Out of Egypt : biblical theology and biblical interpretation
Craig G. Bartholomew (Editor)
Out of EgyptBiblical Theology and Biblical InterpretationZondervanCopyright © 2004 University of Gloucestershire and the British and Foreign Bible SocietyAll right reserved.ISBN: 0-310-23415-8 Chapter One The Church Fathers and Biblical Theology Gerald Bray Defining our Terms Where do the church fathers stand in relation to biblical theology? In one sense, this is an extremely easy question to answer, because if we define the 'church fathers' as those Christian writers who expounded the faith in the centuries when the dominant Greco-Roman culture was still pagan, then it is clear that they all believed that the Judeo-Christian Scriptures were the only acceptable source of Christian theology, and in that sense they could all be called 'biblical theologians' virtually without exception. The difficulty comes when we turn to consider the meaning of the term 'biblical theology'. If we believe that 'biblical theology' is the attempt to grasp Scripture in its totality, according to its own categories and inner dynamic, can the claim of the Fathers to have been 'biblical theologians' be allowed to stand, even if we have to make some reservations when it comes to the phrase 'according to its own categories'. Problems with the assertion that patristic theology was simply 'biblical theology' inevitably arise when we try to impose modern understandings of what biblical theology is (or ought to be) on the ancient texts. Even allowing for the fact that modern interpreters are by no means always agreed about how the term 'biblical theology' ought to be defined, it is clear that there are some things which are now included in it which would not have occurred to the Fathers. Likewise, there are other things, including some of the basic presuppositions of modern theological thought, which make establishing a genuine relationship between what the Fathers thought of as 'biblical theology' and what we now understand by that term somewhat problematic. Modern scholars think of 'biblical theology' primarily in analytical terms. They start with what they regard as the theology of Paul, or of the wisdom literature (or whatever), and then they try to situate this in relation to the rest of the canonical scriptural tradition. To take only the most familiar instance, modern scholars all believe that it is possible to discern peculiarly Pauline themes in his writings and to present a generally coherent picture of them, though by no means all of them would claim that Paul's theology is either comprehensive or entirely consistent. They may assert that he developed his ideas over time, and even that he tailored his arguments to fit his different audiences, with the result that discrepancies can be detected when one compares different writings. Furthermore, many of them divide the Pauline corpus into 'authentic' and 'deutero-Pauline' writings, using theological content as one of the criteria for deciding which is which. What is true of Paul is even more true when his writings are set alongside the rest of the Bible. Broadly speaking, most modern students of biblical theology are prepared to believe that it developed over time, and that the later a document was written, the more sophisticated the theology it contains is likely to be. Loose ends and contradictions are an almost inevitable consequence of this pattern of development, so that we must not expect 'biblical theology' to offer us the kind of coherent picture that systematic theology demands. The analytical principles and practices associated with this modern form of biblical theology are certainly not beyond questioning, and even when they are accepted they can lead to some surprisingly varied conclusions, but it can safely be said that the Fathers would have found them alien and unacceptable. They approached the Bible as pagans who had been converted to the Christian gospel, and Scripture presented them with a mental and spiritual universe that struck them as entirely different from what they had grown up with. Some of them were prepared to grant that certain pagan philosophers, like Plato, had discovered elements of the truth - but this was either because those philosophers had read the Old Testament and adapted it to their own purposes or because they had stumbled upon some aspect of reality, rather like blind men in the dark, and had correctly guessed what it was they had encountered. What we now call 'natural' and 'philosophical' theology was acceptable to the Fathers only in so far as it was validated by Scripture itself. Passages like Psalm 19, for example ('The heavens declare the glory of God'), provided a basis on which they could recognize the validity of some pagan insights. The Apostle Paul's appeal to the philosophers of Athens in Acts 17 showed that it was sometimes possible to quote pagan authors in support of Christian beliefs. But, for the Fathers, the true locus of authority was never in doubt. Pagan testimonies were valid only to the extent that they agreed with the biblical witness, and such agreement was likely to be haphazard and partial at best. As far as the influence of Hellenistic philosophy was concerned, the notion that a coherent, Christian theological system could be built up using only the evidence of nature and reason was anathema to the Fathers. It is not that they were unaware of the possibility of doing this - they knew only too well that someone could take a philosophical idea, find it in some biblical text, and erect an entire system on that slender basis. This was actually being done in the late first and early second century by a number of teachers whom we collectively refer to as 'gnostics'. The first person to attempt a refutation of their methods was Irenaeus of Lyon (d. 202), who attacked their heresies (as he understood them) by claiming that the Bible was the only source of truth, that it spoke primarily of the Christian God and that it could be read and interpreted only according to a 'rule of faith' which outlined its fundamental teachings. It is not too much to say that it was Scripture, even Scripture alone, which set their theological agenda, and it is noticeable that their apologetic was often strongest precisely at those points where Scripture clashed with what the average pagan believed. For example, almost all of the major church fathers wrote commentaries on the creation narrative in Genesis, because they understood that the Christian doctrine of creation was antithetical to what most ancient philosophers taught about the origin and nature of matter. It must be admitted that this sometimes led them to make assertions which most modern theologians, including very conservative ones, prefer to avoid or reject. Augustine, for instance, was quite prepared to argue that the world had been created relatively recently, and in the space of six days - particularly in the face of the standard pagan belief that matter was eternal. Almost no one would now follow him in this but it ought to be recognized that, however much it was stated and believed, it was not really fundamental to the Fathers' doctrine of creation. (Continues...) Excerpted from Out of Egypt Copyright © 2004 by University of Gloucestershire and the British and Foreign Bible Society. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Scripture and hermeneutics series
1 v. (xx-496 p.) : illustrations ; 24 cm
9780310234159, 0310234158
469533835
Out of Egypt
Biblical Theology and Biblical InterpretationZondervan
Copyright © 2004 University of Gloucestershire and the British and Foreign Bible SocietyAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0-310-23415-8
Contents
Preface....................................................................................................................................................................xiContributors...............................................................................................................................................................xiiiAbbreviations..............................................................................................................................................................xviiThe Artists................................................................................................................................................................xixOut of Egypt...............................................................................................................................................................xxiiiBiblical Theology and Biblical Interpretation: Introduction Craig G. Bartholomew..........................................................................................1Quo Vadis?.................................................................................................................................................................11Out of Egypt: The Content of this Volume...................................................................................................................................16Approaches to Biblical Theology1. The Church Fathers and Biblical Theology Gerald Bray...................................................................................................................23Defining our Terms.........................................................................................................................................................23The Relevance of the Fathers for Biblical Theology Today...................................................................................................................29Ontology and Biblical Theology.............................................................................................................................................332. The Nature and Genre of Biblical Theology: Some Reflections in the Light of Charles H.H. Scobie's 'Prolegomena to a Biblical Theology' Karl M��ller.....................41Scobie's Approach to Biblical Theology.....................................................................................................................................41Reflections on the Nature and Genre of Biblical Theology...................................................................................................................53The Role of Descriptive Analytical Biblical Theologies.....................................................................................................................603. Some Directions in Catholic Biblical Theology Francis Martin...........................................................................................................65Dei Verbum.................................................................................................................................................................66The Challenge of Catholic Biblical Theology since Dei Verbum...............................................................................................................73Concluding Reflections.....................................................................................................................................................844. The Theology of the Old Testament by Marco Nobile: A Contribution to Jewish-Christian Relations Nuria Calduch-Benages..................................................88The Current Situation of Biblical Theology.................................................................................................................................89The Theology of the Old Testament by Marco Nobile..........................................................................................................................90The Contribution of Nobile's Work to Jewish-Christian Relations............................................................................................................96Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................995. Mission as a Matrix for Hermeneutics and Biblical Theology Christopher J.H. Wright.....................................................................................102Introduction: Bible and Mission............................................................................................................................................102Steps Toward a Missional Hermeneutic.......................................................................................................................................109Contours of a Missional Hermeneutic........................................................................................................................................120Conclusion: Framework or Map?..............................................................................................................................................1376. Story and Biblical Theology Craig G. Bartholomew and Mike W. Goheen....................................................................................................144Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................144The Impetus Toward Narrative from Philosophy and Theology..................................................................................................................145The Impetus Toward Narrative from Practical Theology and Theological Ethics................................................................................................147The Impetus Toward Narrative from Missiology: Missionary Encounter between Two Stories.....................................................................................150Story and Biblical Theology................................................................................................................................................153N.T. Wright and the Recovery of Story in Biblical Studies..................................................................................................................154Arguments Against Reading the Bible as a Grand Story.......................................................................................................................158Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................1677. The Problem of 'Biblical Theology' James D.G. Dunn.....................................................................................................................172Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................172Posing the Problem.........................................................................................................................................................173The Fundamental Nature of the Problem......................................................................................................................................174The Central Subject Matter of Biblical Theology............................................................................................................................177Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................183Great Themes of the Bible8. Biblical Theology and the Problems of Monotheism Richard Bauckham......................................................................................................187Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................187Monotheism as a Misleading Category........................................................................................................................................188The Quest of the Historical Monotheism.....................................................................................................................................196The Old Testament: A Monotheistic Book?....................................................................................................................................206The Shema in the New Testament.............................................................................................................................................2189. The Unity of Humankind as a Theme in Biblical Theology Stephen C. Barton...............................................................................................233Introduction: Humankind at Risk............................................................................................................................................233Why Unity? Unity of What Kind?.............................................................................................................................................234The Unity of Humankind in the Greco-Roman Tradition........................................................................................................................236The Unity of Humankind in the Bible and Early Judaism......................................................................................................................238The Unity of Humankind in the New Testament................................................................................................................................242Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................254Parts of the Bible and Biblical Theology10. Zechariah 14 and Biblical Theology: Patristic and Contemporary Case Studies Al Wolters................................................................................261Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................261Patristic Commentaries.....................................................................................................................................................264Twentieth-century Commentaries.............................................................................................................................................277Conclusions................................................................................................................................................................28311. Paul and Salvation History in Romans 9:30 - 10:4 William J. Dumbrell..................................................................................................286Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................286Salvation History and Covenant.............................................................................................................................................288The New Covenant in the New Testament......................................................................................................................................289National and Believing Israel..............................................................................................................................................296Paul and Law in the Light of the Cross.....................................................................................................................................297Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................31012. Hebrews and Biblical Theology Andrew T. Lincoln.......................................................................................................................313Biblical Theology and Hebrews..............................................................................................................................................313Scripture and the Relationship between Old and New in the Rhetorical Structure of Hebrews..................................................................................317Some Features of Hebrews' Christological Reading of Scripture..............................................................................................................320Does Hebrews' Christological Reading Have a Coherent Hermeneutical Framework?..............................................................................................325Hebrews and Biblical Theology..............................................................................................................................................330Theological Interpretation and Biblical Theology13. Systematic - In What Sense? Trevor Hart...............................................................................................................................341System Addicts? Or, On the Need to Avoid both of Two Patron Saints.........................................................................................................341Transformation and Convergence in the Frame of Knowing: The Distinctive Task of a Systematic Theology......................................................................34514. Biblical Theology and the Clarity of Scripture John Webster...........................................................................................................352The Importance of Claritas Scripturae......................................................................................................................................353The Effective Illuminating Presence of God the Revealer....................................................................................................................358Clarity as a Property of Holy Scripture as Text............................................................................................................................364The Ecclesial Nature of Holy Scripture.....................................................................................................................................369Responsible Participation in the Discernment of the Clear Word.............................................................................................................375Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................38115. Biblical Theology and Theological Exegesis R.R. Reno..................................................................................................................385Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................385New Testament..............................................................................................................................................................387Old Testament..............................................................................................................................................................393The Problem Expounded......................................................................................................................................................397Interpretation and the Divine Economy......................................................................................................................................401Postscript.................................................................................................................................................................40516. Imaginative Readings of Scripture and Theological Interpretation Stephen B. Chapman...................................................................................409Critical Attentiveness.....................................................................................................................................................409The Vulnerable Imagination.................................................................................................................................................413Toward a Poetics of the Theological Imagination............................................................................................................................42517. Biblical Theology and Preaching Charles H.H. Scobie...................................................................................................................448Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................448The Practice of Preaching..................................................................................................................................................449Preaching and Hermeneutics.................................................................................................................................................451Three Stages in Biblical Interpretation....................................................................................................................................453The Scriptural Basis of Preaching: Historical Criticism....................................................................................................................456The Scriptural Basis of Preaching: Biblical Theology.......................................................................................................................458Biblical Theology and Preaching............................................................................................................................................462Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................464University of Gloucestershire..............................................................................................................................................469The British and Foreign Bible Society......................................................................................................................................470Baylor University..........................................................................................................................................................471Redeemer University College................................................................................................................................................472Scripture Index............................................................................................................................................................473Names Index................................................................................................................................................................479Subject Index..............................................................................................................................................................485
Excerpted from Out of Egypt Copyright © 2004 by University of Gloucestershire and the British and Foreign Bible Society. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Communications présentées à un congrès tenu à St. Andrews (Écosse) en aout 2003
Notes bibliogr