"In this book, Sandy draws on recent studies of oral cultures to explore how a culture of orality shaped the Biblical writers and their understanding of how God reveals Godself. After all, God is described as the God who spoke creation into existence. Moses encounters God in the wilderness through God's voice. The prophets communicated God's word through their own speech-acts. And Jesus, God incarnate, didn't write down his message but spoke it to crowds eager to hear his words. Sandy shows us that understanding ancient orality can bring needed clarity to the significance of speech for the Biblical authors"--
Long before the words of the Bible were written, God's communication through the spoken word rang out loud and clear. Jesus in particular commissioned representatives to speak on his behalf even during the time of his earthly ministry. And yet today we are a reading culture. It is easy for modern Christians to take for granted that the Bible was handed down in written form, but the way we receive God's message is far different from how the original hearers would have heard it. These differences not only shape the way that we hear God's message to his people, but they put us at risk of misunderstanding his revelation.
In Hear Ye the Word of the Lord, biblical scholar D. Brent Sandy explores how oral communication shaped the ways that biblical writers received God's message—and even more importantly, how the ancient and modern faithful receive it through hearing. Filled with helpful biblical insights related to oral communication and constructive ways for modern readers to become better hearers and performers of Scripture, Hear Ye the Word of the Lord provides a constructive way forward for readers interested in exploring how we can better hear God's Word.
