postbiblical

Postbiblical is an adjective used in religious studies, biblical criticism, and historical analysis to describe texts, traditions, or phenomena that arise after the formation of a given biblical canon or after the biblical period within a particular religious community. The term signals a chronological boundary rather than a qualitative judgment, indicating developments that interpret, respond to, or extend the biblical material rather than produce scripture itself.

In Judaism, postbiblical literature typically refers to works produced after the Hebrew Bible was established as a corpus, such as the rabbinic writings of the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Gemara, as well as Midrashic collections and later halakhic and ethical compendia. These texts often systematize laws, expand homiletic interpretation, or address new social and religious questions from late antiquity onward. In Christianity, postbiblical commonly denotes writings and movements that follow the formation of the New Testament canon, including patristic writings, creeds, liturgical texts, and later theological treatises that interpret biblical texts or develop ecclesiastical practice.

The term can be applied to other traditions with canonical scriptures, though its use varies by field and scholar. Some critics emphasize caution, noting that “postbiblical” connotes a periodization that can obscure continuities between biblical and postbiblical ideas. Nonetheless, it provides a useful shorthand for distinguishing material that engages with scriptures from material that predates or seeks to replace them.