Life in the Eucharistic Community: An Empirical Study in Psychological Type Theory and Biblical Hermeneutics Reading John 6:5–15

Abstract

This study employs psychological type theory to analyse the ways in which a group of 13 newly ordained Anglican priests (in priest's orders for three or four months) reflected on the Eucharistic imagery of the Johannine feeding narrative. In the first exercise the priests worked in two groups distinguished according to their perceiving preference (7 sensing types and 6 intuitive types). In the second exercise the priests worked in three groups distinguished according to their judging preferences (4 thinking types, 4 feeling types and 5 feeling types).The data supported the significance of psychological type in shaping the hermeneutical process (the theory underpinning the SIFT method of biblical hermeneutics and liturgical preaching). Sensing types grappled with the plethora of detail within the text. Intuitive types looked for the bigger picture and identified major themes. Thinking types looked for and organised the major issues raised by the passage. Feeling types focused on the human and relational implications of the narrative.

Reading the Lucan call of the first disciples differently: the voices of sensing and intuition

“…Mark 16: 1-8 and Matthew 28: 1-15(Francis & Jones, 2011); the cleansing of the Temple and the incident of the fig tree reported in Mark 11: 11-21(Francis, 2012a;Francis & ap Siôn, 2016b); the Johannine feeding narrative reported in John 6: 4-22(Francis, 2012b); the narrative of separating sheep from goats reported in Matthew 25: 31-46(Francis & Smith, 2012); the birth narratives reported in Matthew 2: 13-20 and Luke 2: 8-16(Francis & Smith, 2013); two narratives concerning John the Baptist reported in Mark 1: 2-8 and Luke 3: 2b-20(Francis, 2013;Francis & Smith, 2014); the Johannine feeding narrative reported in John 6: 5-15(Francis & Jones, 2014); two passages from Mark exploring different aspects of discipleship reported in Mark 6: 7-14 and Mark 6: 33-41(Francis & Jones, 2015a); the foot washing account reported in John 13: 2b-15(Francis, 2015b); two healing narratives reported in Mark 2: 1-12 and Mark 10: 46-52(Francis & Jones, 2015b); the narrative of blind…”

Reading the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1–10) through the lenses of introverted intuition and introverted sensing: Perceiving text differently

“…The theory is that such groups (constituted on the basis of psychological type preference) lead to greater clarity and greater distinctiveness of the typeassociated readings of text. The following passages from the gospels have been explored in this way: the feeding of the 5000 reported in Mark 6:34-44 (Francis 2010); the resurrection narratives reported in Mark 16:1-8 and Matthew 28:1-15 (Francis & Jones 2011); the cleansing of the Temple and the incident of the fig tree reported in Mark 11:11-21 (Francis 2012a;Francis & ap Siôn 2016b); the Johannine feeding narratives reported in John 6:4-22 (Francis 2012b) and John 6:5-15 (Francis & Jones 2014); the narrative of separating sheep from goats reported in Matthew 25:31-46 (Francis & Smith 2012); the birth narratives reported in Matthew 2:13-20 and Luke 2:8-16 (Francis & Smith 2013); two narratives concerning John the Baptist reported in Mark 1:2-8 and Luke 3:2b-20 (Francis 2013;Francis & Smith 2014); two passages exploring different aspects of discipleship reported in Mark 6:7-14 and 6:33-41 (Francis & Jones 2015a); the foot washing account reported in John 13:2b-15 (Francis 2015); two healing narratives reported in Mark 2:1-12 and 10:46-52 (Francis & Jones 2015b); the narrative of blind Bartimaeus reported in Mark 10:46-52 (Smith & Francis 2016); the Road to Emmaus narrative reported in Luke 24:13-35 (Francis & ap Siôn 2016a;; the Lucan call of the first disciples reported in Luke 5:1-7…”

Jesus, psychological type and conflict: A study in biblical hermeneutics applying the reader perspective and SIFT approach to Mark 11:11–21

“…Each of these studies has focused on specific passages of scripture and invited participants to work together in groups that have drawn together individuals of similar psychological type preferences. In turn these nine studies have explored reader responses to the following passages of scripture: the feeding of the five thousand from Mark 6:34-44 (Francis 2010); the resurrection narratives from (Francis 2013;Francis & Smith 2014); and the Johannine feeding narrative from John 6:5-15 (Francis & Jones 2014).…”