More to the point, Jesus’ own use of scripture, as
attested for example in Mark 10.2-9 and 12.24-31, indicates one who was ready
to hear God’s word in scripture but in fresh ways, and in dialogue with his
contemporaries equally seeking to discern God’s word. The first Christians in
effect contemporaries equally seeking to discern god’s word. The first
Christians in effect operated in like manner—Paul, for example, joining with
his Pharisaic contemporaries in the interpretation of texts like Gen. 15.6, Lev.
18.5 and Hab. 2.4; and like them, regarding his interpreted text as the
authoritative scripture. The word of God was being heard through these
scriptural texts, true enough; but the word of God was the interpreted text,
the text as living tradition. So, the puzzle as to where texts like Mt. 2.23, 1
Cor. 2.9 and Jas. 4.5 were drawn from becomes of less importance if we are
willing to recognize a living tradition through which God’s word was heard but
which was not simply coterminous with the already acknowledged scriptures.
(James D. G. Dunn, “Living Tradition,” in What is it that the Scripture
Says? Essays in Biblical Interpretation, Translation and Reception in Honour of
Henry Wansbrough OSB, ed. Philip McCosker [Library of New Testament Studies
316; T & T Clark, 2006], 280)
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