At first glance, it may seem strange that after more than two thousand years of biblical interpretation there are still major disagreements among biblical scholars about what the Jewish and Christian Scriptures say and about how one is to read and understand them. Yet the range of interpretive approaches now available is the result both of the richness of the biblical texts themselves and of differences in the worldviews of the communities and individuals who have sought to make the Scriptures relevant to their own time and place.

A History of Biblical Interpretation provides detailed and extensive studies of the interpretation of the Scriptures by Jewish and Christian writers throughout the ages. Written by internationally renowned scholars, this multi-volume work comprehensively treats the many different methods of interpretation, the many important interpreters who have written in various eras, and the many key issues that have surfaced repeatedly over the long course of biblical interpretation.

This third installment examines the period after the Reformation until the dawn of the twentieth century. Its essays cover broad intellectual and historical movements such as historical criticism, textual criticism, and the quest for the historical Jesus. Other contributions focus on particular individuals, including Baruch Spinoza, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and F. C. Baur. Each chapter also includes a helpful bibliography for additional study. Other volumes in this series:

• History of Biblical Interpretation Volume 1: Ancient Period
• History of Biblical Interpretation Volume 2: Medieval through the Reformation Periods