A Penchant for Minutia

Foundationalism, as we will see in a later article, has a penchant for minutia which seems to assist readers of Scripture to read it fissiparously. Foundationalism has produced for us the plague of versitis, topicalitis, and systematitis.

The Bible was designed by God to be heard and read. In the “Welcome” section to The Promise Bible God’s Words in Your Words (Contemporary English Version) mission is described as being a translation that can be read, heard, and listened to with enjoyment.[ref]The Promise Bible God’s Words in Your Words (CEV). Promise Bible (Contemporary English Version vi.[/ref]

We must remember that the Bible was first meant to be heard as its stories were told and read later after they were written down. Of course, we in the Western world have a difficult time wrapping our minds around the idea of an oral Bible. We think that literacy comes from being able to read written works, so if one only had an oral work the person presenting and the people listening would thereby be illiterate. Susan Niditch argues the opposite point of view in her book, Oral World and Written Word: Ancient Israelite Literature.[ref]Susan Niditch, Oral World and Written Word. 39-41.[/ref]

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