Turning Jordan

In the first post about Seitz’ new book, I summarized the main argument of the book as follows:  Read more... (3026 words, estimated 12:06 mins reading time)

The book under review is:
Seitz, Christopher R.  The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets: The Achievement of Association in Canon Formation.  Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.  136 pp.

Dr. Christopher Seitz is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Wycliffe College of the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada.  For years he has been a leading scholar in areas of biblical hermeneutics and interpretation, especially in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, and more particularly, the Book of Isaiah and the Twelve (or, Minor Prophets).  He is also a leading figure in the more recent subject of canon, following on the heels of great scholars such as Brevard Childs and Rolf Rendtorff.  This present book is no exception.  It builds off of the research done in Prophecy and Hermeneutics (Baker Academic, 2007), helping the author better define and develop the “great achievement of association” in the formation of both the New and Old Testaments.  Read more... (800 words, estimated 3:12 mins reading time)

For a long time I have been intrigued by the process of canonization.  I’ve recently been able to study the idea in-depth as I prepared to teach a Sunday School class.  Below is a kind of summary of what I taught about the canonization of the New Testament.  I’ve labeled each step of the process a ‘hermeneutical moment’.  This term is not mine, but was used by John Sailhamer as as way to explain the process of canonization of the Old Testament, which was much more lengthy and detailed than the New Testament.  Both processes, however, seem to follow broadly the three-fold design of canons: composition, canonization, and consolidation.  You’ll have to pick up a copy of his How We Got the Bible (Zondervan, 1998) to get a detailed description of it.  I’ll also include a diagram I’ve prepared at the bottom.  Read more... (1081 words, 1 image, estimated 4:19 mins reading time)