Is There Theology in the Hebrew Bible?

The book consists of two main sections. In the first, Schmid traces the notion of “theology” from its earliest use, in Greek philosophy, through the medieval period and to today. He pays close attention to “biblical theology,” particularly the different understandings of this idea as something emanating from the Hebrew Bible itself versus something that readers impose onto the biblical text. He also tracks the influence of the discipline of comparative religion on biblical theology, especially with regard to the growing division between biblical and systematic theology. In the second part, Schmid focuses specifically on “implicit” biblical theology, that is, theological reflection apparent within the Hebrew Bible itself. He provides several examples, such as the theologization of the law that resulted from inner-biblical exegesis and Jeremiah’s universal theology of history.

Is There Theology in the Hebrew Bible? will serve as an important reference to all those interested in the question posed by the title. Schmid provides a nuanced answer to this question that both takes into account the convoluted history of biblical theology and lays out new ways of approaching the subject.

Preface to the English Edition

Chapter 1. Formulating the Question and the Approach

Chapter 1. The Emergence and History of the Concept of Theology with Regard to the Bible

I. The Premodern Concept of Theology: From Mythology to Systematic Doctrine

II. The Reformation’s Reconstrual of the Concept of Theology

III. From Biblical Theology to the Theology of the Old Testament

IV. The Romantic Devaluation of the Concept of Theology

V. The Reception of the Concept of Theology in the “Academic Study of Judaism” and Its Application to Rabbinic Tradition

VI. The Devaluation of the Concept of Religion in Dialectical Theology

VII. The Pluralization of the Theology of the Hebrew Bible as a Result of its Historicization

Chapter III. The Emergence of Theology in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Jewish Tradition as a Religious-Historical Inquiry

I. Processes of Theologization in the Hebrew Bible and Early Jewish Tradition

II. The Formation of Implicit Theology in Prophetic Literature

III. The Theologization of the Law

IV. The Theologization of Political History

V. Theology in the Pentateuch at Large

VI. Theology in the Psalter

VII. Processes of Theologization in Canon Formation

VIII. Theological Interpretation from the Second Temple Period

IX. The Septuagint’s Attempts at Theological Reconciliation with Platonic Philosophy

X. The Theology of Revelation in Apocalyptic Literature

Chapter 4. Is There Theology in the Hebrew Bible? Striking a Balance between Conceptual History and Exegesis

I. Theologizing in Traditional Literature

II. Implications for a Theology of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

Bibliography

Indexes

Index of Authors

Index of Scripture