(2) John Webster: Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch

John Webster turns his attention to the meaning of 'sanctification' in relation to Holy Scripture. In general, sanctification denotes the action by which the Spirit of the risen Christ makes creaturely processes holy in employing them for the service of revelation (p. 17 - 18). The specific creaturely process in question here is that which concerns the biblical text. Webster seeks to draw heavily from the doctrine of the Trinity in order to avoid one particularly unhelpful approach to the biblical text, namely the perceived need of having to account for the bible as a 'natural' and 'historical' document before considering its place within the divine activity of salvation (p. 18). He wishes to turn this assumption on its head by claiming that the text's function within God's communicative divine economy is actually ontologically definitive of the text (p. 19).

Webster tackles two problems in understanding the biblical text. The first concerns the dualist/nominalist problem of how a 'historical' text has the capacity to communicate a 'transcendent ' God. The second problem, which comes as a response to the first, is that which makes the text 'supernatural', almost to the point of denying its creaturely historicity in attributing it essentially divine properties (p. 20). What each of these extreme mistaken views lack is a proper theological ontology of the biblical text (p. 21).

In the absence of a grounding in trinitarian theology, the bible comes to be erroneously understood as a text that is acted upon externally, by the interruptive intervention of God's divine will and causality, with no apparent connection with the creaturely reality of the text itself. However, this 'monergistic' view can be overcome by realising that through the risen Son and the Holy Spirit, God continually remains in relation to the creation. In this way he employs the creaturely realities of creation in holy service of salvation without compromising their createdness (p. 21). Webster speaks of the creaturely reality of the biblical text as being sanctified in precisely this manner (p. 21 - 22).

Webster gives further articulation to his idea of a sanctified text. He refers to the 'election' of the creaturely reality of the text which involves an overseeing and ordering of that reality to serve its purpose of the divine economy (p.26 - 27). It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the text, who as Lord sovereignly acts to make the text holy and sanctified, and as Life giver creates and preserves the text's creatureliness (p. 27). Thus, we may now think of the biblical text as taking part in the service of the divine economy of salvation by grace, without attributing divinity to it (p. 28).

Previously, Webster raised the topic of the ontology of the text. He resumes his discussion on this point by first of all denying that the bible ought to be regarded as a text in general. As Webster points out, "a general theory of texts has shown itself to have only scant theological utility" (p. 28). To regard the biblical text as belonging to a class of texts in general is to overlook one entirely crucial dogmatic assertion that deserves priority: The biblical text is (ontologically) Scripture (p. 29).

Finally, Webster points out that the notion of sanctification by Spirit is by no means limited to the biblical text in its finished state. Thus, (with major implications for the field of biblical studies) we may similarly speak of the biblical text's pre-literary and literary tradition, redaction and compilation as being sanctified (p. 30).