The critic of biblical theologians: a review of James Barr's The Concept of Biblical Theology: an Old Testament Perspective - Book Review

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Summer, 2001 by Robert Gnuse

Principal Features

Barr begins his volume by asking preliminary questions. Biblical theology--and especially First Testament theology--is difficult to define, because its identity is so "contested" by biblical theologians who do different things with it. Biblical theology seeks a holistic view of the Bible. To accomplish this, various practitioners craft theologies in contrast to doctrinal theology, or a History of Religions approach, or philosophical or natural theology, or historical and critical methodological studies of isolated passages (chapter 1). Many different works are theological, but only certain ones are truly First Testament theologies, and these are such because they attempt to encompass the entire First Testament (chapter 4).

Biblical theologies in the first half of this century often attempted to treat First Testament ideas in synthetic fashion, contrast them to the beliefs in the surrounding world, relate them in some way to the Second Testament, avoid critical exegesis and the History of Religions approach, and respond to the dialectical theology of Karl Barth and others. The best examples of this were the theologies of Walther Eichrodt and Theodore Vriezen (chapter 2). Barr then offers his own typology of various First Testament theologies, which he characterizes as (1) a collection of ideas and doctrines (Ludwig Kohler, Robert Dentan), (2) synthetic (Walther Eichrodt), (3) a Christian perspective (Theodore Vriezen), (4) a history of religious development (Gerhard von Rad), and (5) canonical (Brevard Childs) (chapter 3).

A significant aspect of Barr's discussion is his consideration of the six contrasts or differences that may be used to define First Testament theologies as separate from other biblical expositions or to distinguish between the methodologies of various First Testament theologians.

Difference from Doctrinal Theology (Chapters 5, 15)

First Testament theologians often have emphasized how biblical theology differs from dogmatic theology--so much so, that supposedly biblical theology cannot contribute to doctrinal theology. This is an overstatement according to Barr, but there is indeed a difference between biblical and doctrinal theologies. The former is about the Bible and the latter is about God. Biblical theologies provide the raw material for doctrinal theologies. Biblical texts are a pre-Hellenistic and pre-philosophical creation, so that biblical theology, once generated, will not be as sophisticated in its reflection as doctrinal theology.

Difference from Non-theological Study (Chapter 6)

First Testament theologians debate whether the organization of First Testament thought in synthetic form can and should be separate from doctrinal theology. Barr says yes and suggests that even Eichrodt's system was actually separate from Christian theology. He further believes that the Historical Critical Method can be used in both a non-theological and a theological way in response to those who condemn the method as non-theological.