The Edited Bible
The Curious History of the “Editor” in Biblical Criticism
John Van Seters
There is a generally accepted notion in biblical scholarship that the Bible as we know it today is the product of editing from its earliest stages of composition through to its final, definitive and “canonical” textual form. So persistent has been this idea since the rise of critical study in the seventeenth century and so pervasive has it become in all aspects of biblical study that there is virtually no reflection on the validity of this idea” (from the Introduction). Van Seters proceeds to survey the history of the idea of editing, from its origins in the pre-Hellenistic Greek world, through Classical and Medieval times, into the modern era. He discusses and evaluates the implications of the common acceptance of “editing” and “editors/redactors” and concludes that this strand of scholarship has led to serious misdirection of research in modern times.
- Description
- Table of Contents
- Links
Abbreviations
Preface
1. Introduction
The Problem of Definition in Old Testament Handbooks
Etymologies and Meanings
Understanding Ancient Book Production, Dissemination, and Distribution
The Revival of Scholarship in the Renaissance and Editing the Classics
Editing the Scriptures in Judaism and Christianity
Additions and Editions
The Task before Us
2. The Early History of Editing
The Rise of Homeric Scholarship in the Pre-Hellenistic Period
Alexandrian Scholars and the Editing of Homer
Homeric Scholarship in Pergamum and Rome
Editing and Its Influence on the Vulgate and the Book Trade
Editing Classical Texts in the Roman Period
Conclusion
3. Jewish and Christian Scholarship and Standardization of Biblical Texts
The Sopherim as “Editors” of the Hebrew Bible
Scribal Signs and Corrections
Editing and Translating the Sacred Texts among the Church Fathers
Conclusion
4. Classical and Biblical Text Editions: Editing in the Age of the Printing Press
The Revival of Classical Learning and the Publication of Editiones Principes
The Textus Receptus of the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible
Editing Classical Texts and the Education of the Gentleman
Richard Bentley and the Critical Editing of Texts
Editors and the Collection of Manuscripts
5. Editing Homer: The Rise of Historical Criticism in Classical Studies
F. A. Wolf and the Homeric Problem
The Editor in Homer after Wolf
The Demise of the Redactor in Homeric Studies
6. The History of the “Editor” in Biblical Criticism from Simon to Wellhausen
Richard Simon: Editing Historical Documents
Editor as Compiler of Fragments and Documents: From Eichhorn to Vater
W. M. L. de Wette: Pioneer of Historical Criticism
Heinrich Ewald: Conservative Reaction
Hermann Hupfeld: Editor as Conflator of Documents
Wellhausen and Kuenen: The Redactor in the Documentary Hypothesis
Summary and Conclusion
7. The History of Redaction in the Twentieth Century: Crisis in Higher Criticism
The Wellhausen Legacy in the Twentieth Century: Driver, Eissfeldt, and Pfeiffer
Form Criticism and the Editor: Hermann Gunkel
Form Criticism of the Hexateuch: Authors and Editors in G. von Rad
Editors and Historians in the History of Traditions: Martin Noth
The Revisionist Successors of von Rad and Noth and the Triumph of the Editor
The Composition of the Pentateuch: Neither Authors nor Editors—Erhard Blum
Wellhausen and the Rise of Redaction Criticism in New Testament Studies
Summary and Conclusion
8. Editing the Bible and Textual Criticism
Editors in the History of Textual Criticism
Editors, Urtext, Recensions, and the Problem of Textual Diversity: Emanuel Tov
Editors in the Book of Jeremiah
Editing the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Editions of the Septuagint and Other Early Greek Recensions
Conclusion
9. Editors and the Creation of the Canon
The Problem of Definition: “Canon” and “Canonical”
The History of the Canon as a Restricted Corpus of Sacred Books
Canonical Criticism, Canonical Process, and the Editing of the Bible
The Role of the Editor in Innerbiblical Exegesis
Conclusion
10. Summary and Conclusion
Appendix: Original Text of Translated Excerpts
Indexes
Index of Authors
Index of Scripture
Index of Other Ancient Sources
Index of Topics
For recent comments by Van Seters on the topics contained in his book, see his response to an article by Rolf Rendtorff at the SBL Forum.
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