Article
“Secularization, Objectivity, and Enlightenment Scholarship: The Theological and Political Origins of Modern Biblical Studies.”
Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture
(2015)
Abstract
In Verbum Domini, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI addresses some of the dangers of the “secularized hermeneutic” often present in modern biblical criticism. 1 This is a topic that has long remained close to his heart as he has exhorted Catholic Bible scholars to study the roots of the methods they employ. 2 The academic study of religion and modern biblical studies in the university share a common origin, namely, the purported quest for objectivity. 3 Both scholarly disciplines came of age in the nineteenth century, and especially in German universities. Thus, it should come as no surprise that two of the most common designations for the academic study of religion in the university are German in origin: Religionsgeschichte and Religionswissenschaft. For the purposes of this article, I will assume the history of the discipline of comparative religion along the lines Tomoko Masuzawa argues persuasively in her …
Keywords
- History of Biblical Interpretation,
- Secularization,
- Biblical Studies,
- Enlightenment,
- Religion
Publication Date
Winter 2015
Citation Information
Jeffrey Morrow. "“Secularization, Objectivity, and Enlightenment Scholarship: The Theological and Political Origins of Modern Biblical Studies.”" Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture Vol. 18 Iss. 1 (2015) p. 14 - 32 ISSN: 1091-6687 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jeffrey-morrow/28/