Abstract
Contemporary biblical scholarship is changing at a rapid pace. The variety of methods for interpreting the Bible has increased dramatically in recent years, as is shown, for example, by the growing interest in literary approaches such as narrative criticism, and in approaches focused on areas outside both literary and biblical research, for instance, the articles on biblical themes as interpreted in the cinema. The past twenty-five years have seen a growing interest by biblical scholars in structuralist criticism, reader response criticism, rhetorical criticism, social-scientific criticism, feminist interpretation, ideological criticism, and deconstructive criticism, in addition to major advances in the work being done on the broader contexts within which ancient Israel and early Christianity developed. Long-standing methods of research have undergone substantial reappraisal, as, for instance, in the areas of ‘biblical’ archaeology and the history of early Israel. The field now reaches well beyond the encompassing historical-critical consensus that had dominated biblical scholarship throughout most of the twentieth century. This increasing variety and flexibility in method has added richness and depth to our understanding of the Bible and its contextual world.
The growing variety of approaches is healthy and energizing, and indicates the vitality of contemporary biblical scholarship. However, this variety also makes it very difficult for scholars, especially those who teach or write across a broad spectrum of biblical studies, to stay informed about the numerous recent developments in the many different areas of biblical scholarship. Add to this the virtual explosion in books, journals, Festschriften, encyclopedias and online sites, and one can immediately see the need for a journal to keep readers apprised of recent developments in this rapidly expanding field of scholarship. Given this increasing diversity of methods and interests in contemporary biblical scholar-ship, the need for Currents is even clearer today than it was when the first issue was published in 1993.
Currents also welcomes proposals for articles relating to all facets of Judaism in the late Second Temple and early Rabbinic periods. This includes, but is not limited to, essays on recent research in Pseudepigrapha, Qumran, Mishnah, Midrash and Talmud, as well as studies on ancient Jewish interpreters such as Josephus and Philo. We are especially interested in articles that address texts and issues of interest to the field of biblical studies, broadly conceived. The editor, Jordan D. Rosenblum, looks forward to hearing from readers who have proposals for articles for this area of interest for Currents. The editor should be contacted before any manuscripts are submitted.
In addition to these developments, Currents continues to summarize the spectrum of recent research on particular topics, methods, or biblical books. Each article will provide an inclusive treatment of its subject, without in most cases being exhaustive, owing to the rapid publication of new books and articles. Each article will conclude with a bibliography that provides a basic knowledge of significant articles and books on the topic being treated, and supplies sufficient information to launch a thorough investigation of the topic. In addition to the area of recent research in ancient Judaism, as described above, articles in Cur-rents will continue to cover scholarship on specific biblical books or clusters of books, ancillary ancient literature, archaeology, and historical studies, as well as new and developing areas of study.
Articles are assigned by the editors to scholars well acquainted with the specific topic being treated. The editors also welcome proposals for articles, although no manuscript should be submitted unless a proposal has been discussed with one of the editors and an agreement has been reached. Since Currents is designed to provide summaries and analyses of recent scholarship in specific areas of research, proposals for articles with a different purpose will not be approved.