Theological Interpretation part 1

Disclaimer - This is a reproduction of my MA dissertation from two years ago. It is not peer reviewed etc.. mistakes and misrepresentations are my own, as is the clunky writing style and failings in grammar and so on.

The place of Historical Criticism in the Theological Interpretation of Scripture: A Critical Assessment

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the theological interpretation of Scripture (henceforth, TIS) within biblical and theological scholarship. This interest is largely a response to the longstanding bifurcation of biblical studies and theology common to both secular academic departments and Christian seminaries. Whereas biblical scholarship since the late eighteenth century - the so called 'critical' era – typically sought to rid biblical studies of the constraining influence of Christian dogma, those in favour of theological interpretation claim that the Bible should first and foremost be read as the Christian Scripture, through which God speaks today.

The first part of this study will answer the question: 'What is the theological interpretation of Scripture?' This will be done by critically discussing six central features of TIS, distilled from the writings of its key practitioners. The second part of the study will focus on the relationship between theological interpretation and historical criticism. It will be argued that TIS is incompatible with historical criticism insofar as the latter assumes an anti-theological or anti-faith agenda. However, it will be argued that TIS has not yet provided a satisfactory account of how theological interpretation can constructively engage with historical enquiry that is not anti-theological. A case will also be made that the extent to which TIS authors value historical criticism, and history more generally, largely depends on how they view textual 'meaning'. Finally, in concluding it will be argued that historical concerns should be of great importance to TIS, and some suggestions will be made for how TIS might better appropriate the insights of historical criticism.