Now and again you get tired of superlatives, you begin to suffer from overstatement fatigue. Whether it’s the latest, coolest, fastest, cheapest, most reliable, healthiest, longest lasting, exclusive, superb, benchmark, unrivalled, bestest, very bestest, very bestest ever, really very bestest ever…see what I mean. Tediously repeated superlatives are like a dimmer switch attached to the brain; they’re as annoying as the monotonous musically vacuous bass beats of sound systems in passing cars; meant to communicate more or less justified enthusiasm, superlatives end up being a turn-off.
So what do I say about The Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters, the latest (note the only remaining superlative in this review) dictionary published by IVP? It’s a revision and expansion of a previous volume called A Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters, which has served well as a reference book on the history of biblical interpretation. The new edition enhances that usefulness by widening the scope of the contents and bringing the entire volume up to date. It is plain fact to say there isn’t another volume that covers this ground, and this much ground, in such a comprehensive and representative scale. (1100+ pages). There are five chronological chapters adding up to over 100 double column pages, providing an overview of historical context, key personalities and important developments in scholarly examination of the Bible.
At a time when serious attention is being paid to the history of biblical interpretation, and the history of text reception within the community of faith is being given significant hermeneutical weight, such a reference book offers substantive discussion of key personalities, and opens up a diverse and crucial field of study. Most articles about the biblical interpreters selected explore four areas of their respective subject – the context, the life and work of the person, main interpretive principles, and continuing significance.
The selection has sought to be representative and inclusive, incorporating Catholic and Protestant, conservative and progressive, ancient and modern, men and (far too few) women, hugely weighted towards Europe and America, and spanning two thousand years. Intentionally, nearly all those included are dead – so living scholars either wait a later edition!, or another book is needed looking at contemporary practising interpreters. This editorial decision goes some way to explaining the Euro-American male dominance of entries, without excusing the history that underlies it. But Phyllis Trible and Schussler Fiorenza are there, and thankfully are still here – a wise editorial act of positive discrimination and inclusion.
However the Dictionary can only include those who are indeed the significant players in the history of interpretation, and this it does under the overall editorship of Donald McKim, an experienced and reliable editor who is himself a contributor to the academic discussions arising from biblical interpretation. As an indication of the range of interpreters treated here is a list of ten, chosen on a quick skim back and forwards through the book:
Hugh of St Victor, Gerhard von Rad, E Schussler Fiorenza, Pilgram Marpeck, John Owen, Paul Ricouer, Erasmus, Didymus the Blind, C K Barrett, C I Scofield.
As a Scot I am delighted that A B Bruce, James Moffatt and James Denney (pictured) are included – by the way, has any other church ever been more privileged in the New Testament expertise of its ministers than Broughty Ferry East Free Church which had these three influential Scottish scholars within the space of around forty years?
Then there are the premier league scholars of the 20th Century; from Europe Barth, Von Rad, Bultmann, Cullmann, Eichrodt, Kasemann, Lohmeyer; and from Britain C F D Moule, Vincent Taylor, G B Caird, C K Barrett, C H Dodd, T W Manson; from America H J Cadbury, Brevard Childs, Bruce Metzger, Walter Brueggemann (another thankfully still with us inclusion) G Eldon Ladd, Raymond E Brown; from the tradition of great commentators Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Matthew Henry, J A Bengel, J P Lange, H A W Meyer, Keil and Delitzsch. And so on. And the dictionary short changes none of them. No half column digests of facts – each a substantial article, and all articles supported by generous up to date bibliography.
For biblical interpreters, aspiring or established, who want to understand how we came to be where we are in the scholarly study of the Bible; and for those fascinated by the immense labour and human devotion that has gone into the faithful study of the biblical text; and for those like myself who are both captivated by the story of how the church has listened, learned and interpreted Christian scripture, this is a superlative book!
And in these days of required transparency and declared interests, I have to inform you that the article on James Denney was written by me, and the volume is much the better for it – not because I wrote it, but because Denney was a superlative interpreter of Scripture!
Leave a Reply