Viewing Last Supper through imagination

Scholars’ conference

Despite his busy schedule, David made time for teaching a new seminar course, “Reading Between the Lines of the Scriptures,” with the subtitle “The role of imagination in biblical interpretation,” to graduate students at Mother of Good Counsel Seminary in San Fernando, Pampanga province, during the first semester of last year.

David also used imagination as one of the methods (like exegesis and intertextuality) he applied in preparing the paper “Pauline Influence in the Lukan Rewriting of the Parable of the Two Sons (Lk 15: 11-32)” that he presented to biblical scholars during the recent joint conference of Society for New Testament Studies-Asia Pacific (SNTS) and Catholic Biblical Association of the Philippines (CBAP).

The conference, held at Institute of Preaching, at Sto. Domingo Church compound in Quezon City, was attended by some 50 biblical scholars from Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Australia, Austria and the Philippines.

David told the conference that he uses imagination in interpreting biblical text because he is convinced that “God speaks mostly through human imagination.”

The use of imagination has been studied by social psychologists and educators and a growing body of evidence has found positive links between imagination and learning among children.

A 2009 study by Gabriel Trionfi and Elaine Reese found that children with imaginary companions create richer narratives. The children, they observed, used more dialogue in their story retelling and could better relate their past and present experiences to the stories.

Symbolic play

A 2012 study by David Bjorklund and Carlos Hernandez, on the other hand, centered on the use of symbolic (fantasy) play, including an “as if” orientation to objects, actions and peers. It can range from the simple substitution of one thing for another in a playful setting (using a shoe as if it is a telephone) to the sophisticated sociodramatic play in which children take on different roles and follow a story line.

The study found that the ability to engage in symbolic play may be important in developing an understanding of the beliefs and feelings of other people. This ability is significant for cognitive development, the ability to understand and learn.

David is aware that using imagination to study Scripture for some may not be good.

“My feeling is that imagination has developed a pejorative sense among Western scholars. If you start talking about imagination, you are not being scholarly,” David said in an interview with the Inquirer.

But blazing new fields, as well as being passionate, is not new to David. During their days in the seminary, Fr. Victor Nicdao said they used to tease David by calling him the “messiah.”

“The passion that he displays in carrying out his responsibilities convinces many of us that he is out to save the world,” Nicdao said.

David obtained his bachelor’s degree (predivinity) at Ateneo de Manila University, where he graduated magna cum laude.