(1) John Webster - Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch

John Webster's Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (2003, Cambridge University Press, 144pp) is an extended dogmatic attempt to clarify what the apparently simple term 'Holy Scripture' refers to. Concisely stated, 'Holy Scripture', according to Webster, is that set of texts, of divine origin, used by the church. Importantly, 'Holy Scripture' cannot be understood merely, or even primarily, as a text. Rather, one is to give due recognition to its function as divine communicative action upon God's creatures, purposed towards divine self-communication, which in turn calls for an appropriate creaturely response to this self-communication. Webster hastens to add that the dual aspects of the text and the reception of the text of 'Holy Scripture' must always be recognised to remain subservient to its divine self-communicative aspect. Thus, he alerts us to the all important criteria of the order of 'Holy Scripture', which safeguards the ontology of Scripture from disorderly readings and receptions of it. Webster is here aiming his concerns at theologians such as William Cantwell Smith, who claims "there is no ontology of Scripture", but only an "ontology of our beings as persons" and Ingolf Dalferth, who defines scripture mainly in relation to the corporate subjectivity of the church (p. 5 - 8)

In view of this preliminary discussion, and the danger of disordered approaches, Webster aims to sketch a corrective dogmatic account of the nature of Holy Scripture. He begins by relating Holy Scripture to the three divine acts of revelation, sanctification and inspiration.

Concerning the divine action of revelation, Webster is rightly wary of misshapen 'modern' understandings of it. This 'modern' exposition of the doctrine of revelation was overly concerned with answering its critics on their terms (usually philosophical), and thus subsequently neglected to draw upon the specifically Christian content of revelation. What resulted was a reduction of the doctrine of revelation into a generally 'theistic' doctrine, which failed to be guided by revelation's properly material and positive content - namely Christology, pneumatology, soteriology and above all the doctrine of the Trinity (p. 11 - 12). In short, the modern exposition of the doctrine of revelation became disordered - it lost sight of the centrally important aspect of the triune God's divine-communication through Holy Scripture.

Webster notes that the regrettable doctrine of revelation in modern dogmatics forced the doctrine to perform functions that it was never intended to do, namely to "furnish epistemological warrant for Christian claims". What followed then was the badly mistaken one-to-one identification of revelation with Scripture (p. 12). Webster therefore aims to re-integrate the notion of revelation back into the specific structure of Christian doctrine, and in particular into the doctrine of (the triune) God. Within this re-consideration (upon which the influence of Karl Barth is noticeably present), revelation is, first of all, to be understood as the presence of God. It is not the presentation of information about God, but rather the presentation of God himself such that its content is identical with God. Furthermore, God is not only the content but also the agent of revelation - in short, God reveals God. Webster goes on to expound these claims in trinitarian terms, identifying the Father with the will and origin of God's self presence, the Son with the actualisation of God's presence, and the Holy Spirit as the perfector of God's presence within history towards humankind (p. 14). Secondly, revelation is free, spiritual, merciful self-presentation of the sovereign God, such that God always remains the subject of its action. Therefore, revelation can never be commodified or 'made plain', but is rather always a mystery (p. 15). Third, revelation is reconciliation. This observation underscores the purpose of divine revelation to not be merely a self-display of divinity, but an overcoming of alienation between God and humanity (p. 15 - 16). Revelation constitutes actual salvation, and therefore fellowship. Revelation is not simply concerned with knowing about God (although it certainly includes this), but with knowing God, in love as well as fear (p. 16).

What Webster wants us to realise, therefore, is that the doctrine of revelation, and by implication our understanding of 'Holy Scripture', belongs properly to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, and the involvement of the triune God within the economy of salvation (p. 16 - 17).