Gerhard von Rad – ’n honderd jaar

Abstract

In 2001 Old Testament scholars celebrated the birth of Gerhard von Rad’s birth one hundred years ago. As a contribution to these celebrations, this article focuses on Von Rad and his views on history. Von Rad emphasized the importance of historical criticism and he valued the views of Wellhausen and Gunkel. His own approach can be termed “tradition history”. Von Rad used these critical tools to determine the “theological maximum” of the Old Testament. He was interested in Israel’s own presentation of Yahweh’s history with them. In a particular way, Von Rad brought history and theology, critical scholarship en theological reflection together. This extremely important intellectual contribution is elaborated in the ensuing article.