Articles

Purifying Exegesis through Philosophy: Toward a New Synthesis of Biblical Interpretation

Joshua Madden

Abstract

Madden examines Cardinal Ratzinger’s claim that modern biblical exegesis suffers from philosophical, not historical, deficiencies. By recovering the word/event and meaning/truth relationships, Madden proposes a metaphysical and sapiential approach rooted in sacra doctrina. Assessing pre-critical and critical methods, Madden argues for a synthesis grounded in a hermeneutic of faith and advances a participatory model of exegesis that embraces both the vertical and horizontal aspects of exegesis.