Class notes session 5

21-26

21. Definition and presuppositions for the theology of the Old Testament
22-26. History of OT Theology (1-5)

Unit 21
Definition and presuppositions for the theology of the Old Testament

History of salvation
Redemption history

Kaiser – Canonical theological center of OT.
- Acorn to oak tree
- Unfolding of road map

Reluctance to adopt a center.
- Steering between the Charibdis of a chronological and the Scylla of a topical scheme.
- Wright & Von Rad & Hasel – no center to the OT.

Kaiser Chapter 16

Old and New Testament – epangelia – promise
Receiving a word of promise VS climatic fulfilment
New Testament writers builds on OT
Marcion’s view on OT
DL Baker 3 solutions to OT-NT problem:
OT Solution (Von Ruler, Miskotte) in which OT was the real Bible, and NT its sequel or glossary.
NT Solution (Bultmann, Baumgartel) Church essential Bible and OT was regarded as non-Christian Presupposition.
Biblical solutions: Vischer – Christological, typological approach, and salvation-historical approach (Vriezen, Rowley, Dodd, Bright, Childs.

THE BETTER COVENANT
Exo 25:9, Heb. 9:23.

- Paul and Gentile believers, grafted into the tree.

Vos.
Theology as the science concerning GOD.

We need disclosure from God.
4 departments, being,
Exegetical Theology
Historical Theology
Systematic Theology
Practical Theology.

Exegetical Theology: Study of the content of the Holy Scripture
Inquiry into the origin of Biblical Writings.
Putting the question of how these writings came into being
The study of the self-disclosures of God in time and space, being Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology:
Divine self-revelation
committal to writing of the revelation-product
Gathering of several writings thus produced into the unity of a collection
The production and guidance of the study of the content of Biblical writings.

Definition of Biblical Theology:
The historic progressiveness of the revelation process.
The actual embodiment of revelation in history
The organic nature of the historic process observable in Revelation
Practical adaptability of revelation.

History:
Gabler – historical principle of treatment.
Difference between past beliefs, and what was provable by reason.

Guiding principles:
The recognition of the infallible character of revelation.
Biblical Theology must recognise the objectivity of the groundwork on Revelation
Biblical Theology is deeply concerned with the question of Revelation.

3 OBJECTIONS TOWARDS BIBLICAL THEOLOGY:
1. Far too wide
2. Represents only a certain method employed?
3. Ill-adjusted to the rest of the theological nomenclature.

Relations to:
Sacred history
Biblical introduction
Systematic Theology.

KRUGER.

Definition:
The study that focuses on the Old Testament as a whole and traces patterns, lines and trends in this collection of books.

Scope and order of Old Testament Books
Nature of the Old Testament
Divine revelation
Human Reflection
Testimony of God’s Revelation.
Testimony of God’s revelation

Relationship to New Testament
No Connection
No Difference
Old and New


HISTORY OF OT THEOLOGY

Overview of History:
Jewish tradition
Early Christian Church
Middle ages
Reformation

RATIONALISM
Aufklarung
Theological-historical School – Bultman, Vischer, Barth.

EICHRODT
Works with the covenant.

Von Rad
Prisoner in World war.
Works with no specific scheme
Deuteronomy as base – Revelation history

BRUEGGEMANN
Authority of the Bible important
Works with rhetorical genre
6 Facets of Biblical interpretation:

Inherency
Interpretation
Ideology
Inspiration
Imagination
Urgency