Part One considers key philosophical and aesthetic evaluations of literary images and symbols. The power of pictures is widely appreciated, as in the adage 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. Sometimes Christian discourse can be smothered by endless prose, which demands much inferential reasoning. There is, however, a contrary argument. An isolated visual representation can be misleading if it is improperly interpreted. For example, some mystical visions are interpreted as direct instructions from the Holy Spirit, as happened with the Radical Reformers, who advocated the Peasants' Revolt. Hence theories of symbol, metaphor, and visual representation must be examined Part Two discusses visual representation in the Old Testament, the teaching of Jesus, pictures and analogies in Paul, and the Book of Revelation. This shows the range of authentic visual representations. In contrast to biblical material, we find throughout Christian history abundant examples of misleading imagery which is often passed off as Christian. A notorious example is found in the visual representation and metaphors used by Gnostic writers. Almost as bad are some visual representations used by the medieval mystics, Radical Reformers, and extreme charismatics - all of which lack valid criteria of interpretation, relying instead on subjective conviction. Similarly, sermons and prayers today can be enriched with pictorial images, but some can be misleading and unhelpful for the life of the Church.

A biblical, historical and theological investigation into the tendency of literary images to either enlighten or mislead, and how we can learn to distinguish between the two

About the Author
The late Anthony Thiselton was Emeritus Professor of Christian Theology at the University of Nottingham and a fellow of the British Academy. He previously taught at the Universities of Sheffield, Bristol and Durham and was known internationally for his work on hermeneutics and the theory of interpretation.

Reviews
Thiselton's genius lies in his extraordinary capacity to help us to see familiar issues afresh and deepen our sense of truth. Thiselton's method . . . is to guide the student or reader, giving him or her new vistas, insights and nourishment for the intellectual journey ahead. * Church Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9780281078868
Author Professor Anthony Thiselton
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
Weight(grams) 426g