Biblical Interpretation: Past & Present
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Christianity Today Book of the Year
Never before has there been so much scholarly effort devoted to the study of the Bible. And yet, ironically, the church is in perilous danger of forgetting its rich inheritance of biblical interpretation. With this textbook, Gerald Bray sounds the call to draw biblical interpretation back to the heart of the church. Evangelical in perspective but ecumenical in both its historical breadth and its vision of the future, Bray's work is a comprehensive guide to biblical interpretation, past and present.
Bray begins by introducing basic concepts in biblical interpretation that have remained constant through the ages: divine revelation, the nature of the canon, the relation of the biblical text to the life of Christian churches, and the tensions inherent in the act of biblical interpretation. He follows this introduction with three main sections, each covering an epoch of development within the history of biblical interpretation. The first surveys the period from the ancient church to the beginnings of modern historical-critical interpretation in the Renaissance and Reformation. The second engages the rise of modern historical-critical interpretation from the late seventeenth century through the twentieth century. The third investigates current trends in biblical interpretation that seek to offer alternatives to the dominant school of historical criticism.
Each section is divided into chapters focusing on periods or schools of interpretation. And, as a further aid to readers, each chapter is divided into standard subsections:
Bray's organizational scheme allows readers to quickly grasp the issues, methods and interpreters of each period or school and to observe how classic issues and pivotal questions have shaped the church's use of the Bible in various historical contexts. Seminarians, pastors, teachers and lay leaders will welcome Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present as an instructive guide to both the high points and the impasses of biblical interpretation. Here is history with a clear message, written out of the conviction that biblical interpretation and Christian doctrine go hand in hand.
Introduction: The purpose and method of this book
1 The Bible and its interpretation: Principles and definitions
PART ONE: BEFORE HISTORICAL CRITICISM
2 The beginnings of biblical interpretation
3 Patristic interpretation
4 Medieval interpretation
5 The Renaissance and Reformation
PART TWO: THE HISTORICAL-CRITICAL METHOD
6 The beginning of the historical-critical method
The nineteenth century (1800-1918)
7 The Old Testament from De Wette to Wellhausen
8 The New Testament from Schleiermacher to Schweitzer
The mid-twentieth century (1918-75)
9 Old Testament criticism after Wellhausen
10 New Testament criticism after Schweitzer
PART THREE: THE CONTEMPORARY SCENE
11 Academic trends in interpretation
12 Social trends in interpretation
13 Evangelical trends in interpretation
Conclusion
General bibliography
Index of names
Index of subjects
Index of Scripture passages