Childs' Canonical Approach: A Critical Assessment

ISBN-13: 9781433197789 / Angielski

Hemchand Gossai; Robert G. Brown

Opis

This Book provides an insightful contribution to the ongoing academic debate on Childs' canonical approach. It is also an excellent primer for students interested in Childs, or who are generally considering how to read the Bible theologically.

Recenzje

The 'canonical approach' to the Bible pioneered by Brevard S. Childs appeals to many Christians who want to understand Scripture as a coherent and self-consistent work in the form it now has - however it came into being. In this dissenting examination of 'canonical reading' Robert Brown shows that it comes at too high a price, obscuring the diversity of Scripture and flattening it out. Those attracted by the approach, as a way of finding positive and constructive teaching in the Bible, will be forced to look critically at its possible drawbacks too. A clear and incisive critique of a much-lauded current fashion in biblical interpretation, seen by many as a way to 'reclaim' the Bible for the church. (John Barton, FBA, Emeritus Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford, and Senior Research Fellow of Campion Hall, Oxford) The task of reuniting biblical studies and theology is a crucial one for both disciplines, at least for those, like Robert Brown, who seek to understand how the scriptures speak to them of God. For many, the work of Brevard Childs has seemed to be the magic bullet, but his work is too often misunderstood by admirer and detractor alike. This careful study addresses these misunderstandings with clarity and precision, offers a much-needed analysis of the central concept of 'canonical shaping', and suggests ways forward that unite the synchronic and the historical-critical approaches. It is essential reading for anyone aspiring to do biblical theology in the 21st century. (Richard Ounsworth, Fellow and Tutor in Scripture at Blackfriars, Oxford)

Spis treści

Editor's Foreword - Preface - Acknowledgements - List of Abbreviations - Introduction - Career, Publications, and Beliefs - Childs and Scholarship - The Theory of Canonical Shaping - The Prioritisation of the Canonical Texts - The Search for the Bible's Subject Matter - Final Conclusion - Bibliography - Index of Key Authors, Sources, and Subjects.

O autorze

Dr Robert G. Brown is currently Subject Leader of Religious Studies at Holmleigh Park High School in Gloucestershire (UK). He obtained a DPhil in Theology at the University of Oxford (2021), supervised by Rev'd Professor John Barton and based at Blackfriars Hall. He also has an MA in Biblical Studies from King's College London (2016) and a BA Hons in Theology from the London School of Theology (2013), where he was recipient of the 2012 Hebrew Prize.