Minjung Biblical Hermeneutics

Abstract

This chapter addresses the seminal minjung aspect of Korean biblical interpretation through the work of Ahn Byung-Mu’s reading of the Gospel of Mark. The three core themes integral to Ahn’s biblical hermeneutics are reviewed. First, Ahn articulates the “Jesus Event” as a political hermeneutic for interpreting the historical Jesus and the Galilean minjung. Second, he reads Mark as a story of the minjung with emphasis on their social memory of suffering, resistance, and liberation. Third, he identifies Mark’s unique option for ochlos (the multitudes) as a reference to the Galilean minjung. Significantly, Ahn’s interpretation anticipates recent attention to these issues by other global New Testament scholars. Korean biblical scholarship may seize upon Ahn’s hermeneutics not only to build on his legacy but also for transformative purposes in engaging the complex context of the Korean minjung today.