The Blackwell Bible Commentaries series,
the first to be devoted primarily to the reception history of
the Bible, is based on the premise that how people have interpreted,
and been influenced by, a sacred text like the Bible is often
as interesting and historically important as what it originally
meant. The series emphasizes the influence of the Bible on literature,
art, music, and film, its role in the evolution of religious beliefs
and practices, and its impact on social and political developments.
Fundamental to the aims of this series is the conviction that
what people believe a sacred text means, and how they actually
use it can be studied with the same degree of sensitivity and
rigour as its ‘original meaning’. By its nature, the
emphasis of the series is emphatically an interdisciplinary project.
Until quite recently this whole dimension
of biblical studies has been for the most part totally neglected
by modern biblical scholars. The goal of the commentary writer
has been to get behind the centuries of accumulated Christian
and Jewish tradition to one single meaning, normally identified
with the author's original intention. The most important and distinctive
feature of this new type of commentary is that it will present
readers with many different interpretations of each text, in such
a way as to heighten their awareness of what a sacred text, can
mean and what it can do, what it has meant and what it has done,
in the many contexts in which it operates. The Blackwell Bible
Commentaries will consider patristic, rabbinic (where relevant),
and medieval exegesis, interpretation from the Reformation and
early modern period, as well as insights from various types of
modern criticism, acquainting readers with a wide variety of interpretative
techniques. Where relevant, reference will be made to questions
of source criticism, date, authorship, and other historical critical
and archaeological issues, but since these are comprehensively
covered in existing commentaries, such references will be considered
briefly as part of the history of interpretation.
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This commentary series will provide a much-needed
resource for all those interested in the influence of the Bible
on western culture, both specialists and general readers. Authors
will keep in mind the needs of students of literature, art, music,
history, politics, religious studies and the social sciences,
as well as students of theology and biblical studies. The style
must be clear and non-technical, avoiding unnecessarily complicated
syntax and specialist terminology. Little previous knowledge of
the Bible and the history of biblical scholarship can be assumed.
Brevity and conciseness are essential. Thus, it may frequently
be possible to include only one worked example and then provide
brief references to a number of parallels. General issues, such
as literary critical insights affecting many passages, may best
be dealt with once, possibly in the Introduction, and referred
to elsewhere as required. The size and market price of the volumes
will vary; limits set on length are designed to make the volumes
accessible to as wide a range of readers as possible. The hallmark
of the series is that each volume offers a concise survey of the
main patterns of interpretation. No attempt will be made to be
encyclopedic, but what is included in each volume should be typical
of the main kinds of interpretation of the particular biblical
book.
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As relatively little research on the reception history
of the Bible has been done until recently, authors will find that
they have to do a certain amount of original research themselves,
and this will entail moving into disciplines in which many of
us are not trained. In addition, authors are encouraged to make
use of the enormous amount of study done in other areas of the
humanities where much patient study of primary sources relating
to the history of interpretation of the Bible is already available.
The series aims to maintain the highest standards of academic
excellence, so that it may stand alongside series like the Evangelisch-Katholischer
Kommentar, where reception history has been of particular concern,
the International Critical Commentary, Hermeneia, and Biblischer
Kommentar.
3.1. The series editors have posted
a bibliography
for authors working on volumes in the series, and they intend
to update this periodically, with help from the authors Although
there are not yet any chapter-by-chapter commentaries on specific
Biblical books like those proposed here, there is a steadily increasing
number of general studies and reference works specifically devoted
to the history of biblical interpretation. Many standard reference
works (such as Biblia Patristica,
the Cambridge History of the Bible,
H. de Lubac, Exegese mediévale,
G. Schiller, Iconography of the Christian
Church and Daniélou, Bible
and the Liturgy) have indices of scriptural references
as well as valuable bibliographies. Also, lectionaries and hymnbooks
have indices of scriptural references. Last but not least, computer-generated
concordances facilitate the location of names, keywords or images
in a rapidly increasing number of texts, while the computer "search"
facility makes a vast amount of relevant data instantly accessible
in the case of the many texts already available on disk.
3.2. Scope/Selection
of Material. Given the wide influence of the Bible and
the richly varied appropriation of each Biblical book, it is a
difficult question which interpretations to include. While each
volume will have its own distinctive point of view, the guiding
principle for the series as a whole is that readers should be
given a representative sampling of material from different ages,
with emphasis on interpretations that have been especially influential
or historically significant. The aim of the series is to be comprehensive
in our coverage, within the limits of the space available, including
ancient and contemporary, popular as well as academic interpretations.
Volumes will let the texts and their interpretations speak for
themselves. Important and influential examples of antisemitic,
imperialistic, oppressive, racist, sexist uses of scripture have
to be included as well as beautiful, uplifting, liberating interpretations.
Readers will be given as representative a picture as possible
of the many meanings the biblical text has had through the centuries;
they can then make up their own minds on the ‘value’
or ‘morality’ or ‘validity’ of particular
interpretations. The series editors suggest the following principles
of selection.
3.2.1. The overriding criterion will
usually be a quantitative one: a glance at various indices of
biblical references shows which texts have had a particularly
prominent role to play in a given context.
3.2.2. In addition, room will be found
for interesting and ingenious solutions to problems in the text,
such as inconsistencies, ambiguities, obscurities and the like,
which have puzzled commentators down the ages, and for which the
pre-critical commentators had an answer that sometimes escapes
modern interpreters.
3.2.3. Where the original meaning in
its context has been, for whatever reason, significant, or influential,
in later times, it should be given due space. Where it is clearly
less influential than later meanings, it need not be handled in
such great detail, and reference to other commentaries, where
it is dealt with at length, may be given. For example, the discussions
of 20th century liberation theologians often hinge on a reconstructed
original social context (e.g. 8th century BCE Israel), and this
is an essential part of their argument, whereas the original meaning
of Isaiah 7:14, or of some of the laws in Exodus, is of minimal
significance in comparison with how they have affected later ages.
Nevertheless, the series aims to make clear the importance of
modern historical criticism within the whole framework of the
history of interpretation.
3.2.4. The 'Bible’ in the title
of the series will in due course include the Wisdom of Solomon,
Ecclesiasticus, Judith, and other works not in the Hebrew Bible.
While the main emphasis will be on its reception history in the
church and western culture, Jewish interpretations of the Hebrew
text will be included, where they are especially interesting or
significant. Some texts simply could not be properly discussed
without extensive reference to Jewish usage: e.g. Genesis 1 and
Ezekiel 1 in the mystical tradition, Jephthah in rabbinic tradition
and Ephraim of Bonn's Aqedah. Much of the Jewish material runs
in parallel with the history of Christian interpretation. Patristic
and rabbinic tradition grew up side by side, constantly interacting
with each other, for example, and in the context of mediaeval
disputations some Jewish interpretations were explicit responses
to Christian dogma or polemic.
3.2.5. Significant Muslim interpretations
such as the Qur’anic versions of the
stories of Abraham, Hagar, Job, Jesus and Mary might also be referred
to
where possible, noting parallels in the gnostic, patristic and
rabbinic
literature.
3.3.It is assumed that authors
who have agreed to undertake the task of writing such a commentary,
will be committed to sound research in whatever field the relevant
sources are located.
3.4. The series
editors are available to advise authors, on matters relating
to other disciplines. Many authors have found that they have been
able to gain the information they need as the result of informal
contact, but the editors will be happy to put authors in touch
with those with relevant expertise in the Bible in art, music
and literature.
3.5. A website
has been set up on the internet as an additional resource (http://www.bbibcomm.net/),
to facilitate communication among all those involved in the project.
It provides contact details and authors,
up-to-date information about the progress of the series. Contributions
from authors of individual volumes are encouraged.
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4.1 While the format of volumes will vary,
to allow authors to present the variety of material in as clear
and logical a form as possible, the normal format of a BBC volume
will consist of an extended introduction to the reception history
of the relevant biblical book, followed by a chapter-by-chapter
commentary (or, in the case of some longer books, a commentary
on selected or grouped chapters). The chapter-by-chapter arrangement
ensures that the Biblical text is always central to the discussion.
Authors have found that the interpretations they have accumulated
tend to direct the pattern of presentation in their volumes, and
it is to be expected that there will be some variety in which
material is presented in the different volumes to accommodate
the shape of the interpretative tradition related to the particular
book. Some authors have found that a consistent reference to a
number of key authors throughout the commentary has helped them
to give shape to the material. This is offered by way of suggestion,
as a way of giving the volume coherence, rather than prescription
as authors may find that there are other ways of shaping the material
which give it coherence.
In addition to describing how single verses or images have been
used down the ages, some volumes will contain accounts of how
a longer passage, a chapter or a story, or perhaps even in some
cases a whole short book, has been interpreted. Not all Biblical
books will require the same treatment.
4.2. In general, material on each verse,
image, passage or story should be arranged in broadly chronological
order, although thematic considerations may sometimes dictate
the ordering of the material. Each section will begin with some
account of what the text means in its literary context, within
the individual book, and as appropriate, within the Bible as a
whole.
4.3. In the interests of conciseness,
the biblical text should not be quoted apart from isolated words
and phrases needed for the discussion. Authors should however
be aware of the most widely used English versions and, where possible,
make reference to them in order to make the commentary useful
and intelligible to readers using different modern translations.
These might include the King James Authorized Version (AV), the
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the Jerusalem Bible (JB),
the New International Version (NIV) and the Jewish Publication
Society version (JPS).
4.4. The insights of modern archaeology,
together with questions of date, source, authorship and historicity
should be discussed as part of the history of interpretation in
the modern period. As such historical questions hold pride of
place in most other commentaries, the new series need only discuss
significant or influential discoveries and theories quite briefly,
referring to fuller treatment elsewhere. Thus, for example, one
would expect to find discussed the theory of the ‘Four Servant
Songs’ in ‘Second Isaiah’, or the various views
on the original words of Jesus, but only as part of the history
of biblical interpretation, towards the end of the discussion
of each passage or section.
4.5. To
give some coherence to the commentary, an attempt should be made
where appropriate to draw together some of the salient points
of the discussion in a brief analysis of the effective power of
the text on its readers and users. What is it in the language
of Genesis 22 or Isaiah 6:3 or John 3:16 that has meant that it
has the effect that it has? The point of this summary discussion
is to focus on the text as the cause of later interpretation,
and it will reflect the author’s grasp of the whole gamut
of the history of interpretation.
4.6. Each volume will have an introduction
with the following main functions.
4.6.1.It should introduce the author,
and his or her perspective. It should include an account of how
s/he plans to tackle the task, and introduce the reasons why this
text should have led its later interpreters to understand it in
the way they did. Wherever possible one should try to let the
interpretations speak for themselves, though it is accepted that
some authors may want to summarise so that their commentary has
a more narrative and less anthological ‘feel’ to it.
4.6.2. It should contain a comprehensive
sketch of the reception history of the whole book (as distinct
from the history of its modern interpretation reflected in most
scholarly commentaries). Significant uses of a particular book
should be surveyed in the introduction. The Introduction is the
place to say something about the main texts or types of text,
e.g. commentaries, works of literature, theology, art, music and
film - referred to most frequently throughout the commentary.
4.6.3.
Systematic cross-referencing and a subject index will provide
access to where the main discussion(s) of each topic can be found,
whether in the introduction or in the main body of the commentary.
David Gunn, Judith Kovacs, Christopher Rowland and John Sawyer
(editors) June 2007
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