Canon and Community: A Guide to Canonical Criticism

by James A. Sanders

Book by Sanders, James A.

Genres: Biblical Studies

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

Reviews

[Greg Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sanders’ text is foundational reading for the field of canonical criticism, a still relatively young field of study, for Sanders, along with Brevard Childs and Rudolf Rendtorff, were pioneers in the field. The greatest strengths in Sanders’ text are his articulate assessment of the limitations and (still pervasive) abuses of historical criticism and his approach to uncover the theological meaning in biblical texts. Furthermore, canonical criticism has been severely criticized and even mocked by historical critics for not having adequately defined parameters for interpretation and supposedly eschewing the results of historical criticism. Sanders responds to these criticisms quite competently by describing how canonical criticism not only uses the findings of historical critics but, in part, depends on them as a foundation for exegesis. As this book was written when canonical criticism was quite young (1984), Sanders was well-aware of the need for further elaboration of the method that canonical criticism entails. While he did not provide all of the solutions to this concern, (nor was that his goal), he did set a clear trajectory that scholars interested in canonical exegesis could follow to ameliorate this concern about the parameters of interpretation.
I was intrigued to see Sanders’ take on how the clergy and laity could incorporate his insights into their interpretations of the Bible, and while he did provide some helpful insights, I don’t think he brought the field as “down to earth” as he might have hoped. I agree with his point that canonical criticism can be a way to make biblical interpretation more meaningful for the laity, but in my opinion, more work needs to be done by canonical critics to address this need. Thankfully, some scholars since Sanders’ text was written have done so quite well.

[Zachariah Kenney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick overview of Canonical Criticism and what it entails.
I talk about it in more detail on my blog:
https://seminary2016.wordpress.com/20...