For centuries, the Bible has been interpreted both through scientific methods and through the teachings of the Church. Both approaches are consistent with Western thought. The problems encountered by Western exegesis may not actually be problems in an Oriental context, but rather quite normal aspects of life at that time.
The Hebrew of the Old Testament is the key for understanding the Bible. Hebrew is related to the Arabic language in use today, and one can find points of connection between it and the language and culture of the Bible. Western exegesis has taken this perspective into account only to a very limited extent. Therefore, it might be helpful to approach the Bible through Eastern lenses, while keeping in mind that the Bible was not written for us—though certainly for our benefit as well—but for entirely different people in an entirely different culture.
We are accustomed to asking: What does the Bible say about this specific matter? But if we ask the question: What does the Bible say? Then we must set aside our familiar preconceptions about the text and focus solely on the words that make up the Bible. Humanity has no other knowledge of the Almighty God than the Bible. One has to seek answers from it, not from the structures the human intelligence has created.
Merja Merras is an adjunct professor of Eastern Early Church History in Finland. Professor Paul Nadim Tarazi was born in Palestine and taught Biblical Studies in the United States and Lebanon for over forty years. He has published in English a seven-volume Introduction to the Bible series, on which this book is based.
ISBN 978-1-60191-072-1