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Never before has the problem of evil been a more urgent subject for
our reflection. The Yahwist confronts the issue through a sequence
of stories on the progressive deterioration of the divine-human
relationship in Genesis 2-11. In Genesis 4 he narrates the initial
slaughter of one human being by another, and strikingly, it is
described as fratricidal. 'Onslaught Against Innocence: Cain, Abel,
and the Yahwist' provides a close reading of J's story by using
literary criticism and psychological criticism. It shows that the
biblical author has more than an "archaeological" design. His
characters - including God, Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel, plus minor
characters - are paradigmatic. They allow J to proceed with a fine
analytical feel for the nature of evil as performed by homo as
homini lupus. No imaginative "mimesis" of evil has ever been
recounted with such an economy of means and such depth of
psychological insight. ANDRE LACOCQUE is Professor Emeritus of Old
Testament at Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the author of 'The
Trial of Innocence'; 'The Feminine Unconventional'; 'Romance, She
Wrote'; 'Esther Regina'; and a commentary on Ruth. He is also the
coauthor (with Paul Ricoeur) of 'Thinking Biblically: Exegetical
and Hermeneutical Studies'. "Among Scripture interpreters, Andre
LaCocque is a singular force because of his generative and restless
mind that always seeks a new angle on the text. Here he continues
his close reading of the early Genesis materials. LaCocque is an
urbane intellectual who knows the world of myth and the critical
claims of psychology. He is, at the same time, a most able and
cunning reader of texts. The outcome of his interpretation is a
vigorous, fresh reading of Genesis 4 as a primal statement of
failure and possibility in Western culture. This book is an offer
of his rich, suggestive interpretation and an example of how to
connect what is ancient and thick to contemporary life." - WALTER
BRUEGGEMANN "The master of a truly extraordinary range of
techniques of interpretation, Andre LaCocque is able to extract
deep theological, psychological, and moral meanings out of a
deceptively simple and often under-interpreted chapter of the
Bible. This sophisticated yet accessible book will repay the
attention of many types of readers - Jewish or Christian, religious
or secular, with training in Biblical Studies or without."- JON D.
LEVENSON, Author of Creation and the Persistence of Evil
The Bible highly praises human creativity. In fact, work belongs to
Adam's very creation, homo faber in the image of deus faber (Gen.
2:15). Human production is nevertheless seen in the Bible as imbued
with an ambiguous value. In Work and Creativity, Andre LaCocque
reflects on the biblical understanding of labor, juxtaposing texts
from the book of Genesis with the conceptions of work of
psychoanalysts and philosophers such as Sigmund Freud and Karl
Marx, and proposing a dialectical approach to human work and
creativity.
Unparalled in its poetry, richness, and religious and historical
significance, the Hebrew Bible has been the site and center of
countless commentaries, perhaps none as unique as "Thinking
Biblically." This remarkable collaboration sets the words of a
distinguished biblical scholar, Andre LaCocque, and those of a
leading philosopher, Paul Ricoeur, in dialogue around six crucial
passages from the Old Testament: the story of Adam and Eve; the
commandment "thou shalt not kill"; the valley of dry bones passage
from Ezekiel; Psalm 22; the Song of Songs; and the naming of God in
Exodus 3:14. Commenting on these texts, LaCocque and Ricoeur
provide a wealth of new insights into the meaning of the different
genres of the Old Testament as these made their way into and were
transformed by the New Testament.
LaCocque's commentaries employ a historical-critical method that
takes into account archaeological, philological, and historical
research. LaCocque includes in his essays historical information
about the dynamic tradition of reading scripture, opening his
exegesis to developments and enrichments subsequent to the
production of the original literary text. Ricoeur also takes into
account the relation between the texts and the historical
communities that read and interpreted them, but he broadens his
scope to include philosophical speculation. His commentaries
highlight the metaphorical structure of the passages and how they
have served as catalysts for philosophical thinking from the Greeks
to the modern age.
This extraordinary literary and historical venture reads the Bible
through two different but complementary lenses, revealing the
familiar texts as vibrant, philosophically consequential, and
unceasingly absorbing.
Synopsis: In this study-the third panel of a trilogy on J's tales
about evil and innocence in the primeval era-the author turns to
Genesis 11:1-9, another parable, this time on the so-called "Tower
of Babel." The Captivity of Innocence analyzes a systemic
robotization of society as a way of keeping innocence behind bars,
contending that innocence never fails to offend, never fails to
stir envy and hate. Here, evil is not wrought by an individual like
Cain or Lamech, but by "all the earth," so that the summit of evil
is now reached before Abraham's breakthrough in Genesis' following
chapter. The present analysis uses a variety of techniques to
interpret the biblical text, including historical-critical,
literary, sociopolitical, psychoanalytic, and deconstructive
approaches. The inescapable conclusion is that "Babel" is the
"Kafkaesque" image of our world and is a powerful paradigm of our
hubristic contrivances and constructions-"Des Tours de Babel," says
Derrida-in order to deny our finiteness. Then innocence is trampled
upon, but it is not overcome: Babel/Babylon's fate is to crumble
down, and to bring up from her ashes the Knight of Faith.
Endorsements: "Breaking free from the compartmentalized exegesis of
traditional commentaries, LaCocque suggests some lively, diverse,
and somehow splintered leads of interpretation for Babel. Giving up
the illusion of producing the meaning of the text, juxtaposing
instead various approaches and ways to translate and understand it,
he echoes the teaching of this moral tale: men's calling is to
understand each other without denying their differences, without
submitting to any unifying tyrant." --Hubert Bost Ecole Pratique
des Hautes Etudes (Paris-Sorbonne) "There are few scholars in the
world today who can combine expertise in Hebrew and biblical
scholarship with intimate familiarity with leading figures in
theory and philosophy. The range of disciplinary languages brought
together in this new Babel is deeply impressive; the conversation
is genuine, rich, and insightful." --Yvonne Sherwood Senior
Lecturer in Biblical Studies University of Glasgow Author
Biography: Andre LaCocque is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at
Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Trial of
Innocence and Onslaught against Innocence (Cascade Books); The
Feminine Unconventional; Romance, She Wrote; Esther Regina; and a
commentary on Ruth. He is also the coauthor (with Paul Ricoeur) of
Thinking Biblically: Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies.
Synopsis: Never before has the problem of evil been a more urgent
subject for our reflection. The Yahwist confronts the issue through
a sequence of stories on the progressive deterioration of the
divine-human relationship in Genesis 2-11. In Genesis 4 he narrates
the initial slaughter of one human being by another, and
strikingly, it is described as fratricidal. Onslaught Against
Innocence: Cain, Abel, and the Yahwist provides a close reading of
J's story by using literary criticism and psychological criticism.
It shows that the biblical author has more than an "archaeological"
design. His characters--including God, Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel,
plus minor characters--are paradigmatic. They allow J to proceed
with a fine analytical feel for the nature of evil as performed by
"homo" as "homini lupus." No imaginative "mimesis" of evil has ever
been recounted with such an economy of means and such depth of
psychological insight. Endorsements: "Among Scripture interpreters,
Andre LaCocque is a singular force because of his generative and
restless mind that always seeks a new angle on the text. Here he
continues his close reading of the early Genesis materials-this
time the Cain and Abel narrative. LaCocque is an urbane
intellectual who knows the world of myth and the critical claims of
psychology. He is, at the same time, a most able and cunning reader
of texts. The outcome of his interpretation is a vigorous fresh
reading of Genesis 4 as a primal statement of failure and
possibility in Western culture. This book is an offer of his rich,
suggestive interpretation and an example of how to connect what is
ancient and thick to contemporary life." -Walter Brueggemann,
author of A Pathway of Interpretation "In this remarkable book,
Andre LaCocque uses insights from literature, art and psychology to
probe the ancient story of Cain and Abel. He argues for a dialogic
view of God, which respects human freedom, and he uncovers the
roots of human violence in the quest for immortality. This is a
first-rate, highly original, contribution to biblical theology.
-John J. Collins, author of Does the Bible Justify Violence? "The
master of a truly extraordinary range of techniques of
interpretation, Andre LaCocque is able to extract deep theological,
psychological, and moral meanings out of a deceptively simple and
often under-interpreted chapter of the Bible. This sophisticated
yet accessible book will repay the attention of many types of
readers-Jewish or Christian, religious or secular, with training in
Biblical Studies or without." -Jon D. Levenson, author of Creation
and the Persistence of Evil "LaCocque presents a literary-critical
analysis of the myth of Cain and Abel, exploring its
anthropological, theological, and psychological dimensions. The
resources he draws upon are classical exegetical studies, but
additionally Ellul, Girard, Jung, Kant, Kierkegaard, Levinas,
Nietzsche, Ricoeur, Sartre, and others. Students and scholars-and
also the ordinary reader of the Bible-will greatly profit from this
book, which I highly recommend to all." -Walter Vogels, author of
Biblical Human Failures Author Biography: Andre LaCocque is
Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Chicago Theological
Seminary. He is the author of The Trial of Innocence; The Feminine
Unconventional; Romance, She Wrote; Esther Regina; and a commentary
on Ruth. He is also the coauthor (with Paul Ricoeur) of Thinking
Biblically: Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies.
Due in large measure to its unique literary genre, the Song of
Songs has been interpreted in diverse ways. "Spiritual" readers of
the poem have, for example, felt a deep-seated repugnace before its
erotic nature. This has led them to employ a variety of artificial
devices to tame it: the text has at times been altered, the
metaphors have been allegorized, similes have been labeled
grotesque, the date of composition has traveled virtually the whole
gamut of biblical chronology, the author's purpose has been reduced
to nothing, and the poem itself has become an exercise in futility.
All of this, says Andre LaCocque, supports the notion that the
issue with which any reader of the Song must come to grips is,
first and foremost, a hermeneutical one.
A reading of Song of Songs, however, must take seriously the
interpretations of this text that have influenced the lives of
synagogue and church alike. Allegorical interpretation demands too
many textual distortions and too much arbitrariness of explanation
in its support. On the other hand, a plain reading, taken in
isolation. bypasses levels of meaning that Judaism and Christianity
have acknowledged as legitimate. Reading the poem intertextually,
LaCocque contends, is a bridge to the traditional midrashic and
allegorical interpretation.
Using a naturalistic approach, LaCocque shows that the Song is
fundamentally a critique of the mores Of conformist societies and
of the dualism between body and soul prevalent in sophisticated and
popular mentalities. In addition, he insists that the author of the
poem is a woman.
Synopsis: The Adam and Eve narrative in Genesis 2-3 has gripped not
only biblical scholars, but also theologians, artists,
philosophers, and almost everyone else. In this engaging study, a
master of biblical interpretation provides a close reading of the
Yahwist story. As in his other works, LaCocque makes wise use of
the Pseudepigrapha and rabbinic interpretations, as well as the
full range of modern interpretations. Every reader will be engaged
by his insights. Endorsements: "This book by LaCocque is an
important contribution to the numberous studies on the story of
paradise. . . . The reading of this book is enriching. The range of
material on which L. draws is remarkable. . . . LaCocque's book is
original in approach and rich in insights. I highly recommend it to
scholars and students alike." --"Catholic Biblical Quarterly"
"Andre LaCocque brings a distinctive style of imagination,
interpretation, and articulation to his growing corpus of valuable
exposition. Here he probes the thickest text of biblical faith. He
goes 'back' to common cultural myths, but then shows how Israel has
claimed generic myths for its own peculiar lived experience. And
then he goes 'forward' to show how the voiced experience of Israel
is paradigmatic for all human reality. Along the way he connects
with the demanding interpretive tradition that includes
Kierkegaard, Ernest Becker, and Ernst Bloch plus the richness of
rabbinic work. The outcome is a compelling invitation to think
again, afresh, about texts that have too long been settled in
conventional, reductionist ways. LaCocque models the courage needed
for reading and demanded by the texts." --Walter Brueggemann,
Columbia Theological Seminary Author Biography: Andre LaCocque is
Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Chicago Theological
Seminary. He is the author of 'The Feminine Unconventional' and
'Romance, She Wrote, ' and the coauthor (with Paul Ricoeur) of
'Thinking Biblically: Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies.'
This volume provides a readable introduction to the narrative book
of Ruth appropriate for the student, pastor, and scholar. LaCocque
combines historical, literary, feminist, and liberationist
approaches in an engaging synthesis. He argues that the book was
written in the post-exilic period and that the author was a woman.
Countering the fears and xenophobia of many in Jerusalem, the
biblical author employed the notion of h.esed (kindness, loyalty,
steadfast love), which transcends any national boundaries. LaCocque
focuses on redemption and levirate marriage as the two legal issues
that recur throughout the text of Ruth. Ruth comes from the
despised people of Moab but becomes a model for Israel. Boaz,
converted to the model of steadfast love, becomes both redeemer and
levir for Ruth and thus fulfills the Torah. In the conclusion to
his study, the author sketches some parallels with Jesus'
hermeneutics of the Law as well as postmodern problems and
solutions.
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