In Search of the Biblical Foundations of Prophetic Dialogue: Engaging a Hermeneutics of Otherness 1

Abstract

In the search for the biblical foundations of prophetic dialogue, this article seeks to answer the following questions: “Is dialogue a biblical value?” and “How is ‘prophetic dialogue’ to be understood in the context of Scripture?” Since prophetic dialogue has as one of its primary dialogical steps attending to one’s own context and the context of the other, Segovia’s hermeneutical strategy of otherness and engagement provides an important lens through which to read and evaluate biblical texts. An exegetical investigation of Mark 7:26–30 and John 4 through the hermeneutics of otherness reveals that we are always the other encountering the other, and as such, prophetic dialogue is more a spirituality than a mission strategy.