Abstract
A
Arising from a conference held in Göttingen, this volume is organized into four parts; sections on ‘Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism’ and ‘New Testament’ are book-ended by ‘Pagan Religions’ and ‘Late Antiquity’. The first contains essays on God as father and as mother in Egyptian traditions (Alexandra von Lieven, ‘Father of the Fathers, Mother of the Mothers: God as Father (and Mother) in Ancient Egypt’) and in the Greek epics, including the Iliad, the Odyssey and Hesiod (Heinz-Günther Nesselrath, ‘“Vater Zeus” im griechischen Epos’) as well as an essay discussing the reception of the description of God as Father and Creator in Timaeus (Franco Ferrari, ‘Gott als Vater und Schöpfer: Zur Rezeption von Timaios 28c3–5 bei einigen Platonikern’). Discussions of biblical and closely related materials begin with an essay by Hermann Spieckermann arguing that the image of God as Father in the Old Testament context was adopted from Egyptian traditions, first as an expression of the Davidic king's intimacy with Yhwh then as an invocation of divine goodness and mercy (‘The “Father” of the Old Testament and its History’). Jacques van Ruiten addresses the metaphorical use of ‘Divine Sonship in the Book of Jubilees’ to describe the relationship between Israel and God, while Lutz Doering draws attention to ‘God as Father in the Texts from Qumran’—one of three essays specifically addressed to the (until now) prevailing conclusions of Joachim Jeremias regarding the poverty of such imagery prior to the Christian era. Past SOTS President Robert Hayward attends to ‘God as Father in the Pentateuchal Targumim’, especially the Fragment Targums, and Beatrice Wyss and Mladen Popović tackle Philo and Josephus respectively (‘Vater Gott und Seine Kinder und Frauen’; ‘God the Father in Flavius Josephus’). Part 3 comprises six essays on the New Testament: ‘“Vater …”: Zur Bedeutung der Anrede Gottes als Vater in den Gebeten der Jesusüberlieferung’ (Florian Wilk), ‘Is God the Father of Jews only, or also of Gentiles? The Peculiar Shape of Paul's “Universalism”’ (Ross Wagner), ‘Kyrios Christos und Gottvater: Christi Herrschaft und Gottes Vaterschaft im Philipperhymnus’ (Reinhard Feldmeier), ‘Dominus Deus, Pater Omnipotens: Die göttlichen Verheißungen von 2Kor 6,16–18’ (Felix Albrecht), ‘The Divine Father of the Universe from the Presocratics to Celsus: The Graeco-Roman Background to the “Father of All” in Paul's Letter to the Ephesians’ (George H. van Kooten), and ‘God the Father and Other Parents in the New Testament’ (Jane Heath). The volume is rounded off by two essays addressing extra-biblical texts from late antiquity (‘The Divine Father in the Gospel of Truth (NHC I,3): God as causa efficiens and causa finalis’, Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta; ‘Gott als Vater bei Plotin und Porphyrios’, Ilinca Tanaseanu-Döbler). Depending on personal interests readers will find some essays of greater interest than others, but the editors have succeeded admirably in producing a focused and cohesive volume.
C.L. C
A
This is a revised version of A.'s doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Sheffield. It opens with a review of two models for understanding the origins of monotheism in ancient Israel, the ‘early-monotheistic Yahwism paradigm’ and the ‘native pantheon paradigm’, and suggests that textual and artefactual evidence favour the latter. Having argued in the past that various biblical passages should be understood as polemic against Baal rather than merely the reapplication of imagery, this reviewer welcomed the emphasis on appropriation as polemic and the helpful attempt to categorize types of appropriation: overtly polemical, implied polemical and non-polemical transference. Because polemic is predominantly directed against Baal, the analysis of types of transference is preceded by a brief survey of what is known about Baal, with particular emphasis on the Ugaritic Baal-Cycle. The final chapter attempts a reconstruction of the rise of monotheistic Yahwism, a task of the difficulty of which A. is very much aware, but the suggestion that the Omrides promoted an ‘outsider’ deity as a strategy to transform Israel into a significant power is thought-provoking. Some statements deserve defence or clarification, such as the suggestion that Baal fought Tiamat as well as Yam (p. 57) or that, on the Baal stele, the god is holding a ‘leafy branch’ (p. 58; on p. 65 the reference is to the more usual ‘lightning bolts’). There are problems with Hebrew word order on p. 26, and the reference to ‘third person plural suffixes in Genesis 1’ (p. 27) should presumably be to first-person suffixes.
A.H.W. C
B
Implicitly aimed at undergraduate-level conservative evangelical Christians, this work proffers a theological and hermeneutical framework for the interpretation of ‘prophetic’ biblical texts. Part 1 (three chapters) sets out foundational principles regarding the nature of prophecy, a salvation-historical approach to biblical theology, and christocentric interpretation. Part 2 (three chapters) comments on OT texts including covenant promises, messages concerning the restoration of Israel, and those that may have messianic connotations. Part 3 (four chapters) turns to NT texts, with particular attention given to those concerning the coming and return of Christ. There is a concluding chapter and two appendixes giving consideration to specific matters on which the co-authors disagree: the meanings of ‘all Israel’ in Rom. 11.26, and of the millennium in Revelation 20. The book seems to seek to correct alternative interpretations of prophecy—especially concerning Israel and the book of Revelation—to which the intended readership is assumed to have been exposed. These are not identified specifically—‘many popular books on prophecy’ (p. 37)—but in Part 3, Tim LaHaye's ‘Left Behind’ series is clearly in mind. Perhaps the book serves a useful purpose in that respect. As a textbook, it attempts to cover so much ground that it often lacks depth. ‘Prophecy’ is defined very broadly, with undue weight given to ‘predictive prophecy’. As a work of biblical theology, its approach is canonical and synchronic, with a strong hermeneutic of trust and a presumption of a unified theology throughout the Christian Bible. Diachronic, cultural and background studies receive scant attention.
S.P. S
B
This collection of essays on prophecy from a meeting of the Edinburgh Prophecy Network is not the usual collection of studies of prophetic writings that (purport to) contain the prophets’ words. Rather, it studies the places in those books and in others where the prophets themselves are depicted in narrative form. The editors provide an introduction in which they explain the rationale for the theme of the meeting and this resultant volume, and then summarize the papers to follow. The papers themselves are arranged in three parts. The first part, ‘Ancient Near East’, consists of a single paper: Meindert Dijkstra, ‘Prophets, Men of God, Wise Women: Dreams and Prophecies in Hittite Stories’. The second and largest part is entitled ‘Hebrew Bible’: Anne-Mareike Wetter, ‘The Prophet and the King: Is There Such a Thing as Free Prophetic Speech?’; Graeme Auld, ‘Isaiah and the Oldest “Biblical” Prophetic Narrative’; William L. Kelly, ‘Prophets, Kings and Honour in the Narrative of 1 Kgs 22’; Reinoud Oosting, ‘Text and History of Isaiah 20: Its Development within the Isaianic Tradition’; Thomas Wagner, ‘From Salvation to Doom: Isaiah's Message in the Hezekiah Story’; Blaženka Scheuer, ‘Huldah: A Cunning Career Woman?’; Matthijs J. de Jong, ‘Rewriting the Past in Light of the Present: The Stories of the Prophet Jeremiah’; Pancratius C. Beentjes, ‘King Asa and Hanani the Seer: 2 Chronicles 16 as an Example of the Chronicler's View of Prophets and Prophecy’; and Bob Becking, ‘Haggai and Zechariah in the Stories of Ezra and 1 Esdras’. Part 3, ‘Afterlife’, examines how biblical prophets have fared in contexts outside the HB: Hannes Bezzel, ‘Habakkuk in the Lion's Den: Dan. 14:33–39 (Bel 33–39)’; Elizabeth Hayes, ‘More than just a Pretty Coat: The Story of Joseph the Dreamer from Jewish, Christian and Islamic Perspectives’; Eric Ottenheijm, ‘Elijah and the Messiah (b.Sanh.98a)’; Marcel Poorthuis, ‘From Noah to Nuh: The Making of a Prophet’; and Willem Frijhoff, ‘An Early Modern Young Prophet: The Heavenly Messages of Evert Willemz Bogaert and their Recognition, 1622–23’. The book is rounded off with a bibliography and indexes of modern authors and ancient literature. It is indeed refreshing to find a collection devoted to this aspect of prophecy, and the contents are enlightening, entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure.
D.W. R
B
For a review of this volume, see Section 1 above.
B
B. has studied ‘sin and its remedies’ throughout his scholarly career; the present title is the latest fruit of his labours. It bears an explicit connection to his 2009 monograph, A Severe Mercy (reviewed in B.L. 2010, p. 139), to which he refers the reader for context and a deeper engagement with the scholarly literature. B. restricts his study to the divine-human axis of relationship, focusing here on ‘human participation’ in its maintenance (p. 31). An introduction to terms (Hebrew and Greek) and concepts leads into a survey of the entire Hebrew Bible in roughly 150 pages, before a similar, albeit briefer, survey of the New Testament (about 30 pages), demonstrating a consistent theology across the whole of the Christian Bible. A cumulative bibliography and indexes for authors and original text citations enhance the usefulness of the book. Most of the book will, I imagine, command ready assent, but his care to point out elements such as ‘divine disablement’ as a feature of a biblical theology of repentance may prove jarring to some. There is much here to admire—although I read the book not only with appreciation, but with some measure of frustration. The comprehensive survey requires brutal selectivity: Genesis in a page! The Psalms in just over four! B. disparages a vocabulary-led approach, but such continues to be prominent throughout. His rapid treatment of passages at times appears to confuse human repentance and divine response. Still, the series aims to ‘help thinking Christians understand their Bibles better’, and B. can be confident that his book achieves this goal.
D.J. R
B
An impressive study of intercession in narrative texts of the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern ritual texts can be found between the covers of this AOAT volume. The thorough introduction provides a good recent overview of discussions on cognitive linguistic approaches to agency and speech-act theory as well as the conceptualizations of ‘magic’, also strongly informed by a cognitive perspective. The body of the study comprises studies of a small selection of Mesopotamian (KAR 64; LKA 112) and Anatolian (CTH 398; CTH 476) ritual texts, and several biblical texts (Gen. 18.23b–32a; Exod. 32.11b–13; Exod. 32.31b–32; Num. 14.13b–19; Num. 16.22aβ-b; Deut. 9.26aβ-29; Ezek. 9.8bβ; Ezek. 11.13bβ; Amos 7.2aβ-b, 5aβ-b; 1 Chron. 21.17aβ-b). B. is clear about the problem of comparison of narrative/prophetic texts and ritual texts, which keeps her from pushing her conclusions regarding the texts too far. Occasionally, the origin of the manuscript as a dissertation is noticeable, and I am not sure whether the terminology is always felicitous. The use of the term ‘magic agency’ for the ANE ritual texts (albeit not in distinction to religion) but not for biblical texts opens up a distinction which may be more related to the genre and use of the texts than to the views of the wider cultures that produced them. Equally, the adjective ‘apotropaic’ in front of ‘intercession’ appears unnecessary. What is the purpose of intercession if not to avert some bad outcome? However, these are small quibbles. I warmly recommend this book to anyone interested in intercession and aversion of doom more widely.
J. S
B
B.L. readers will be familiar with B.'s work but may not have seen these articles, all of which appeared in Festschrifts and are now brought together in what turns out to be a fair presentation of B.'s interests, the depth of his method, and his capacity to unearth something which has been missed, ignored or received scant attention or to find a fresh angle on the traditional, always finishing up with some insight worthy of our attention. In this collection of nine we have ‘The Role of Old Testament Theology in Old Testament Interpretation’; ‘The Travail of Pardon: Reflections on slḥ’ (on whether Yhwh is a God who pardons, and if so what that means); ‘The Defining Utterance on the Lips of the Tishbite: Pondering “The Centrality of the Word”’ (on how we understand ‘the Word’ (of God) as an utterance ‘from on high’); ‘Texts that Linger, Not Yet Overcome’ (on how we deal with unsettling texts that imply God's absence or unfaithfulness); ‘A “Characteristic” Reflection on What Comes Next (Jer 32:16–44)’; ‘A Shattered Transcendence? Exile and Restoration’ (on the destruction and restoration of exile as a decisive experience for shaping the Old Testament faith); ‘The Epistemological Crisis of Israel's Two Histories (Jer 9:22–23)’ (on the tensions between the Mosaic tradition of a covenantal God who intervenes to save the powerless and a Davidic-royal-abiding presence theology that legitimates the leaders and social traditions); ‘“Exodus” in the Plural (Amos 9:7)’ (on the development of monotheism in the Old Testament and its implications); and finally, ‘Theology of the Old Testament: A Prompt Retrospect’ (reconsidering his 1997 Theology of the Old Testament and affirming what he regards as important elements of its exposition). An attractive production with good documentation and indexes.
A. G
C
This brief book consists of the reflections of a feminist philosopher and the Archbishop of Milan on the prohibition of homicide found in the Ten Commandments/Words of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. After seeking to situate the commandment within the canonical context of ‘covenant’, Scola emphasizes the destructive impact of homicide on relations with others and the divine, concluding somewhat predictably but also somewhat problematically that while the commandment does not prohibit self-defence and just war, it does preclude euthanasia and abortion. Cavarero attends more carefully to the literary and historical context of the commandment, noting the historic reluctance to interpret it in absolute terms (pace Emmanuel Levinas) and reflecting on the complication of its application in contemporary bio-ethics. Cavarero's interesting comparison of the HB's attitude toward homicide with that of the ancient Greek tradition discloses a deep cross-cultural association of homicide with kinship ties and is followed by a discussion of the radical quality of both Levinas's absolutist interpretation and that of Jesus of Nazareth. She concludes by offering the observation, far from original, but elegantly expressed, that the persistent association of masculinity with murder (and indeed violence) must be acknowledged and probed.
D.J. S
C
In this volume the editors have compiled 30 key essays of Professor Terence E. Fretheim, all of which focus (as the title suggests) on what kind of God one finds in the Bible. Part 1, ‘On Fretheim’, introduces the volume with two essays. In the first, ‘Introducing Fretheim: His Theology and his God’, Chan and Strawn provide insight into the life and work of Fretheim. In the second, ‘Fretheim on Fretheim: Some Personal Reflections on a Biblical-Theological Journey’, Fretheim himself reflects on his life's work. Part 2, ‘God and the World’, includes the following four essays: ‘Divine Dependence upon the Human: An Old Testament Perspective’; ‘The Repentance of God: A Key to Evaluating Old Testament God-Talk’; ‘The God Who Acts: An Old Testament Perspective’; and ‘Some Reflections on Brueggemann's God’. Part 3, ‘God and Suffering’, includes the following four essays: ‘What Kind of God?’; ‘To Say Something—About God, Evil, and Suffering’; ‘Suffering God and Sovereign God in Exodus: A Collision of Images’; and ‘“Evil” after 9/11: A Consequence of Human Freedom’. Part 4, ‘God and Wrath’, includes the following four essays: ‘God and Violence in the Old Testament’; ‘Theological Reflections on the Wrath of God in the Old Testament’; ‘The Self-Limiting God of the Old Testament and Issues of Violence’; and ‘“I Was Only a Little Angry”: Divine Violence in the Prophets’. Part 5, ‘God and the Pentateuch’, includes the following six essays: ‘Preaching Creation: Genesis 1–2’; ‘Creator, Creature, and Co-Creation in Genesis 1–2’; ‘“God Was with the Boy” (Genesis 21:20): Children in the Book of Genesis’; ‘The Plagues as Ecological Signs of Historical Disaster’; ‘The Reclamation of Creation: Redemption and Law in Exodus’; and ‘Law in the Service of Life: A Dynamic Understanding of Law in Deuteronomy’. Part 6, ‘God and the Prophets’, includes the following seven essays: ‘Divine Foreknowledge, Divine Constancy, and the Rejection of Saul's Kingship’; ‘The Prophets and Social Justice: A Conservative Agenda’; ‘Caught in the Middle: Jeremiah's Vocational Crisis’; ‘The Character of God in Jeremiah’; ‘Is Anything too Hard for God? (Jeremiah 32:27)’; ‘The Exaggerated God of Jonah’; and ‘Jonah and Theodicy’. Part 7, ‘God and the Church's Book’, includes the following five essays: ‘The Old Testament in Christian Proclamation’; ‘Christology and the Old Testament’; ‘Salvation in the Bible vs. Salvation in the Church’; ‘The Authority of the Bible and Churchly Debates Regarding Sexuality’; and ‘What Biblical Scholars Wish Pastors Would Start or Stop Doing about Ethical Issues in the Old Testament’. Also included are a list of Fretheim's publications and indexes of authors and scriptural citations. These essays witness to the consistent challenge Fretheim, as a biblical scholar, poses to dogmatic characterizations of God. This volume is a fitting tribute to Fretheim's great achievements and influence, and a valuable resource for those interested in Old Testament theology (particularly the God-world relationship).
B.N. M
C
This is an unusual volume in that each of its nine chapters represents a collaborative effort between a legal scholar and a theologian (representing a range of specialities, including OT, NT, systematic theology, ethics and philosophical theology). The aim of the volume, written from an avowedly Christian perspective, is to challenge theologically trained readers to take account of the insights that legal experts might bring to the text, while enabling legally trained readers to be challenged by the insights of theologians. The chapters relating specifically to the OT contain discussions of the biblical foundations of law; law and the political order; criminal and civil law in the Torah; law in the wisdom literature; and civil law and the prophets. While the interdisciplinary approach of the volume raises some interesting issues, it is more likely to appeal to a general readership than to the biblical scholar.
E.W. D
C
This slim volume originated as C.'s MA thesis, submitted to Denver Seminary in 2007. It therefore follows the classic structure of the published dissertation, though the range of scholarship with which C. engages is inevitably less than is typical of published doctoral dissertations. Within the limitations of the dissertation form, C. ably surveys previous approaches to OT ethics, finding most value in the narrative approach of G. Wenham and R. Parry. In particular, he argues that we can follow Wenham in drawing on virtue ethics with a particular focus on theme and characterization. Thus, C. integrates narratology with ethics, applying this to a reading of Judg. 7.15–8.33, a passage which he places within a downward spiral among the judges, with Gideon emerging as morally conflicted. Central to C.'s argument is that vice is as important as virtue in establishing the ethical value of a character since it forces readers to ask what is missing for a given virtue to be present. All this is competently done, but this reviewer comes back to the preface in which C. acknowledges that the book does not develop his arguments as fully as might be the case. For example, C. interacts only with English-language sources, meaning that significant Continental thought on OT ethics is never considered. His work certainly makes a contribution, but perhaps it would have been better to develop the underlying arguments more thoroughly.
D.G. F
F
Although the topic of death and afterlife has been addressed already across a wide range of publications, F. has taken on the task anew to map out its religious and cultural contours in the ancient world. What distinguishes his work from other studies is certainly its accessibility and popular orientation. While originally based on a lecture series at the University of Jena, the volume is written for a wide scope of readers and provides a clear and concise overview. As the title intimates, F.'s discussion is divided into two parts: the ancient world (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Syria and Canaan) and the Old Testament. Each of the four chapters in the first part leads the reader from geographic and historical introductions through specific topics, such as the Egyptian underworld or Babylonian death rites, and relevant texts, such as Gilgamesh, Homer and the Baal-cycle. The second part of the book opens with biblical depictions of death as a hunter or as roaring waters and discusses briefly the topic of Sheol. F. then devotes separate chapters to wisdom literature (e.g. Pss. 49, 73; Qohelet; Ben Sira), to apocalyptic material, and to Jewish-Hellenistic ideas about the immortality of the soul. Overall, his study offers a balanced and stimulating introduction to the central aspects and texts. F.'s accessible and learned exposition is helpfully supplemented by recommendations for further reading material for each of the eight chapters (cf. pp. 291–92).
S. H
F
This doctoral dissertation from the Technical University of Dortmund (supervisor: T. Pola) aims to address the question of the origins of apocalyptic. F. examines Daniel, the Yhwh-as-king psalms, Haggai, Zechariah 1–6, and Ezekiel. Why the Isaiah Apocalypse is omitted is not explained, though he does argue that Proto-Isaiah already has aspects of apocalyptic. F. rejects the idea that apocalyptic began with Daniel (though this is hardly new), but he argues that the kingship-of-Yhwh psalms are apocalypses, and Ezekiel and Haggai/Zechariah 1–6 are early apocalyptic. Many will be surprised at this, though some of his conclusions are in line with arguments I have made (e.g. that Zechariah is an apocalypse). This will no doubt initiate a debate but, unfortunately, F. has basically ignored the controversy in English-speaking scholarship. Although he lists five works by John Collins, these are all on Daniel, and the seminal Semeia volume 14 (1979) on the definition of ‘apocalypse’ is omitted. Other important contributors are also absent: Paul Hanson (except one article translated into German), Christopher Rowland, Stephen Cook, Jonathan Smith, Hans Dieter Betz and, indeed, my own writings. Nevertheless, this is an important book that needs considerable discussion.
L.L. G
G
This volume is a collection of a dozen revised and expanded essays, two of which are previously unpublished. Four sections divide up the work, each with three essays pertaining to a biblical-theological theme. The first section concerns God's action in the world and contains three papers on Isaiah: ‘JHWH oder der Perserkönig? Das Handeln Gottes durch menschliche Agenten in Jes 40,9–11’; ‘Geschichte und Schöpfung. Überlegungen zum Monotheismus im Kyrosorakel (Jes 45,1–8)’; and ‘“O Heiland reiß die Himmel auf.” Weltweites Heil als Folge des Eingreifens Gottes in die Geschichte’. The essays in the second section relate to the theme of God's speech to humans, especially revelation and prophecy: ‘Offenbarungsformen Gottes in der Bileamerzählung’; ‘“Kein Prophet bin ich und kein Prophetenschüler bin ich.” Zum Selbstverständnis des Propheten Amos in Am 7,14’; and ‘Der Vorwurf der Blutschuld von Jesreel (Hos 1,4–5) als authentisches Prophetenwort’. The essays in the third subsection focus on election: ‘Die kultischen Vergehen Manasses, die Königebücher und das Deuteronomium’; ‘Die Gesandtschaft Merodoch-Baladans und ihre Folgen für die Daviddynastie’; and ‘Tradition und Innovation in Hos 2,16–17. Zur Entwicklung des biblischen Erwählungs-gedankens’. The final section is concerned with the theme of Old Testament ethics and contains ‘Alttestamentliche Zugänge zum Mensch-Tier-Verhältnis und mögliche Konsequenzen für die Xenotransplantation’; ‘“Heilige zollt ihr werden. Denn heilig bin ich, JHWH, euer Gott.” Gott, Mensch und Nächster in Lev 19,11–18’; ‘Hedgefonds oder Sparbuch? Biblische Stimmen zum Reichtum’. Also included are a bibliography and indexes. There is a nice balance between breadth and focus in the volume; many will find something of interest here.
W.L. K
G
Books on mortality and the hereafter seem to be increasingly part of the contemporary Zeitgeist. This volume traces developments in belief from the Old into the New Testament, with a study of all the relevant and associated texts. G. distinguishes between ‘spatial’ and ‘temporal’ conceptions of the afterlife, the former emphasizing the vertical symbolism (Paradise, Purgatory, Hell, etc.), the latter the linear temporal system, with its final eschatological fulfilment of expectations. He takes Psalm 84.3 (LXX 83.3) as a starting point, to show that absolute philosophical distinctions between the parts of the person (so dear to theologians) are not original. A survey of ancient Near Eastern and Hellenistic eschatologies follows, with the claim that Zoroastrianism was the original source of the concept of resurrection. Early narratives of resurrections in 1 Kgs 17.17–24, 2 Kgs 4.32–37, and 13.20–21 would at least make it an unlikely direct influence. The language of Hos. 6.1–3, Ezekiel 37 and Isa. 26.19 regarding national revival are treated, and in all these texts, the nuances of the later LXX interpretation of the Hebrew terminology are appreciated. With Daniel 12 comes a clarification of the language, taken up in 2 Maccabees 7 and 12, in which resurrection is partial, to redress injustices or persecution. 1 Enoch and Jubilees further refine beliefs with the genesis of hell as a Jewish concept, and a large number of pseudepigraphical, apocryphal and other extra-canonical passages are examined, showing a bewildering array of developing views, but generally reinforcing an increasingly coherent belief in resurrection. G. then moves on to the New Testament, examining the dominical language concerning the kingdom, and the relation of its present irruption and future hope, and the Pauline corpus, as the maturation of earlier developments. The volume is very useful for collecting together so many diverse and relevant texts illustrating eschatological developments over centuries, culminating in the Christian doctrine(s), as well as for its subtle analysis of ambiguous and conflicting ideas.
N. W
H
This is a paperback reprint of the book published by Mohr Siebeck in 2011 and reviewed in B.L. 2012, p. 148.
P.R. D
H
For a review of this volume, see Section 8 below.
J
This handsome volume unites 23 previously published studies on various aspects of Old Testament theology by the Professor Emeritus at the University of Marburg. They are intended to serve as a companion volume to J.'s Theologie des Alten Testaments (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2015; reviewed below). The various essays (all but one have been previously published) are grouped under four headings, beginning with issues regarding the prolegomena to an Old Testament theology, offering an overview of the state of the question. Here, J. argues for an approach that takes the historical dimension into (full) account and pays close attention to the various Gattungen of the biblical texts. Additionally, J. detects a certain quest for authoritative statements about God's acts in the exilic and postexilic period. These prolegomena are followed by three studies on creation before J. addresses problems of the image of God in the Hebrew Bible. Here one finds his ground-breaking studies on the difficult topic of God's anger (‘Gottes Zorn—eine unbeliebte Gottesaussage des Alten Testaments’, and ‘Konzeptionen des göttlichen Zorns im DtrG’) and his vengeance (‘Jhwh—ein Gott der “Rache”’). Fourthly, the praise of God is evaluated by four essays on the Psalms, before the volume concludes with several studies on the theology of the prophetic books. Here the reader finds studies on topics such as the beginnings and the problems of written prophecy (‘Die Anfänge der Schriftprophetie’ and ‘Das Rätsel der Schriftprophetie’), and on the distinction between ‘true’ and ‘false’ prophecy (‘“wahre” und “falsche” Prophetie im Alten Testament. Entwicklungslinien eines Grundsatzkonflikts’). This is a very welcome collection that offers the exegetical details that are sometimes missing in J.'s Theologie.
A.C. H
J
This detailed volume aims to serve as a compendium of the main testimonies about God in the Hebrew Bible. Since J. recognizes that the biblical texts originated over more than half a millennium he combines historical-critical investigation with a detailed study of the various Gattungen as well as with a systematic synopsis. After an introduction with a brief history of scholarship (mainly G. von Rad and W. Eichrodt) and a positioning of the work within the debate history of ‘Israelite religion, or theology of the Old Testament?’, J. offers a tripartite structure. In the first part he treats the central forms of thinking about faith (‘zentrale Denkformen’) in the Hebrew Bible, looking at Psalms, wisdom literature, law and ethos, the stories about the origin of Israel (Patriarchal narratives, Moses and David) and prophecy (the conflict about Baal or Yhwh involving Elijah and Hosea; Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel). The second part is devoted to the redrafting of older ideas, in Deuteronomy, deuteronomistic theology, P and Deutero-Isaiah. Finally, the third part looks at major themes such as God's anger, Zion, covenant and the Decalogue. J. structures this thematic overview according to five main categories: God's anger and mercy, assurances, orientations, hopes, and probing questions. In an ‘Ausblick’ J. resists looking ahead to the New Testament as this ignores the rich and manifold intertestamental literature. Instead he traces the ways in which the pluriformity and richness of the Old Testament statements of God are channelled, as he believes that this productive channelling paves the way for the statements about God in the New Testament. This is a very rich study that deserves to be read widely and in detail as it will undoubtedly trigger a discussion about the nature of the discipline of Theology of the Old Testament as well as the particular approach taken here.
A.C. H
K
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (I) above.
K
Although this work contains much valuable information, it is based upon a conjectural premise, with a methodology which defines a problem and then attempts to find any supporting evidence. The Ugaritic snake incantation is recast as a creation myth, with the snake Horrānu (Hauron, Horôn) becoming a rebellious god ejected from heaven, whose serpent encircled the Tree of Life. The god Adam(mu), ‘prototype human’, was sent to appease Horrānu, while the mother goddess Eve was also identifiable as Kubaba and Kybele (pp. 78–79). Further (somewhat more convincing) Ugaritic connections are derived from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. The authors then proceed to find parallels in apocryphal literature, such as 2 (Slavonic) Enoch, which confers angelic status upon Adam (pp. 182–83) and has the Devil thrown out of heaven, arguably as reflections of the Ugaritic gods Adam(mu) and Horrānu. Parallels to Ugaritic motifs are also deduced from other parabiblical texts (apocrypha), as well as from Qumran scrolls, New Testament and Qu'ran. The appendix is useful in giving an edition and translation of the two relevant Ugaritic myths (pp. 247–64). The argument against the book's basic hypothesis is that it is retrospective, starting from Genesis 2 and working backwards to find components of the Eden narrative in more ancient Canaanite mythology, but if one only had the Ugaritic myth to work from, one would never be able to reconstruct the Adam-Eve-Serpent-Eden account from the older myth.
F.B. G
K
K.'s published thesis (supervised by Joel Green) offers a fine discussion of one particular construction of a theological hermeneutic of Scripture: a ‘Wesleyan’ one. It has many strengths. An even-handed survey of the usual suspects of recent theological interpretation is followed by a review of the lack of suitably focused Wesleyan studies on this theme, and then allied to some of the conceptual tools offered by Hans Frei, particularly with his later focus on literal sense and figural reading. Perhaps optimistically, K. avers that Frei's specific perspective (parsed here as basically Reformed) may provide methodological insights for Wesleyan concerns, which are then explored under the headings of soteriology and holiness. A useful chapter of examples explores John Wesley's hermeneutical practice through case studies; Psalm 22 is the sole OT exemplar. Two further chapters appropriate Wesley by way of exploring his underdeveloped ecclesiology (since his focus is personal salvation) and an eco-shaped construction of a ‘Wesleyan Model Reader’. The conclusion argues that ‘the literal sense of a Wesleyan theological hermeneutic is the soteriological sense’ (p. 155), and finishes with an interesting Lenten sermon on Num. 21.4–9 that may have stretched any non-PhD-reading members of his congregation. It is odd that nowhere does K. define what ‘Wesleyan’ means, which is not helpful for those of us outside that self-definition. This ramifies into pondering whether Frei's version of the literal sense is really hospitable to one tradition-specific construal against others (and the case study on Wesley's doctrine of perfection reinforced for this reader the real unlikeliness of the scriptural construals upon which it seems to depend). Nevertheless K. provides one engaged model of reading Scripture in dialogue with theological concerns, and may serve to sharpen the proposals of those with different ecclesiological commitments.
R.S. B
L
This study sets out to find the voices of real women who were prophets and whose words can now be found in the Hebrew Bible, often as the words of male prophets. L. proceeds with a hermeneutic of suspicion that such texts are hidden in the Hebrew Bible as we now have it, as well as a hermeneutic of trust that her methodology can identify these products of an indigenous Hebraic poetic tradition. This marks her project as one that is essentially occupied with retrieval of women's voices ignored over the centuries. At the basis of L.'s interpretation lies an analysis of the poetic feature of sound play. Triplets of certain features are identified as essentially female and doublets as male-authored texts. This distinction is initially developed from Isaiah 1–12 and the Song of Songs. Not all readers will concur with all judgments regarding the assonance of certain syllables (e.g. hēm, ḥamōr) and, indeed, at times the analysis appears a little forced. L.'s position that female poets/prophets could be responsible for some of the texts in, e.g., Isaiah 5, is well taken. However, the confidence with which L. attributes gendered authorship to the different voices in the Song of Songs seems less sophisticated. While it is true that good modern algorithms can distinguish male and female authors in many modern languages with an astonishing accuracy, they first have to be fed with many texts where date, genre and gender of the author are identified before they can in turn identify features of unknown texts. And a good female poet can write in a stereotypical male voice just as much as a good male poet can write in a stereotypical female voice—the difference indicates stereotype, not authorship. For readers who are convinced by L.'s argument that the basic triplet-doublet distinction reflects ancient realities, this book bears many riches indeed. For other readers who are less convinced, the study contains many interesting and useful observations on the text.
J. S
M
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (III) above.
M
Having explored divine presence and absence in exilic and postexilic Judaism (2011; see B.L. 2015, pp. 126–27), the Early Jewish Monotheism research group in Göttingen held another conference in 2013 to look at two other themes in Judaism around the same period, namely covenant and election. This volume is one of the outcomes of this conference, containing a helpful introduction by the editor and eight essays, ordered according to the sequence of the biblical passages discussed rather than according to subject. The sequence is as follows: M. Köckert, ‘Gottes “Bund” mit Abraham und die “Erwählung” Israels in Genesis 17’; C. Koch, ‘Bundestheologie und autoritativer Text im Deuteronomium: Das Tafelmotiv in Deuteronomium 5.9–10 vor dem Hintergrund altorientalischer Vertragspraxis’; A.C. Hagedorn, ‘Covenant, Election, and War in Deuteronomy 7’; S.B. Chapman, ‘The Covenant God of Israel: Joshua 8, Divine Concession, and Jesus’; K. Finsterbusch, ‘Auszugs-Bund, neuer Bund und weitere Bünde: “Berit” im älteren (hebräische Vorlage LXX-Jer) und im jüngeren Jeremiabuch (MT-Jer)’; S. Grätz, ‘Bund und Erwählung in Esra-Nehemia’; G.N. Knoppers, ‘Judah, Levi, David, Solomon, Jerusalem, and the Temple: Election and Covenant in Chronicles’; and M.J. Lynch, ‘The Davidic Covenant and Institutional Integration in Chronicles’. While the first four papers deal with a particular passage, the remaining four investigate either one or two themes in a specific book. This volume is a valuable contribution to the scholarship on covenant and election in exilic and postexilic biblical literature, despite the fact that it does not include the early postexilic period books.
J.-P. H
M
Aniconism, like monotheism, is held by many to be a hallmark of biblical theology. This study begins with a survey of different assessments to date, setting the discussion in train by citing P.D. Miller, who averred, perhaps prematurely, that biblical aniconism was ‘anomalous in the ancient Near East’. Apart from the need to qualify this in the context of other ancient Near Eastern aniconic tendencies, it was true in any general sense only from the exile onwards. Furthermore, some earlier discussion, M. notes, had not sufficiently seriously related the prophetic attacks on idolatry with those in the Torah, particularly Deuteronomy. More recent discussion has begun to redress the balance. The first chapter, summarizing and characterizing previous work, particularly that of T.N.D. Mettinger, is rather confusing to read, perhaps because it is too concentrated, too dense. Thereafter things improve. The second deals with the manufacturing process of divine images, analysing the prophetic satirical treatment mocking the ritual preparations or in Ezekiel's case refusing even to use the term ‘elōhîm of ‘other gods’. The third chapter treats the aniconic imperative suffusing the cult of Yhwh. M. remains unconvinced that the Solomonic temple housed a cult statue, while acknowledging that it cannot be disproved. The fourth chapter takes up C.J. Labuschagne's ‘incomparability’ trope, and refines it considerably by analysis of the prophetic attacks on idolatry. ‘Comparison’ of rival divine claims is not even an issue. The fifth chapter looks at the Divine Image passages in the exilic prophets, with appropriate reference to Gen. 1.26–27 and 9.6, and a recognition of a congruence of the poetic and prophetic understandings. A question of considerable interest implicit in this discussion is this: is there any conceptual link between the historical development of aniconism and belief(s) in the resurrection of the body, given first, that resurrection could be construed as a kind of divinization and, second, that humans are made in the image (ṣelem) of God?
N. W
M
M. seeks to liberate readers from misunderstandings of Christian eschatology. Rejecting notions of disembodied existence in an ethereal heaven, he argues that a consistent holistic theology of the redemption of creation is the Bible's best-kept secret, compromised subsequently by a Platonic other-worldly vision which remains evident today in hymns and worship songs. Although many of the key texts addressed are in the NT, M. gives substantial attention to OT texts on which the NT builds. His initial analysis of Genesis 1–11 emphasizes humanity's calling to develop culture and care for the earth. He then highlights the exodus as a paradigm for understanding holistic salvation in both testaments, going on to explore earthly flourishing in the law, prophets and wisdom traditions, and the role of God's judgment in enabling the human and non-human to flourish. NT understandings of resurrection and restoration are then examined, along with NT texts which raise problems for a holistic view. The final section, centred on jubilee and Isaiah 61 as background to Luke's ‘Nazareth manifesto’, examines ethical implications of the holistic view in terms of the comprehensive and inclusive scope of the gospel. Substantial scholarship underlies the book, yet the style is lucid, with technical details briefly explained and some fuller discussion in the footnotes; in this way M. succeeds admirably in his aim of making his knowledge accessible to a non-specialist audience, while giving the theologically literate plenty to chew on. An impressive book with a comprehensive and exegetical approach, which deserves to be widely read.
P.W. G
M
This book, a doctoral dissertation written at the Protestant Theological Faculty of the University of Münster, examines the postexilic concept of ‘Torah obedience’ and its mediations. M. distinguishes three different concepts, the third being a kind of synthesis of the first two. The first concept is related to the heart. In the oldest (Dt/Dtr) texts the heart appears as synonym for a total respect of the divine prescriptions (‘with all your heart’, Deut. 6.5), while later post-Dtr texts (especially Deut. 30.1–10) introduce the concept of the ‘circumcision of the heart’, and in the even later oracle Jer. 31.31–34 Torah is understood as ‘invisible’ and obedience to it a result of Yhwh's intervention. By contrast, texts from Second Isaiah link the accomplishment of the Torah with the gift of the divine spirit. In Isa. 42.1–4 Yhwh gives his spirit to his ‘servant’, in the later text Isaiah 61 to the High Priest, and in the even later Deut. 34.9 (early fourth century
T. R
O
Two aspects of this revision of O.'s PhD thesis deserve to be treated separately. One is his concern with the formation of the scriptural reader as one who reads Scripture faithfully and well; the other is his sustained exegetical engagement with the three texts Neh. 9.6–37, Ezek. 20.5–32 and Acts 7.2–60. His recurring use of the term ‘scriptural readers’—which does not have much currency in scholarship—appears to mean the Christian reader who through interaction with the text (within a canonical context) enhances Christian virtues, which in turn reflect upon the reader's understanding of the texts. Such interest resides in a theological reading of Scripture, and O. surveys the contributions of Stephen Fowl and Gregory Jones, Kevin Vanhoozer, Sandra Schneiders, John Webster, Walter Moberly, Markus Bockmuehl and Richard Briggs in this regard. Many readers, both Christian and others alike, may well eschew the constraints upon reading that O.'s advocacy of scriptural reading entails and want to foreground the plurality of voices embedded in Scripture. That said, O.'s exegetical readings provide significant engagement with the texts that concern him and (beyond his concern to read them as Christian Scripture) contain much to engage the interest of scholars working with these texts and others that likewise retell the story of ancient Israel.
G.G. N
P
This book is a study of two terms, Hebrew ysr (רסי) and Greekpaideuo (παιδ∊ύω), in the context of a theology of God's educative role in the history of Israel, seeking an adequate philological evaluation of each and an assessment of their relationship to each other as the basis for the shaping of a valid theology. Considering that further clarification is justified, and in order to develop a more satisfactory understanding of the Greek usage for an appreciation of specifically LXX theology and of its hermeneutical trajectory, P. surveys the academic literature, showing a range of opinions on the meaning of the two terms, with the majority position appearing to be that the Hebrew has the primary sense of correction (‘discipline’, with more than a hint of corporal punishment), while the Greek tends to the sense of education. A survey of foreign cognates and semantically related terms follows, proceeding to detailed discussion of all instances of ysr in the MT, and isolation of those passages involving the deity. P. then turns to paideuo, considering its usage in classical and Hellenistic Greek, examining lexicography, parallel terms, the semantic field, and passages involving deities. Moving on to the LXX, he examines the respective usage of ysr and paideuo in various contexts, treats those passages involving the deity, and devotes a chapter to some problematic passages, to those where the two terms (Hebrew and Greek) do not appear in the same context, to ‘punishment’ passages, to various prophetic announcements, and to passages reflecting (non-Septuagintal) Hellenistic thought. The final part sketches a Septuagintal theology of divine education, and of its consequences. This is a thoroughly measured and detailed treatment of an interesting example of what is not at first glance a key theological term, but which has considerable significance for the theology of progressive revelation in history.
N. W
S
This reworked PhD thesis shows all the hallmarks of the careful and perceptive textual work done in Göttingen. It attempts to provide a new answer to the conundrum regarding the relationship of the Levites to the eponymous ancestor, and to explain at least in part the prominence of the patriarch Levi in later Second Temple literature. S. regards Genesis 29 and Exodus 2 as the oldest attestations of the word יול but the context does not provide much of interest for the figure. S. finds the oldest references to Levites as cult personnel in an exilic Ur-Deuteronomy (so no links to a Josian cult reform), possibly linked to the people remaining in Judah. The Priestly writings’ different viewpoint is related to their authors’ perspective as early returnees. S. denies a link to Bethel. According to S., Ezekiel is independent of Deuteronomy and the Priestly writings in its views on Levites. The book is full of useful literary observations on the texts, especially Deuteronomy, and this reviewer welcomes both the terminological rigour and the care which S. takes when moving from literary observation to historical reconstruction. With his study, S. has provided all researchers on Levites, Levi, the priests, Ezekiel and the Pentateuch more widely with a wealth of carefully analysed material. A great book.
J. S
S
The first part of this book offers a history of the concept of theology with regard to the Bible from antiquity to the present, which unsurprisingly concludes that, as ‘theology’ is commonly understood, ‘it is anachronistic to speak of theology in the Hebrew Bible’ (p. 48). The second part traces the emergence of a certain kind of what S. terms ‘implicit theology’ in the biblical documents themselves. This is essentially an intellectual process, a kind of inner-biblical interpretation, which develops the antecedent content of Israel's traditions, and is traceable, in various forms, in all the major strata of the biblical documents and in the formation of the canon. There are few surprises for those familiar with S.'s energetically growing oeuvre. For some readers, however, the confidence that S. expresses in depicting the tradition-history and composition of the biblical documents may appear as overconfidence, and some of the interpretations may seem hermeneutically underdeveloped. I was also struck that S. does not follow up one of his own most suggestive observations, when he follows Gerhard Ebeling in distinguishing between theology that the HB itself contains (his own concern in this book) and theology that results from the HB, which can ‘only exist as an endeavor imported from outside the Hebrew Bible’ (p. 50) (which, though legitimate, he eschews; hence perhaps the non-mention of scholars like Walter Brueggemann or Terence Fretheim anywhere). Yet he suggests that this latter is akin to a ‘grammar of the Hebrew language’ which is also ‘developed from outside’ (ibid.). Since a grammar helps one understand better what stands in the text, might not Jewish and Christian readings potentially do likewise, and so suggest a reconfiguring of the whole discussion?
R.W.L. M
S
The study of divination in the Hebrew Bible has become a well-populated field in recent years. S. has previously written extensively on magic and related topics, so that he here develops that previous work. Following a survey of scholarship he has chapters on relevant vocabulary relating both to practitioners (e.g. prophet, seer, dreamer) and processes (e.g. dreams, visions, necromancy), on media, including those both biblically acknowledged (e.g. Urim and Thummin, lots, ephod, teraphim) and other (e.g. masks, arrowheads), and finally a survey of the biblical attitudes regarding their legitimacy. Parts of the discussion appear somewhat sketchy and hurried, rather like an encyclopaedia (partly because of reliance on his own previous research while not attending as fully as he might to that of others), but biblical scholars will find especially helpful S.'s well-informed appeal to relevant archaeological evidence and to the different social settings within which divination was practised, whether official or more private and within the family. Needless to say, he also notes the marked change in attitude towards divination before and after the exile, with Deuteronomy very much the fulcrum.
H.G.M. W
S
The central claim of this monograph is that belief in the presence of disembodied souls (independent of their corporeal forms), as evidenced in ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian cosmology, was known and accepted by the biblical scribes. Among the wide-ranging sources which support this view, the Aramaic text of the Katumuwa funerary stele from Zincirli, Turkey, receives substantial attention. This states, לביו ובבבל לביונז בענב יז ישבנל ‘a ram for Kubaba, a ram for my soul, which is in this stele’, where the author explains, ‘this does not mean that the stele is the eternal resting place of his שבנ it is merely a pied-à-terre for visits from the netherworld’ (p. 11). The particular (some might say inventive) interpretation of the obscurities in Ezekiel 13.17–21, however, raises a number of semiotic and methodological difficulties relating to the process of the trapping of a dream soul and its transformation into a bird soul. Moreover, the proposed distinctions between the שפנ ‘nefesh’ (vitality/person/life/soul) and the חוד (spirit/soul) are not always sufficiently differentiated from the המשנ (life's breath) in this study. The volume is otherwise packed with rich linguistic insights and is available for download at http://www.sbl-site.org/Publications/Books_ANEmonographs.aspx.
S. J
V
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (III) above.