Ferdinand Christian Baur: A Reader

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This reader of texts from the influential 19th-century theologian Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792-1860) brings together a selection of texts in English translation from across Baurs wide range of exegetical, historical, philosophical and theological expertise. In these excerpts, including many translated for the first time, readers gain a comprehensive overview of Baurs output and his remarkable role in the shaping of modern scholarly discourse in his fields. Beginning with a full scholarly introduction, and extensively annotated texts, readers are introduced to Baurs bold and controversial historical hypotheses and encounter the variety of intellectual and stylistic registers he used, from the purely scholarly to the sharply polemical. The editors also explore the ways in which Baur was instrumental in some of the most fundamental intellectual paradigm shifts of the 19th-century, including the radical historicization of Christian theology and its interaction with Schelling, Hegel, and the German Idealist tradition.

Reviews

The editors have written an excellent introduction to this reader and have made a judicious selection of texts. It will make Baur more accessible in English to students and scholars alike. This is significant because Baur was the most important German Protestant theologian in the middle of the nineteenth century but has been mostly neglected and misunderstood, especially in the Anglophone world. * Peter C. Hodgson, Charles G. Finney Professor of Theology Emeritus, Vanderbilt University, USA *
For over two hundred years, the great German theologian F.C. Baur has shaped how we think about the New Testament and early development of Christianity in relation to Judaism and Hellenism. Scholars of Judaism and Islam have also been influenced by Baurs methods and insights. An extraordinarily prolific scholar, Baurs work is finally available in English translation in this magnificent collection of representative writings, edited and introduced brilliantly by David Lincicum and Johannes Zachhuber. This volume is a monumental contribution to the field of Religion. * Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College, USA *
The study book on Ferdinand Christian Baur was a desideratum and comes at the right time. The great drafts of German-speaking theologians of the 19th century have receded into the background in Germany as well as in the Anglo-Saxon countries. Baur is to be rediscovered as a decisive representative of consistent historical interpretation of the entire Christian tradition and its literary and dogmatic expression in the Bible and in the history of dogma, church and theology. His most important works belong to the same decade as Darwin's Origin of Species and were equally innovative and revolutionary. This dynamic of theological thought, which reflects itself historically, needs to be rediscovered and made fruitful for 21st century theology. David Lincicum and Johannes Zachhuber's wise and careful selection opens up a great opportunity for students of theology and the history of ideas to discuss anew the importance of historical thought for theology. * Oda Wischmeyer, Professor Emeritus University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany *

Author Bio

David Lincicum is Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, USA. Johannes Zachhuber is Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at the University of Oxford, UK.