Introduction
The sacred texture of socio-rhetorical criticism is a powerful tool. Socio-rhetorical criticism is a comprehensive approach to biblical analysis by considering multiple textures of a portion of biblical text.
So, it is an approach that focuses on “values, convictions, and beliefs” of the text and the world the text exists within. (Robbins, 1996, p. 1)
The layers examined are the inner texture, intertexture, social and cultural texture, ideological texture, and sacred texture.
This approach promises “programmatic correlation of multiple textures of texts” (Robbins, 1996, p. 237), “systematic attention to individual textures, and resources for writing a new account of first-century Christianity.” (Watson, 1998, p.76)
Unpacking the Sacred Texture
An overarching texture considered by Robbins is the sacred texture. This is a look at the existence of the divine and how it interacts with humanity.
Observing a sacred texture analysis by Jacqueline Faulhaber on I Peter, it appears there is need to analyze four other textures. A stand-alone texture analysis appears insufficient.
Robbins offers eight different categories to provide a “programmatic search for sacred aspects of a text” (Robbins, 1996, p. 120): deity, holy person, spirit being, divine history, human redemption, human commitment, religious community, and ethics.
So, to properly apply the sacred texture analysis, we must look for elements of how the divine is coming into contact with humanity. We do this through the analysis of the other textures.
It is through the strength of the other four textures and the deep understanding gained through proper socio-rhetorical criticism, that the sacred texture gains its strength.
Robbins even warns the common approach of using sacred texture solely in biblical analysis creates a “disembodiment of sacred texture from the realities of living in the world.” (Robbins, 1996, p. 130)
References
Faulhaber, J. (2007). The Role of Tribulation and Virtue in Creativity: A Sacred Texture Analysis of 1 Peter. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, 1(2), 135–147.
Robbins, V. K. (1996a). Exploring the texture of texts: a guide to socio-rhetorical interpretation. Valley Forge, Pa: Trinity Press International.
Robbins, V. K. (1996b). The tapestry of early Christian discourse: rhetoric, society, and ideology. London ; New York: Routledge.
Watson, D. F. (1998). Mapping the Textures of New Testament Criticism : A Response to Socio-Rhetorical Criticism. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, (70), 71–77.
