The Crucial Bridge
by Thomas L. Brodie /
2018 / English / PDF
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The Elijah-Elisha narrative (1 Kgs 16:29 - 2 Kgs 13) is the most underestimated text in the Bible. Far from being a disparate collection, it is actually a carefully crafted double drama that both mirrors life and synthesizes systematically the entire Primary History (Genesis-Kings). In a bold hermeneutical move it transforms the language of historiography - of patriarchs and kings - into the language of prophetic biography.This prophetic biography, rooted in historiography, later becomes the evangelists' primary literary model. The Elijah-Elisha narrative is the crucial bridge between the foundational narratives of Judaism and Christianity.Since the 1970s there has been increasing evidence that Scripture texts that at first sight appear fragmented are in fact unified. Judges is a striking example of this. Because of the earlier exegetical models used, Judges was often regarded as a collection of rugged traditions that were independent of one another. Now, however, these apparently disconnected stories are intimately interconnected. Brodie explains that, as with earlier research on Judges, the quest for history - for underlying traditions - has tended to obscure the existing narrative account. In particular, the Elijah-Elisha narrative has often been read as consisting largely of two independent units, two cycles of traditions. The Elijah-Elisha narrative is indeed twofold - it clearly highlights two main prophets - but it is also a careful unity, as closely knit as Judges is now seen to be.Chapters are The Unity of the Narrative (1 Kings 16:29 - 2 Kings 13)," *A Synthesis of the Primary History: Initial Comparison Quantity Analysis, - *A Synthesis of the Primary History: A More Detailed Comparison, - *A Reinterpretation of the Leading Scriptures, - and *a literary Model for the Gospels. - About the Author Thomas L. Brodie, Irish Roman Catholic priest within the Dominican Order, has taught Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament in various institutions across the U.S. and in South Africa. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on the Scriptures. His 2012 book Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus: Memoir of a Discovery caused controversy when Brodie endorsed the Christ myth theory and expressed that Jesus of Nazareth was not a historical figure, a belief he reports he has held since the 1970s. The Provincial set up a committee of five experts from within the Province to examine the work under dispute. After providing Tom Brodie with written copies of their assessments of Beyond the Quest, and having received a written response from him, the committee spent a morning discussing the work with him. Following on these deliberations the committee advised that they judged Beyond the Quest to be imprudent and dangerous (a phrase from the Orders own legislation). Accepting this assessment, the Provincial continued the sanctions on Tom Brodie that he withdraw fully from ministry and from all forms of teaching, writing, or making public statements. Despite the restrictions placed on him, Tom Brodie remains a brother of the Irish Province, and the Province continues to care for him and provide for him. From the point of view of the Order, the matter is closed.
