[Re]Reading Again

Guided by the metaphor of the art form known as a mosaic this book advocates a pluralistic approach to biblical studies. Rees argues that the text itself can be described as a 'mosaic' with each new reading adding to the mosaic. Interpretation is therefore both observation and invention or contribution.When [re]reading the text one cannot but be aware of what has been seen before even if it at first may seem unfamiliar. He thus rejects the idea of a definitive reading.<br/> <br/>Examining Numbers 25 Rees argues that the various methods employed to interpret this text (narrative feminist postcolonial as well as a more 'traditional' historical-critical reading) enable us to see different things as we read from different places. A further analysis of the book's interpretative history including the rewritten histories of Josephus and Philo allows us to discover that creativity has forever been a part of the reading process. Moving on to explore the contributions of more recent commentators Rees concludes that an embrace of diversity of collegiality may well point to a new future in Biblical Studies.