Old Testament Between Theology and History: A Critical Survey

From its inception at the time of the Enlightenment until the mid-twentieth century, the historical-critical method constituted the dominant paradigm in Old Testament studies. In this magisterial overview, Niels Peter Lemche surveys the development of the historical-critical method and the way it changed the scholarly perception of the Old Testament. He describes the rise and influence of historical-critical approaches and traces their decline and fall. Then, he discusses the identity of the authors of the Old Testament, based on the content of the literature they wrote, demonstrating that the collapse of history does not preclude critical study. Lemche goes on to investigates the theological consequences of this collapse and surveys Old Testament and biblical theology in its various manifestations in the twentieth century. An appendix includes a history of Palestine from the Stone Age to modern times, constructed without recourse to the Old Testament.

Author: Niels Peter Lemche
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 10/28/2008
Pages: 496
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780664232450

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2009 pg. 27

About the Author
Lemche, Niels Peter: - Niels Peter Lemche is Professor in the Department for Biblical Exegesis at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He is the Founding Editor of the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament and the author of numerous influential works in Old Testament Studies.