"The whole orientation of
Scripture is toward its future, not toward its past. . . .
For what is at issue with respect to the Scriptures is not what
lies behind the text in the form of an original meaning but what lies in front of it where
the interpreter stands. The Bible always addresses itself to the time of interpretation;
one cannot understand it except by appropriating it anew."
Gerald L. Bruns, "Midrash and Allegory: The Beginnings of Scriptural
Interpretation"
in The Literary Guide to the Bible edited by Robert Alter and Frank Kermode
We know that poets, philosophers, novelists and playwrights
appropriate the Bible. We think they can do that because they’re
creative–they’re artists.
But they are also people who make meaning–just like all the rest of us.
And making meaning is a creative act. Meaning isn’t out there–it’s in here.
Or as the Talmud suggests, "You do not see things as they are; you see things as you
are."
The Process
The process is simple: Take a story or passage from Scripture. Read it, reflect on it,
appropriate it, and then tell it as a story in your own words. Bring to it whatever
is in your head and heart.
Here is one person's version of the Genesis story.
Creation: The Oldest Story about Stories
