This well-written introduction to the method of literary criticism gives the reader an awareness and appreciation of the rich diversity of thought found in the Old Testament. The student is shown how to identify the elements of structure, style, form, language, and composition in the books of the Old Testament. Norman Habel demonstrates how literacy criticism works with examples which are familiar and well-suited for a beginner's level of study. The literary features of Genesis 1-9 are fully explored, then the author focuses on the importance of the Yahwist and priestly sources for the whole Pentateuch. This book's explanation of techniques used in the process of literary criticism will be valuable to both student and professor.

Mark Gignilliat discusses critical theologians and their theories of Old Testament interpretation in this concise overview, providing a working knowledge of the historical foundation of contemporary discussions on Old Testament interpretation. Old Testament interpretation developed as theologians and scholars proposed critical theories over time. These figures contributed to a large, developing complex of ideas and trends that serves as the foundation of contemporary discussions on interpretation. Mark Gignilliat brings these figures and their theories together in A Brief History of Old Testament Criticism. His discussion is driven by influential thinkers such as Baruch Spinoza and the critical tradition, Johann Semler and historical criticism, Hermann Gunkel and romanticism, Gerhard von Rad and the tradition-historical approach, Brevard Childs and the canonical approach, and more. This concise overview is ideal for classroom use as it provides a working knowledge of the major critical interpreters of the Old Testament, their approach to the subject matter, and the philosophical background of their approaches. Further reading lists direct readers to additional resources on specific theologians and theories. This book will serve as a companion to the forthcoming textbook Believing Criticism by Richard Schultz.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. Although many conservative scholars have had reservations about biblical criticism since its rise a century ago, Carl Armerding contends that critical rationalism need not be antithetical to belief in a divinely inspired Word of God. Indeed, says Armerding, the evangelical scholar -- mediating the traditional conservative view and the rational critical view of Scripture -- is able to use all the tools of historical, philological, and literary study, while still retaining biblical categories of revelation, inspiration, and history. Armerding applies this synthesis of approaches -- the traditional and the critical -- to four major branches of criticism: literary (or source) criticism, form criticism, structural analysis, and textual criticism. Cautioning against misuse of these critical methods, he demonstrates how each method can be conscientiously used by faithful scholars to enrich their understanding of the Old Testament text. Of great value to scholars, students, and pastors, Armerding's work promises to enrich study of the Old Testament much as George Eldon Ladd's book (The New Testament and Criticism) has enriched study of the New.

The study of the Bible has long included a literary aspect with great attention paid not only to what was written but also to how it was expressed. The detailed analysis of biblical books and passages as written texts has benefited from the study of literature in classical philology, ancient rhetoric, and modern literary criticism. This volume of the Lexham Methods Series introduces the various ways the study of literature has been used in biblical studies. Most literary approaches emphasize the study of the text alone—its structure, its message, and its use of literary devices—rather than its social or historical background. The methods described in Literary Approaches to the Bible are focused on different ways of analyzing the text within its literary context. Some of the techniques have been around for centuries, but the theories of literary critics from the early 20th century to today had a profound impact on biblical interpretation. In this book, you will learn about those literary approaches, how they were adapted for biblical studies, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Literary analysis has stimulated discussion in many areas, generated excitement among scholars, and offered new ways of studying the Bible for a wide variety of readers. The works chosen exhibit why literary criticism has grown from a "passing fad" to a, hopefully, lasting part of Old Testament research. The format of this collection seeks to address two very basic areas. Biblical studies both introduce and implement critical methodologies. Scholars choose approaches and then use them to explain texts. Therefore at least two articles appear for each literary approach in the sections below. One article has been chosen to help the reader define an individual type of literary analysis. Subsequent articles then use the methodology to explain an Old Testament text. In this way both an approach's theoretical and practical value can be judged. - Editor's preface.

The heart of the bibliography is a comprehensive listing of literary and critical studies of biblical texts, followed by a discussion of works that evaluate the reception of modern literary criticism in the world of biblical studies.