these relationships might be mended. The key feature of this map is a common destination, namely, the goal of (Christian) wisdom.
The book is divided into three parts: (1) Education and the Nature of Theology (chs. 1–3), (2) Interpretation and the Nature of Wisdom (chs. 4–5), and (3) Education and Interpretation: Synergy (chs. 6–7). In “Education and the Nature of Theology” (chs. 1–3), Treier defines theology as follows: “Linking virtue and the voice of God in Scripture, theology is an every person, transforming, communicative praxis, subject to a chastened understanding of public criticism” (30). Chapter 2 contains a theological reading of Proverbs 3:13–18 in which he considers how wisdom and its attendant knowledge function in the formation of Christian virtue and “practical reason” (phronesis; cf. 46). Treier distinguishes Christian phronesis from its Aristotelian counterpart, both in its focus upon humility and its goal of love leading to peace. Wisdom is only found in the Word of God (i.e., Christ as He is communicated via the Scriptures). Treier argues (con- tra Lindbeck) that Christian theology holds a true correspondence to reality (ch. 3). While he cites Reinhard Hütter’s “pneumatolizing of history” as a helpful corrective to Lindbeck’s intratextuality, Treier criticizes Hütter for making theology an activity of the few and placing church authority in distinction “over against Scripture” (84). Wisdom is something for the entire Christian community, not merely a small group of the spiritually elite.
In part two, Treier considers “Interpretation and the Nature of Wis- dom” (chs. 4–5). In chapter 4 he outlines the postmodern context and construal of the nature of biblical interpretation and its elevation of the reader/ community above “authors, subject matter, and text” (e.g. Stephen Fowl). Treier seeks to strike a balance between Fowl’s “ecclesiastical positivism” (which equates church practice with revelation) and models of biblical theology that identify “God’s action . . . too immanently or statically with the human texts of the Bible” (126) and ignore the performance of the text (127). In chapter 5, Treier considers general hermeneutics as well as the possibility and actions of understanding. He examines (a) the nature of special hermeneutics with relation to Scripture; (b) the problem of dis- tance as it pertains historically to authors and audiences and hermeneuti- cally to “human authors and divine author”; and (c) weighs the value of various model of meaning and interpretation (esp. Vanhoozer, Thiselton, and Wolterstorff ).
In part three, “Education and Interpretation: Synergy” (chs. 6–7), Treier relates the findings of the previous two sections. In chapter 6, Treier applies the Christian version of practical reason (phronesis) to the academy’s pursuit of scientific knowledge (Wissenschaft). Treier notes the distinctive commitments of Christian interpretation (170), but argues for a public engagement of theology. Though Christians must not allow apolo- getics and external conversations to drive their theology (171), they should recognize their sinfulness and be open to areas of criticism from outside the Christian community (174; e.g., slavery). He also considers how the “textual practices” of theological interpretation should interact with his- torical, literary, and philosophical disciplines (176–79). In the final chapter, Treier summarizes his case that wisdom offers a helpful way to connect our understanding of “the nature of theology and theological education” (187). Here he gives an intriguing discussion on the relation between general and special hermeneutics. He follows Barth’s Trinitarian model of revelation in explicating his own understanding of Word and Spirit and coordinates his brand of theological interpretation with other prominent voices in the field.
As one would expect from a revised dissertation, the work shows an immense amount of research and scholarly interaction. Treier engages a variety of thinkers and academic disciplines, including theological interpretation, philosophical hermeneutics, systematic theology, practical theology, biblical theology, virtue epistemology, etc. His interdisciplinary methodology is consistent with at least one of his stated objectives, namely to point a way toward mending the fractured relationships within the academy.
The accessibility of the work is somewhat low for those in the out- er courts of the discipline. The work is written on a high academic level and assumes a significant amount of previous interaction with the disciplines and works with whom the author is engaging. Further, Treier includes several extended, untranslated quotes in German and rarely if ever quotes Scripture in English (e.g., German [43] and Greek [55]). Though a standard practice in scholarly literature, it is an interesting feature for a (revised) book decrying the growing gap between the academy and the church. However, these aspects simply point to the fact that Treier’s focus is the academy. Those outside the academic camp will benefit from his thesis, but they will likely struggle with its form.
Consequently, this work is recommended primarily for readers with at least an intermediate familiarity with texts in the fields of philosophical hermeneutics and theological interpretation. Nonetheless, those interested in these disciplines would do well to use Treier’s extensive bibliography as a stepping stone for further study. His discussion of virtue’s role in interpretation holds value for those interested in what a Christian version of virtue epistemology might look like (chs. 6–7). This work is commendable for its depth of insight, its purpose of reconciling the church and academy, and its focus upon theology as “an every person, transforming, communica- tive praxis” that humbly but boldly interacts with the world without being compromised. In arguing for an understanding of theology as wisdom, Treier has effectively connected theory and practice. His overall argument is persuasive and patient readers will find benefit.
