Reading the Beatitudes through the lenses of introverted intuition and introverted sensing: Perceiving text differently

Working within the reader perspective approach to biblical hermeneutics, a recent series of empirical studies has tested the theory that the readers’ psychological type preferences between sensing and intuition and between feeling and thinking shape distinctive readings of biblical texts. The present study advances the debate by distinguishing between the two orientations within which the functions are expressed. The added clarity offered by this refinement is illustrated by the distinctive voices of introverted intuition and introverted sensing engaging with the Matthean Beatitudes, eight verses rich in materials to engage the perceiving functions.