Theology, History, and Biblical Interpretation Modern Readings

There is at present a ferment over theological interpretation, some backlash against this seemingly new development, and a bit of unsettlement in the state of historical approaches to the Bible. But students and scholars are not always clear about what the differences and similarities are between historical and theological approaches to the Bible. According to literary critic Northrop Frye's work The Great Code: The Bible and Literature, "There have always been two directions in Biblical scholarship, the critical and the traditional, though often they have merged." What is the nature of this contrast? What is the rationale for each approach? Do the approaches conflict, or can they be reconciled? How should the approaches be assessed by believers and academics? To what extent are today's debates about theological exegesis revisiting an old, perhaps even a perennial, issue, and to what extent do they deal with a new topic? This reader encourages students and scholars to explore these important questions by bringing together some of history's most influential discussions of the issues as well as some of the present day's most distinguished attempts to weigh in on the debate.

Darren Sarisky received his PhD from King's College Aberdeen, UK. He currently holds a position as Junior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK where he also teaches Christian Doctrine.

Preface
1. Kugel, James L., How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now. New York: Free Press, 2008. Chapter 1, “The Rise of Modern Biblical Scholarship” (edited for length).
2. Spinoza, Benedict De. Theological-Political Treatise. Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. Edited by Jonathan Israel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.Chapter 7, “On the Interpretation of Scripture.”
3. Strauss, David Friedrich. The Life of Jesus Critically Examined. Translated byGeorge Eliot. London: SCM, 1973. Introduction, “Development of the Mythical Point of View in Relation to the Gospel Histories.”
4. Kierkegaard, Søren. Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments. Vol. 2. Kierkegaard’s Writings. Edited by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992. Chapter1, “The Historical Point of View.”
5. Troeltsch, Ernst. “On the Historical and Dogmatic Methods in Theology.” In Religion in History, 11-32. Edinburgh: T.&T Clark, 1991.
6. Barth, Karl. The Epistle to the Romans. Edited by Edwyn C. Hoskyns. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968. Prefaces1-6.
7. Ebeling, Gerhard. “The Significance of the Critical Historical Method for Church and Theology in Protestantism.” In Word and Faith, 17-61. London: SCM Press, 1963.
8. Lubac, Henri de. History and Spirit: The Understanding of Scripture According to Origen. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2007. Conclusion (edited for length).
9. Bultmann, Rudolf. Existence and Faith: Shorter Writings of Rudolf Bultmann. Living Age Books. Edited by Schubert M. Ogden. London: Fontana, 1973. “ Is Exegesis without Presupposition Possible?”
10. Childs, Brevard S. Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979. Chapter 3, “Canon and Criticism.”
11. Steinmetz, David C. “The Superiority of Pre-Critical Exegesis.” In Taking the Long View: Christian Theology in Historical Perspective, 3-14. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
12. Stump, Eleonore. “Visits to the Sepulcher and Biblical Exegesis.” In Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, edited by Michael C. Rea, Volume 2: Providence, Scripture, and Resurrection, 242-265. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
13. Marion, Jean-Luc. God without Being: Hors-Texte. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991. Chapter 5, “Of the Eucharistic Site of Theology.”
14. Levenson, Jon D. “The Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, and Historical Criticism.” In The Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, and Historical Criticism: Jews and Christians in Biblical Studies, 1-32. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993.
15. Lacocque, André, and Paul Ricœur. “The Song of Songs: The Shulamite (Lacocque) and the Nuptial Metaphor (Ricoeur).” In Thinking Biblically: Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies, 235-303. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
16. Plantinga, Alvin. “Two (or More) Kinds of Scripture Scholarship.” In Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, edited by Michael C. Rea, Volume 2: Providence, Scripture, and Resurrection, 266-301. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
17. Levering, Matthew. “Principles of Exegesis: Toward a Participatory Biblical Exegesis.” Pro Ecclesia 17 (2008): 35-51.