Barnabas Aspray
Biographic Data
| ID | 1116376 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Barnabas Aspray |
| GIVEN NAMES | Barnabas |
| FAMILY NAME | Aspray |
| SIGNATURE | ASPRAY B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Oxford |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8587-1993 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Mediating Revelation
Hermeneutics
To blame hermeneutics is to shoot the messenger. Hermeneutics does not prevent the revelation of transcendence from reaching us; it merely diagnoses a problem that was already there whether or not we were aware of it. This essay contends that the widespread disagreement among Christians today on the normative message of the Bible casts doubt on our ability to discern what God is saying to the church. Hermeneutics, far from causing the problem, is…
Paul Ricœur and Metaphysics
In twentieth-century France, the word “metaphysics” had connotations of closed systems which claimed certainty for themselves. As a result, few dared to engage in metaphysical speculation. Ricœur, however, rejected this prevalent definition because he believed it came from Heidegger’s procrustean reading of the history of philosophy. While agreeing that certainty and closure were neither desirable nor possible, Ricœur did make metaphysical claims…
Jesus Was a Refugee
This article is an in‐depth exploration of the divine purpose for Jesus’ refugeehood (recorded in Matthew 2) and its theological implications. Part One finds three reasons for Jesus’ displacement: (1) to recapitulate the displacement in Israel's story, (2) to recapitulate the exile of Adam and Eve, (3) to point forward to the Church's calling to be ‘aliens and strangers’ in the world. From this basis, Part Two draws two contemporary implications:…
“A Throne Will Be Established in Steadfast Love”
All commentators agree that Isaiah 16:1–5 is about refugees, yet the passage’s implications for forced migration have not yet been investigated. This article argues that it contains a prophetic call by Isaiah, speaking with God’s authority, that Jerusalem should welcome the Moabite refugees who have fled there for safety. Isaiah tells Jerusalem that by welcoming these refugees they are participating in the coming of a Kingdom and a Davidic King w…
How Can Phenomenology Address Classic Objections to Liturgy
Liturgical worship has at times been controversial within parts of the Christian tradition. This article uses phenomenology-especially the thought of Paul Ricœur, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Gabriel Marcel-to analyse, evaluate, and respond to five common objections to liturgy by those who reject it: (1) the absence of freedom and spontaneity, (2) the absence of authenticity, (3) the use of symbols to mediate the divine, (4) the use of the liturgic…
‘Scripture Grows with its Readers’
This article uses the hermeneutic philosophy of Paul Ricœur to contribute to a Protestant‐ecumenical understanding of doctrinal development, construed as the growth of the meaning of Scripture. Ricœur’s hermeneutics differ from those of Gadamer, structuralism, and authorial intention in ways that, unlike these, show how doctrinal development is not only possible but necessary. With a Ricœurian approach to biblical interpretation, I argue that doc…
‘No One Can Serve Two Masters’
While the French philosopher Paul Ricœur is not usually thought of as an existentialist, during his early career he engaged deeply with existentialist thought, and published two articles on the relationship between existentialism and Christian faith. Ricœur’s attempts to relate philosophy and theology often led to great personal distress, which he occasionally referred to as “controlled schizophrenia,” in which he struggled to remain faithful to …
From One Testament to the Other
Translation of Paul Ricoeur, “D'un testament à l'autre” Translator's Preface : This essay, part of the section “Essais d'herméneutique biblique” in Ricoeur's Lectures 3: aux frontières de la philosophie , is one example of the later Ricoeur's increasing willingness to let theology and philosophy speak to each other. I would like to draw readers’ attention to two moves made here by Ricoeur: (1) the way in which his philosophical hermeneutics opens…
How Can Phenomenology Address Classic Objections to Liturgy
Liturgical worship has at times been controversial within parts of the Christian tradition. This article uses phenomenology-especially the thought of Paul Ricœur, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Gabriel Marcel-to analyse, evaluate, and respond to five common objections to liturgy by those who reject it: (1) the absence of freedom and spontaneity, (2) the absence of authenticity, (3) the use of symbols to mediate the divine, (4) the use of the liturgic…
From One Testament to the Other
Translation of Paul Ricoeur, “D'un testament à l'autre” Translator's Preface : This essay, part of the section “Essais d'herméneutique biblique” in Ricoeur's Lectures 3: aux frontières de la philosophie , is one example of the later Ricoeur's increasing willingness to let theology and philosophy speak to each other. I would like to draw readers’ attention to two moves made here by Ricoeur: (1) the way in which his philosophical hermeneutics opens…
‘Scripture Grows with its Readers’
This article uses the hermeneutic philosophy of Paul Ricœur to contribute to a Protestant‐ecumenical understanding of doctrinal development, construed as the growth of the meaning of Scripture. Ricœur’s hermeneutics differ from those of Gadamer, structuralism, and authorial intention in ways that, unlike these, show how doctrinal development is not only possible but necessary. With a Ricœurian approach to biblical interpretation, I argue that doc…
‘No One Can Serve Two Masters’
While the French philosopher Paul Ricœur is not usually thought of as an existentialist, during his early career he engaged deeply with existentialist thought, and published two articles on the relationship between existentialism and Christian faith. Ricœur’s attempts to relate philosophy and theology often led to great personal distress, which he occasionally referred to as “controlled schizophrenia,” in which he struggled to remain faithful to …
“A Throne Will Be Established in Steadfast Love”
All commentators agree that Isaiah 16:1–5 is about refugees, yet the passage’s implications for forced migration have not yet been investigated. This article argues that it contains a prophetic call by Isaiah, speaking with God’s authority, that Jerusalem should welcome the Moabite refugees who have fled there for safety. Isaiah tells Jerusalem that by welcoming these refugees they are participating in the coming of a Kingdom and a Davidic King w…
How Can Phenomenology Address Classic Objections to Liturgy
Liturgical worship has at times been controversial within parts of the Christian tradition. This article uses phenomenology-especially the thought of Paul Ricœur, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Gabriel Marcel-to analyse, evaluate, and respond to five common objections to liturgy by those who reject it: (1) the absence of freedom and spontaneity, (2) the absence of authenticity, (3) the use of symbols to mediate the divine, (4) the use of the liturgic…
Paul Ricœur and Metaphysics
In twentieth-century France, the word “metaphysics” had connotations of closed systems which claimed certainty for themselves. As a result, few dared to engage in metaphysical speculation. Ricœur, however, rejected this prevalent definition because he believed it came from Heidegger’s procrustean reading of the history of philosophy. While agreeing that certainty and closure were neither desirable nor possible, Ricœur did make metaphysical claims…
Jesus Was a Refugee
This article is an in‐depth exploration of the divine purpose for Jesus’ refugeehood (recorded in Matthew 2) and its theological implications. Part One finds three reasons for Jesus’ displacement: (1) to recapitulate the displacement in Israel's story, (2) to recapitulate the exile of Adam and Eve, (3) to point forward to the Church's calling to be ‘aliens and strangers’ in the world. From this basis, Part Two draws two contemporary implications:…
Mediating Revelation
Hermeneutics
To blame hermeneutics is to shoot the messenger. Hermeneutics does not prevent the revelation of transcendence from reaching us; it merely diagnoses a problem that was already there whether or not we were aware of it. This essay contends that the widespread disagreement among Christians today on the normative message of the Bible casts doubt on our ability to discern what God is saying to the church. Hermeneutics, far from causing the problem, is…
Philosophy (9 works) · Epistemology (7 works) · Theology (7 works) · Biblical Studies and Interpretation (4 works) · Hermeneutics (4 works) · Hermeneutics and Narrative Identity (4 works) · Religious Education and Schools (3 works) · Religious studies (3 works) · Christian Theology and Mission (2 works) · Education, Leadership, and Health Research (2 works)