Schriftgelehrte Traditionsliteratur

Recent research has shown that the Old Testament books largely consist of both text and commentary in one. The composition of the Old Testament as a written text can be interpreted as the differentiated process of scriptural exegesis within the Bible, a process which repeatedly updated traditional texts in order to apply them to new historical situations. It was not until the texts became canonical that the texts and commentaries were separated permanently. The various studies by Konrad Schmid in this volume investigates the culture of writing and the composition of literary works in ancient Israel, presents several case studies of inner-biblical exegesis in the Old Testament and reflects on the resulting theological significance. The image of the Old Testament as traditional scribal literature as portrayed by recent Old Testament studies lays the foundation for an historically differentiated and theologically dynamic view of the Bible.