Periodical Reviews -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 151:602 (Apr 1994)
Article: Periodical Reviews
Author: Anonymous


Periodical Reviews

“The Evangelical and Redaction Criticism,” Stephen Smith, Churchman 107 (1993): 130-45.

Although evangelicals agree that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, they differ in their views on the authorship of the biblical books, the reliability of every part of Scripture, and interpretation of the biblical text. Redaction criticism relates to the last two of these areas. Smith asks, “But how can redaction criticism, with its emphasis on authorial purpose and literary techniques which serve to alter the tradition, be reconciled to this doctrine” of inerrancy? (p. 130). Among evangelicals there are three responses: (1) a minority (John W. Montgomery, Harold Lindsell, Robert L. Thomas) say that biblical inerrancy is incompatible with redaction criticism; (2) few (e.g., Robert H. Gundry) think that redaction criticism as propounded by liberal scholars, including the composition of wholly new materials by the biblical authors, is acceptable; and (3) a majority of evangelicals (D. A. Carson, Grant Osborne, D. A. Hagner, R. A. Guelich, David Turner, William Lane, I. Howard Marshall, and R. T. France) think that a mild form of redaction criticism is legitimate. Smith examines the conservative approaches to redaction criticism by concentrating on the discussion presented by the majority of evangelical scholars. He examines the approach of Donald Carson, the approach of Grant Osborne, and the Christianity Today forum on redaction criticism, and then offers an overview and a conclusion.

In an essay in Scripture and Truth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983) Carson traced the development of redaction criticism, listed 20 weaknesses, and applied the method to two passages. Smith thinks that Carson criticized presuppositions of redaction critics rather than the method of redaction criticism. In a similar vein Osborne argued (in articles in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society in 1979 and 1985) that the redaction critic’s judgment on the authenticity of Jesus’ words is really based on the critic’s negative presuppositions. However, Smith is quick to point out that evangelicals are not free from their own set of presuppositions, a point with which Osborne would not disagree. Evangelicals presuppositionally deny that the Gospel writers created sayings of Jesus not uttered by Jesus Himself.

In Christianity Todays 1985 forum on redaction criticism the issue of presuppositions was raised again. The forum participants agreed that the scriptural authors were creative, but they disagreed on the extent to which that occurred. No one doubts that there are differences in selectivity and arrangement, but the idea of major modification of the material i...

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