R Maddox John Wesley on the Bible
An essay by R. Maddox exploring John Wesley's approach to biblical interpretation and his relationship with the biblical canon. The author examines the tension between 'biblicism' (the idea of being 'a man of one book') and the use of scholarly tools, noting that Wesley's concept of 'homo unius libri' meant regarding no book as comparatively authoritative to the Bible, rather than rejecting all other study. The document addresses Wesley's use of the King James Version, his engagement with the Apocrypha as a source for Christian 'manners' rather than doctrine, and his eventual adoption of a more strictly Protestant stance on the Apocrypha. The essay aims to survey what Bible Wesley read, how he interpreted it, and his motivations for biblical study.
Ecclesiasticus 38:1–2