Includes bibliographical references (pages 589-592) and indexes.
Beginnings of Biblical interpretation -- Patristic interpretation -- Medieval interpretation -- Renaissance and reformation -- Beginning of the historical-critical method -- Old Testament from De Wette to Wellhausen -- New Testament from Schleiermacher to Schweitzer -- Old Testament criticism after Wellhausen -- New Testament criticism after Schweitzer -- Academic trends in interpretation -- Social trends in interpretation -- Evangelical trends in interpretation. Part 1: Before historical criticism -- Part 2: The historical-critical period -- The nineteenth century (1800-1918) -- The mid-twentieth century (1918-75) -- Part 3: The contemporary scene --
Biblical Interpretation: Past & Present is a unique textbook on the history of biblical interpretation. Gerald Bray begins with basic concepts in the church's biblical interpretation that have remained constant through the ages: divine revelation, the nature of the canon, the relation of the biblical text to the life of Christian churches and the abiding tensions inherent in the act of biblical interpretation. Three main sections follow. The first surveys the period from the ancient church to the beginnings of modern historical-critical interpretation in the Renaissance and Reformation. The second section engages the rise of modern historical-critical interpretation from the late seventeenth century through the twentieth century. The third section investigates current trends in biblical interpretation that seek to offer alternatives to the dominant school of historical criticism. Each section is divided into chapters focusing on periods or schools of interpretation.