Return to Babel: Global Perspectives on the Bible

by John R. Levison

In Return to Babel , each of ten historically significant biblical texts is interpreted by three one Latin American, one African, and one Asian. Geographic locales range from a tiny village in the Philippines to the city of Nairobi, Kenya; from Gwangju, South Korea, with its one million inhabitants, to the frontier city of Wiwili in the northern mountains of Nicaragua. The result is a collection of essays that shed new light on familiar texts and make the reader aware of the ways in which culture can shape our understanding of Scripture.

Genres: Christian

252 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Amanda]

This book takes several passages from the Old and New Testaments and provides three interpretations from the interpreter's own context - African, Latino/a, and Asian. The book changed how I look at the Bible. Many of the interpreters are from marginalized people groups and they add a different look at the passages than my own, majority-culture American interpretation.

[A.J. Mendoza]

The difference in interpretation mainly focused on reading through a communal/social lens than the personal/individualistic of the Western world. Social justice was the key to unlocking the interpretive agenda for the South American, African and Asian writers, a key that nearly seems useless to American interpretation today. In regard to who to recommend this to, I would not advise a layperson to read this necessarily. Though many of the articles are translated, the reading level and the technicality of the content reaches to that of a Bible college student.

[Emma]

Wow what a powerful re-visitating of what the story of the tower of Babel means for Christians.

[Emma]

Read this for my global Christian theology class - super interesting perspectives on Biblical passages from theologians from the Global South.

[Jamey]

If you're thinking of studying (or are required to study) how different cultures interpret choice passages in the Bible, this work would be of great help to you. The editors (John and Priscilla Pope-Levison) have selected ten passages, five from the Old Testament and five from the New, and included an Asian, African, and Latin American interpretation for these passages. The reader receives a cultural context given by whichever author is writing, an explanation of the text, and a section of application and reflection that ties the text back to their culture. It is interesting and helpful in getting a wide demographic of views about each passages application.
I must warn young readers that some of the cultural examples given are quite explicit; describing violent murders, troubling circumstances, rape and emotionally shocking situations. Discretion is encouraged.
This book does find it's purpose in God though, and all principles lead back to Him.
It is an educational and informational read.

[Alisha Ragan]

I read this while actually taking a class from Dr. Levison, which was a really powerful experience. Amazing book.