• Christian Theology and the Bible is a section of the Society of Biblical Literature. Our task is to explore the intersection between the disciplines of Christian Theology and Biblical Studies. Does or can such an intersection exist? What then could be or would be theological exegesis? What is its relation to religious communities, the history of interpretation, historical theology, history of confession and doctrine, so-called Higher Criticism, etc.?

  • Resources

  • Admin

Edited Compilations

Bacote, Vincent, Laura C. Miguélez, and Dennis L. Okholm, eds. Evangelicals and Scripture: Tradition, Authority and Hermeneutics. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

A more conservative evangelical discussion. As such, it is, as the subtitle hints, quite concerned with authority.

Bockmuehl, Markus, and Alan J. Torrance, eds. Scripture’s Doctrine and Theology’s Bible: How the New Testament Shapes Christian Dogmatics. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.

From a symposium held at the Univeristy of St. Andrews that assembled a group of world-class biblical and systematic theologians to answer the question: To what extent, and on what grounds, does the New Testament shape and prescribe Christian theology?

Davis, Ellen F., and Richard B. Hays, eds. The Art of Reading Scripture. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003.

See especially “Nine Theses on the Interpretation of Scripture” (pp. 1-8).

Ford, David, and C. C. Pecknold, eds. The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.

From the Society of Scriptural Reasoning, a dialogue of interpreters from the three Abrahamic religions. For more see also Peter Ochs, “The Society of Scriptural Reasoning: The Rules of Scriptural Reasoning,” The Journal of Scriptural Reasoning 2 (May 2002), online: http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/ssr/issues/volume2/number1/ssr02-01-e01.html.

Ford, David, and Graham N. Stanton, eds. Reading Texts, Seeking Wisdom: Scripture and Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003.

From a dialogue at Cambridge University between biblical studies and theology faculty and guests.

Fowl, Stephen, ed. The Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Oxford: Blackwell, 1997.

A wonderful collection of essays from all eras of Christianity. The collection itself demonstrates that the conversation is one that has been taking place from the Church’s earliest days. Also, the introduction by Fowl is an excellent presentation of a perspective for theological interpretation that differs from the one Vanhoozer presents in the Dictionary of Theological Interpretation of the Bible (see below).

Green, Joel B., and Max Turner, eds. Between Two Horizons: Spanning New Testament Studies and Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000.

With a focus on NT studies, this book raises all of the important issues involved in thinking about interpreting scripture theologically. It was meant to be the ground-clearing exercise for the Two Horizons Commentary Series (see below).

The Journal of Religion 76:2, “The Bible and Christian Theology,” (April 1996).

A collection of essays from a conference at U of Chicago Divinity School in 1995.

Lundin, Roger, ed. Disciplining Hermeneutics: Interpretation in a Christian Perspective. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1997.

Vanhoozer, Kevin, ed. Dictionary for the Theological Interpretation of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2005.

See especially Vanhoozer’s introduction to this dictionary.

Watson, Francis, ed. The Open Text: New Directions for Biblical Studies. Valley Forge, Penn: Trinity Press International, 1993.