A Brief History of Interpretation

A very helpful summary of the history of biblical interpretation by Dr. Thomas Long...

http://community.tncc.edu/faculty/longt/REL200/intro-comp-interp.htm

Demythologizing

The restatement of mythology is a requirement of faith itself. For faith needs to be emancipated from its association with every worldview expressed in objective terms, whether it be a mythical or a scientific one…it has tried to project God and his acts into the sphere of objective reality.

R. Bultmann, Kerygma and Myth, 210.

Demythologizing

Demythologizing is the radical application of the doctrine of justification by faith to the sphere of knowledge and thought. Like the doctrine of justification, de-mythologizing destroys every longing for security. There is no difference between security based on good works and security built on objectifying knowledge. The man who desires to believe in God must know that he has nothing at his disposal on which to build his faith, that he is, so to speak, in a vacuum.

R. Bultmann, Jesus Christ and Mythology (New York: Scribners, 1958), 84.

Source Criticism

An approach to texts that seeks to discover the literary sources of a document. The assumption is that certain biblical texts underwent a lengthy process of growth and com-position, both oral and written. Source critics examine texts in order to discover evidence of sources on the basis of language and style, the use of divine names, doublets of stories and any discrepancies within or between passages. In OT studies, the most prominent field for source criticism has been the Pentateuch. Source critics, for example, observe that Genesis 1–2:4a uses the name Elohim when referring to God, and is an orderly and tightly constructed account of creation, with the humans, male and female, being the climax of creation. In contrast, Genesis 2 uses Yahweh Elohim, is a story (not a day-by-day account) and has Adam being created first, then Eve. Thus source critics conclude that these two different accounts of creation derived from two different sources, the Priestly source (P) and the Yahwist source (J) respectively. In the study of the Gospels, source critics have the four Gospels, and particularly the three Synoptic Gospels, to compare with each other in order to construct the literary sources used. Source criticism addresses the problem of disparity between styles and accounts in a single document, but does not answer the question of how these accounts now fit into a unified composition.

Arthur G. Patzia and Petrotta, Anthony J, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 107

Rhetorical Criticism

An approach to the biblical text that concerns itself with the way language is used in a text to persuade its audience. Style, structure and figures of speech have an affect on the audience or reader of a text, and the rhetorical critic focuses on how this “rhetoric” works rather than focusing on the historical setting of a story or poem. In the OT, this approach is successful in stories where a Leitwort or Leitmotiv (“lead-word, “lead-theme”) recurs throughout the story and is used in various ways (e.g., the term “brother” occurs seven times in the short passage concerning Cain and Abel to highlight the disturbing enmity of these two). It is also particularly helpful in poetry, where the conscious and unconscious selection of words and images—and the rejection of alternate words and images—creates an impression on the reader. For example, Micah 2:6–11 uses various forms of the word drip to entrap those who scoff at the prophet and accuse him of dripping/ prophesying: these scoffers who prophesy of wine will “drip” (words) for the people (Mic 2:11). In NT studies, a number of scholars have attempted to interpret the NT letters according to ancient rhetorical categories. These usually include: (1) introduction (exordium); (2) narration (narratio); (3) proposition (propositio); (4) confirmation (probatio); (5) refutation (refutatio); and (6) conclusion (peroratio). The rhetorical critic focuses on the effect the words in a passage have on an audience, how the passage was intended to persuade its audience to a particular point of view.

Arthur G. Patzia and Petrotta, Anthony J, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 101

Redaction Criticism

An approach to a text that seeks to show how authors or editors have selected, shaped and framed sources in composing their work. This approach generally focuses on larger literary units rather than individual verses and often sees the editors of the biblical books as compilers rather than authors in their own rights. In the case of the Gospels, redaction criticism can be very helpful in showing, for example, how Matthew used Mark and what purpose he had in mind, since we can place the two texts side by side and use Luke as a further point of comparison. Redaction criticism also seeks to show the intentions and viewpoints of books or even a series of books (e.g., Luke-Acts; Deuteronomistic History).

Arthur G. Patzia and Petrotta, Anthony J, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 100

History of Religions School

A late nineteenth and early twentieth century “school” (German Schule) or scholarly movement that sought to interpret Judaism and Christianity in terms of their broader religious environment and historical legacy. These scholars, who were mostly German (such as H. Gunkel, W. Bousset, R. Reitzenstein, W. Wrede, R. Bultmann, W. Heitmüller), argued that Judaism and Christianity borrowed concepts, language and practices from other religious movements. So, for example, early Christian christology was indebted to a pre-Christian gnostic “primal man” myth, and there were antecedents for Christian baptism in the mystery religions. This movement is also known as the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule.

Arthur G. Patzia and Petrotta, Anthony J, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 59

Form Criticism

An interpretive approach that seeks to uncover the oral tradition that is embedded in the written texts we now possess and to classify them into certain categories or “forms” (German Formgeschichte, “history of forms”). These literary forms (laments, hymns, etc.) are thought to have had a particular function in the Sitz im Leben (“setting in life”) in which they originated. For example, Psalm 24 has the form of an entrance liturgy and may have originated with a ceremony in which the ark was brought into the temple, or with a yearly festival in which the enthronement of the Lord was celebrated. The psalm, however, works equally well with any symbolic entrance into a worship setting (e.g., Handel’s use of this psalm in his oratorio, the Messiah). In NT studies, form-critical scholars such as Martin Dibelius, Rudolf Bultmann and Vincent Taylor classified Jesus’ sayings into categories such as paradigms, legends, parables, miracle stories and pronouncement stories. Form criticism is helpful in identifying the different forms of literature (see genre) and the typical elements of those forms (thus highlighting the different ways authors use those forms), but it is more speculative and less successful in establishing the life setting of the forms.

Arthur G. Patzia and Petrotta, Anthony J, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 47

Canonical Criticism

An approach that seeks to interpret the biblical books with respect to their authoritative status and theological context within the Bible. Canonical criticism thus focuses on the final form of the biblical texts rather than their earlier stages of composition or transmission (though recognition of the stages plays an integral role in some uses of this approach). Furthermore, canonical critics argue that the object of biblical interpretation is theological reflection within a community of faith. For example, Torah and the Gospels have a special function in the canon. They are set apart as first and foundational; hence the Prophets in the OT and Paul in the NT should be read in the light of the Torah and the Gospels respectively, even though the Prophets and Paul’s letters may predate the present form of the Torah and Gospels. Canonical criticism sees the Bible as “Scripture,” as authoritative writings of the community of faith, and incorporates theological reflection as part of the reading of a text.

Arthur G. Patzia and Petrotta, Anthony J, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 23