Gospel as Work of Art: Imaginative Truth and the Open Text

A lushly illustrated, magisterial exploration of the imaginative truth of the gospel

In the modern academy, truth and imagination are thought to be mutually exclusive. But what if truth can spring from other fonts, like art, literature, and invention?

The legacy of the Enlightenment favors historical and empirical inquiry above all other methods for searching for truth. But this assumption constrains our theological explorations. Though the historicity of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection is important, it is not the only thing that matters. For instance, is John's Gospel any less "true" than the Synoptics just because it's less historically accurate?

David Brown challenges us to expand our understanding of the gospel past source criticism and historical Jesus studies to include works of imagination. Reading Scripture in tandem with works of art throughout the centuries, Brown reenvisions the gospel as an open text. Scholars of theology and biblical studies, freed from literalism, will find new avenues of revelation in Gospel as Work of Art. This volume includes over one hundred color illustrations.


About the Author

David William Brown, FRSE, FBA is an Anglican priest and British scholar of philosophy, theology, religion, and the arts. He has taught at the universities of Oxford, Durham, and St. Andrews.