The Future of the Bible: Beyond Liberalism and Literalism

Richard C. Smith is a professor of Classics at the University of
Alberta.

Sheppard’s book provides guidance—from the viewpoint of a teacher of
Old Testament literature—for Christians in Canada, regarding the
controversial subject of biblical interpretation. He designates the two
current principal options for interpreting Scripture as “liberalism”
and “literalism.” Both of these terms, he feels, obfuscate
understanding and ignore present advances in biblical and theological
studies. He argues that, to properly relate the Bible to matters of
faith and conduct, one must go beyond these traditions.

In the first part of the book, Sheppard clearly shows why liberalism
and literalism are both likely to ignore the “canonical context” of
Scripture, and he presents his own approach: “biblical realism.” As
in the three lectures at Emmanuel College that generated this book,
Sheppard provides some background and an overview of his approach. He
then illustrates how it can be used to interpret first the Psalms, then
the figure of Solomon and the role of Wisdom, especially as it applies
to women’s ordination, to sexuality, and to slavery. This reviewer
found his examination of the second chapter of the Book of Psalms, and
particularly Psalms 1, 2, and 51, especially valuable.

The final chapter discusses the story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit
to Solomon, and how her riddles are related to biblical realism. In his
final topics, Sheppard shows how, for slavery, as well as for current
issues of sexuality and gender, rationalizations based on contemporary
culture have often been substituted for a proper interpretation of
biblical texts. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that a confessional
stance on such questions can still be obtained in the “canonical
context of scripture itself and in the church’s tradition of biblical
interpretation.”