Abstract
The editor of this volume, John Barton, will be familiar to anybody working in the study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in the English-speaking world. Barton has been researching and publishing solidly since the mid-1970s. His work is wide-ranging and characterized by a fine combination of the specialized and the general as well as an ongoing focus on methodology in biblical studies. As editor of the present volume, Barton brings with him the experience of a career spent studying, teaching, and researching the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and a commitment to making its contents accessible to students, scholars, and the interested non-academic audience. In this regard he is the perfect editor (and contributor) to this excellent volume.
In his introduction Barton explains the arrangement of the present volume. Rather than offering chapters on each biblical book—as is often the case in such works—the 23 chapters are presented across four broad thematic sections: Part I. The Hebrew Bible in Its Historical and Social Context; Part II. Major Genres of Biblical Literature; Part III. Major Religious Themes; and Part IV. The Study and Reception of the Hebrew Bible. While such an arrangement is not unique, it is ideally suited to a contemporary reference work in that it permits a sophisticated and deeper presentation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament—one that reflects an awareness of the range of approaches and methodologies used in biblical studies today.
Barton has assembled a formidable team of contributors: the selection unites the work of scholars with a lifetime of experience behind them along with that of younger scholars. It would be invidious to single out particular contributors or their contributions as worthy of specific praise, as the individual chapters are of a uniformly high quality. However, it is worth mentioning the chapter by Alison Gray on reception studies and that by Adrian Curtis on mapping. Gray offers one of the best, concise introductions to what is probably the most rapidly developing field in contemporary biblical studies, while Curtis engages with biblical geography in an original and contemporary manner that seems to move beyond the typical geography of the biblical lands style of presentation of this topic.
This volume presents readers with an excellent presentation of the state of contemporary biblical studies that is neither superficial nor inaccessible. For those coming newly to the field it offers an ideal entry point and reference work, while those with greater familiarity will find it a useful and refreshing resource that provides a cross-section of what their fellow scholars are doing in a subject that can sometimes lead us down very specialized paths. From an entirely personal perspective, I would have liked to read a chapter on apocalyptic literature. One understands that decisions must be made on what to include and omit in a work of this kind, as well as the reasons why such a chapter might have been omitted. However, this is a very small point, and does not really detract from this work which is not only comprehensive and informative, but also a very great pleasure to read. Barton and the individual contributors are to be congratulated for producing a volume that combines these qualities.