James Barr and the Future of Biblical Theology

James Barr, one of the greatest biblical scholars of the twentieth century, also made significant contributions to the field of biblical theology by considering what biblical theology is and how it relates to the wider world of theology (dogmatic or systematic theology), philosophy, the other humanities, and even the sciences. For Barr, biblical theology should not be a confessional theology, but an attempt to capture the diverse theological ideas of the Bible read on its own terms. Barr’s ideal was that biblical scholars should take an interest in systematic theology, not in order to assimilate it, but so as to enable there to be a real interchange of ideas. Christian faith, Barr held, is not related primarily to a book, but to God and to Jesus.