Theological Hermeneutics and the Book of Numbers as Christian Scripture

"This book is a sophisticated meditation on the nature of theological interpretation flowing from an extended discussion of the text of Numbers. Of particular value is the manner in which the book uses some of the central passages of the text as test cases for exploring possible paths through complex hermeneutical quandaries. I cannot think of other texts in the burgeoning literature on 'theological interpretation' that manage this task so successfully." —Lewis Ayres, Durham University and Australian Catholic University

"This scholarly study scintillates. Richard Briggs holds together premodern, modern, and postmodern perspectives in creative tension. This guide to Israel’s journey through the wilderness has springs of insight all along the way." —Walter Moberly, Durham University

“At once judicious and bold, Briggs’s hermeneutical meditations on Numbers model an open style of biblical interpretation that is methodologically self-conscious and modern but also theologically adept. The wilderness locale within the biblical story serves as his metaphor for the journey of reading, and Briggs guides his own readers to become better readers of scripture by developing an approach he calls 'ascriptive realism.' The result? Numbers, the most overlooked book in the Pentateuch, comes alive again with renewed vigor and theological importance.” —Stephen B. Chapman, Duke University

“With refreshingly little throat-clearing Briggs gets his hands dirty and offers a compelling, theologically engaged reading of a complex text. Combining textual, literary, hermeneutical, historical (in the broadest sense), moral, and theological insight, Briggs’ reading of Numbers is a demonstration of readerly wisdom. All who want to know what wise theological interpretation looks like will need to engage with this book.” —Angus Paddison, University of Winchester