The Concept of Biblical Theology: An Old Testament Perspective

by James Barr

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 1999

Overview

Biblical theology is contested territory: Is it legitimate to reflect theologically on such a diverse collection as the Bible, or even on one testament? Do theologians inevitably “christianize” the Hebrew bible? Does such an enterprise ride roughly over painstaking exegetical and historical work? And how can it relate to theological themes, such as creation and revelation, and to church life?

In this tour de force, a premier Old Testament Scholar provides the reader with a grand overview of biblical theology: tracing the developments, critiquing the major contributions (e.g., Gese, Childs, Brueggemann), and providing his own provocative theological implications of the various constructions. In his usual bold manner, he examines the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic contexts of biblical theology and their implications for our reading of both testaments in the modern world. Some of the key issues Bar addresses are typologies for doing biblical theology and Old Testament theology, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the history of religions versus theological approaches, and the Biblical Theology Movement.

Key Features

• Provides an overview of the history and practice of biblical theology
• Examines the relationship between the Old and New Testament
• Analyzes major contributions to the study of biblical theology

Contents

• Definitions: The Many Faces of Biblical Theology
• The Origins of Modern Old Testament Theology
• A Typology of Old Testament Theologies
• Köhler’s type
• Eichrodt’s type
• Vriezen’s type
• Von Rad’s type
• Childs’ type
• Köhler again
• Eichrodt again
• Vriezen again
• Von Rad again
• Childs again

Product Details

• Title: The Concept of Biblical Theology: An Old Testament Perspective
• Author: James Barr
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 736
• Resource Type: Topical
• Topic: Biblical Theology

About James Barr

James Barr (1924–2006) was an Old Testament scholar noted for his contributions to the study of biblical languages. His book The Semantics of the Biblical Languages remains one of the most influential books on the subject. He held professorships at the University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, Princeton University, and Vanderbilt University.