Exploring Intertextuality with B.J. Oropeza

B.J. Oropeza, a professor of biblical studies at Azusa Pacific University, discusses the academic field of intertextuality and how it connects to interpreting the New Testament.

Defining Intertextuality

Professor Oropeza defines intertextuality in its simplest form as "the study of the presence of a text in another text." He traces its origins to Julia Kristeva in the late 1960s, who viewed it as a "mosaic of quotations" that creates a "plethora of meaning" when texts join or collide.

For biblical studies, this approach matters because it moves interpretation beyond a single, isolated meaning, showing how reading biblical passages together can change their meaning. Oropeza provides the example of 1 Corinthians 15:45, where Paul states, "The first Adam was a living soul and the last Adam was a life-giving spirit." While the "living soul" alludes to Genesis 2:7, the "life-giving spirit" aspect may be referencing the resurrection vision in Ezekiel 36 and 37, where God breathes life into dead bones. Intertextuality opens up this "ongoing conversation" between various passages.

Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts

Oropeza credits works like Richard Hays’ Echoes of Scripture in Paul for introducing him to the methodology, specifically the concept of metalepsis, which involves exploring the context of a referenced text to fully understand its meaning in the new context.

He also describes the influence of The Tapestry of Christian Discourse, which presents social rhetorical analysis. This method examines social, cultural, and ideological features as well as quotations.

Professor Oropeza promotes an understanding of intertextuality that goes beyond a narrow focus on the New Testament citing the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament). For Oropeza, intertextuality must also include the connections between biblical writings and Hellenistic, Greco-Roman, and Rabbinic literature (such as Homer and Plutarch). This broader scope is necessary for accurately interpreting New Testament authors, such as Paul. As a Hellenistic Jew, Paul was speaking to Gentiles who were not raised on Jewish Scriptures but on Greco-Roman texts, inscriptions, and local mythological beliefs. For Paul's message to be comprehensible, he would have had to refer to ideas and traditions familiar to his Gentile audience.

A Guidebook for Biblical Interpretation

Oropeza started the "Intertextuality in the New Testament" sessions at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) in response to the lack of dedicated sessions on the topic. The resulting co-edited volume is Exploring Intertextuality: Diverse Strategies for New Testament Interpretation of Texts.

The book groups its approaches into two parts.

The first part covers established approaches, including allusion, metalepsis, midrash, semiotics, and the rhetoric of quotation. The second examines newer approaches, including social rhetorical intertexture, visual exegesis, oral tradition, and multidimensional intertextuality.