This book provides the first complete guide for students to the present state of biblical studies. The twenty-one specially commissioned chapters are written by established scholars from North America and Britain, and represent both traditional and contemporary points of view. The chapters in Part One cover all the methods and approaches currently practised in the academic study of the Bible, while those in Part Two examine the major categories of books in the Bible from the perspective of recent scholarship - e.g. historical books of the Old Testament, Gospels, prophetic literature. Major issues raised are: the relation of modern 'critical' study of the Bible to 'pre-critical' and 'post-critical' approaches; the place of history in the study of the Bible; feminist, liberationist and new historicist concerns; the relation of Christian and Jewish scholarship; and recent interest in the Bible as literature.

An introduction to one of the core methods of approaching biblical texts.

Many introductions to biblical studies describe critical approaches, but they do not discuss the theological implications. This timely resource discusses the relationship between historical criticism and Christian theology to encourage evangelical engagement with historical-critical scholarship. Charting a middle course between wholesale rejection and unreflective embrace, the book introduces evangelicals to a way of understanding and using historical-critical scholarship that doesn't compromise Christian orthodoxy. The book covers eight of the most hotly contested areas of debate in biblical studies, helping readers work out how to square historical criticism with their beliefs.

The historical-critical method of biblical interpretation has dominated theological thinking for over two centuries. It has been the subject of much controversy, including the turmoil in American Lutheranism. But now the historical-critical method has Òcome to a dead end.Ó So says Dr. Gerhard Maier, author of the original version of this work. Maier points out that the emphasis in the historical-critical method has consistently been on the critical rather than the historical. He goes on to delineate the Òhistorical-biblicalÓ method he feels will be needed in the future. Such a method takes history seriously but allows for God's supernatural intervention in human affairs. Here Edwin Leverenz and Rudolph Norden present the English translation of Maier's manuscript, while Eugene Klug's preface places the study into the setting of today's theological debate. The End of the Historical Critical-Method is ÒmustÓ reading for theologians. Yet it also serves as a help to all who have been searching for guidance in combating rationalism in the approach to theology.

In this essay Peter Stuhlmacher immerses himself and the reader in the crucial issue of the relation between theological understanding and the historical investigation of the Scriptures. What are the limits of the historical-critical method as it has developed? The author's position--presented for the first time in English--allows the claims of the texts to be heard even as critical evaluation continues. This statement takes on extreme importance at a time when so many biblical students and scholars are attempting to discern the future of critical scholarship.

This Companion offers a concise and engaging introduction to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. Providing an up-to-date 'snapshot' of scholarship, it includes essays, specially commissioned for this volume, by twenty-three leading scholars. The volume examines a range of topics, including the historical and religious contexts for the contents of the biblical canon, and critical approaches and methods, as well as newer topics such as the Hebrew Bible in Islam, Western art and literature, and contemporary politics. This Companion is an excellent resource for students at university and graduate level, as well as for laypeople and scholars in other fields who would like to gain an understanding of the current state of the academic discussion. The book does not presume prior knowledge, nor does it engage in highly technical discussions, but it does go into greater detail than a typical introductory textbook.