OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY

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OLD TESTAMENTTHEOLOGY
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O. T. Theology Origin
Johann Gabler, in 1787, delivered an address on
the difference between Dogmatic and Biblical
Theology

• Biblical Theology
• Simple
• Treats the religion of the Bible
• Historical (discusses what the sacred writers
  thought of divine things)
• Special Revelationgt

• Dogmatic Theology
• Complex
• Biblical Theology and philosophy
• Didactic (what the theologians think)
• Special and General Revelationgt

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O. T. Theology Definition

• Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology is that
  branch of Exegetical Theology which deals with
  the process of the self revelation of God
  deposited in the Bible. Biblical Theology, 13.gt

• John Murray, Biblical theology deals with the
  data of special revelation from the standpoint of
  its history systematic theology deals with the
  same in its totality as a finished product. The
  method of systematic theology is logical, that of
  biblical theology is historical. WTJ, 261,
  33.gt

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O. T. Theology The Redemptive Historical
Framework

• Exegesis (then interpretation)
• Compare with other passages
• Formulate ideas without distorting the facts
• Be aware of the flow of Biblical revelationgt

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O. T. Theology Techniques

• Word Studies key words their theological
  thrust one cannot exegete without knowing the
  meaning of the words
• Subject Studies tracing the growth or
  development of a subject determining the key
  verses
• Theology of Biblical Books What does_____say?
  Examines the book as a literary unit. Determines
  the theme or themes. How do the parts support
  that theme? 
• Theology of the Old Testament such as Vos,
  Payne, etc.gt

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O. T. Theology and Systematic Theology

• Biblical theology is the ground for systematic
  theology
• Biblical and systematic theology are
  complementary, not antithetical
• There is a difference in method and nature of the
  approach
• Biblical Theology- what has God revealed?
• Systematic Theology- what is true about God?gt

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O. T. Theology and Systematic Theology

• The Danger of Systematic Theology
• Theological drift the system is substituted for
  Scripture
• Strong denominationalism leads to failure to
  recognize the catholicity of the Church
• Biased exegesis (the whole determines the meaning
  of the parts)gt

• The Value of Systematic Theology
• It presents the results of Bible study in capsule
  form
• It is useful in combating heresy
• It provides conventional languagegt

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O. T. Theology History

• The Rise of Old Testament Theology
• Federal Theology Cocceius (1603-1669)
• Attempt to escape from traditionalism and
  confessions to purely Biblical orientation
• Developed theology around the structure of
  covenant (foedus)
• Pietism Spener and Francke- (1635-1705)
• Emphasized practical orientation of theology and
  the devotional use of Bible
• Argued for historical interpretations as opposed
  to prooftexting
• Johann Gabler Father of Biblical Theology, a
  rationalist, seeking to explain the biblical
  religion in terms of universal laws of reasongt

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O. T. Theology History

• The Triumph of Israels Religion Extreme
  Rationalism (1790-1830)
• Hermann Samuel Reimarus, 1694-1768
• Wolfenbüttel Fragments
• J.D. Semler, 1725-1792, canon the result of human
  endeavors entirely
• Georg Lorenz Bauer, 1755-1806, rationalist
  theology, Theologie des Alten Testaments
• W.M.L. de Wette, first to do Biblical Theology
  under influence of Kantianismgt

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O. T. Theology History

• Rationalism under the influence of a philosophy
  of religion (Historicists)
• Hegel the dialectic
• Schleiermacher the focus of theology  
• Wilhelm Vatke Biblische Theologie, 1835,
  developed the history of religions approach
  (Religionsgeschichte)
• Bruno Bauer a student of Vatke, wrote a second
  history of religions, Old Testament theology
  based on the Hegelian philosophygt

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O. T. Theology History

• Julius Wellhausen wrote Prolegomena zur
  Geschichte Israels, 1878
• Signaled a shift in Biblical Theology from
  rationalism to the history of Israel's religion
• Based on Graf and Kuenen
• OT prophets lived before the giving of the OT
  law.
• OT religion grew out of nature religion
• Behind the sacrifices and rituals of Israel lay
  the agricultural feasts of her pagan neighborsgt

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O. T. Theology Wellhausian Scheme

• Animism moving objects are indwelt with spirits
• Gen 147, spring of judgment
• Gen 126, oaks of Moreh 1318, oaks of Mamre
• Polytheism Joshua 1511, baals
• Totemism- some members of tribes related to
  animals Caleb-dog, or el names as descendants
  of some god
• Taboo- certain prohibited foods (can't eat
  because they belong to the tribal gods)
• Ancestor worship- Genesis 23
• Monolatry recognize many gods, worship one
• Monotheism eighth century, J documentsgt

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O. T. Theology Key Themes in the
Religionsgeschichte Approach

• Late date assigned to P document in
  Pentateuchal criticism
• New picture of Israels religion, based on
  documentary hypothesis
• Evolutionary model, based on Hegel and Darwingtgt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Conservative Reaction

• E.W. Hengstenberg (ca 1835)
• Wrote Christology of the Old Testament
• This work held to conservative theological
  viewpoints
• Major failing did not reckon with the nature of
  progressive revelation
• Nonetheless, he revived an orthodox view of the
  Bible

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Conservative Reaction

• Steudel didn't hold to inerrancy, but reacted
  against the historical-critical method affirmed
  historical-grammatical method
• Gustav Oehler (1812-1872)
• Oehler was a student of Steudel
• Oehler wrote a famous Old Testament Theology
  (published posthumously) still used by
  evangelicals
• Focused on the organic growth of Old Testament
  religion, the outstanding work of the
  Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) schoolgt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Conservative Reaction

• Heilsgeschichte salvation history school
  focused on the story of salvation
• J.C.K. Hofmann ca 1841,
• Found in the Bible a record of the process of
  saving or holy history that aims at the
  redemption of all mankind
• Process not fully completed until eschatological
  consummationgt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Conservative Reaction

• Heilsgeschichte
• The Erlangen School, including Hofmann, held
• Propositional statements in Scripture were not
  meant to be an end in themselves nor an object of
  faith, but
• Were designated to bear witnessgtthe redemptive
  acts of God
• Franz Delitzsch- Bible a witness to salvation, an
  incomplete, usable source, witness of ancient
  culturegt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Renaissance of
Biblical Theology

• Factors Contributing to the revival of Biblical
  Theology (early 20th century)
• The loss of faith in evolutionary naturalism
• The reaction against the purported objectivity
  in the study of religion-history
• The trend of Continental theology back to
  Reformation theology (the movement known as
  neo-orthodoxy)gt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Renaissance of
Biblical Theology

• Otto Eissfeldt
• History of Israels religion and Old Testament
  theology were separate disciplines, with
  different goals and therefore with different
  methods
• Theology deals with revelation, not history
  (debated Eichrodt 1926-29)gt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Renaissance of
Biblical Theology

• Walther Eichrodt Key theology 1933, 1939
• Made use of the covenant theme and employed a
  cross-section methodology
• Argued that Old Testament theologians could get
  to the essence of Old Testament religion by
  means of the same historical-critical methods
  investigators of the history of religion used.
  Smith, OTT, 39gt

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O. T. Theology HistoryThe Renaissance of
Biblical Theology

• Gerhard von Rad (1957,1960) Theologie des Alten
  Testaments, represented an approach to the Old
  Testament that closely aligned Old Testament
  criticism with Old Testament theology
• Hexateuch is a reworking of various tribal
  traditions which had been transmitted orally
• Events are not historical but confessional
• The OT possessed no central axis or continuity
  of a divine plan rather, it contained a
  narration of the peoples religious reading of
  their history, their attempt to make real and
  present older events and narratives. Kaiser,
  TOTT, 5gt

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O. T. Theology Recent History

• The Biblical Theology Movement H.H. Rowley,
  Alan Richardson, Norman Snaith, G. Ernest Wright,
  B.W. Anderson, begins around 1950
• Five Key Ideas
• The rediscovery of the theological dimension
  (message and mystery of the Bible)
• The unity of the Bible
• The Idea that revelation is historical
• The distinctiveness of Hebrew thought
• The uniqueness of Biblical faith vis-à-vis other
  religionsgt

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O. T. Theology Recent History

• Brevard S. Childs, Biblical Theology of the Old
  and New Testaments, 1992
• The challenge of Biblical Theology is to engage
  in the continual activity of theological
  reflection which studies the canonical text in
  detailed exegesis, and seeks to do justice to the
  witness of both testaments in the light of its
  subject matter who is Jesus Christ. Childs,
  BTONT, 78

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O. T. Theology Recent History

• Evangelical Contributions
• Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, 1948
• J. Barton Payne, The Theology of the Older
  Testament, 1962
• Gerhard Hasel, Old Testament Theology Basic
  Issues in the Current Debate, 1972
• William Dyrness, Themes in Old Testament
  Theology, 1977
• Walter Kaiser, Toward an Old Testament
  Theology,1978
• Ralph L. Smith, Old Testament Theology, 1993
• Paul House, Old Testament Theology, 1998gt

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OLD TESTAMENTTHEOLOGY