If this theory is correct, the painting could even be of the boys' grandmother in her youth. The first challenge for the boys was to determine the genre (type or species) of the young girl's painting. But the boys were able to overcome this difficulty by nuancing their understanding of the genre of the painting.
HISTORY AND THE GENRE(S) OF THE BIBLE
We now turn to look more closely at the work being done in genre criticism of the Bible. HlSTOFW AND THE LOVERS OF THE BIBLE 4 5 . may be truly unique, not immediately subject to classification in a group. Therefore, divine activity and praise of the gods are more often encountered in the poetic versions.
HISTORY AND FICTION
Are such qualities aspects of reality itself or constructs created solely in the historian's head. For speculation on the character of the Chronic Hebrew Vorlage, see Dillard, "David's Census," p. We did not discuss, e.g. about the chronicler's avoidance of the term rest in his parallels with 2 Sam.
HISTORY AND TRUTH Is Hi&t&city Important?
F. STRAUSS AND THE DEMOLITION OF BIBLICAL HISTORY
Art critics may tend to focus on the artistry of interpretation, while historians may. As inheritors of Strauss's legacy, many find themselves in the uncomfortable position of accepting some of Strauss's main tenets while denying others. Lighfoot's emphasis was very much in keeping with the import of the New Testament witness himself.
According to John, there is no Christianity outside the solid reality of Jesus' earthly life, recorded in the apostolic tradition. We will return to the issue of criticism in the next chapter in our discussion of the historical-critical method. 18 The waters rose greatly and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.
If we assume that the birth narratives in the Old Testament are also just inventions. An important part of the answer (besides, say, the inward prompting of the Holy Spirit) is certainly that we do so on the basis of confidence in the scriptural testimony of that event. In this light, the question of the destruction of Jericho seems to be of greater importance than Ramsey allows.
To be fair, I must point out that in the volume under discussion Ramsey nowhere explicitly articulates his understanding of the essence of Christianity.
HISTORY AND MODERN SCHOLARSHIP
At least for those who claim to believe in the reality and sovereignty of the God of the Bible, such a move would be illogical. Given this, there will be differences in the historian's internal attitude towards his claims. He will probably get used to the current assumptions of academia, positivist, historicist, Marxist or whatever.
Osiek provides a useful historical overview of the growth of sociological approaches to the Bible, from the planting of the seeds in the last century by, for example, J. And for a current treatment of sociological studies of the New Testament, see B. Some of the best sociological approaches to the history of ancient cultures recognize the complementarity of nomothetic and idiographic forces in the processes of history.
Rigney, The Rhetoric of Historical Representation: Three Narrative Histories of the French Revolution (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990); A. Fowler is not unaware of the problematic status of meaning in reader-response theory: "As for meaning, is its place in the text or in the reader?" (p. 34). The date of the destruction of the city of Lachish is thus irrelevant to the list of kings in question.
In the case of the book of Joshua it is difficult to escape the conclusion that,.
HISTORY AND HERMENEUTICS
Only one view of the world can be true in every respect to the way things are. There is a degree of diversity evident within the unity that is the Bible, but I believe it is still valid to speak in general terms about “the worldview of the Bible.” However, there is one caveat: each of the methods used must be suitable for the model of reality that the interpreter embraces.
Despite Harvey's endorsement of the dictum that "the beginning of wisdom in history is doubt"19 and Ramsey's insistence on this. Let's take a brief look at one of the more complicated stretches of text in the books of Kings. Bl Kinqs with an Introduction to Historical Literature, Forms of Old Testament Literature (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984).
It reminds us that both are only necessary to establish that a particular view of. A lawyer's job involves more than ascertaining what a witness says (truth claim) and even more than coming to a personal opinion about the truth (truth value) of the witness's testimony. The first two relate to the two-part statement of the data, while the third relates to warrant and support.
With regard to the first part of the procedure, emphasis was placed on two requirements for good listening - v i z.
AN EXTENDED EXAMPLE
This quote from Bright, highlighting the seemingly contradictory pro-monarchical and anti-monarchical sentiments of the alleged sources, also touches on the second of the most frequently cited difficulties in the biblical account of Saul's rise. How should we evaluate these three arguments that show that the biblical account of the rise of Saul is at points contradictory and incoherent, and thus an unreliable source of historical information. The second challenge to the literary coherence (and thus possible historicity) of the biblical account of Saul's rise relates to the fact that Saul appears to have come to power through several different routes.
The first step in the investigation of Saul's election is, like the histories, a division of the sources in 1 Samuel 8ff." (ibid., p. 63). This suggestion of textual disruption brings us to the third and final challenge to the literary coherence of the rise of Saul as recounted in 1 Samuel. In what follows I will attempt to demonstrate that this perceived difficulty actually provides the key to a fairly simple synchronic reading of the story of Saul's rise.
It seems fair to say that the literary gulf created by the literal gap between Saul's first command and its ultimate fulfillment is of the more difficult kind described above. If the foregoing study of the Saul traditions is moving in the right direction, it seems more likely than commonly thought that the Bible presents an internally coherent account of Saul's rise to power. Furthermore, we have so far focused solely on the chapters that recount the rise of Saul and have yet to look at the broader context and overall purpose of the books of Samuel.
Our consideration of the narratives in 1 Samuel related to Saul's rise to power has shown how often literary reading and historical reconstruction are intertwined.
EPILOGUE
The concept of historiography as a representative art and the implications of this point of view invite further discussion, as well as the question of how literary theory can influence some of the specific historical-critical conclusions reached by previous scholars. The related disciplines of narrative theory and biblical poetics are still relatively new, and it can be hoped that the future will see further developments and refinements in these approaches. And perhaps most importantly, one would like to see in the future a further reflection on the theology of the history of the Bible itself.
So it seems the journey must go on (though not within the confines of this small amount). In my foreword, I commented about travel that “getting there is half the fun. At this stage, looking back as well as forward, perhaps all I can hope for is that some of my fellow travelers will agree and be encouraged to further explore the historical dimension of the Bible.
A complete list of works cited in this volume is available in the author and title index. In this section, I have selected contributions in English that are intended to be helpful to those who wish to further explore some of the topics covered in the previous pages.
Gunn and Danna Nolan Fewell in Narrative in the Hebrew Bible, Oxford Bible Series, ed. The list of works in the growing field of modern literary criticism of the Bible could easily go on, but perhaps this is enough to get students started. Morgan helpfully traces the development of modern, liberal critical biblical scholarship, revealing many of the philosophical/hermeneutical influences that have led to the current crisis among biblical scholars who want to embrace the rational methods of secularism without compromising religious convictions.
For an evangelical view of the history of biblical interpretation, MoisCs Silva Has the Church Misread the Bible. A History of Interpreting in the Light of Current Issues, FCI 1 (Grand Rapids: . Zondervan, 1987) is recommended. And for an insightful analysis of the historical-critical method used in the Bible, I know of no one better than William J.
Yale University Press, 19831; idem, Prologue to History: The Yuhwist as Historian in Genesis [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992]), while others argue that the Old Testament texts for the most part are not meant to be considered historiography in the first place not (eg, Thomas L. Thompson, Early History of Israel: From the Written and Archaeological Sources, Studies in the History of the Ancient Near East 4, ed. M. H. E. Weippert [Leiden: E. J. Brill, 19921). Hemer's Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History, Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 49 (Tubingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1989), deserves special mention. On the relationship between historical study and Christian faith, students may benefit from reading David Bebbington, Patterns in History: A Christian Perspective on Historical Thought (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990); Colin Brown, History and Faith: A Personal Exploration (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987); idem, ed., History, Criticism and.
Those who wish to explore the homiletic potential of Scripture's diverse literary genres, including its historiographical passages, can consult Sidney Greidanus, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text: Interpreting and Preaching Biblical Literature (Grand Rapids: . Eerdmans, 1988), and the relevant essays in Michael Duduit, ed., Handbook of Contemporary Preaching (Nashville: Broadman, 1992).
INDEX OF
AUTHORS/TITLES
Philips Long (Ph.D., Cambridge) was formerly lecturer in biblical languages and exegesis at the Freie Theologische Akademie in Giessen, Ger-