A Theological Reflection on Time and Narrative: The Relationship between Biblical Interpretation, Theological Construction, and Faith Traditions

A Theological Reflection on Time and Narrative: The Relationship between Biblical Interpretation, Theological Construction, and Faith Traditions

Jason TS LAM

The relationship between biblical interpretation, theological construction and faith traditions is a sophisticated issue. This essay tries to appropriate the hermeneutical insights of Paul Ricoeur's Time and Narrative for developing a fruitful discussion. It explicates that Ricoeur's insights points to a theological agenda which embraces different kinds of biblical interpretations. Moreover, his theology of biblical intertextuality developed in the 1970s and 1980s had already made use of this idea, and regarded the Scripture as a vast web full of dynamic interaction. However it must be highlighted that according to this view, dogmatic stances of different faith traditions may have been playing very significant roles in the ongoing history of biblical interpretation and theological construction. In conclusion, this essay admits that the relationship between biblical interpretation, theological construction and faith traditions is full of tension and is affecting the constitution of the interpreters' identity. It is also open to creative possibilities through the use of our practical wisdom.