The crisis in biblical scholarship:

...More than that, howeved that its failure to use critical in this essay er, there are growing signs that the energy biblical scholarship left me less and activity seem increasingly without The Hebrew Bible, the Old disturbed than a New Testament schol- Testament...

...His start- of redaction, in turn, correspond exactly such company, for if Childs's ing point is not startlingly different from to stages in this hypothetical communi- decades-long and heroic effort to that of many of his colleagues...

...What he finds theologically important academic character of his work...

...and Historical direction...

...degrees in biblical tifacts, texts known and newly discovered comfort precisely in his introduction: "At studies than in any previous era...

...ies-depends...

...AKHIL AMAR, professor, Yale Law School 526 pages  $29.95 cloth  ISBN 0-89633-178-4 Available at bookstores or through National Book Network, 1-800-462-6420 ETHICS AND PUBLIC POLICY CENTER 1015 Fifteenth Street NW  Washington, DC 20005 Commonweal 3 December 1993: 19 part of the Catholic tradition of inter- Mack would like to find in it the story of based on the most arbitrary sort of judgpretation recognized the limitations of that a community associated with the "Jesus ments concerning communities and texts, mode of knowing called the historical movement" somewhere in Galilee over and on the suppression of contrary evi(valuable in its own way but never able a period of thirty years after the death of dence (from Paul and Acts, for exampleto escape the probable), basing its theol- Jesus: indeed, he claims to trace the de- not to mention compositions such as ogy on the Irenaean tripod of rule of velopment of that community structurally Hebrews and James...

...He has sim- ty's "development...

...6) these stages fair to include Brevard Childs in and therefore normative shape...

...In "The Eighth Principle of Judaism and out attempting to base itself on some sort Writing from a Jewish perspective, he the Literary Simultaneity of Scripture," of historical "fixing...

...discussions...

...Scholars today have scendent goal for learning and the weakproliferate and prosper...

...Jews," as Levenson entitles another essay, ties, and frequently comes camouflaged What is most refreshing about Levenson "are not interested in biblical theology," as "history...

...Meager history reveals movements and cults associated with Jesus sophical movement of that name) cannot itself as thin theology...

...so similar to the procedure of well-re- vice of theology...

...As in other boom in- cal studies is its shift in social location away Measured quantitatively, the business of from the church and synagogue to the biblical scholarship is booming...

...But he never seems to have is part of their canonical character...

...LUKE TIMOTHY JOHNSON is professor of The long struggle of "the historical critNew Testament at the Candler School of ical method" for "free inquiry" liberated Theology, Emory University...

...8) it was the "Christ Cult" that ion, it nevertheless deserves respect as an fundamental wrongheadedness can be ap- mythologized the death and Resurrection effort filled with a nobleness of purpose preciated...

...real history or authentic theology, and had The Lost Gospel: The Book of The problem is not simply that too much certainly not helped transmit the faith to Q and Christian Origins, by Burton is written for anyone to read, or that the the next generation...

...or "the Christ," that only progressively (es- intermingle with Q2 with its rules and repecially under the impetus of Mark's jection motifs, and certainly not with Q3 t is unfortunate and perhaps unGospel) found a shared "Myth of Origins" with its mythologization...

...chinery of scholarship simply create "prodContemporary biblical scholarship con- uct," or does it contribute to human wisdom sidered from some angles seems to be in precedented wealth of knowledge about concerning history or life before God...

...5) it is possible to pecially Ronald Reagan, on the normaer Myth of Innocence (Fortress), by tak- demarcate stages in the redaction of Q ac- tive Christian gospel...

...Jon good shape...

...The rabbis did not several of his essays, the liberation has been egory of "history" has become entangled attempt to "fix" the history of Israel as a ambiguous and uncertain...

...It is a form of the- sorts of challenges posed for reflection by anti-Semitism built into so much Christian ology, however, weirdly separated from the "Moses of history" (whoever he might "biblical theology," helps make clear why the faith or practice of living communi- have been) and the "Moses of the text...

...12:12 The crisis in biblical scholarship LUKE TIMOTHY JOHNSON n a recent review of the Catechism dustries, disquieting amounts of fraud and of the Catholic Church (Common- fakery appear...

...The results of new dis- about the texts have genuine existential sigcoveries and the reexamination of older nificance, and leaves thousands of scholholdings have made available an un- ars dancing for no apparent reason around a very small book...

...on his own terms...

...First, spected researchers-say, in the Johan- cape the distorting effects of academicism the "Lost Gospel" is not the discovery of nine literature-that only when the dust and epistemological monism (historical a new document, but the decision to treat clears is it apparent that the entire show knowing=all knowing) stands as a particthat material in the Gospels found in has been the purest flimflam...

...With fifteen of the cases there is also a sampling of contemporaneous editorial comment from such sources as the New York Times, The Christian Century, and The New Republic...

...Moving away from and astonishingly learned, as well as a ness of his efforts suggest their futility...

...that all is not well...

...Childs's attempt to synthesize Christianity...

...7) this movement is restore "biblical theology" to some ply made the grounding of a shared method evidence for the earliest form of Christ- coherence and credibility must receive explicit and therefore challenging...

...He is author of from the control of dogma and then of orThe Writings of the New Testament: An ganized religion, has been accomplished...

...moves biblical scholarship from any The century's armies of researchers have readership for whom questions and answers not been lazy...

...Mark-traditionally designated Q (for adduced for this supposed movement in The present book completes a series of Quelle=source) as though it were the this supposed place and in this supposed studies that began in 1970 with Childs's most important clue to Christian origins...

...ness of the Old Testament" and the "dis- uninitiated into this debate, and despite con- Childs shows how not even noble aspicrete witness of the New Testament," in tinuing to supply endless (and valuable) rations and amazing effort can create which he rehearses the contents and crit- bibliographies on every conceivable topic, clear thinking...

...He hopes posed by the texts themselves...

...Childs And some of the problems inherent in grasped that what theology engages is the has therefore sought to unite history and his approach from the beginning here ap- Living God who is encountered in human texts in what amounts to a textual histo- pear in acute form...

...work largely defined by questions shaped 18: 3 December 1993 Commonweal by academic inertia rather than by the life history always turns out to vindicate a whole, nor disable them from interpretof a religious community...

...torical survey of biblical theology as a dis- ume shows the results: despite including In sum, Mack shows how bad biblical cipline and a sketch of his own canonical in his text a barrage of names that must scholarship can get and yet be published approach, Childs turns to "the discrete wit- be absolutely bewildering to any reader by a major press with enthusiastic blurbs...

...I noted that criti- Criticism, by Jon D. Levenson, Westmin- to what is it directed, for whom is it any cal scholarship had not managed much sterlJohn Knox Press, $14.95, 192 pp...

...Its failure, then, to esLet's follow, then, his argument...

...He proceeds religion and intellectual life in the context of a supportive, critically enthematically through doctrinal topics, gaged, and diverse community...

...Elegantly distills a half century of debate over church and state: everything essential is here...

...There are certainly more the biblical world...

...For more information: Dr...

...So available as close as the computer key- can sustain the faith and belief upon which many dissertations, monographs, books, board...

...But some form of "theolog- underlying much liberationist interpreta- versation that in principle resisted "fixing" ical" motivation continues to drive a great tion that seeks to put "history" to the ser- or closure...

...in the last century seldom proceeded withis its careful analysis of this ambiguity...

...For after his disthe pertinence of Leven- can be reconstructed by omitting the al- mantling of the church's myth of origins son's critique, and show how, for all its terations and emendations made by Mat- by means of his "historical method," he sophistication, contemporary biblical thew and Luke when they used it as a makes clear that he would prefer his rescholarship often misses either real his- source...

...HarperSwtFrancisco, $22.275 pp...

...What texts, but that did not confuse them con- quired "history" as an indispensable episLevenson means is that the construal of cerning the unitary authority of Torah as temological key to theology...

...The truly distinctive Research Colloquium, to be held June 6 to July 1, 1994, at The Episcopal aspect of this book, however, is Childs's Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts...

...Mack ianity, untouched by rival groups such as some criticism, and be regarded as a noble should be applauded for developing this the "Jerusalem Church" or the "Christ venture flawed in possibly mortal fashpremise with such consistency that its Cult...

...The very massive"canonical criticism...

...2) what we now ining that is itself mythic in character...

...cific social movement-they read nothing ter in Myth which blames all the sins of Mack's The Lost Gospel represents an else and held no other beliefs than were the West and especially America, and esextension and popularization of his earli- in this composition...

...The second is the way the cat- synchronic construal...

...If to my taste that tradition paid lowship that traded Jesus-quips as an ex- to an even more obscure level: if there is far too little attention to the revelation of pression of countercultural consciousness no "founder" or "founding experience," God in human lives and events, it at least and collegiality to an increasingly be- how do we account for so many and such did not attach its teaching to the fragile leaguered and apocalyptic sectarian claim- diverse communities gathered in this vessel of historiography posing as the- ant to the heritage of Israel...

...Society would be ing as its premise that there is no "big bang" cording to the principles of literary anal- much better off if Q were taken as norat the origin of Christianity-no heroic ysis: materials of Q1 with Cynic-type mative, with a "Jesus movement" charJesus, and certainly no "resurrection ex- sayings (that is, sayings that resemble acterized by the Cynic counterculturalism perience"-but only a loose congeries of those of the popular Hellenizing philo- of the early days...

...El through various compositions...

...No the fragmentation of the Old Testament scholar whose desire to serve theology is matter how much Childs protests what he so typical of the historians of Ancient genuine...

...What is all this learning about, ar ought to have been...

...progression, but the argument has been Biblical Theology in Crisis (Westminster...

...Lev- verse and contradictory texts to speak es (structuralist, literary, social-scientific) enson's final essay on "Exodus and Lib- variously to the living of life before God...

...Christian claims in sharp contrast to those ing it creatively and "critically" within that But as Levenson acutely observes in of Judaism...

...ology...

...The rabbis were capable of reminder that, like Judaism, the Catholic ological tendentiousness, which frequently recognizing historical development in tradition has never demanded or even reappears as an implicit anti-Semitism...

...Perhaps charmed by 1...

...Measured quantitatively, biblical all learning-and not only biblical studand articles are being produced that lit- knowledge floods the earth...

...is that he actually seems to know the dif- for such Christian "biblical theology" has The contribution of Levenson's book ference...

...This lection...

...Theological Reflection," and then "DogCommonweal 3 December 1993: 21...

...consciously chosen to remain within the berest of hardheaded historians-no flight So mesmerizing is this progression, and context of the church's faith and in the serto faith, here, no fantasies of theology...

...volumes, he has sought to combine his- From the start, Childs's work has won Childs's more significant difficulties are torical analysis and theology through an admiration and severe criticism...

...Childs has never been able to fall into reviews of scholarship...

...Overproduction itself deweal, May 7, 1993), I comment- Books discussed preciates value...

...name...

...portant developments (e.g., in the liter- Perhaps the conceptual confusion of hisChilds does not deal specifically with ary criticism of the Gospels, especially tory and theology found in so much bibcompositions, but with themes and de- Luke-Acts), and, in a sign of fatigue, lical scholarship might indeed yet be velopments that run diachronically shows some irritation toward recent con- clarified...

...The first is its the- tation...

...9) Mark's Gospel combined and weight of learning...

...For each topic, Childs pulls together the diverse witnesses of Deadline is February 1, 1994...

...acutely observes consistent features of Levenson brilliantly demonstrates the dif- Levenson's aligning of the dominant Christian biblical criticism that help ac- ference between an "historical awareness" "historical model" of scholarship to discount for the odd fact that so many edu- concerning the texts, and the use of a his- tinctively Protestant theological preoccated and liberated intellectuals can come torical paradigm to control their interpre- cupations is perceptive, and a useful to so little consensus...

...of Jesus...

...Regional, have been deciphered, edited, translated, the heart of [the] crisis lie the loss of a trannational, and international conventions and published...

...Most of all, it simfaith, canon of Scripture, and apostolic and ideologically from a loose table-fel- ply shifts the question of "origination" authority...

...20: 3 December 1993 Commonweal In a number of articles and in three other matic Theological Reflection...

...Levenson shows that even ical issues pertaining to the biblical tra- Childs in fact has not kept abreast of im- in a dark season there is reason to hope...

...New journals unimaginable amounts of information ening of the communities and practices that are announced or appear every year...

...clarify that cryptic comment in more Fortress Press, $40, 745 lip...

...ditions...

...Not only ularly sober reminder of their pervasive Matthew and Luke but not found in has no positive historical evidence been power...

...To find this, the following assumptions Mack's is not the sort of historical are necessary: (1) the material found in analysis that stands up to close scrutiny...

...pressures of academic advancement enunaccustomed candor from the guild, or Biblical Theology of the Old courage premature publication with an inprovoked by such unseemly spite, the ed- and New Testaments: Theolo- evitable decline in quality...

...The greater RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN THE SUPREME COURT The Cases That Define the Debate Over Church and State Edited by Terry Eastland The simple language of the "religion clause" of the First Amendment has been anything but simple to apply...

...Does all this maconsidered fashion and with live targets...

...Rather they allowed divariety of new methodological approach- results for both modes of knowing...

...In sharp for the discernment and interpretation of is not a reconstructed history of Israel or contrast to his revered teacher, Van Rad, these encounters is not an account of how of nascent Christianity, but rather the his- Childs has always begun with the status compositions or themes developed, much tory of the developments of traditions such questionis posed by current scholarship less what scholars have had to say about as they are reflected in the compositions rather than directly with the problems these things...

...In contrast to literary critics, how- to make perfectly clear what he means...

...Katherine Kurs, the Old and New Testaments, then syn- Executive Director, ARIL, Columbia University, 112 Earl Hall, New York, thesizes these witnesses into a "Biblical NY 10027...

...At the same time, more than a wants to do, he never seems able to let go Israel, Childs sought to preserve the sig- few observers have noticed the concep- of the historical and engage the theolognificance of the final redaction of texts as tual shakiness that has attended his mas- ical: even his "dogmatic" reflections tend well as their placement within the col- sive volumes...

...benefit...

...certainly there is significance of the redactional layers re- fy and respond to his critics, sometimes more earnestness than brilliance in these vealed by biblical texts, which, he thinks, with an edge...

...The operative term is traditions...

...And i academy, and increasingly to an academy from any perspective, the great gains of shaped by opposition rather than alleknowledge and understanding made giance to traditional faith...

...In Part Two, legal scholars Mary Ann Glendon, Michael J. Sandel, and Michael W. McConnell comment on trends in the Court's religion-clause jurisprudence...

...That shift reavailable by such industry is impressive...

...It is true that a with that of "theology," with disastrous norm for life...

...In one of the most fruitful parts of the book, Childs then exemplifies the spirit of his method THE ASSOCIATION FOR by two exegetical exercises on the Akedah RELIGION AND INTELLECTUAL LIFE ("binding of Isaac") and the Parable of Invites applications for twenty-five participants in The 11th Coolidge the Wicked Tenants...

...In may result from his lacking a genuinely ever, Childs has also insisted on the this volume, he continues to try to clari- theological imagination...

...Childs represents It is important to remember that Mack these streams with the Christian "Myth of precisely a biblical scholarship that has wants readers to perceive him as the so- Innocence...

...Inscriptions, coins, ar- Levenson identifies my own growing dispeople with Ph.D...

...Mack...

...Burton Mack and Brevard Matthew and Luke but not in Mark come It is closer to a kind of historical imagChilds demonstrate in from the same source...

...Everyone directly connected to his attempt to wed approach that has come to be called recognizes him as a fine reader of texts history and theology...

...These are signals itors of Commonweal rewarded me by as- gical Reflection on the Chris- that prompt a more fundamental question: signing three books, requesting that I tian Bible, by Brevard S. Childs, Is any genuine conversation taking place...

...The Colloquium provides Fellows from the identity of God through Christ with room, board, and library privileges at EDS and at Harvard...

...Do you have any references...

...This has living conversation with all these texts in to find in the strands of tradition the de- required him to stay abreast of everything all their diversity and irreducible particvelopment of faith traditions in Israel and written if he is to stay in the conversation ularity...

...tributions...

...the Lord to ethics...

...4) the document thus reconsti- construction to have normative effect...

...Such a relationship between deal of biblical scholarship even when it vice of "theology...

...Most obvious is the experience, and that what theology requires ry...

...tory or authentic theology by confusing tuted contains the sole literature of a spe- He repeats the substance of his final chapthe two enterprises...

...Applicants are sought attempt to make the turn from historical from those in or out of the academy, within the Jewish and Christian analysis to biblical theology to dogmat- faith traditions, who wish to work on an individual project related to ic theological reflection...

...After an opening his- indefatigable a reader...

...3) the original form of that source this clear in his epilogue...

...The present vol- ables such a conversation...

...Tel: (212) 854-8095...

...He shows the different community and texts, quite apart from the is explicitly disavowed...

...Interpretation, and Faith's Freedom: A Classic Many scholars now teach in secular Spirituality for Contemporary Christians (both academies and those who do not have their Fortress...

...Does it have any point...

...what theology requires is a of the Old and New Testaments...

...their books, though in have from that source is all it ever con- Mack should also be thanked for making markedly different ways, tained...

...A wonderfully handy volume...

...dignify many practitioners with academic eration" exposes the conceptual confusion Engaging these texts, they continued a conseriousness...

...Twenty-five of the Supreme Court's most important religious-liberty cases between 1940 and 1992 Engel v. Vitale, Abington v. Schempp, Lemon v. Kurtzman, Lee v. Weisman, and many more-are introduced, excerpted, and annotated in this volume...

...An important factor in erally no one can even count much less Other perspectives, however, suggest evaluating the present condition of biblibe accountable for the yearly production...

...But, as noted above, witnesses into a package called "biblical The present volume is large both in size that has become impossible even for so theology" actually resists rather than enand in ambition...