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This paper aims to examine the pivotal methodological shift and its subsequent integration in the academic career of the prominent British Old Testament scholar David J.A. Clines. Through a close reading of his representative works, The Theme of the Pentateuch and The Esther Scroll: The Story of the Story, this paper demonstrates how Clines, building on his critique of traditional historical-critical methods, shifted toward a literary-synchronic criticism centered on the final form of the text, while repositioning the function of historical criticism within this framework. The paper first analyzes how The Theme of the Pentateuch systematically critiques the then-prevalent tendencies of “atomism” and “geneticism” in biblical scholarship, thereby establishing the “final form” as the primary object of biblical interpretation. Subsequently, taking The Esther Scroll as a case study, it illustrates how Clines utilizes literary-critical insights as analytical tools to retrospectively explore the compositional history of the text, thereby achieving a creative integration of synchronic analysis and diachronic study. Through this analysis, it becomes evident that Clines’ methodology not only addresses the limitations of historical criticism but also offers a comprehensive interpretive model for biblical studies—one that respects the integrity of the text while incorporating its historical depth.
References
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