Douglas Mangum - Social & Historical Approaches to the Bible

Lexham Methods Series

Volume 3

Social & Historical Approaches to the Bible

Edited by

Douglas Mangum

and

Amy Balogh

Lexham Methods Series: Volume 3: Social & Historical Approaches to the Bible

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Table of Contents

Amy Balogh and Douglas Mangum

Judith Odor

Amy Balogh, Dan Cole, and Wendy Widder

Gretchen Ellis

Gretchen Ellis

Jeffery Leonard

Coleman Baker and Amy Balogh

The Lexham Methods Series introduces a variety of approaches to biblical interpretation. Due to the fields long history, however, the coverage is necessarily selective. This series focuses on the major areas of critical biblical scholarship and their development from the 19th century to the early 21st century . While we recognize that theological approaches to interpretation have played an important role in the life of the Church, this series does not engage the wide variety of hermeneutical approaches that arise from specific theological readings of the biblical text.

The methods discussed here include the broad movements in biblical criticism that have helped define how biblical scholars today approach the text. Understanding the basics of textual criticism, source criticism, form criticism, tradition history, redaction criticism, linguistics, social-scientific criticism, canonical criticism, and contemporary literary criticism (rhetorical, structural, narrative, reader-response, post-structural) will help illuminate the assumptions and conclusions found in many scholarly commentaries and articles.

Each approach to biblical interpretationeven those that are not explicitly theologicalcan be defined according to a guiding presupposition that informs the method.

Textual criticism: Reading the text to identify errors in transmission and determine the best text

Source criticism: Reading the text to find the written sources the author(s) used

Form criticism: Reading the text to find the oral traditions the author(s) used

Tradition-historical criticism: Reconstructing the historical development of the traditions identified by form criticism

Redaction criticism: Reading the text to understand how it was put together and what message the text was meant to communicate

Canonical criticism: Reading the final form of the text as Christian Scripture

Rhetorical criticism: Analyzing the text for the rhetorical effect of the literary devices the writers used to communicate and persuade

Structural criticism: Analyzing the text in terms of contrast and oppositions, recognizing that contrast is believed to be the essence of meaning within a cultural, linguistic, or literary system

Narrative criticism: Reading the text as a narrative and paying attention to aspects including plot, theme, and characterization

Linguistic approach: Analyzing the text using concepts and theories developed by linguistics

Social-scientific approach: Analyzing the text using concepts and theories developed in the social sciences

The Lexham Methods Series defines these approaches to biblical interpretation, explains their development, outlines their goals and emphases, and identifies their leading proponents. Few interpreters align themselves strictly with any single approach. Contemporary Bible scholars tend to use an eclectic method that draws on the various aspects of biblical criticism outlined above. Many of these methods developed in parallel, mutually influenced each other, and share similar external influences from literary theory and philosophy. Similarly, ideas and questions arising from one approach often directly influenced the field as a whole and have become common currency in biblical studies, even though the method that generated the concepts has been radically reshaped and revised over the years.

In introducing a variety of methods, we will address each method as neutrally as possible, acknowledging both the advantages and limitations of each approach. Our discussion of a particular method or attempts to demonstrate the method should not be construed as an endorsement of that approach to the text. The Lexham Methods Series introduces you to the world of biblical scholarship.