Podejście kanoniczne w interpretacji Pisma Świętego

The author of the article discusses the most important aspects of the canonical approach in the interpretation of the Bible, which until now has been absent from Polish biblical literature. The presentation consists of four points. Firstly, historical development of canonical criticism is shown, first of all in B. S. Childs’ and J. A. Sanders’ works (1); next the most important methodological postulates of the new approach are presented: negative ones, i.e. criticism of historical-critical methodology (2), and positive ones, i.e. the most important norms of interpretation of biblical texts in the canonical approach (3). The article is concluded with a short discussion of critical and polemic opinions about B. S. Childs’ hermeneutic postulates (4). In the author’s opinion, the discussions led around the canonical approach reflect a much deeper problem that has been pervading Catholic and non-Catholic study of the Bible for years, namely, it makes exegetes realise the tension that exists between (post)positivist postulates of the historical-critical methodology and the inspired character of the biblical texts that are God’s living word. The only answer to the mentioned dichotomy may be a unanimous cooperation of the reason and faith in the domain of biblical studies (cf. John Paul II, the encyclical Fides et ratio, no 94).