Emphasizing meaning as "effect" rather than merely "message," Mark Allan Powell shows how biblical texts may legitimately take on multiple meanings in a variety of contexts. The first part of the book uses examples drawn from popular literature and culture to engage in a practical way the kinds of questions that scholars bring to their study of the Bible. The second part is devoted to approaching the Gospel of Matthew as a work of literature that readers may enter--and be affected by--as they might any other kind of text. The third part is an extended study of one passage from Matthew's Gospel, the story of the Magi, in which Powell finds an excellent opportunity to teach readers to engage in--and to challenge!--the enterprise of biblical scholarship.
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About the Author
Mark Allan Powell is Robert and Phyllis Leatherman Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very lucid, witty book,
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This review is from: Chasing the Eastern Star: Adventures in Biblical Reader-Response Criticism (Paperback)
Mark Allan Powell's Chasing the Eastern Star is an excellent book! Powell's purpose is to explain the purpose and method of reader-response criticism as it relates to biblical studies.The last part of the book, uses the method of reader-response criticism to examine the story of the magi in the Gospel of Matthew. He reaches some surprising conclusions regarding the magi. Powell's book is worth reading for the scholar, preacher, or educated lay person. He explains the potentially boring and difficult concept of reader-response criticsm in a very witty and lively manner. The only wittier bible scholar around may be Stephen Moore (read God's Gym to see what I mean). Now that I have finished the adventure of reading Chasing the Eastern Star, I am ready for more biblical adventures regarding the bible and reader response criticsm.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!,
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This review is from: Chasing the Eastern Star: Adventures in Biblical Reader-Response Criticism (Paperback)
This book turned into a very enlightening read. Powell thoroughly lays out his own particular brand of reader-response criticism which opened up a new world for me in biblical interpretation. Witte, contemporary, and straight-forward, the book is very approachable for both the academic and layperson.
Powell has proven himself a very open scholar, realizing that his interpretation is just that--his. He leaves the reader the option of agreeing or disagreeing with his views. Agree or not, the reader will walk away from the book with a whole new appreciation for the Bible as well as how people come to their own interpretations.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Reader-response criticism begins with-in fact owes its existence to-the reality of polyvalence. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
unexpected readings, black magus, narrative criticism, discourse setting, implied readers, authorial audience, magi story, postmodern biblical criticism, narrative critics, clergy responses, real readers, reader empathy, authorial intent, intertextual connection, lay responses, historical author, intertextual allusions, narrative gap, literary competence, implied author Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Matthew's Gospel, John the Baptist, Old Testament, Gospel of Matthew, Holy Spirit, New Testament, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther, Richard Trexler, Another Gift of the Magi, Jonathan Swift, Union Carbide, Catholic Biblical Association, Deuteronomic Historian, Gone With the Wind, Mark's Gospel, Roman Catholics, United States New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Reader-response criticism begins with-in fact owes its existence to-the reality of polyvalence. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
unexpected readings, black magus, narrative criticism, discourse setting, implied readers, authorial audience, magi story, postmodern biblical criticism, narrative critics, clergy responses, real readers, reader empathy, authorial intent, intertextual connection, lay responses, historical author, intertextual allusions, narrative gap, literary competence, implied author Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Matthew's Gospel, John the Baptist, Old Testament, Gospel of Matthew, Holy Spirit, New Testament, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther, Richard Trexler, Another Gift of the Magi, Jonathan Swift, Union Carbide, Catholic Biblical Association, Deuteronomic Historian, Gone With the Wind, Mark's Gospel, Roman Catholics, United States New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 69
books:
See all 69 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- The Journey of the Magi by Richard C. Trexler on 9 pages
- What Is Narrative Criticism? (Guides to Biblical Scholarship New Testament Series) by Mark Allan Powell on 8 pages
- Matthew as Story, 2nd ed. by Jack D. Kingsbury on 5 pages
- New Testament by T. Moore on 5 pages
- The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories by William Sydney Porter on 4 pages
See all 69 books this book cites
- From Every People and Nation by David Rhoads in Back Matter
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