Scholars' Corner

ICJS Director Awarded
Ragdale Fellowship

ICJS Executive Director Dr. Christopher Leighton was recently awarded a Fellowship at the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he spent the period from October 9 - 23 working on a long-term project involving the development of a Christian way of inhabiting biblical texts akin to the Jewish practice of doing midrash. The literary approach that he is advancing uses the saga of Jacob and Esau as its touchstone: Each chapter explores a different moment from this biblical narrative and exposes the dynamics of their troubled relationship. In one chapter, Dr. Leighton locates the silences in the account of Jacob wrestling with the angel and explores the content and character of Jacob's ambition . . . the price of his success. In another chapter, he investigates the resentments of Esau and the possibilities and limits of his reconciliation with Jacob.

Each of these biblical embellishments is filtered through the lens of the author's personal experience. The juxtaposition of sacred text and personal encounter invites readers to consider how we read the biblical story and how the biblical story in turn reads us. The underlying task is to demonstrate that our experience both illuminates the significance of the text and limits what we can see.

In the final section of each chapter, Dr. Leighton offers commentary about the ways in which Jews and Chris-tians have developed a range of interpretations. These readings not only shape the self-understanding of each community, they also influence the ways in which Jews and Christians regard those who belong to different traditions. Dr. Leighton explores the implications of these historical patterns of reading, most particularly the ways in which previous interpretations have enshrined suspicions and hostilities between Jews and Christians. The conclusion of each chapter takes the measure of this legacy and invites readers to consider another approach to our biblical narratives, one that honors the distinctive character of one's own religious community and leads to a more creative encounter with our religious differences. To see for yourself, contact the ICJS and request a chapter.

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