Appealing to Scripture in Moral Debate: Five Hermeneutical Rules

236 Pages·2002·12.502 MB·English

by  Mr. Charles H. Cosgrove

Appealing to Scripture
in Moral Debate
FIVE HERMENEUTICAL
Charles H. Cosgrove
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ARPEAVING-LOZSCRIPIURE
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Appealing to Scripture
in Moral Debate
Five Hermeneutical Rules
CHARLES H. COSGROVE
WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY
GRAND Rapips, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.
© 2002 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
All rights reserved
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 /
P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.
www.eerdmans.com
Printed in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cosgrove, Charles H.
Appealing to scripture in moral debate : five hermeneutical rules /
Charles H. Cosgrove.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8028-4942-3 (alk. paper)
1. Ethics in the Bible. I. Title.
BS680.E84 C67 2002
241.5 — dc21
2002067925
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations in this publication are from the New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and used by permission.
For my parents,
Charles and Marjorie Cosgrove
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Contents
Acknowledgments Vill
Introduction
. The Rule of Purpose
The Rule of Analogy
The Rule of Countercultural Witness
. The Rule of Nonscientific Scope
The Rule of Moral-Theological Adjudication 154
Conclusion 181
Appendix: Other Rules 194
Works Cited 202
Subject Index 216
Author Index 219
Scripture Reference Index 220
vii
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank the following people, who read portions of this book and
gave me valuable feedback and encouragement: my brother, Joseph
Cosgrove; my former students Raymond and Lawrence Mattera; my col-
league Douglas Sharp; and members of the Association of Chicago Theo-
logical Schools New Testament Group.
vill