The Theology of Craft and the Craft of Work: From Tabernacle to Eucharist

253 Pages·2016·1.62 MB·English

by  Jeremy Kidwell

The Theology of Craft and the
Craft of Work
An important reconceptualisation is taking place in the way people express creativity,
work together, and engage in labour; particularly, suggests Kidwell, a surprising resur-
gence in recent years of manual and craft work. Noting the wide array of outlets that now
market hand-made goods and the array of popular books which advocate “making” as a
basis for activism or personal improvement, this book seeks to understand how the micro-
politics of craft work might offer insights for a broader theology of work. Why does it
matter that we do work which is meaningful, excellent, and beautiful? Through a close
reading of Christian scripture, The Theology of Craft and the Craft of Work examines the
theology and ethics of work in light of original biblical exegesis. Kidwell presents a detailed
exegetical study of temple construction accounts in the Hebrew bible and the New
Testament. Illuminating a theological account of craft, and employing the ancient vision
of “good work” which is preserved in these biblical texts, Kidwell critically interrogates
modern forms of industrial manufacture. This includes a variety of contemporary work
problems particularly the instrumentalisation and exploitation of the non-human material
world and the dehumanisation of workers. Primary themes taken up in the book include
agency, aesthetics, sociality, skill, and the material culture of work, culminating with the
conclusion that the church (or “new temple”) is both the product and the site of moral
work. Arguing that Christian worship provides a moral context for work, this book also
examines early Christian practices to suggest a theological reconceptualisation of work.
The Revd Dr Jeremy H. Kidwell (MCS, Ph.D, Theological Ethics, University of Edin-
burgh) serves as Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the School of Divinity at the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh. He lectures in Christian Ethics, the Ethics of Work, Technology
and Design and Environmental Ethics, and is currently involved in full-time research
on an interdisciplinary research project focussed on Christian responses to climate
change, titled “Caring For the Future Through Ancestral Time.” Dr Kidwell’s research
is engaged primarily with Christian ethics, the environment and political theology. His
most recent work, a co-edited volume Theology and Economics: A Christian Vision of
the Common Good (2015) brings together constructive reflections from Christian theo-
logians and economists across the UK, USA and Europe and is the result of a two year
collaboration. Prior to his academic work, Jeremy worked as a technician and trainer in
telecommunications and information technology and he continues to provide consult-
ing services on network security, infrastructure, and the use of information technology
in teaching and learning. This experience in the marketplace provided the impetus for
this book and motivated the research behind it.
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The Theology of Craft and the
Craft of Work
From Tabernacle to Eucharist
Jeremy H. Kidwell
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Jeremy H. Kidwell
The right of Jeremy H. Kidwell to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kidwell, Jeremy, 1980–
The theology of craft and the craft of work : from tabernacle to eucharist / by
Jeremy Kidwell.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4724-7651-7 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-1-4724-7652-4
(ebook) — ISBN 978-1-4724-7653-1 (epub) 1. Work—Biblical
teaching. 2. Work—Religious aspects—Christianity. 3. Temples—Design
and construction—Biblical teaching. 4. Public worship—Biblical teaching.
5. Workmanship—Miscellanea. 6. Handicraft—Miscellanea. I. Title.
BS680.W75K53 2016
261.8'5—dc23 2015033028
ISBN: 978-1-4724-7651-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-55233-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Garamond Premier Pro
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Acknowledgements vi
A Note on the Text viii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction: Seeking a Theology of Craft 1
PART I
Moral Making: The Construction of the Place of Worship 21
1 Building the Tabernacle 23
2 Building the Temple 53
3 The Temple Not Made With Hands: Reconceptualising the Temple 81
4 Jesus the Temple: Temple Construction in the New Testament 117
PART II
Moral Maintenance: Sustaining Work Ethics in Christian Worship 147
Introduction to Part II 149
5 Burnt Offerings: Challenging Modern Work Efficiency 157
6 Firstfruits and the Consecrating Relation 178
7 “Eaten” Offerings and Liturgical Sociality 200
Conclusion: Seeking the Craft of Worship 212
Bibliography 216
Index of Biblical References 231
Index of Authors 239
Index of Subjects 241
Acknowledgements
I am in the debt of faculty and friends at the University of Edinburgh who
have provided comment on the research and writing presented here, particu-
larly Dr David Reimer, who has ably steered me through the “Scylla” and “Cha-
rybdis” churning up the waters of biblical scholarship, and my two examiners
Prof. Nick Adams and Prof. Timothy Gorringe, who offered a generous measure
of the same type of guidance from a theological perspective. I am also grateful to
Prof. Oliver O’Donovan for sharing his wisdom on patristic ethics. Portions of
this study in early drafts have been presented at several conferences, including
a Society for the Study of Christian Ethics conference, several Society of Bibli-
cal Literature sessions (Biblical Theology, Concept Analysis and the Hebrew
Bible, and Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures sections), a Kirby Laing Institute
for Christian Ethics seminar, the Tyndale House forum on Theology and Social
Ethics, and several University of Edinburgh research seminars. I am very grate-
ful to those who have shared insights and critique in the context of those fora.
In particular, I want to express my thanks to Brian Brock and Esther Reed, who
provided wise input on this project while it was still in the early stages. Spe-
cial thanks also go to a group of peers, Graham Chernoff, Seth Ehorn, and Joe
Rivera, who read drafts of this manuscript. I am also especially grateful to Ben
Edsall for commenting on early drafts of several sections of this work. Any per-
sistent faults in this manuscript are mine, as the diligent attention of my manu-
script readers cannot be faulted! My research was financially supported by the
University of Edinburgh and the School of Divinity at the University, and it has
been attended by a regular awareness that I am the beneficiary of an investment
by the Scottish public in scholarship. I hope that my study may prove a small but
worthy dividend of this generous gift.
It has been a privilege these past three years to be mentored by Prof. Michael
Northcott. His personal investment in my professional development and well-
being has been extraordinary as he has generously opened up office, home, and
garden as spaces for friendship and learning. Perhaps most of all, I am grateful
Acknowledgements vii
to Prof. Northcott for allowing me to be an apprentice in the challenging task
of prophetic witness in the midst of our ecological crisis. He has left me with
the conviction that our efforts to communicate a moral vision for the health
of the whole creation must be not merely true but also beautiful. It might have
been easier to provide specific footnotes for those insights in this book that have
not arisen from and been refined in our conversations, his mentorship, and my
reading of his work (including my use of the term “Moral Making” for Part I of
this study). Keeping this in mind, I offer my deepest thanks to Prof. Northcott
for sharing his insight and scholarship with me so openly.
Final and ultimate thanks go to my wife Katy for her patience, encourage-
ment, and unfailing support. The conviction that lies behind this research –
that communities of faith may yet mobilise towards moral action and change
society for the better in the midst of our current ecological crisis – is one that
I could not have sustained without frequent borrowing from Katy’s hope and
vision on this subject. Thanks are also due to our sons Noah and Isaac, whose
enthusiasm and joy have infused a new level of hope on my part towards the
development of an intergenerational ethic.
A Note on the Text
For Greek and Hebrew, I have followed the convention common to biblical
scholarship, to transliterate. This has the additional benefit of making my text
accessible to both readers and non-readers of biblical languages. When refer-
encing the text of the bible, I shall primarily provide transliterated Hebrew or
Greek (and in some cases Latin, when relevant) and, for the sake of those unfa-
miliar with Hebrew or Greek, for terms that are uncontroversial, I shall include
a gloss enclosed in brackets (i.e., ndava [“freewill”]). For glosses I shall typically
draw on BDAG and HALOT. Most biblical quotations are drawn from con-
temporary English translations, the JPS translation for the Hebrew Bible and
the ESV for the New Testament; otherwise, unless noted, glosses and transla-
tions are my own.
Abbreviations
When referencing classical and patristic literature, I shall make use of the abbre-
viation system detailed in the Oxford Classical Dictionary, with author names
unabbreviated (i.e., “Aristotle, Pol.”). I rely upon SBL style for all biblical abbre-
viations and references.
ANE Ancient Near East
AYB Anchor Yale Bible [Commentary Series]
AYBD Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, edited by David Noel Freedman, 6
vols (New York: Doubleday, 1992)
BDAG Walter Bauer, A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edn, revised and edited by
Frederick William Danker (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press, 2000)
BDB The New Brown–Driver–Briggs–Gesenius Hebrew and English
Lexicon, With an Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic,
edited by Francis Brown with the cooperation of S. R. Driver and
Charles A. Briggs (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1979)
BEThL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
CBCNT Cambridge Bible Commentaries: New Testament [Commentary
Series]
ESV English Standard Version
GNT Greek New Testament
GR G raeco-Roman
HALOT L udwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the
Old Testament, 5 vols, translated and edited under the supervi-
sion of M. E. J. Richardson (Leiden: Brill, 1994–2000)
HB Hebrew Bible
ICC International Critical Commentary
JPS Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures: The New JPS Translation According
to the Traditional Hebrew Text [Bible]