Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)

This article discusses the communicative dimension and dialogical dynamic of a text, in order to illuminate the relationship of Biblical Spirituality with the Bible. From a pragmatic perspective on the polar tension between author, text and reader, the article reflects on the action of the author-t...

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Main Author: Kees Waaijman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2011-06-01
Series:Acta Theologica
Online Access:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2414
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author Kees Waaijman
author_facet Kees Waaijman
author_sort Kees Waaijman
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description This article discusses the communicative dimension and dialogical dynamic of a text, in order to illuminate the relationship of Biblical Spirituality with the Bible. From a pragmatic perspective on the polar tension between author, text and reader, the article reflects on the action of the author-text on the reader, and the action of the reader in relation to the text, as two strategies of reading. The article illustrates these two strategies in terms of seven paradigms. It points out how the essence of pragmatics lies in the fact that the polar tension does not allow for indifference on the reader’s part. Thus, a dialogical process is involved. The transition from an awareness of differences in respect of contents to dialogical non-indifference is crucial for Biblical Spirituality, because it marks the progression from a “meditative” way of reading, which is directed towards content (literary history), to an “orative” or prayerful way of reading, which is concerned with the God-human process of transformation.
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spelling doaj-art-e11e6b402f424601b66eb7e5540f4c8e2025-02-11T10:03:08ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892011-06-011510.38140/at.v0i15.2414Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)Kees Waaijman0University of the Free State, South Africa & Titus Brandsma Institute, Netherlands This article discusses the communicative dimension and dialogical dynamic of a text, in order to illuminate the relationship of Biblical Spirituality with the Bible. From a pragmatic perspective on the polar tension between author, text and reader, the article reflects on the action of the author-text on the reader, and the action of the reader in relation to the text, as two strategies of reading. The article illustrates these two strategies in terms of seven paradigms. It points out how the essence of pragmatics lies in the fact that the polar tension does not allow for indifference on the reader’s part. Thus, a dialogical process is involved. The transition from an awareness of differences in respect of contents to dialogical non-indifference is crucial for Biblical Spirituality, because it marks the progression from a “meditative” way of reading, which is directed towards content (literary history), to an “orative” or prayerful way of reading, which is concerned with the God-human process of transformation. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2414
spellingShingle Kees Waaijman
Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)
Acta Theologica
title Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)
title_full Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)
title_fullStr Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)
title_full_unstemmed Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)
title_short Biblical spirituality: an "other" reading (allègoria)
title_sort biblical spirituality an other reading allegoria
url https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2414
work_keys_str_mv AT keeswaaijman biblicalspiritualityanotherreadingallegoria