Rudolf Smend outlines the entire progress of this research and deals with leading exegetes as well as with famous outsiders, with research centers such as Basel and Greifswald and with such basic problems as the Bible and politics, biblical criticism and philosophy or the possibility of a 'post-critical' interpretation. Against the backdrop of a discussion which has been going on for generations, the author comments on the controversial issue regarding how much we can learn about ancient Israel from reading the Old Testament.

Scholarly research on the Bible is one of the main tasks of theology, and the history of this research is an interesting piece of scholarly and cultural history. In these essays, Rudolf Smend outlines the entire progress of this research and deals with leading exegetes as well as with famous outsiders, with research centers such as Basel and Greifswald and with such basic problems as the Bible and politics, biblical criticism and philosophy or the possibility of a 'post-critical' interpretation. Against the backdrop of a discussion which has been going on for generations, the author comments on the controversial issue regarding how much we can learn about ancient Israel from reading the Old Testament.

Autorentext
Geboren 1932; Studium in Tübingen, Göttingen, Basel; 1958 Promotion; 1962 Habilitation; 1963-65 Professor für Altes Testament in Berlin; 1965-71 in Münster; seit 1971 in Göttingen; 1998 emeritiert.

Inhalt
Das alte Israel im Alten Testament - Politik in der Bibel. Politik mit der Bibel? - Über die Epochen der Bibelkritik - Lowth in Deutschland - Lessing und die Bibelwissenschaft - Lessings Nachlaßfragmente zum Alten Testament - Johann Philipp Gablers Begründung der Biblischen Theologie - De Wette und das Verhältnis zwischen historischer Bibelkritik und philosophischem System im 19. Jahrhundert - Stationen alttestamentlicher Forschung in Basel - Das Alte Testament in Greifswald - Licht vom Norden: Mowinckel und Deutschland - Der Historiker des alten Israel: Martin Noth - Der Theologe des Alten Testaments: Gerhard von Rad - Karl Barth als Ausleger der Heiligen Schrift - Nachkritische Schriftauslegung - Bibel nacherzählt: Thomas Mann, 'Das Gesetz' - Richtungen. Ein Rückblick auf die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft im 20. Jahrundert