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Taught by God: Ancient Hermeneutics for the Modern Church
Brandon D. Smith
B&H Academic (2024). 208 pp.
In Taught by God: Ancient Hermeneutics for the Modern Church, Brandon Smith argues that the interpretative pattern established by the ancients (namely, the patristic tradition) and practiced by medieval and Reformation exegetes ought to be valued and recovered for modern consideration. More specifically, in order to cultivate humility, anchor ourselves in a fruitful exegetical culture, and gain a sense of our catholicity, modern evangelicals ought to follow the pattern of pre-modern exegetical sensibilities.
The book is comprised of two parts. Part One introduces readers to “pre-modern sensibilities.” Pre-modern exegesis was less of a method and more of a culture, a habit of reading rather than a precise technique. Allegory, spiritual readings, moral readings, and other layers were much more cohesive among the ancients. While many did assume and explore multiple layers of meaning in Scripture, scientific dissection was antithetical to pre-modern reading. Christ is the key to opening the treasures of Scripture, and the Spirit is the guide to unlocking each gem’s significance. Smith avoids discussing the “senses” of Scripture, opting for the broader term “sensibilities.” The three premodern sensibilities identified by Smith include 1) letter and history, 2) theological and Christological unity, and 3) personal and ecclesial union with God.
Smith briefly orients readers in chapter two to the general congruence of Patristic interpretation, addressing the unhelpful divide between Alexandrian and Antiochene exegesis proposed by some scholars. This short historical chapter also addresses the misunderstanding that the Protestant Reformation ushered in a new approach to exegesis. In actuality, the Reformers returned to core pre-modern sensibilities that had been shrouded by late medieval scholasticism and conciliar theology. Each subsequent chapter in part 1 highlights patristic, medieval, and Reformation interpreters as adhering to the pre-modern patterns of interpretation.
Chapter three addresses what may be considered the literal nature of the text. Smith helpfully opts for “history” and “letter” as the better description of this aspect of interpretation. Various grammatical and literary questions served the larger emphasis of reading Scripture well. Authorial intent was not the singular focus for ancients as it has become for moderns, yet it remained an important aspect of the text. The “letter” was indeed important for interpretation as it affirmed the authority and historicity of the text. Based upon the history and letter of Scripture, Smith moves to address the pre-modern sensibility of unity. “If Scripture is the revelation of God’s providential ordering of all things, then interpreters should expect to find order and unity across the biblical canon” (p. 65). From Irenaeus, to Athanasius, to Thomas Aquinas, and finally John Calvin, Smith demonstrates the pre-modern assumption of unity in Scripture. With Christ as the key and the Spirit as the author, the text speaks to a unified plan of redemption in the person and work of Christ.
Chapter four underlines a key component often overlooked in works on biblical interpretation, namely, the transformation of self in relationship to God and others. Godly virtue and the desire for spiritual growth are prerequisites for meaningful biblical study. As Smith concludes, “[For pre modern Christians] Scripture’s truths must come to bear in the personal and ecclesial life of God’s people with an end goal of eternal communion with God” (p. 90). In this chapter, Smith offers Justin Martyr, Augustine, John of Damascus, and Willian Tyndale as examples acutely concerned with this sensibility.
Chapter five provides a concise yet compelling rationale for retrieval: 1) to learn humility, 2) to provide an anchor amidst modern challenges, and 3) to gain a sense of worship with the greater universal church. The reviewer is sympathetic to this encouragement, though the chapter feels out of place. While serving as a conclusion for part 1, the content of this chapter feels more appropriate in the introduction to the entire work. To frame the conversation of recovery as a journey of humility, anchored in history, and gaining a sense of one’s place in the universal church would have been helpful as an introductory invitation.
Part two, consisting of chapters six through nine, offers select exegetical studies from the Old and New Testament, putting the proposed sensibilities to test. Smith admits that these examples are “idiosyncratic,” revealing how he would personally “work out teaching or preaching these texts” (p. 182). Nonetheless, seeing these four examples ought to prove fruitful to teachers and leaders who may need additional convincing. While there is occasional mention of premodern exegetes, the purpose of these chapters is to give readers game footage to review before taking up their own exegetical study with pre-modern sensibilities.
The primary value of this text is its introductory nature to pre-modern exegesis, free from obtrusive technical language. Smith clearly knows the landscape of hermeneutics yet helps readers by diffusing academic conversations into rudimentary concepts. Whereas other works on pre-modern exegesis presuppose an existing theological base of knowledge, Smith takes readers by the hand and explains complicated concepts in simple language. Seminary students, young pastors, and lay readers with minimal historical and theological training will much appreciate Smith’s work. Yet seasoned readers of the biblical text will gain much from Smith’s insights and arguments. One of the many values of this work is showing that the Protestant Reformers were hesitant to depart from the exegetical schemes of generations past. Smith teaches readers to take up the life-giving challenge of seeing Scripture as historically significant, unified around the person and work of Christ, meant to draw us into communion with the one true God.
Coleman Ford (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as Assistant Professor of humanities at Texas Baptist College. He is a member of the St. Basil Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
