All religious traditions that ground themselves in texts must grapple with certain questions concerning the texts' authority. Yet there has been much debate within Christianity concerning the nature of scripture and how it should be understood--a debate that has gone on for centuries. Recommended Christian Theologies of Scripture traces what the theological giants have said about scripture from the early days of Christianity until today. It incorporates diverse discussions about the nature of scripture, its authority, and its interpretation, providing a guide to the variety of views about the Bible throughout the Christian tradition. Preeminent scholars including Michael S. Horton, Graham Ward, and Pamela Bright offer chapters on major figures in the pre-modern, reformation, and early modern eras, from Origen and Aquinas to Luther and Calvin to Barth and Balthasar. They illuminate each thinker's understanding of the Christian scriptures and their views on interpreting the Bible. The book also includes overview chapters to orient readers to the key questions regarding scripture in each era, as well as chapters on scripture and feminism, scripture in the African American Christian tradition, and scripture and postmodernism. This volume will be indispensable reading for students and all those interested in the nature and authority of Christian scripture.
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Mapping Theologies of ScriptureJustin S. Holcomb Part I: Patristic and Medieval1 Patristic and Medieval Theologies of Scripture: An IntroductionLewis Ayres 2 OrigenR. R. Reno 3 St. AugustinePamela Bright 4 St. Thomas AquinasPeter M. Candler, Jr.Part II: Reformation and Counter-Reformation 5 Theologies of Scripture in the Reformation and Counter-Reformation: An IntroductionMichael S. Horton6 Martin LutherMickey L. Mattox 7 John CalvinRandall C. Zachman 8 Scripture and Theology in Early Modern CatholicismDonald S. Prudlo Part III: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries9 Theologies of Scripture in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: An IntroductionJohn R. Franke 10 Friedrich SchleiermacherJeffrey Hensley 11 Karl BarthMary Kathleen Cunningham 12 Hans Urs von BalthasarW. T. Dickens 13 Hans FreiMike Higton Part IV: Contextual Theologies of Scripture 14 Tradition and Traditions: Scripture, Christian Praxes, and PoliticsGraham Ward15 Scripture, Feminism, and SexualityPamela D. H. Cochran 16 Scripture in the African-American Christian TraditionLewis V. Baldwin and Stephen W. Murphy 17 Postmodern ScriptureGerard Loughlin About the Contributors Index
