Quote:
Originally Posted by InOmnibusCaritas
any single theme within Biblical Theology inevitably flattens the Bible. Stuff that doesn't fit well with the motif are often ignored and sometimes devalued (e.g., Lee's view of the Psalter/James; Luther's view of James/Jude/Hebrews/Revelation).
The secret, therefore, is to appreciate as many Biblical threads as possible. The "exact same processed food" stems from a mono-tracked reading (oikonomia) of the Bible, while the judgmental attitude results from the belief that they are the only people in the world who knows the oikonomia strand. Very sad.
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I like your points of "mono-tracking" themes and "flattening" the Bible. Probably all of us do this to some extent, to make sense of things. But it can become a proverbial bulldozer in the flower garden if we aren't circumspect. I'm not versed in Greek, but even minimal queries indicated this kind of behavior in LC textual usage. Two exemplars are #1 oikonomia and #2 ekklesia.
With oikonomia I found that Jesus also used the word in a very different context than WL's message. It was in the parable of the unrighteous steward in Luke 16. The steward was worried that the master would take his "stewardship" or "management" (oikonomia) away (v.4), and he'd be on the street with no money and no means to live. Oikonomia in this context seemed to mean obedience to a responsibility (i.e. a job): the steward had been given responsibility over household affairs, to manage them and increase their value. But he squandered it. Nothing here suggests to me "masticating the processed and consummated Triune God to become God in life and nature."
With ekklesia I found that the word was extant in wide usage prior to and during NT times, and typically meant assembly, gathering, meeting. It didn't mean "standing religious body or association". Over time that became the default meaning. But in NT usage you could easily have numerous ekklesia in one city or geographic area. Today we get around this by simply re-labeling, and calling them "meetings" or "services" of the church. My case examples of this are in the OT LXX e.g. Psalm 22 "in the midst of the 'ekklesia' I'll sing hymns of praise to You" (quoted in epistle to the Hebrews also) and "with these words he dismissed the 'ekklesia' " in Acts 19:41.
I don't offer these as definitive alternatives but simply to say that there were more nuanced and complex meanings and understandings of these words than the expositors wanted us to think. Therefore, essentially basing religious movements upon such simplistic readings would sooner or later distort the word of God, and ultimately the collective fellowship of faith based upon that word.