Pillars in the History of Biblical Interpretation Volume 1: Prevailing Methods Before 1980 (McMaster Biblical Studies)

This two-volume set is part of a growing body of literature concerned with the history of biblical interpretation. The ample introduction first sets key players into the story of the development of the major strands of biblical interpretation since the Enlightenment identifying how different theoretical and methodological approaches are related to each other and describing the academic environment in which they emerged and developed. Volume 1 contains fourteen essays on twenty-two interpreters who were principally active before 1980 and volume 2 has nineteen essays on twenty-seven of those who were active primarily after this date. Each chapter provides a brief biography of one or more scholars as well as a detailed description of their major contributions to the field. This is followed by an (often new) application of the scholars theory. By focusing on the individual scholars and their work the book recognizes that interpretive approaches arise out of certain circumstances and that scholars are influenced by and have influences upon both other interpreters and the times in which they live. This set is ideal for any class on the history of biblical interpretation and for those who want a greater understanding of how the current field of biblical studies developed. In the first of two volumes dealing with modern biblical interpretation the contributors examine the work of leading scholars of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries many of whom are surprisingly little known. With the benefit of hindsight and historical distance they can assess the importance of the work that each of these men did and indicate how that has come to influence subsequent generations. This is an important addition to our understanding of a key period in the development of biblical studies and will be of great use to students and teachers alike. --Gerald Bray Research Professor of Divinity Beeson Divinity School Samford University Stanley E. Porter is President Dean and Professor of New Testament as well as holder of the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College Hamilton Ontario Canada. He has written widely on most topics in New Testament studies including the history of interpretation. His latest book is When Paul Met Jesus: How an Idea Got Lost in History. Sean A. Adams is Lecturer in New Testament and Ancient Culture at The University of Glasgow United Kingdom. He has written widely on the relationship between the New Testament and Greek literature and is the author of The Genre of Acts and Collected Biography and Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah.