Methods of Studying the New Testament :Form Criticism
Form criticism of the New Testament has two aims.
(1) To classify the various New Testament books according to their literary genre.
(2) To analyze the smaller units of traditional material according to the form or shape they have assumed during the oral, preliterary period.
The German word formgeschichte (form-history) is often used in a broader sense with reference to attempts to trace the development of units of tradition during the oral period and thus to make historical value judgment on the material.
Historical Background of the Material.
Form-critical methods were first applied systematically to the gospels by three German scholars namely,
~ K.L Schmidt,
~ M. Dibelius, and
~R. Bultmann.
Here are some axioms of form criticism.
• The synoptic gospels are popular or folk literature rather than literary works in the classical sense.
According to Dibelius, ―the evangelists are only to the smallest extent authors.
They are principally collectors, vehicles of tradition, and editors‖ evangelists were not historians employing modern methods of research, but receivers and transmitters of traditions cherished by Christian communities.
• Between the time of Jesus’ ministry and the writing of the gospels
there was a period when the sayings of Jesus and stories about him
were communicated orally among Christians.
• During this oral period the traditions about Jesus circulated as independent units. This is why when we look, for example, Mark: 2: 1- 3:6, we find a collection of short paragraphs, each complete in itself and with no essential connection with what precedes or follows.
During the oral stage these units of tradition assumed particular
forms according to the function which they performed in the Christian community.
Form critics recognize certain forms or categories in the gospel tradition-such as pronouncement-and miracle stories.
These distinctive forms are no creation of accident or free invention, but are determined by the setting in which they arose and the purpose for which they were used.
The technical term used for this setting is Sitz-im-leben(Life-setting). So stories about Jesus acquired different forms or shapes according to their sitz-im-leben.
Thus form critics claim the ability to deduce the sitz-im-leben of a gospel pericope from its form.
If we find several pericopae with the same form, we may assume that they all had the same Sitz-im-leben, i.e., they all performed the same function in the church‘s life, whether it be worship or apologetic or catechesis or some function.
More points can be added
For more information
Contact us, {+263779210440) or follow the Facebook page Brian Maregedze or like the page Divinity and History A level
☆ It is not the answer which enlightens but the question☆ author unknown
No comments:
Post a Comment