A Century of New Testament Study

Great changes have taken place during the past one hundred years. This is no less true of New Testament study than it is of the wider sphere of social and political life. This book not only presents a detailed survey of all the major, and many of the lesser, New Testament studies of the time, but also attempts to relate the changes in approach to the broad socio-political and international sphere.
The book starts with a review of the achievements of Biblical studies to the end of the nineteenth century, and then turns to the work of the History of Religions school in Germany and reactions to it elsewhere. There follows a survey of developments leading up to the work of R Bultmann, and then a series of detailed studies of the major post-war works in the fields of Jesus, Paul, Mark, and John. The book concludes with a review of recent discussions of the nature of New Testament theology.
Central to the book is Bultmann's attempt to reconcile critical, historical and theological New Testament studies, and the ultimate failure of that synthesis. Reviewing recent developments and considering the future of New Testament theology, the author asks whether the time has not come for a similar attempt to integrate modern approaches to the subject.

John Riches is Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. His published work includes The World of Jesus: First Century Judaism in Crisis and A Century of New Testament Study.