From the Enlightenment until the 20th Century te historical-critical method has dominated the field of Biblical Studies, and particularly the Old Testament. In The Old Testament: Between Theology and History traces the rise and decline of this discipline while still maintaining its necessity in appropriately understanding the Old Testament. The method has not been precluded, but situated within the field more appropriately as the biblical texts have been studied. This latter element, Lemche shows by examining the authorship of the Old Testament books the ideal area for the historical-critical method. But Lemche also moves further and discusses the emerging modes of exegesis and their consequences for the study of the Old Testament
