Can Ancient Christians Teach Us Anything about the Bible? | Devin White | Lecture 2

Do modern biblical scholarship and ancient Christian interpretation have to be at war—or can they enrich each other? In this second lecture from the Upper House and Lumen Center series, Dr. Devin White introduces reception history, a rising movement in biblical studies that offers a way forward beyond the limitations of historical criticism.

Building on Lecture 1, Dr. White draws on the philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer to challenge the myth of purely objective interpretation. Every reader brings bias, tradition, and personal experience to Scripture—and rather than being a problem, Gadamer argues this is actually what makes the history of reading so valuable. The more perspectives that have engaged a text over time, the richer our collective understanding becomes. Dr. White then brings this to life through a case study in Paul's letter to the Romans, showing how Origen of Alexandria cracked open a passage that stumped modern scholars for centuries—and what that means for how Christians should read their Bibles today.

Topics covered include:

· Why objectivity in biblical interpretation is a philosophical myth

· Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutics and the concept of "effective history"

· How reception history serves as "historical criticism 2.0"

· Origen's dialogue reading of Romans 3 and its impact on modern Pauline scholarship

· The dark side of reception history: anti-Judaism in early Christian exegesis

· Q&A on subjectivity, theological presuppositions, and discerning true from false readings

Ideal for theology students, pastors, and anyone who has wrestled with Paul's letter to the Romans or wondered how centuries of Christian readers shape our understanding of Scripture today.

reception history, biblical hermeneutics, Gadamer, Romans, Origen of Alexandria, Pauline studies, ancient Christian interpretation, theology lecture, Upper House, Lumen Center, Stephen and Laurel Brown Foundation, Dr. Devin White, New Testament, philosophy of interpretation, Madison Wisconsin