David Law: World War One and Its Impact on Biblical Studies

David R. Law, The Historical-Critical Method: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: Continuum, 2012), 71.

The First World War had a significant impact upon the understanding of the Bible. The collapse of pre-war optimism and belief in human progress gave way to a more pessimistic spirit that created the context for a return to more overtly theological approaches to the interpretation of the Bible. This did not mean, however, that pre-war trends in biblical scholarship ceased after 1918. On the contrary, many of them continued to be developed and refined. They would, however, be supplemented by a renewed and vigorous concern for a theological interpretation of the New Testament.