Biblical Theology in Crisis

by Brevard S. Childs

Hardcover with dust jacket. Foxing to head and fore-edge. Some foxing on DJ leaf as well. Previous owners name on FFEP, text is clean, binding is firm.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Brevard Springs Childs was Professor of Old Testament at Yale University from 1958 until 1999 (and Sterling Professor after 1992), and one of the most influential biblical scholars of the 20th century. Childs is particularly noted for pioneering canonical criticism, a way of interpreting the Bible that focuses on the text of the biblical canon itself as a finished product. In fact, Childs disliked the term, believing his work to represent an entirely new departure, replacing the entire historical-critical method. Childs set out his canonical approach in his Biblical Theology in Crisis (1970) and applied it in Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture (1979). This latter book has been described as "one of the most discussed books of the 1980s".

Reviews

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuity in Childs’ thought between this early work and his later works (e.g. Biblical Theology of the OT & NT, The Struggle to Understand Isaiah as Christian Scripture, “Toward Recovering Theological Exegesis”) is remarkable. His overview of the Biblical Theology Movement is also excellent and continues to warn against the pitfalls of an earlier generation’s attempt to recover theological interpretation of scripture.

An important work for biblical theology and history of interpretation in general, and essential reading in Childs’ corpus.

[A.J. Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book. I enjoyed reading it. It provoked my thinking on the subject. The author makes a case for doing biblical theology within the context of the sacred canon of the church.

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful summary of Childs’s own context and project with a few explorations of canonical criticism

[Brad East · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, while historically important, falls short in its goals. The first and second parts are the strongest stretch of the book, describing then critiquing the BTM. The constructive proposal is weak, though suggestive; then the last part, putting the proposal to work with concrete examples, is disappointingly thin. The first half of the book is requires reading, though, for understanding the state of biblical studies and biblical theology in 1970.