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The Nature of Biblical Criticism

The Nature of Biblical Criticism

John Barton

Westminster John Knox Press LOUISVILLE

•

LONDON

©

2007 John Barton

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202 - 1 3 96.

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copy­ right © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

Book design by Sharon Adams Cover design by Night & Day Design First edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press Louisville, Kentucky

This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39.48 standard. @I PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

07 08 09 1 0 1 1 12 1 3 14 1 5 1 6 - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Barton, John. The nature of biblical criticism I John Barton.-lst ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-664-22 587-2 (alk. paper) 1 . Bible-Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title. BS5 1 1 . 3 .B37 2007 220.60 1-dc22 200700 1 5 3 7

For James Barr, In Memoriam

Contents

Foreword

1X

1 Introduction

1

2 Difficulties in the Text

9

3 The "Historical-Critical Method"

31

4 The Plain Sense

69

5 The Origins of Biblical Criticism

1 17

6 Biblical Criticism and Religious Belief

137

7 Conclusion

187

Bibliography

191

Index of Authors

203

Foreword

The core ofthis book consists of the Croall Lectures, delivered in the Univer­ sity of Edinburgh in September 2005. I am very grateful to my hosts in New College for their great hospitality and for many stimulating discussions. The idea for the book, however, goes back more than twenty years. In 1984 I wrote a paper called "What Makes Biblical Criticism Critical?" in which many of the essential points of the discussion are already sketched. The paper was intended for a conference in Jerusalem, but a back injury prevented my attending; it was subsequently delivered at the University of Sheffield and at King's College London. Of course I have done a lot of thinking about the sub­ ject since then, and this book is the result of material that has accumulated in my files and my head over the intervening period. A major stimulus for my thinking was James Barr's article "Bibel_kritik als theologische Aufklarung," 1 published in 1982, and his fuller treatment of related issues the following year in Holy Scripture: Canon, Authority, Criti­ cism. 2 The present book is in many ways little more than an attempt to develop and spell out in detail points he makes in those two publications. My debt to him over the years has been very great. Contrary to what is some­ times thought, I was never his student in the literal sense, but there is no one from whom I have learned more about the study of the Bible and its place in theology. It is a great pleasure and privilege to dedicate this book to his mem­ ory in gratitude and affection. 1 .James Barr, "Bibelkritik als theologische Aufl