"The eyes of the blind shall be opened:" blindness in biblical discourse

Cober, Lucas (2016) "The eyes of the blind shall be opened:" blindness in biblical discourse. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis is an examination of key texts in the Bible that feature blindness as a theme, and of the interpretation history of these texts. The aim of the thesis is to expose the manner in which the biblical texts have influenced contemporary thinking on blindness and disability more broadly, and how traditional methods of biblical interpretation have lent themselves to an oppressive and marginalizing reading of the blind characters in the biblical text that continues to be harmful for individuals who are blind into the present day. By re-reading the stories of Isaac, Samson and Saul, this thesis then argues for an alternative reading of the text that does not stigmatize the lack of sight and allows for blind characters to be active and powerful agents in their own right, rather than being reduced to the status of metaphor.

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