A Generation of New Testament Scholarship: British
scholars of the 1920s and 1930s
John M. Court
Deo Publishing £19.95
(978-1-905679-16-4)
THE title and subtitle of this relatively short work tell us
precisely what to expect. New Testament scholarship between the two
World Wars is exemplified by scholars Scottish and Welsh, as well
as English. Its core is a careful study of the life, interests, and
work of seven great figures.
This is preceded by an introduction, which sets the scene,
concentrating on the shadow cast by the First World War and then by
emergent Nazism, followed by an overview of the most important
schools or tendencies during this period. There is an appendix,
whose principal feature is a discussion of alleged anti-Semitic
tendencies in biblical scholarship, with particular reference to
the work of Gerhard Kittel.
Each chapter devoted to the life and work of a particular
scholar provides biographical material, in which I spotted only one
(trivial) slip, followed by an analysis of his principal works and
a mention of other work by the same author.
What giants they all were - not only in the range of their
linguistic skills and wider scholarly interests (Streeter
pre-eminently), but also in the creative conclusions that they drew
from their studies: we all stand in their shadow. Not surprisingly,
the longest chapters are devoted to Dodd and Hoskyns: Dodd longer
lived and more prolific; Hoskyns widely influential both in his
lifetime and subsequently.
Though the focus of this work is on British scholars, almost
every chapter contains evidence of the influence of German
scholars, principally Harnack, Bultmann, Dibelius, Barth, Wrede, on
whose work they drew, and from whom on occasion they differed.
Also, significantly, Lightfoot studied in Germany, and Hoskyns
translated Barth's Römerbrief, making his work more easily
accessible to British readers. It is worth noting in passing that
at this stage, before the Second Vatican Council, there is no Roman
Catholic scholar treated in this work.
All seven scholars whose life and work are discussed were
ordained ministers of their respective Churches, and some exercised
pastoral responsibilities at the same time as they produced
scholarly work. This surely suggests that strong religious
conviction and pastoral responsibilities are not incompatible with
the work of scholarship.
To sum up, this is a work of quite remarkable interest and
lucidity in both description and analysis. It will appeal not only
to readers who met or heard one or more of the scholars treated,
but also to more recent students, and to a yet wider range of
readers, all of whom may catch "something of the exhilaration of
the New Testament faith", words quoted in this work with reference
to William Manson.
The Rt Revd Dr Alec Graham is a former Bishop of
Newcastle.
