This week’s Featured Resource is William Baird’s History of New Testament Studies, 3 vols.. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
For students and scholars in biblical studies, particularly in the field of New Testament, a robust comprehension of the history of interpretation of the New Testament is an inestimable resource for successful study and research. As per the various resources in this area, William Baird’s three volume History of New Testament Research (HNTR) is an unquestionable standard. The following review will concentrate on Volume 1, however many of the comments made here are indicative of the set as a whole.
Content
As the title suggests, Volume 1 of HNTR spans the predominant trends in New Testament research from the founding of biblical criticism in the 17th century, through the rise of the Tübingen school led by David Friedrich Strauss and F. C. Baur (with the final two chapters tracing various developments from and alternatives to the Tübingen school). Although this period is vast, Baird is able to address the complexity and development of thought regarding host of issues and disciplines, such as textual criticism, philosophical idealism, Hegelian metaphysics, philology, exegetical principles, and the synoptic problem. With each historical period, Baird focuses the discussion on key scholar who represents a crucial development or shift in a specific area. Many of the great names in New Testament research are rightly highlighted (Lightfoot, Bengel, Semler, Gabler, Paulus, Strauss, Baur, Godet, etc), however a number of less frequently cited scholars are also given an appropriate survey (Hengstenberg, Bretschneider, Grotius, Turretin).
Benefits
The benefits of Baird’s extremely organized and well researched project should, on some level, be evident to anyone pursuing New Testament studies. Nevertheless, a number of points are worth highlighting:
1. Bibliography
Acquiring a copy of HNTR will instantly provide the reader with an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources in the history of New Testament interpretation. Baird will often present the major contributions of the particularly scholar under discussion, outlining the chronological order of the various publications in both the original publication language and any later English translations. Baird’s section on F. C. Baur (1792-1860) is a prime example of the benefit of bibliography. Baur’s primary works are explained and listed in chronological order (e.g. Symbolik und Mytholgie 1824, Die christliche Gnosis 1835, Die Epochen der kirchlichen Kirche 1853-62) with each English translation footnoted accordingly, as well as any important pieces of secondary literature (e.g. Robert Morgan, “Biblical Classics: II. F. C. Baur: Paul,” Expository Times 90 (1978):4-10). Since interaction with the primary source material (as well as the standard secondary literature) is essential for competent scholarship, Baird’s careful historical research will greatly assist those seeking to be faithful to the primary texts in question.
2. Methodology and Biography
HNTR seeks to outline the various methodological commitments and developments in the history of New Testament studies. In doing so, Baird has accomplished a fine balance between biography and methodology. Each scholar is treated both in his methodological commitments and in his historical setting. So for instance the reader will learn about any given scholar’s institutional affiliation, the vocational positions held, the quality of social relationships, any political connections, etc, in addition to their proposed approach to a particular topic in New Testament research. One may easily access the academic importance of Richard Simons’ work by reading Baird’s analysis of Critical History of the Text of the New Testament (1693) for example, but may also learn about the career Simon had as blacksmith, a teacher of philosophy at a college in Juilly, a member of the Oratorian in Dieppe in 1663, and as a student who studyed Semitic languages at the Sorbonne. It is Baird’s ability to blend the development of methodology within the context of historical biography that makes his work captivating and accessible.
3. History: The Negative and Positive Pedagogue
Baird’s work in HNTR Vol 1 does not stop at historical description but offers necessary levels of evaluation along the way. Each scholar is viewed under an evaluative lens and given proper criticism and praise for any fault and or contribution. Baird is charitable and firm. Each scholar in Baird’s survey is respected, but seriously evaluated according to his own influences and subsequent influence upon the field. History is the great pedagogue and Baird reveals that the history of New Testament interpretation is no exception. For students in New Testament studies, ignorance of past methodology is no aid to quality work. Therefore since Baird’s volume seeks to illuminate the study of New Testament through both a positive and negative review of the eminent interpreters of the past, a careful consideration of these three volumes will not only keep the modern interpreter from avoidable pitfalls but will help establish influences from valuable scholarship of a previous generation.
4. Readable and Encyclopedic
The last benefit to note is the dual benefit of Baird’s work being both readable and encyclopedic. One may sit down and read through various chapters on specific historical periods, learning about the development and biography of individual scholars and their interconnectedness with the political, social, and theological trends of the time, or a quick reference to any desired detail is easily accessible. HNTR function as both a dictionary of sorts, as well as a biography. Each volume can be read through from beginning to end, or interacted with on a case by case basis.
Quality
Those who enjoy reading will quickly learn to enjoy a well made book when they behold one. For those who appreciate the aesthetic value of a book, they will not be disappointed with Fortress Press’ cloth bound edition of HNTR Vol 1. The cloth is durable and resistant to any water or marking. The binding is superb, having a fixed spine that will avoid cracking and maintain its shape over time. The font is clean and the subtitled sections are neatly arranged.