An Anglican Hermeneutic of the Transfiguration (Studies in Episcopal and Anglican Theology)

The question of how to interpret scripture and whether there is a distinctively Anglican approach to doing so is one of the leading theological questions in the Anglican Communion. An Anglican Hermeneutic of the Transfiguration analyzes major Anglican interpretations of the Transfiguration from the eighth century to the present and suggests that Anglicans do in fact have a distinctive hermeneutical approach to this event. Moreover, this approach may point to larger trends in the interpretation of Scripture overall, but especially the Gospels. With respect to the Transfiguration, Anglicans interpret the event within the biblical context, assume its basic historic character, and juxtapose high Christology with the human limitations of Jesus’ self-understanding. Furthermore, Anglicans draw pastoral implications for the lives of Jesus and the disciples from the Transfiguration and assert that the glory manifested on the mountain supports a partially realized eschatology. Finally, Anglicans write for well-educated, non-specialists in theology. Cover 1 Table of Contents 11 Introduction: Identifying an Anglican Hermeneutic 1 13 Chapter One—Transfiguration Narratives in the New Testament 9 21 Chapter Two—Apocryphal and Patristic Interpretations of the Transfiguration 41 53 Chapter Three—English Interpretations of the Transfiguration from Bede to the Reformation 81 93 Chapter Four—The Stability of Anglican Hermeneutical Approaches across the Critical Divide 109 121 Chapter Five—Post-Reformation Transfiguration Liturgies in Anglican and Ecumenical Contexts 157 169 Conclusion: A Distinctively Anglican Hermeneutic of the Transfiguration 207 219 Bibliography 225 237 With respect to the Transfiguration, Anglicans interpret the event within the biblical context, assume its basic historic character, and juxtapose high Christology with the human limitations of Jesus' self-understanding. This title analyzes Anglican interpretations of the Transfiguration from the eighth century onwards.