How did “Minimalists” Change Recent Biblical Scholarship?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper aims to highlight the problem of methodologies used in historical reconstruction within Biblical studies. The so-called “minimalists” have called for change in the methodology used in Biblical studies, and in historical reconstruction in particular, for the last three decades. The issue is illustrated by two cases where extra-biblical sources allow for radical shift in the interpretation. As a counterpart, the two cases from current biblical studies are recalled, as the examples for scholarship accepting traditional reasoning and opinio communis without profound verification. The conclusion leads to the opinion that the methodological shift advocated by the “Minimalists” did not take place, and is not widely accepted.