A Brief History of Old Testament Criticism

Mark Gignilliat discusses critical theologians and their theories of Old Testament interpretation in this concise overview, providing a working knowledge of the historical foundation of contemporary discussions on Old Testament interpretation.

Old Testament interpretation developed as theologians and scholars proposed critical theories over time. These figures contributed to a large, developing complex of ideas and trends that serves as the foundation of contemporary discussions on interpretation. Mark Gignilliat brings these figures and their theories together in A Brief History of Old Testament Criticism. His discussion is driven by influential thinkers such as Baruch Spinoza and the critical tradition, Johann Semler and historical criticism, Hermann Gunkel and romanticism, Gerhard von Rad and the tradition-historical approach, Brevard Childs and the canonical approach, and more.

This concise overview is ideal for classroom use as it provides a working knowledge of the major critical interpreters of the Old Testament, their approach to the subject matter, and the philosophical background of their approaches. Further reading lists direct readers to additional resources on specific theologians and theories. This book will serve as a companion to the forthcoming textbook Believing Criticism by Richard Schultz.

Mark Gignilliat (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is assistant professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Alabama, where he has taught Hebrew, Old Testament Exegesis, and Biblical Theology since 2005. Before coming to Beeson Divinity School, he taught at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. Gignilliat is the author of Paul and Isaiah’s Servants and Karl Barth and the Fifth Gospel: Barth’s Theological Exegesis of Isaiah. He has articles published in Scottish Journal of Theology, Horizons in Biblical Theology, Westminster Theological Journal, Biblica, and The Journal for Theological Interpretation. In his pre-doctoral days, he served as youth director at North Hills Community Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Gignilliat and his wife, Naomi, have two sons.