Theology, history, and biblical interpretation

There is at present a ferment over theological interpretation, some backlash against this seemingly new development, and a bit of unsettlement in the state of historical approaches to the Bible. But students and scholars are not always clear about what the differences and similarities are between historical and theological approaches to the Bible. According to literary critic Northrop Frye's work The Great Code: The Bible and Literature, "There have always been two directions in Biblical scholarship, the critical and the traditional, though often they have merged." What is the nature of this contrast? What is the rationale for each approach? Do the approaches conflict, or can they be reconciled? How should the approaches be assessed by believers and academics? To what extent are today's debates about theological exegesis revisiting an old, perhaps even a perennial, issue, and to what extent do they deal with a new topic? This reader encourages students and scholars to explore these important questions by bringing together some of history's most influential discussions of the issues as well as some of the present day's most distinguished attempts to weigh in on the debate.