Historical events as the basis of religious belief

Historical events as the basis of religious belief February 2, 2016

I thought this was a nice quote relevant to the perils of choosing history as the site for the disclosure of divine purpose and will:

“Von Rad also made the point, perhaps better than Noth, that the method of Albright and his students, which led to what was known as the ‘biblical theology movement’ (articulated especially by G. Ernest Wright, 1960; see von Rad 1961 for a rejoinder) prioritized the historical events as the basis of religious belief, valuing the biblical story as a testimony to the demonstration of the divine purpose in history, was theologically dangerous. It meant that any biblical texts proving to be unhistorical were left without a function and devoid of religious value. But on the contrary, as Christian scripture, it is the biblical tradition, and not the facts behind it, that should possess authority for the believer.”

Philip R. Davies, The History of Ancient Israel: A Guide for the Perplexed


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