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The Nov. 23 meeting was held in conjunction with the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in New Orleans, La. The morning program was entitled, "Scripture and Commentary: Anabaptist Hermeneutics Meets the 21st Century."
Paul M. Zehr, chairman of the Editorial Council, noted that the first commentary in the series was published in 1986. Since then eight commentaries were published, with two more--Amos/Hosea and II Corinthians--coming out within the next 15 months.
George Shillington, of Concord College in Winnipeg told of his own spiritual journey to Anabaptism and the hermeneutical issues he faced in writing the commentary on II Corinthians.
Using II Corinthians 3:7-18 as an example, he pointed out the problem of relating what Paul writes to the Corinthian church with what is said about the glory of God on the face of Moses in Exodus 34. Shillington said Paul used Exodus 34 in an "unbridled way", that Paul theologized the text as he lived in the moment of mission in the first-century world. "Paul was a reader-response practitioner," he said.
Waldemar Janzen, who is writing the commentary on Exodus, traced his journey through various hermeneutical methods and then gave glimpses into his own Exodus writing project.
Janzen noted that when one reads Exodus from a literary approach, Jethro plays a significant role in the book, and there is a chiasmus of Moses and Israel with the salvation of Moses and the commissioning of Moses. This is followed by the salvation of Israel and the commissioning of Israel. Janzen called attention to what the text meant to the first-time reader and what it meant to a repeat reader who is likely the implied reader.
After the meeting, Janzen turned in his first draft of the Exodus commentary to Old Testament editor Elmer A. Martens.
These presentations were followed by vigourous discussion. The structure of the commentary series--with "explanatory notes," "text in biblical context," and "text in the life of the church"--was seen as highly significant for interpreting the Bible in the 21st century, given the present hermeneutical debate.
The explanatory notes, as in most commentaries, set forth the meaning of the passage in its own historical context. The text in biblical context clarifies what is said throughout the Bible on the topic under discussion in the explanatory notes, thus giving a biblical-theology approach to the topic. The text in the life of the church not only emphasizes how this text has functioned in Anabaptist thought, but also at times elsewhere in Christendom and sets forth the response of the readers of the text in the church's history.
A panel chaired by New Testament editor Willard M. Swartley discussed some of the hermeneutical issues that Bible scholars face. The purpose of the commentary project was reviewed. Swartley said the primary purpose of the commentary series is to provide insights into the Bible for pastors, Sunday school teachers, and small-group Bible-study leaders. These persons are strongly urged to purchase copies and use them in their work.
In other business, the Editorial Council heard reports on seven continuing-education seminars featuring the commentaries. Mennonite and Brethren scholars who have written a commentary served as resource persons for these events in seven geographical areas of the church. Two more seminars are planned for 1997.
Many writers continue to work on individual commentaries.
Paul M. Zehr
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