Category: Historical Criticism
Yale Bible Study on First Isaiah
Those readers acquainted with biblical scholarship know that there is a general consensus that the book of Isaiah was not entirely penned by the eighth century BCE prophet. That the book underwent some kind of editing is virtually undisputed. For example, chs. 36-39 contain… Continue Reading “Yale Bible Study on First Isaiah”
David Law: Johann Semler, the “Father of Historical-Critical Research”
David R. Law, The Historical-Critical Method: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: Continuum, 2012), 43. Johann Salomo Semler (1725-1791) was a pupil of [Siegmund Jakob] Baumgarten and took the next logical step by dropping Baumgarten’s notion of the supernatural understanding of Scripture and arguing… Continue Reading “David Law: Johann Semler, the “Father of Historical-Critical Research””
David Law: The Interpreter’s Task
David R. Law, The Historical-Critical Method: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: Continuum, 2012), 19. The task of the interpreter is surely to allow the Bible to speak for itself and not to impose an official interpretation upon it. The text should be examined… Continue Reading “David Law: The Interpreter’s Task”
David Law: Historical “Criticism” Is An Approach, Not an Attitude
David R. Law, The Historical-Critical Method: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: Continuum, 2012), 8. The terms ‘criticism’ and ‘critical’ have negative connotations in everyday speech. ‘To be critical’ or ‘to criticize’ normally means to find fault with someone or something. This is not… Continue Reading “David Law: Historical “Criticism” Is An Approach, Not an Attitude”
The Amateur Exegete 