The Bible in Modern Culture: Baruch Spinoza to Brevard Childs

by Roy A. Harrisville, Walter Sundberg (Contributor)

Historical-Critical Method in Biblical Scholarship has been a Pandora's box for the intellectual life of the church. No achievement of modern scholarship has been more effective in understanding the Bible, yet it has also seriously challenged a church trying to preserve the integrity of its cherished theological traditions. In this critically acclaimed book Roy Harrisville and Walter Sundberg trace the development and drama of historical-critical method by surveying the major figures who created and employed it - from Baruch Spinoza in the seventeenth century to present-day interpreters. This expanded second edition of The Bible in Modern Culture includes three new chapters detailing the work of Adolf Schlatter, Paul Ricoeur, and Brevard Childs.

Genres: History, Theology

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really quite good. Very important for understanding the reason why we read the Scriptures atomistically and as basically a exercise in historiography instead of as a theological venture, which is more so respecting of Scriptures ontology.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is extremely deceiving. This is not a book about the bible in modern culture. It is a history of Protestant biblical theology in the modern era. It begins with the Spinoza and ends with Brevard Childs. It is actually an interesting book on the history of the doctrine of the perspicuity of the Bible. That is, the Bible may be read plainly by the average Joe and get the correct message of Christianity. The book is heavy on German Lutheran theology and short on Calvinist theology except when discussing American fundamentalism. It also assumes that the reader is familiar with other theologians not detailed - i.e., Karl Barth and John Witherspoon. Recommended for seminarians and students of the history of Christianity.

[Drew Mcginley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book if you are wanting to survey the various ways the Bible has been viewed by academia in the last few centuries.