--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Bible unites its interpreters as a…" description: "\"The Bible unites its interpreters as a shared focus of attention, but it does not demand consensus. On the contrary, it invites and prods us to make re..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/zygmunt-bauman-1861_attention_the-bible-unites-its-interpreters-as-a-s_2792666.png" --- # The Bible unites its interpreters as a shared focus of… ![“The Bible unites its interpreters as a shared focus of attention, but it does not demand consensus. On the contrary, it invites and prods us to make responsible choices, to take responsibility for the choices that we have made... It was always like that, and our holy scripture grows over the…” quote by Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/zygmunt-bauman-1861_attention_the-bible-unites-its-interpreters-as-a-s_2792666.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/zygmunt-bauman-1861_attention_the-bible-unites-its-interpreters-as-a-s_2792666.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/zygmunt-bauman-1861_attention_the-bible-unites-its-interpreters-as-a-s_2792666.png) > “The Bible unites its interpreters as a shared focus of attention, but it does not demand consensus. On the contrary, it invites and prods us to make responsible choices, to take responsibility for the choices that we have made... It was always like that, and our holy scripture grows over the centuries, gets thicker and thicker, with more texts around, which need/have to be looked into, referred to, considered.” [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Interpretations of sacred texts foster shared focus but encourage diverse, responsible choices rather than uniform agreement. **In simple terms:** Bible study invites diverse responsible choices. Key Takeaway Embrace interpretive diversity. Themes faith interpretation responsibility Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical theological When to use this quote - religious communities - academic study - interfaith dialogue - personal belief Key Concepts theology social theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle differing interpretations? - What responsibilities arise from personal reading? A Different Perspective Consensus may be hard to achieve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Unites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-unites-3391849/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Holy Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-scripture-598839/) [Holy scriptures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-scriptures/) [Interpreter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpreter/) [Invites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invites/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Made it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made-it/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/) [Scripture Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture-grows-3391850/) [Shared Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shared-focus-3391851/) [Taking responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [God the Father is the giver of Holy Scripture; God the Son is the theme of Holy Scripture; and God the Spirit is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/god-the-father-is-the-giver-of-holy-scripture-god-the-son-is-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [It seems to me that it was well said by Madama Serenissima, and insisted on by your reverence, that the Holy Scripture cannot err,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/it-seems-to-me-that-it-was-well-said-by-madama-serenissima-and/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [Scriptura sacra mentis oculis quasi quoddam speculum opponitur, ut interna nostra facies in ipsa videatur. Holy scripture is placed before the eyes of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-i/scriptura-sacra-mentis-oculis-quasi-quoddam-speculum-opponitur-ut/) [Pope Gregory I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-i/) > [We corrupt the Word of God most dangerously, when we throw any doubt on the plenary inspiration of any part of Holy Scripture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/we-corrupt-the-word-of-god-most-dangerously-when-we-throw-any-doubt/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [I am inclined to think that the authority of Holy Scripture is intended to convince men of those truths which are necessary for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-am-inclined-to-think-that-the-authority-of-holy-scripture-is/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [In a word, the Holy Scripture is the highest and best of books, abounding in comfort under all afflictions and trials. It teaches us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/in-a-word-the-holy-scripture-is-the-highest-and-best-of-books/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The reading of the word of God should be performed in solitude, in order that the whole mind of the reader might be plunged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seraphim-of-sarov/the-reading-of-the-word-of-god-should-be-performed-in-solitude-in/) [Seraphim of Sarov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seraphim-of-sarov/) > [Every word of Holy Scripture was a love letter from God directed very personally to us and he asked us whether we loved Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/every-word-of-holy-scripture-was-a-love-letter-from-god-directed-very/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“Make time to study the Holy Scripture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/make-time-to-study-the-holy-scripture/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It is unlawful to add anything to the words of Holy Scripture regarding the sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-unlawful-to-add-anything-to-the-words-of-holy-scripture/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Because I am a Christian, therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God's Word in Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/because-i-am-a-christian-therefore-every-day-in-which-i-do-not/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [No power of earth, or hell, men or devils, can possibly stand against the word of God; and hence it is the very height…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-henry-mackintosh/no-power-of-earth-or-hell-men-or-devils-can-possibly-stand-against/) [Charles Henry Mackintosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-henry-mackintosh/) > [“The first step of grace to seek knowledge begins with the reading of the Holy Scripture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-first-step-of-grace-to-seek-knowledge-begins-with-the-reading-of/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Holy Scripture is the highest authority for every believer, the standard of faith and the foundation for reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wycliffe/holy-scripture-is-the-highest-authority-for-every-believer-the/) [John Wycliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wycliffe/) > [“The Holy Scripture is a holy instruction of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-holy-scripture-is-a-holy-instruction-of-god/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Zygmunt Bauman > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > ['I am insecure' means: I can't cope on my own. The odds are overwhelming. I can't resist them on my own. I need us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/i-am-insecure-means-i-can-t-cope-on-my-own-the-odds-are-overwhelming/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [For one to be free there must be at least two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/for-one-to-be-free-there-must-be-at-least-two/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [It is easy now to break the vows. It is even easier to part your ways if vows haven't been taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/it-is-easy-now-to-break-the-vows-it-is-even-easier-to-part-your-ways/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Once upon a time, when I was young, people saw a wedding as an event that determined the rest of their life. For a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/once-upon-a-time-when-i-was-young-people-saw-a-wedding-as-an-event/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [The inequality between the world's individuals is staggering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/the-inequality-between-the-world-s-individuals-is-staggering/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Madness is no madness when shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/madness-is-no-madness-when-shared/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [After many years of thinking, reading and writing and looking, I came to believe that there are two basic, essential values which are indispensable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/after-many-years-of-thinking-reading-and-writing-and-looking-i-came/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [State governments seek local remedies for the globally fabricated deprivations and miseries in vain - just as the individuals-by-the-decree-of-fate (read: by the impact of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/state-governments-seek-local-remedies-for-the-globally-fabricated/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [“Beneath the dream of fame, another dream, a dream of no longer dissolving and staying dissolved in the grey, faceless and insipid mass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/beneath-the-dream-of-fame-another-dream-a-dream-of-no-longer/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Why are people so concerned with relativism? If you look back in history, millions of people were killed because of someone's dogmatic views, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/why-are-people-so-concerned-with-relativism-if-you-look-back-in/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I think that the essential instruction of the Bible is very much topical. The sole problem is that with every change of historical setting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/i-think-that-the-essential-instruction-of-the-bible-is-very-much/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [For intellectual authority, the appropriate version of Descartes 's cogito would be today: I am talked about, therefore I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/for-intellectual-authority-the-appropriate-version-of-descartes-s/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [The problem of insufficient security was, until quite recently, a matter of a minority; now it is becoming very quickly a majority matter. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/the-problem-of-insufficient-security-was-until-quite-recently-a/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) [Explore all 169 Zygmunt Bauman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Bible unites its interpreters as a shared focus of attention, but it does not demand consensus. 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