James Barr offers critical insight on the craft of writing First Testament theologies, as well as the contributions of significant authors in the field. He addresses issues such as these: (1) the relationship of biblical theology to Christian doctrine, evolutionary concepts, the History of Religions, the Historical Critical Method, and other scholarly research; (2) the relationship of First and Second Testaments; (3) the question of objectivity versus faith commitment; (4) the relation of First Testament theologies to Jewish thought; (5) the choice between historical or systematic evaluations of the First Testament; (6) Canonical Criticism; (7) narrative analysis; (8) the question of Apocrypha; and (9) natural theology and biblical thought. He also critically reviews the work of numerous significant biblical theologians, including Brevard Childs and Walter Brueggemann in particular.
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