This paper introduces the origin and development of the diachronic and synchronic approaches in Old Testament study, with regards to how the scholarly debates of “authorship” and “date” have been involved in the process. In order to build consensus among Chinese Old Testament scholarship, some field-specific terminology and concepts will be clarified and discussed for their proper Chinese translation. This study can be divided into two parts. In the first, the origin and development of the two watersheds is introduced: the diachronic and synchronic views in the Old Testament study from the Reformation to present. Using Deuteronomy as an example, the second part will be an attempt to construct dialogue between the diachronic and synchronic approaches, represented by the German liberal scholars and the writer of this paper, respectively. It will demonstrate that the two approaches can be complementary, not necessarily opposites. Different approaches should be respected to enrich the study of the Old Testament.