Chasing the Eastern Star: Adventures in Biblical Reader-Response Criticism

by Mark Allan Powell

Emphasizing meaning as "effect" rather than merely "message," Mark Allan Powell shows how biblical texts may legitimately take on multiple meanings in a variety of contexts. The first part of the book uses examples drawn from popular literature and culture to engage in a practical way the kinds of questions that scholars bring to their study of the Bible. The second part is devoted to approaching the Gospel of Matthew as a work of literature that...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0664222781
• ISBN13: 9780664222789
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great read!

This book turned into a very enlightening read. Powell thoroughly lays out his own particular brand of reader-response criticism which opened up a new world for me in biblical interpretation. Witte, contemporary, and straight-forward, the book is very approachable for both the academic and layperson. Powell has proven himself a very open scholar, realizing that his interpretation is just that--his. He leaves the reader the option of agreeing or disagreeing with his views. Agree or not, the reader will walk away from the book with a whole new appreciation for the Bible as well as how people come to their own interpretations.

A very lucid, witty book

Mark Allan Powell's Chasing the Eastern Star is an excellent book! Powell's purpose is to explain the purpose and method of reader-response criticism as it relates to biblical studies.The last part of the book, uses the method of reader-response criticism to examine the story of the magi in the Gospel of Matthew. He reaches some surprising conclusions regarding the magi.Powell's book is worth reading for the scholar, preacher, or educated lay person. He explains the potentially boring and difficult concept of reader-response criticsm in a very witty and lively manner. The only wittier bible scholar around may be Stephen Moore (read God's Gym to see what I mean). Now that I have finished the adventure of reading Chasing the Eastern Star, I am ready for more biblical adventures regarding the bible and reader response criticsm.