Abstract
I. Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
A
In the laws of Deuteronomy centralization is linked to a number of other legislative themes, including the prohibition of idolatry, the tithing legislation, the festival calendar, and the responsibilities of judicial officials and priests. A.'s study, which originated as a PhD at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, is an analysis of these themes across the entire Enneateuch. A. believes that scholarship has emphasized the diachronic development of centralization to the detriment of synchronic and literary perspectives; he seeks to do justice to both. Historical-critical approaches have emphasized the Josianic period, and A. agrees with that stress, but argues for it on the basis of the rhetorical and literary focus of the Enneateuch. The Enneateuch is intended to show its exilic audience the ultimate failure of the Josianic reform and to motivate a new reform—one focused on the prohibition of idolatry. Besides introductory and concluding chapters, the book consists of separate chapters devoted to each of the legislative themes. In each of these chapters the legislative theme is examined through an exegesis of relevant texts across the entire Enneateuch. The undertaking is rather ambitious, and difficult texts receive attention that is rather too cursory. As a result, some recent critical options that merit consideration are overlooked.
N. M
A
The author sets out to ‘provide a more nuanced and exhaustive understanding of the term gēr in the book of Deuteronomy’ (p. 11) than has yet appeared. He starts by revisiting scholarly interpretations of the historical and social provenance of the gēr, and the compositional strata of the term in Deuteronomy. He looks at ANE comparisons. He then examines each gēr text in Deuteronomy. The text Deut. 23.2–9 may be read as a ‘missing link’, pointing to the social and religious integration of the non-Israelite into the community of YHWH's covenant people. In his demarcation between the gēr/Egypt and ‘ebed/Egypt formulae, A. draws on the work of J. Ramírez Kidd (see B.L. 2000, p. 121): with the co-existence of these formulae, Israel is being taught not just to remember its origins, but how and why to remember. On the basis of D's revision of Exodus 20–23 and the independence of H's laws, A. re-evaluates the evolution of the Pentateuchal laws concerning the gēr, thereby enabling an understanding of Deut. 14.21 that redefines Israel's status as YHWH's holy people in terms of cultic purity and a calling to emulate YHWH's generosity to the gēr. Finally, the work re-examines the social and religious integration of the gēr in the light of D's theology of election. In spite of its detailed analysis, the work does not lose the broader picture and advances our understanding of the points under discussion. The extensive footnotes enhance its reference value. This book is an important contribution to studies of Deuteronomy.
F. H
B
This volume replaces J. Blenkinsopp's introduction to the Pentateuch published in the same series in 1992 (see B.L. 1993, p. 73). The approach to the biblical text could not be more different. While Blenkinsopp realized the limitations of the Documentary Hypothesis and offered several new insights into the literary origin of the Pentateuch by re-evaluating the nature of the sources and their respective dating, B. skilfully resurrects the Documentary Hypothesis in its most classic form. As in his earlier work (J, E, and the Redaction of the Pentateuch [2009]; see B.L. 2010, pp. 75–76), B. assumes that the four sources of the Pentateuch (J, E, D, and P) were largely independent of each other prior to being joined by a final redactor. ‘When the Pentateuch is read with a careful eye toward the narrative inconsistencies and continuities alike, the individual fragments coalesce into four strands or sources, each of which is internally consistent, and markedly distinct, in its historical claims’ (p. 20). In the current work the methodological chapters on the individual sources are ‘interrupted’ by case studies of Gen. 37.18–38, Numbers 11, Numbers 16, Exodus 14 and Genesis 35. These studies demonstrate how a redactor maintains the individual sources while combining them into a larger literary entity. The simplicity of the theory is certainly one of its major appeals and so is the certainty with which B. assigns text to the different sources. The total neglect of any form of (relative) dating of the sources, however, is reason for concern. The European-trained scholar may well be reluctant to accept that we are now back to an interpretative model which was a heuristic construct in the first place and which we thought had been successfully overcome.
A.C. H
B
Genesis 37–50, with its well-known story and relatively easy Hebrew, is a good text for beginning Hebraists. Hence its frequent use as a set text in first-year courses, not least in my home university. So this book will be welcomed by many. It is the sixth such Baylor Handbook, and follows a similar format to the previous ones, also reviewed in the B.L.: Jonah (B.L. 2008 pp. 246–47), Genesis 1–11 and Amos (B.L. 2009, pp. 227, 230–31), Ruth (B.L. 2011, p. 130) and Malachi (below, p. 77–78). Following a brief introduction to discourse analysis, it provides grammatical and syntactical analysis systematically of every word and phrase. The introduction to discourse analysis has varied somewhat over the series, but I expect most users will skip straight to the linguistic analysis. Any such aid is useful if it enables students to move beyond the hard graft of language-learning to the goal of linguistic understanding. Of course, an aid can become a crutch never relinquished, but that is the fault of the user rather than the aid. So like its predecessors, this volume is to be warmly welcomed.
P.S. J
C
The book is an outcome of the ‘Reading Genesis 1–2’ symposium that was convened in 2011 in Chattanooga. As the book's title suggests, the essays come from Evangelical scholars. The volume is divided into two parts. The first part, entitled ‘Five Views on Interpreting Genesis 1–2’, follows the format of books entitled ‘X Views on …’, that is, each of the essays is followed by responses from the proponents of the other views. This part consists of essays from Richard E. Averbeck, ‘Genesis 1 and 2 as Observational Cosmogony and Cosmology: A Literary, Inter-Textual, and Contextual Reading’; Todd S. Beall, ‘Reading Genesis 1–2: A Literal Approach’; C. John Collins, ‘Reading Genesis 1–2 with the Grain: Analogical Days’; Tremper Longman III, ‘What Genesis 1–2 Teaches (and What it Doesn't)’; and John H. Walton, ‘Reading Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology’. The second part of the volume is entitled ‘Reading Genesis Now’ and consists of two essays: Kenneth J. Turner, ‘Teaching Genesis 1 at a Christian College’; and Jud Davis, ‘Unresolved Questions: Evangelicals and Genesis 1–2’. The essays, although they do not introduce any new arguments, prove that one cannot speak of the Evangelical perspective on Genesis 1–2. What connects them, however, is a belief in the infallibility of the Bible. The reader who does not share such an assumption may find some of the arguments in the book unnecessary, at best. Overall, the volume serves as a good introduction to the widely discussed topic within Evangelical circles of interpreting the first chapters of the Book of Genesis.
R.J. M
C
The bulk of this revised doctoral dissertation (originally written in Hebrew under Israel Knohl in Jerusalem, 2006) is a thorough close study of four passages that C. identifies as ‘oracular novellas’: Lev. 24.10–13; Num. 9.1–14; Num. 15.32–36; and Num. 27.1–11. The introduction defines the scope of the study, delineating the key characteristics of this Pentateuchal sub-genre, notably as narratives of incidents that trigger new law outside the established framework of Torah, and involving Moses delivering judicial ruling. There is some variety in how far the four passages each fit all the criteria (e.g. the Num. 15 one does not articulate ongoing statutory law), and there is also some introductory discussion about other passages that overlap some of the criteria, but even so, by the end of the introduction, there is a coherent set of passages in view. C. then proceeds, with meticulous attention to detail, through each one of the ‘novellas’, attending in particular to questions of internal coherence and poetics, compositional and tradition history, location in the Priestly history, and then inter-relationships with other texts in the Hebrew Bible. There is quite some variety in how each passage works according to these various angles of approach. A brief conclusion turns to wider questions of how these novellas model the core historiographical construction of a society's values through the embedding of law in narrative contexts. The wide diversity of how such construction works across the four passages perhaps mitigates against drawing more than the broadest of conclusions at this point. The real strength of the overall book lies instead in its four text-focused case studies, each of which offers perceptive analysis of the specific passage at hand.
R.S. B
C
For a review of this volume, see Section 3 above.
D
This collection of 24 invited essays covers a variety of aspects of the book of Exodus. In the first section (General Topics) are: reading Exodus in Tetrateuch and Pentateuch (W. Johnstone); Exodus in the Pentateuch (K. Schmid); Exodus and history (L.L. Grabbe). In section 2 (Issues in Interpretation) are remarks on the recent discussion about origins and composition of the Exodus narrative (J.C. Gertz); reflections on the Priestly version of the Exodus narrative (T. Römer); wilderness material in Exodus 15–18 (R. Albertz); lawgiving at the mountain of God (Exodus 19–24) (W. Oswald); decalogue (C. Dohmen); the Covenant Code (Exodus 20.23–23.19) (D.P. Wright); the promise of the land as oath in Exodus 32.1–33.3 (S. Boorer); tabernacle (H. Utzschneider). Section 3 is Textual Transmission and Reception History: Exodus in the Dead Sea Scrolls (S.W. Crawford); textual and translation issues in Greek Exodus (L.J. Greenspoon); Exodus in Syriac (J.A. Lund); the Vetus Latina and the Vulgate of Exodus (D.L. Everson); Exodus theology of the Palestinian Targumim (B. Chilton); Exodus in Philo of Alexandria (G.E. Sterling); Exodus in the NT (C.A. Evans); Exodus in Josephus (P. Spilsbury); reception of Exodus in the Book of Jubilees (L. Doering); Exodus in the Fathers (J.C. Elowsky); Exodus in rabbinic literature (B.L. Visotzky). The fourth and final section is Exodus and Theology: the God who gives rest (W. Brueggemann); issues of agency in Exodus (T.E. Fretheim). Anyone interested in the book of Exodus should find studies of interest here.
L.L. G
E
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (II) below.
F
This collection of papers is part-derived from a symposium on the title topic held at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, in April 2011, and the ongoing collaborative research project that hosted it. After Frevel's fine introductory overview of the current debates concerning Numbers in relation to, within, and as Torah, there are 14 further contributions (3 in German, the rest in English): ‘The Book of Numbers—Formation, Composition, and Interpretation of a Late Part of the Torah. Some Introductory Remarks’ (Christian Frevel); ‘Back to the Future: The Twofold Priestly Concept of History’ (Thomas Pola); ‘Egypt Nostalgia in Exodus 14–Numbers 21’ (Thomas Römer); ‘Numeri als eigene Komposition’ (Horst Seebass); ‘The Priestly Laws of Numbers, the Holiness Legislation, and the Pentateuch’ (Christophe Nihan); ‘Ending with the High Priest: The Hierarchy of Priests and Levites in the Book of Numbers’ (Christian Frevel); ‘The Spy Story and the Final Redaction of the Hexateuch’ (Aaron Schart); ‘Complementary Reading of the Torah in the Priestly Texts of Numbers 15’ (Reinhard Achenbach); ‘Source Stratification, Secondary Additions, and the Documentary Hypothesis in the Book of Numbers: The Case of Numbers 17’ (Joel S. Baden); ‘“Lo we perish”: A Reading of Numbers 17:27–20:29’ (Adriane Leveen); ‘Die Verfehlung Moses und Aarons in Num 20,1–13∗ P’ (Herbert Specht); ‘Sihon und Og in Num 21,21ff.∗ und Dtn 2,24ff.∗—Ein Beitrag zur Entstehung des Buches Numeri’ (Ludwig Schmidt); ‘The Balaam Narrative in the Pentateuch/Hexateuch/Enneateuch’ (Jonathan Miles Robker); ‘Numbers 32: The Problem of the Two and a Half Transjordanian Tribes and the Final Composition of the Book of Numbers’ (Olivier Artus); ‘The Books of Deuteronomy and Numbers in One Torah. The Book of Numbers Read in the Horizon of the Postexilic Fortschreibung in the Book of Deuteronomy: New Horizons in the Interpretation of the Pentateuch’ (Eckart Otto). All this is ample testimony to the surprising state of play whereby (a) the old documentary hypothesis is basically gone, despite the work of Baden, who tends to offer little by way of independent rationale for his repristinated 4-source theory; (b) Numbers as a result has moved centre-stage, since it never fitted well into a JEDP-style undertaking, but now stands as a kind of summative forum for investigating the merging of P and non-P; and (c) the new jockeying for position between variant forms of priestly redaction and imperial authorization splinters into a vast new array of reading possibilities for the hitherto relatively neglected textual corpus that is Numbers (no longer seen as a ‘book’ as such, probably rightly). As has happened before with the Pentateuch, the questions asked are lucid and probing, while our capacity to answer them remains rather limited. The most compelling pieces here are those susceptible to being recast as (or on rare occasions, such as Leveen, presented as) ‘readings’ rather than historical hypotheses. The prize for the best/worst pun goes to Robker's subtitle: ‘The Teuchs of Hazard: The Balaam Pericope in the Pentateuch, Hexateuch, and Enneateuch’. Mind you, it was not a crowded field.
R.S. B
G
This is an elegant and well-written guide through the over-exposed but underappreciated text of Genesis 1–11, which may be recommended as a good model of informed running commentary for the interested general reader. G. eschews full critical engagement, though he is clearly abreast of scholarly perspectives. One of the real highlights is his unerring ability to stick to the issues that will most concern thoughtful readers wanting to learn about God, life, and the world from the beginning of their Bibles. In case after case, G. discusses all and only those questions which tend to occupy interested enquirers, and he generally furnishes just enough technical data to clarify why he prefers one out of a number of possible readings, as well as knowing when to say ‘we do not know’. All of this adds up to something of a master-class, and perhaps thereby also offers a model of what responsible theological reading can look like. One question might concern the way that a thoughtful reading of Genesis is factored into the reader's theological understanding. G. focuses on uncovering the meaning of the text by way of comparing with ANE parallels. He makes some use of later and other canonical views, but tends to prefer ‘what the author meant’. Some apparent ‘misunderstanding’, though, could be informed re-reading, as indeed he occasionally allows. The style is relaxed and engaging: an anecdote about ‘whapping’ snakes in his Louisiana garden illuminates Genesis 3 unexpectedly. He also has the funniest illustration I have read in a long time, involving chasing a student down the corridor trying to get them to read the
R.S. B
J
The heart of this study lies in a detailed redaction-critical analysis of Exodus 3–4. It is preceded by an exhaustive coverage of the history of redaction criticism in Pentateuchal study. The results achieved on Exodus 3–4 are then set in relation to what follows, the confrontation with the Pharaoh and the plague narrative, with conclusions then drawn about the most appropriate approach to the wider question of the formation of the Pentateuch. On Exodus 3–4 it is concluded that an ‘initial composition’, the call narrative in its earliest form, has had five stages of redaction. The basic layer, a deuteronomistic composition, has no reference to the plagues, and the ‘fathers’ are not the patriarchs but the exodus generation. Subsequent stages of redaction are also deuteronomistic, though the latest shows literary connection with P. Some of the layers of the call narrative are continued into the account of Moses’ confrontation with the Pharaoh, but the relationship between the call narrative and the plague story is complex: it is only in a late non-deuteronomistic redactional layer of the call narrative that an early form of the plague story is presupposed. The overall result tends to confirm Erhard Blum's approach to Pentateuchal criticism, but is more complex, not only in finding more stages of redaction but also in arguing that different narrative units have experienced different formation processes. This is in general a clear, logical and well-argued study.
A.D.H. M
J
This book on the place names of Genesis arose from a project of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) at Heidelberg University, where J. is Professor of Biblical Archaeology (Old Testament). It is a very thorough and detailed study that is exceedingly well documented throughout, containing over 1500 items in the bibliography. The place names are considered in the order of their (first) occurrence within four successive sections of Genesis: the Primaeval History, the Abraham narrative, the Jacob story and the Joseph story. The book's conclusions are generally judicious. For example, J. rightly understands Asshur to be Assyria rather than the city name in Gen. 2.14 and resists the temptation to think that Kush refers to the land of the Kassites rather than Nubia in Gen. 2.13; 10.8. But of course there are inevitably a few places where one may disagree; for example, Pishon, which flows around the land of Havilah in Gen. 2.11, can hardly be the Blue Nile, since all the evidence suggests that Havilah is in Arabia. The reader should also be aware that many of the place names in the Genesis 10 table of nations are not included in this study, which is a pity. The book has generally been well proof-read but on p. 45 the date of Alexander the Great's death should be 323, not 332,
J. D
K
‘Was Noah saved by grace or merit?’ might be a particularly Protestant phrasing, but the issue of Noah's righteousness and its impact on God's flood actions has been debated since the first century
E.A. H
M
In the introduction M. presents the rationale for an analogy between a ritual system and a language, and proposes the viability of a systematic grammar of sacrifice. Use of specialized sigla and technical terms allows elements of sacrifice to be defined with precision. A formal presentation of the grammar occurs at the end of the book, with its four main categories expounded in the body of the book. ‘Zoemics’ treats the categories of animals acceptable for sacrificial offerings. ‘Jugation’ looks at the acceptable combinations of animal and non-animal material. ‘Hierarchics’ is the study of the more complex combination of rituals and animals. ‘Praxemics’ explores the sequential order of ritual activities and the various participants. The focus is on the Priestly Writings of the Pentateuch, but M. carefully notes differences and developments in the Qumranic and later rabbinic texts. These may arise from semantic change, but could also be due to new or expanded rituals generated by underlying ‘grammatical’ principles. Along the way M. proposes a number of new interpretations of sacrificial terms and ritual process. A more theoretical chapter surveys various approaches to the meaning of sacrifice and questions whether any of them can do justice to the detailed grammar. The final chapter returns to the initial analogy and questions whether ‘grammar’ is a sufficiently accurate term for what has been achieved. This impressive work will be essential reading for anyone working on sacrifice, although many will want to expand on the minimalist approach to its meaning.
P.P. J
R
R.'s monograph on the story of Phinehas derives from his doctoral research under Jione Havea at Charles Sturt University School of Theology in Australia. It is a thorough analysis of Numbers 25, from a range of angles, and bracketed by some brief thoughts on the state of the practice of biblical studies today. He begins with careful cataloguing of the interpretations of others: one chapter on ancient (imaginative) rereadings; another tracing the arc from Calvin through to critical commentary (with a focus on G.B. Gray, J. Milgrom, and B. Levine). He then offers a cautious ‘historically oriented’ reading that attends patiently to difficult details of the text, before launching into a ‘narrative exploration’ that rehearses standard literary categories. The latter begins to move towards an actual thesis as it observes how the narrator orientates the reader towards support of Phinehas (and YHWH), which then leads in to R.'s two final chapters on resistant reading. Here he deploys feminist and postcolonial reading, in the latter case incorporating a review of the theory before bringing it to bear on the focal chapter. Both studies rightly show that there is much to be debated when these resistant frameworks are brought to the text, although arguably that is not exactly an unexpected result. The framing chapters lament recent calls for ‘the end of biblical studies’, on the grounds that scholarship needs to equip readers against over-zealous appropriation of the text by believing communities. The near-irresistible image of ‘a mosaic reading’ is offered to characterize the multiple approaches that might bloom in this biblical studies equivalent of a cultural revolution. R. writes clearly and with fairness to all he surveys, and has done a stalwart job of describing multiple interpretations of Numbers 25. Some of its obvious lacunae are pondered (e.g. Moses’ apparent alteration of the divine command) but no new resolutions are proffered. The overall conclusions—we must condemn violence; we must keep (re)reading—may not persuade all readers that they needed this much rehearsal of Numbers 25 to get to them.
R.S. B
S
For a review of this volume, see Section 9 below.
S
S. is an enthusiastic protagonist of ‘neo-Documentarian’ scholarship. His earlier book on Pentateuchal criticism (Rewriting the Torah: Literary Revision in Deuteronomy and the Holiness Legislation [2007]) was noted in B.L. 2008, pp. 180–81. Now, drawing on Joel Baden's J, E, and the Redaction of the Pentateuch (2009; noted in B.L. 2010, pp. 75–76), S. seeks to undercut Wellhausen's still-influential account of ‘prophecy’ and ‘law’ by drawing on a completed dissection of JE at which Wellhausen himself had balked. His central claim is that E in the eighth/seventh century
A.G. A
W
W. offers a redactional analysis of the Abraham, Jacob and Joseph stories to argue that the Priestly version of the patriarchal narrative is not part of an originally separate source, but an expansion of a pre-existing, non-Priestly patriarchal narrative. He contends, by contrast, that the P material in Genesis 1–11 and that which follows Exodus 6 is an independent source. W. concludes, therefore, that the question of whether P is a source or a series of redactional additions is a false dichotomy. Intriguing and worthy of further investigation as this point is, W. does not advance arguments for understanding P in Genesis 1–11 and Exodus 6ff as an independent source, so it is impossible to evaluate the claim fully. What he does argue in detail is that there are subtle yet significant distinctions in how the text depicts Abraham, Isaac and Jacob interacting with their relatives such as Lot and Esau, who represent foreign groups living in Judah, and the people of the land, who represent the Judahites that remain in the land after 586
C.A. S
Z
Z. is Emeritus Father Takeji Otsuki Professor of Bible at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Here he aims to write a biography of Jacob, the Patriarch, a literary biography, not historical. His method is what he calls ‘literary archaeology’ (p. 9), an investigation of literary traditions that are preserved in sources both inside and outside the Bible. Jacob of Genesis is a complicated figure, both villain and saint. Z. presents a balanced image of him, examining his life story as presented by Genesis, but also reading ‘between the lines’ to investigate what was not explicitly told. Z. demonstrates what clever storytellers the biblical writers actually were. He shows how traditions have been reused and adapted to give the picture of Jacob in Genesis. He also shows how traditions about Jacob were used and echoed in other parts of the Bible. In this way he opens a window on the religious and political environments in which the Bible was produced, and sheds light on early Judaism. This is a well-written book, thought-provoking and rich in perspectives, deserving a broad readership. I like it!
H. H
Z
Z. is Distinguished Professor of Biblical Literature and Northwest Semitic Languages at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. He explains that the book has emerged from years of discussions in classrooms and privately with biblical scholars, students and ‘ordinary’ people. He distinguishes between ‘What happened?’ (on the surface of the text) and ‘What really happened?’ (there is more to the story). From the latter perspective Z. looks to history of interpretation and other perspectives opened up or indicated by the story. In Part One he takes up the question of how the Eden narrative was perceived ‘then’ and how it is perceived ‘now’, focusing on ‘The Fall in Interpretation’, ‘The Fall in the Hebrew Bible’, ‘Who Wrote the Garden Story and When’, readers’ responses to the interpretation of the Garden story, and an evaluation of the Garden story. After spending 70 pages on those questions, he presents a detailed exegesis of the Garden Story in Part Two under the heading ‘Before Then’. In Part Three, ‘Then and Now’, he sets out what he sees as ‘The Essential Plot of the Garden Story’, followed by his own literal translation of the story, followed in turn by a consideration of ‘Allusions to the Garden Story in the Hebrew Bible’. At the end of the book he argues ‘Contra the Common Interpretation’. The Garden narrative is no myth, because it is chronologically anchored. But it is far more important in Christian tradition than in Jewish tradition. The book has 60 pages of endnotes, 20 pages of bibliography and 10 pages of index. Z. writes from a Jewish perspective, which some Christian theological perspectives might find provocative. This is an extremely stimulating book and an easily accessible read.
H. H
II. Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings)
A
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (I) above.
B
This collection publishes a 2012 conference at Jena University. Half of the 12 essays here are in English and half in German. On ‘General Aspects’ are these essays: the source(s) of the text parallels between Samuel/Kings and Chronicles (I. Kalimi, in German), the text of Chronicles and the beginnings of Samuel (A.G. Auld), Chronicles and Samuel/Kings as two interacting aspects of a single memory system in the late Persian/early Hellenistic period (E. Ben Zvi), some observations on method with regard to Samuel, Chronicles and post-Chronistic revisions (C. Nihan). ‘Case Studies’ include the decline of the house of Eli and the rise of Zadok (G. Hentschel, in German), post-Chronistic traces in the narratives about the ark (P. Porzig), the theophoric element Baal between Samuel and Chronicles (R. Müller, in German), how ‘Deuteronomistic’ is the speech of Samuel in 1 Samuel 12 (Becker, in German), elaborated literary violence in the genre and ideology of 1 Sam. 22.6–23 and 2 Sam. 21.1–14 (J. Hutzli), 2 Sam. 21.1–14 and 23.1–7 as post-Chronistic additions to the Samuel scroll (C. Edenburg), Chronicles-influenced corrections in the picture of Saul in the books of Samuel (H. Bezzel, in German), late reworkings in the David tradition (T. Rudnig, in German). The editors have provided a welcome introduction that summarizes and integrates the various essays.
L.L. G
B
For a review of this volume, see Section 6 below.
B
B
Coming some 30 years after his first edition, B.'s revision of his commentary is more substantial than other revisions within this series. Evidence for this can immediately be seen in that his original commentary was only one volume of xlii + 304 pages, or roughly the same length as the second (and shorter) volume alone in the revision. It is clear that B. has been thorough, with all areas substantially rewritten. The introduction alone would now constitute a medium-length monograph on Joshua in current study and is roughly four times as long as its predecessor. Bibliographies, long one of the strengths of the series, have also been updated, while the argument throughout now engages with more recent scholarship, though as his foreword is dated to New Year's Day in 2011 there has been some delay in the work actually being published. Excursuses (on Yahweh war, the Ban and the Philistines) are now marked out by being printed on different-coloured paper. Nevertheless, although he is particularly aware of criticism that has been directed at him from more conservative scholarship, B.'s basic take on the book of Joshua has not changed. So, the tradition-historical focus of the original, though making full use of critical tools, remains a theologically conservative reading of the book. However, this hermeneutical stance means he is critical of both highly conservative readings and more recent critical scholarship, and the thoroughness and irenic spirit with which this is done means this updated edition should ensure that B.'s work remains current for the next 30 years too.
D.G. F
C
For a review of this volume, see Section 7 below.
D
In this accessible, well-informed introduction D.-W. aims to ‘sensitize’ readers of the historical books in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament to much in the text that ancient readers would have taken for granted. Accordingly, its five chapters deal with the context in which the books concerned arose; the narrative forms they use; what may be discovered of the interests of these texts; the notion of historiography that informs them; and the shape of the past presented by the writers. A summarizing conclusion assists our retention of the main points made. Each chapter ends with some helpful questions addressing the topics covered in that section. The use of such study aids indicates the book's rooting in the teaching of the subject at undergraduate level, as does the frequent employment of illustrations that assume a readership of North American college kids. However, these cultural specificities should not prevent this introduction being of great use in other contexts, given its virtues of clarity, erudition and moderation. Admittedly there is no discussion here of the claims of those scholars who insist that these texts are ideology, empty of historical information; nor much in the way of scepticism about the existence of a mysterious being called the ‘Deuteronomistic Historian’. However, readers who take to heart the methodology propounded here should be in a much better position to make up their own minds about such disputed questions if and when they encounter them.
P. H
E
The ten articles collected in this volume discuss the various ways in which the Book of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings became authoritative scripture during the Persian Period. Here the focus is not on the literary history of each individual book as such but on themes and topics that made these works of interest to readers during a period that was formative for biblical literature. As such the volume can be seen as an evaluation of the early stages of what would become the biblical canon. Though not mainly concerned with the current debate about the existence (or non-existence) of a Deuteronomistic History, the selection of texts shows that such a corpus may be assumed. After an introduction by the editor, each book is treated by two essays. P.R. Davies investigates the authority of Deuteronomy while C. Levin shows how Deuteronomy was read and reread during the Persian and Hellenistic period by using the concepts of an ethics of brotherhood and the care of the poor. E.A. Knauf argues that Joshua might be a self-contained book but ‘it is impossible to read Joshua without the Torah’ (p. 84). S. Frolov agrees, stressing how firmly the book is anchored in the Enneateuch that already exercised some authority during the Persian period. Y. Amit and S. Gillmayr-Bucher tackle Judges, which is seen as the beginning of Israelite history writing (Amit) as well as providing a ‘highly reflective retrospective view’ (Gillmayr-Bucher) (p. 132). T. Bolin and K.P. Adam investigate the authority of 1–2 Samuel, seeing it as an educational tool of Jewish elites (Bolin) as well as providing legal reflections in narrative form (Adam). Finally, T. Römer and J.R. Linville look at Kings. Here the authority of dead kings is noted as well as the impact on the status of Deuteronomy (and the rest of the Torah) when kings and prophets are submitted to the Mosaic Law. A detailed bibliography as well as indexes conclude the interesting volume.
A.C. H
G
This is a fine contribution to the study of the book of Judges. A methodological introduction starts by explaining PWT (Possible Worlds Theory): the interplay of narratorial actual world, actual world, and textual actual world, enhanced by the private domain of the characters (their ‘worlds’ of knowledge, intention, wish, morality and obligation). Then the relationship of multiperspectival narration and diachronic textual analysis is discussed. A reading of the whole book is offered in eleven successive narrated worlds. Nameless women often feature in main roles, though not Jael and Delilah. There is a good account of Jotham's fable. The model of judge as leading figure deconstructed in Samson's narrated world leads to a new posing of the leadership question; but the book offers no positive criteria for a leading figure. Foreign kings are portrayed as caricatures of great rulers, while their peoples are not clearly characterized. The author concludes that the book of Judges appears to be an implicit summons (at the end of the Persian period) to those who know what is right and wrong, good and bad, and who have access to divine direction, to remember the past and do justice to the task of (re)constructing Israel. In canonical perspective, its centre of gravity is clearly different from the neighbouring books of Joshua and Samuel, which largely maintain the concept of great leading personalities.
A.G. A
K
This detailed and well-informed study of Joshua 1–5 began life as a dissertation submitted to Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, in 2013. In it, K. notes that the goal of the exodus was entry into the promised land, and that therefore there is an important intertextual link between Exodus and Joshua, particularly in Joshua 1–5. The study then explores this relationship through diachronic and synchronic modes of reading this text, with the work broken into three main sections. In the first, the diachronic work is rooted in the textual history of Joshua, with attention given to the Greek text and its Vorlage, the MT and the Qumran fragments. Synchronically, K. seeks to provide a methodology for determining intertextual relationships which emphasizes the need for process while allowing for a degree of art. This is then applied in the second section, which is the heart of the study, to detailed readings of Joshua 1, 2, 3–4 and 5, though he also devotes a chapter to the issue of the reading of the Torah in light of 4QJosha. The third section is only one chapter, and offers a synthesis of the preceding sections. In this reviewer's opinion, the work is stronger on the diachronic elements, recognizing both pre-deuteronomistic and post-priestly elements in the text, but the work is in general thorough and well argued.
D.G. F
M
M. is a graduate from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches biblical theology and interpretation at Azusa Pacific University. This book is an elaboration of his dissertation, for which M. especially credits Dr Pamela Scalise and Dr John Goldingay. In his book M. highlights the role of theology in the story of David's departure and return as it appears in 2 Samuel 14–20. He begins with a chapter on ‘How to Do Things with Theological Words’, which is basic for his argumentation. Then follows ‘An Overview of Perspectives on the Function of 2 Samuel 14–20’, and a substantial chapter on ‘Speech Act Theory and David's Departure and Return’. The rest of the book is exegesis of chs. 14–20. In his analysis of the narrative M. employs speech act theory, which I perceive as a variant of rhetorical analysis. M. himself explains that ‘speech act theory is based on the recognition that words can be used to accomplish a variety of tasks that extend beyond the function of describing reality. Words can affect reality’ (p. 1). His special interest is in ways in which speech act theory has been applied to biblical narrative. The thesis of his book is that speech act theory illuminates the integral role of theology in the story of David's departure and return. Theology is a catalyst necessary to the plot, he argues. The book is well written and a good study.
H. H
M
As commentaries often do, M.'s begins with an introduction which makes it clear how it will proceed. While not denying the probability that 2 Samuel has a compositional history of some complexity, M. largely eschews such concerns along with the questions of 2 Samuel's place within the so-called Deuteronomistic History which have diverted scholarship on the books of Samuel recently. Instead, in keeping with the focus of the series of which it is a part, M.'s commentary attends to 2 Samuel as a work of literary art and indeed as great literature. By M.'s own admission, his goal is less an ‘analysis’ than a ‘paraphrase’ which sets out to describe a masterpiece with the eye of the art lover, rather than to decode or dissect it with the eye of the critic. Predictably then, M.'s interlocutors as the commentary unfolds turn out to be scholars of great literature as often as they are specifically biblical critics, and perhaps even more often and at greater length they are the creators of other works of great literature and art including Dickens, Faulkner, Rembrandt and especially Shakespeare. The result is a sensitive and at times genuinely insightful reading which consistently attends to the warp and woof of the Hebrew narrative of 2 Samuel itself and to the development of characters and themes which find their echoes in much later works of literary art. Chief among the various themes M. discerns in 2 Samuel is the divine deliverance of David, a conclusion which is relatively uncontroversial because it is so eminently defensible.
D. S
P
In his thorough literary survey of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings, P. reaffirms Noth's view of the final editor of the DtrH as relatively light-handed in his use of substantial earlier sources, but also makes a strong argument for ‘a plausible basis in real history’ for the DtrH (p. 4, quote from R. Albertz). By demonstrating the possibility of Hittite influence on the macro-structure of Deuteronomy, and hence the availability of Deuteronomic ideas from early times, he proposes the tenth-century priest Abiathar from Anathoth as author of both Judges (shaping earlier source material) and 1–2 Samuel, as well as editor of Deuteronomy (lightly) and editor/compiler of Joshua. 1–2 Kings is then seen as largely the work of the prophet Jeremiah, who finally brought together and completed the historical records of the ‘school’ of his priestly predecessors in Anathoth. By carefully tying most of the editorial material commonly attributed to the Deuteronomist(s) to one or other of his two primary ‘Deuteronomist’ author-editors, P. gives the DtrH an attractively simple historical Sitz im Leben, which acts as an ‘Ockham's razor’ against both the multiplication of redactional layers and the increasing tendency to date the DtrH late in its entirety. Those sharing his presuppositional stance of early Deuteronomic influence may well question the evidence for tenth-century reshaping of Deuteronomy and Joshua, or propose contemporaries of Abiathar as more likely authors of Judges or 1–2 Samuel. However, P.'s careful exegesis and resulting holistic theory cannot be ignored by scholars of the DtrH.
J.E. P
T
The main aim of this Chicago doctoral dissertation is to establish that there was a pre-Deuteronomic Hezekiah History (HH). It started with the reign of Solomon (∗1 Kgs 3.1) and concluded with the B1 account of the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib (2 Kgs 19.37). The first half of the work argues from the regnal formulae, subjecting each clause to minute analysis and bringing in comparative data as well. The second half provides careful discussion of some of the main elements in the HH (reign of Solomon, division of the monarchy, and the reign of Hezekiah) in order to determine exactly what was in it. An appendix gives a Hebrew text and translation of the results. The work argues in such detail and with such an admirably abundant attention to a wide spread of secondary literature that there is a danger of the reader sometimes losing the thread of the argument if careful attention is not paid throughout, though there are helpful summaries along the way as well. T. is not the first to have proposed that an early form of the history concluded with Hezekiah, but this has to be by far the fullest form of the argument to date. It is also unusual, at least, to dissociate the result from any Deuteronomic connection, a conclusion in line with some other recent work on DtrH as a whole. It will take time to assimilate and assess the long, detailed and varied forms of argument advanced here, but whatever the outcome of that process it is clear that this is a significant contribution to scholarship.
H.G.M. W
III. Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea-Malachi)
A
This commentary on Joel presents its major thesis in Part I, followed by Parts II, III and IV on the three structural segments identified on the basis of different speakers: 1.2–2.17 by the prophet contains four pericopes about locusts (real and metaphorical); the divine reply in 2.18–4.17 concerns locusts and drought (2.18–27) and political oppression (3.1–4.17); and a summary in 4.18–21 again addresses agricultural (4.18) and national (4.19–21) salvation. Controversially, A. situates Joel during the Babylonian exile but written to those still in the land, which if accepted would make the book a major contribution to knowledge of this period. 4.1–8, mentioning the scattering of Israel by Phoenicia and Philistia, is seen as the strongest evidence for a post-586 dating, despite the problematic lack of any reference to Babylon. A. also argues, though, that priests and cultic rituals of grain and drink offerings are compatible with a ruined Temple (cf. Jer. 41), and that distinctive messages of the prophet fit with the exilic period, such as absence of rebuke, or despair and reassurance. He concludes, therefore, that the prophet's primary aim was to promote corporate prayer in the ruined Temple, and gently to persuade the remaining Judahites that the Temple's destruction (never mentioned in Joel) did not signify that their bond with God had been severed. A. acknowledges that this would be an enormous theological innovation, contradicting other exilic prophets. Although his dating may be unpersuasive, his perceptive exegesis makes the book well worth considering.
J.E. P
B
This monograph is a revised version of the author's doctoral dissertation (supervised by Mark Boda), originally submitted to McMaster Divinity College in April 2011. After a brief survey of the debates concerning the unresolved problems of dating and composition of Joel, the so-called ‘problem child of the Old Testament’, B. enters the milieu of rhetorical criticism. By adapting and building on the foundational work of rhetorical-critical methodology, he offers his own literary and reader-orientated perspectives by using the world of the text as discourse to persuade the implied audience/reader to call on YHWH, and to invoke YHWH to act in answer to the call. B. presents his model in a clearly structured way by first of all defining the boundaries of rhetorical units. For each unit he states the rhetorical problem (exigence) and considers how it is being addressed by the use of literary and rhetorical devices, and how they affect the implied audience/reader. His in-depth analysis and discussions on literary theory, theological application and rhetorical criticism are thought-provoking and have footnotes. However, it would have been helpful to have a bibliography for reference too. B.'s attempt to bridge the diachronic/synchronic dichotomy by persuading the implied audience/reader to move from crises of devastation through to the promise of restoration is well argued. He explores in detail the layers of imagery and brings helpful contributions to ongoing discussions in the metaphorical tension of invading locusts/armies and by opening a rhetorical window on the prophetic interpretation of the ‘Day of the Lord’.
G.M. K
B
This monograph explores the Ugaritic background of Isaiah 24–27 (and 28). The opening chapter discusses general aspects of Isaiah 24–27, such as its authorial unity, dating and literary genre. As this discussion is on the brief side, its conclusions, among them that Isaiah 24–27 is a literary unity, appear to be overly hasty. B. then offers a brief history of research pertaining to the potential Ugaritic background of Isaiah 24–27. At this stage, I would have wished for a clearer focus. In fact, it took me some time to realize that B.'s study focuses almost exclusively on Isa. 25.6–8 and Isa. 27.1. It lacks an exegetical chapter to (1) clarify the importance of these passages in the present study and (2) offer an exegetical discussion of them. Instead, B. proceeds with in-depth discussions of the Baal myth and underworld deities, where he argues convincingly that Ugaritic and Israelite texts display strong similarities in their perception and portrayal of underworld deities. The next two chapters turn to Isa. 25.6–8 and B. makes a strong case that the Ugaritic Baal myth provides the background for its banquet imagery. In the same way, B. postulates that the tradition about the Leviathan in Isa. 27.1 can best be understood in light of the Lotan traditions in KTU 1.5 I 1–2. Together, these parallels form part of a conscious polemic strategy whereby the author of Isaiah 24–27 declares that YHWH is the sovereign king who rules supreme over all deities, in particular over Death.
L.-S. T
B
A long-standing SOTS member, loved as well as admired, as this volume testifies, is honoured here with a collection of studies on one of his central areas of concern in the Hebrew Bible, by colleagues, friends and former students. It is not a Festschrift in the normal sense, as it does not mark a significant birthday, but as 22 years have gone by since he received one (see B.L. 1993, p. 24), another was overdue, and this volume is a worthy tribute to his eminence and work. The volume strikingly exemplifies the changes in Isaiah studies that have taken place during his career, not least through his own activity. It is divided into two parts after ‘In Praise of Joe Blenkinsopp’, by Philip Davies, and all of the essays in the second part cover the whole book of Isaiah. Those in the first part have narrower concerns, but they also reflect the pan-Isaianic horizon that scholarship now recognizes. The essays are as follows. In ‘Exegetical Studies’: H.G.M. Williamson, ‘“An Initial Problem”: The Setting and Purpose of Isaiah 10:1–4’; Rainer Albertz, ‘On the Structure and Formation of the Book of Deutero-Isaiah’; Klaus Baltzer and Peter Marinkovic, ‘The Legal Capacity of Women in the Biblical Tradition of the Persian Period’ (the only essay examining also texts outside Isaiah); Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, ‘The Lament in Isaiah 63:7–64:11 and its Literary and Theological Place in Isaiah 40–66’; Hans M. Barstad, ‘Joseph Blenkinsopp as an Interpreter of “Third Isaiah”’; and Andreas Schuele, ‘“Build up, Pass Through”—Isaiah 57:14–62:12 as the Core Composition of Third Isaiah’. In ‘Thematic Essays’: Willem A.M. Beuken, ‘Major Interchanges in the Book of Isaiah Subservient to its Umbrella Theme: The Establishment of Yhwh's Sovereign Rule at Mt. Zion (Chs. 12–13; 27–28; 39–40; 55–56)’; Hyun Chul Paul Kim, ‘Little Highs, Little Lows: Tracing Key Themes in Isaiah’ (on exaltation and humbling); Ulrich Berges, ‘Kingship and Servanthood in the Book of Isaiah’; Marvin A. Sweeney, ‘Eschatology in the Book of Isaiah’; Patricia K. Tull, ‘Consumerism, Idolatry and Environmental Limits in Isaiah’ (the only essay on Isaiah's present-day relevance); and Jacob Stromberg, ‘Isaiah's Interpretative Revolution: How Isaiah's Formation Influenced Early Jewish and Christian Interpretation’.
W.J. H
B
This is the British edition of the volume published in 2013 by Cascade Books (Wipf & Stock) and reviewed in B.L. 2014, p. 82.
D.W. R
B
This is the British edition of the volume published in 2013 by Cascade Books (Wipf & Stock) and reviewed in B.L. 2014, p. 83.
D.W. R
B
This commentary begins with a translation of the book of Obadiah, is followed by an extensive introduction, after which comes a more detailed discussion of successive sections (each of which also begins with a translation), and ends by looking at the canonical and practical significance of Obadiah. The book is well written in terms of readability, flowing prose, methodical setting out of issues and imparting theological information in an understandable way to ‘serious students of Scripture, as well as those charged with preaching and teaching’ (pp. 9–10). That is, ‘Schadenfreude’, ‘hapax noun’ and ‘Leitwort’ are defined and a succinct explanation of the effect of the Hiphil is given (Hebrew is transliterated). The main themes in Obadiah, B. claims, are that divine justice and fidelity will prevail, a message that Obadiah delivers with a style that is ‘rhetorically emphatic and transparently passionate’ (p. 35). B. seamlessly weaves in material from other canonical books, so while he predictably surveys Obadiah in the context of Jeremiah 49 and other OANs, he also looks at Hannah's prayer and Mary's Magnificat, which refer to God bringing down proud nations, and compares Edom/Esau as Israel's brother with Cain. He considers Edom as representative of the nations and humanity in general and argues (along with many who write on the OANs) that Obadiah points to the dominion of YHWH. He ends by tracing this theme into the NT where Christ is represented as king, ‘the key to the significance of the book of Obadiah for Christian readers’ (p. 116).
J.I. W
B
For a review of this volume, see Section 6 below.
B
For a review of this volume, see Section 9 below.
B
For a review of this volume, see Section 4 above.
D
This brief commentary is a true gem of its sort. Part of a very popular series, D.'s work encapsulates the necessary constituents required in the case of such short commentaries, namely introductory sections, analysis, excursuses etc. Following the foreword, one finds the introduction, in six sections: the structure of the book of Habakkuk, issues connected to textual criticism, literary criticism and composition, the book's historical anchoring, form and genre criticism, and interpretational perspectives. The kernel of D.'s commentary is an examination of the text and an exposition of the history of its reception. The latter includes such elements as the Habakkuk of the Septuagint, the Habakkuk Pesher from Qumran (1QpHab), the comments in the Talmud (b. Mak. 23b–24a), the New Testament's use of the book, the church-liturgical tradition, its acclaim in music and the visual arts, and finally some refreshing ideas as to its relevance in the 21st century. Subsequent to the reception history section, one finds the bibliography and the abbreviations. Located at various points in the book are three incisive excursuses entitled ‘Two Relevant Scientific Theories about the Phenomenon of Violence’, ‘The Prophetic Understanding of Faith—Development in the Canonical Approach’ and ‘A Dark Image of God—Help or Peril?’ D. successfully builds on K. Seybold's view according to which in the book of Habakkuk one may see a foundational approach regarding the ethics of economy and politics, presented with an obvious theological tint. In sum, according to D., Habakkuk has much to offer, even concerning critiquing the juggernauts of economy and politics.
B.K. Z
E
Contained in another in this highly useful series of Handbooks, E.'s explication of Malachi breaks down the Hebrew text into a ‘superscription’ (Mal. 1.1), six ‘oracles’ (1.2–5; 1.6–2.9; 2.10–16; 2.17–3.5; 3.6–12; 3.13–21) and two ‘appendices’ (3.22; 3.23–24). The treatment of each pericope begins with E.'s own translation of the Hebrew text, and a chart of the key Hebrew words that occur in that particular segment. This is followed by detailed commentary on matters of both grammar and structure, in which every Hebrew word is parsed and the options for its interpretation are canvassed with reference to other commentators. E. claims to eschew theological commentary in favour of grammatical analysis, but inevitably the line between the two is blurred, and some of the comments are at least implicitly theological, which is by no means a bad thing. At the end of the book is a table of all the Hebrew words used in Malachi, which identifies the words according to their class (noun, verb, etc.) and lists where they occur, but offers no translation; there is also a list of occurrences of the divine messenger formula in Malachi, a glossary of grammatical terms that appear in the commentary, and a bibliography. This thorough yet accessible treatment will be of great value to all those who want to gain a closer acquaintance with the Hebrew text of a cryptic but crucial prophetic book.
D.W. R
G
Prophetic literature is notorious for its frequent lack of speaker and audience identification. Essential questions of reference, such as who speaks and who is addressed, continue to defy resolution in a number of passages. G. has chosen the book of Jeremiah, which is particularly troublesome in this regard, to demonstrate how insights from the domain of text-linguistics may afford some help with this issue. After a well-balanced presentation of the problem, G. embarks on a far-reaching methodological reflection which touches primarily on the phenomenological constitution of the biblical text and selected tenets of exegetical theory. The analytical proposal that stands at the end of this reflection incorporates the use of the WIVU database (pp. 111–12) and a set of related linguistic parameters. After an assessment of how other exegetes (B. Duhm, W. Thiel, W. Holladay, J. Lundbom and R. Carroll) have treated reference shifts, G. applies his methodological and linguistic arsenal to a variety of texts. His observations include both synchronic, intertextual aspects, such as doublets within Jeremiah, and diachronic aspects, such as the text traditions of LXX and Qumran. While the book appears to be geared primarily toward matters of review and method—the exegetical work does not begin until p. 195—G. provides a fruitful interaction with the text of Jeremiah and offers solid results: reference shifts (1) cannot be reduced to a single, dominant function, (2) are a constructive, normative feature of Jeremiah's discourse structures, and (3) function primarily on the rhetorical level of reader-involvement.
S. H
H
This volume originated in two sessions of the EABS in 2010 and 2011 on vision and dream accounts. The volume contains an introduction by the editors and 15 essays, approaching the phenomenon from a variety of angles, including sociology, literary criticism and redaction-criticism. These are R.A. Werline, ‘Assessing the Prophetic Vision and Dream Texts for Insights into Religious Experience’; L.-S. Tiemeyer, ‘The Polyvalence of Zechariah's Vision Report’; C. von Heijne, ‘The Dreams in the Joseph Narrative and their Impact in Biblical Literature’; P. Scalise, ‘Vision beyond the Visions in Jeremiah’; E.R. Hayes, ‘The Role of Visionary Experiences for Establishing Prophetic Authority in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel: Same, Similar, or Different?’; M.A. Lyons, ‘Envisioning Restoration: Innovations in Ezekiel 40–48’; J. Radine, ‘Vision and Curse Aversion in the Book of Amos’; M.J. Boda, ‘Writing the Vision: Zechariah within the Visionary Traditions of the Hebrew Bible’; A.R. Petterson, ‘The Eschatology of Zechariah's Night Visions’; M. Hallaschka, ‘Interpreting Zechariah's Visions: Redaction-Critical Considerations of the Night Vision Cycle (Zechariah 1.7–6.8) and its Earliest Readers’; M.R. Stead, ‘The Interrelationship between Vision and Oracle in Zechariah 1–6’; S. Lear, ‘Visions of Locusts: The Composition of Revelation 9.7–11’; T. Wagner, ‘More than a Source? The Impact of Isaiah 6 on the Formation of the Book of Isaiah’; A. Klein, ‘Resurrection as Reward for the Righteous: The Vision of the Dry Bones in Pseudo-Ezekiel as External Continuation of the Biblical Vision in Ezekiel 37.1–14’; W.A. Tooman, ‘“To Do the Will of their Master”: Re-envisioning the Hayyot in Targum Jonathan of Ezekiel’. This is a valuable collection of studies; it will be useful to researchers of prophecy with a variety of interests. It is of particular interest for scholars of Zechariah, with the latter receiving a large amount of attention.
J.M. S
H
There are ten essays in this interesting collection, plus an introduction written by the editors which gives a brief synopsis of each of the papers. All are concerned with the literary persona of Jeremiah, and the volume arose out of several recent annual SBL meetings. Joe Henderson's essay ‘Duhm and Skinner's Invention of Jeremiah’ begins the volume, followed by Mary Chilton Callaway's, entitled ‘Seduced by Method: History and Jeremiah 20’, and then Barbara Green's on ‘Literary Correlation and Collaboration between King and Prophet in the Book of Jeremiah’. Amy Kalmanofsky's essay ‘Bare Naked: A Gender Analysis of the Naked Body in Jeremiah 13’ comprises the fifth chapter and Kathleen O'Connor's ‘Figuration in Jeremiah's Confessions: With Questions for Isaiah's Servant’ the sixth. Mary Mills writes on ‘Deathscape and Lament in Jeremiah and Lamentations’ and her essay is followed by a jointly written response by Pete Diamond (to whose memory the book is dedicated) and Louis Stulman, ‘First-Person Figurations of Servant and Suffering in Isaiah and Jeremiah: A Response to Mary Mills and Kathleen O'Connor’. Louis Stuhlman's essay, ‘Art and Atrocity, and the Book of Jeremiah’, is followed by Johanna Erzberger's piece on ‘Prophetic Sign Acts as Performances’, and Else Holt concludes the book with ‘Jeremiah the Lamenter: A Synoptic Reading’. The collection contains some fascinating papers which reflect a broad range of interests, and many of the authors have brought contemporary (as well as ancient) and postmodern issues to their research so that, for example, Jeremiah is considered in the light of art (painting, music, sign acts/performance), gender analysis and trauma studies. As Holt and Sharp write, ‘What interpreters miss when they read may be as important as what they “find” … The reader who has never thought deeply about trauma may miss significant ways in which Jeremiah can serve as a catalyst for healing within communities that have been silenced … For finally, it is neither the ghost of the historical Jeremiah nor the ghosts of later Judean scribes but we ourselves who haunt the original setting(s) … Inventions of the prophet will inevitably mirror, directly or obliquely, the cultural concerns of readers’ own times and places’ (p. xix).
J.I. W
J
The nine articles in this collection are all revised papers that were presented in the SBL section on ‘Theological Perspectives on the Book of Ezekiel’ in the years 2010–2012. The internationally renowned contributors represent well the English-speaking community of Ezekiel scholars; it is unfortunate that no scholars from the German-speaking tradition are included. It is a tightly edited volume and a useful contribution to Ezekiel scholarship. It further enhances our understanding of the theologies of the Hebrew Bible in general. As the title suggests, the articles all explore the portrayal of God in Ezekiel. The volume does not present a consensus view, however. On the contrary, the studies range from highlighting the negative presentation of God to stressing the depicted combination of violence and mercy. The volume contains the following studies: Katheryn Pfisterer Darr, ‘The God Ezekiel Envisions’; John T. Strong, ‘The God that Ezekiel Inherited’; Madhavi Nevader, ‘Creating a Deus Non Creator: Divine Sovereignty and Creation in Ezekiel’; Dexter Callender, Jr, ‘The Recognition Formula and Ezekiel's Conception of God’; Ellen van Wolde, ‘The God Ezekiel 1 Envisions’; Corrine L. Carvalho, ‘The God that Gog Creates: “Drop the Sorties and Feel the Feelings”’; Stephen L. Cook, ‘Ezekiel's God Incarnate! The God that the Temple Blueprint Creates’; Marvin A. Sweeney, ‘The Ezekiel that G-d Creates’; and Daniel I. Block, ‘The God Ezekiel Wants Us to Meet: Theological Perspectives on the Book of Ezekiel’. The volume concludes with a response by Nathan MacDonald: ‘The God that the Scholarship on Ezekiel Creates’.
L.-S. T
L
This monograph, L.'s doctoral thesis, explores Isaiah 60–62 from a redaction-critical, form-critical and tradition-critical perspective. The fundamental question concerns the identity of the speaker in Isa. 61.1, whom L. identifies with a servant figure. The first quarter of the book offers a careful study of Isaiah 60–62, and postulates a basic layer and a later redactional layer, as well as a small number of later glosses. While the basic layer portrays the first-person speaker as the transmitter of salvation to Zion, the subsequent layer focuses on the Temple. The next quarter of the book explores the two postulated textual layers from a form-critical perspective. As its investigation is based upon the postulated textual layers, its usefulness is potentially limited. The second half of the book explores the tradition-critical background of Isaiah 60–62, offering a semantic analysis and a theological synthesis. L. argues that Isaiah 60–62 belongs to the wider Zion–David tradition which was taken up in the Servant Songs in Isaiah 40–55 and subsequently given a new interpretation in Isaiah 60–62 through its first-person speaker. The book is useful and well researched, yet I remain unconvinced by several of its claims. For instance, although I do not wish to deny redactional activity in Isaiah 60–62, I fail to see why Isa. 60.3, for example, cannot be the original continuation of Isa. 60.1–2 (p. 28). In this regard, L.'s reluctance to consult English-language research is a weakness. I also missed having regular summaries throughout the book, as well as a proper conclusion.
L.-S. T
L
This volume examines the theme of ‘newness’ in various passages in which the concept occurs. The two groupings adopted for the presentation are (a) the psalms of Yahweh's kingship, and Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah; and (b) Ezekiel and Jeremiah. The stated aim of the examination of the key passages is to ‘understand their relationship as the realisation of an intertextual dialogue’ (p. 8). Since the book's understanding of intertextuality appears to presuppose the reading of earlier texts, the sequence in which they were produced becomes a matter of great significance. The treatment of the theme of newness offered some stimulating reflections; for example, the presence of a ‘first-last-coming-new’ scheme in Isaiah and a ‘return-restoration-inner change’ scheme in Jeremiah, and the differentiation between ‘cosmological’ newness (in Psalms, Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah) and ‘anthropological’ newness (in Ezekiel and Jeremiah). There were also interesting reflections on the concept of eschatology in the HB, and on the Servant as ‘a prototype of the post-exilic pious’ (p. 101). But the claims made about the order of the texts were more challenging and perhaps more questionable. The idea that references to Cyrus and the impending Fall of Babylon in Deutero-Isaiah might be understood as later dramatization rather than pointing to a date of origin before 539 was thought-provoking. But confident statements such as that ‘the authors of Jeremiah were thoroughly familiar with the book of Ezekiel and borrowed freely from it’ (p. 240), or simply that ‘Jeremiah read Isaiah’ (p. 311), were less easy to accept by this reader.
A.H.W. C
L
This is a collection of 13 essays, ‘all but three having previously been published’ (p. ix). Many essay collections describe themselves as ‘diverse’, but few warrant the claim as much as this volume, especially given that all the essays are on the same subject and by the same author. Among the more unusual are L.'s two-page poem summarizing Jeremiah 37–52 (ch. 12), his interesting essay on how he went about writing his Anchor Bible Commentary on Jeremiah (ch. 8) and a glossary of rhetorical terms in Jeremiah (ch. 7). The first two essays in the book are concerned with haplography and provide lists of such in, respectively, Jeremiah 1–20 and the Hebrew Vorlage of the LXX. The next two chapters concentrate on the brothers Baruch and Seraiah, and their scribal work (L. also suggests that Jeremiah might have been a professionally trained scribe [p. 72]), which leads into the fifth chapter on the scroll-making of Jeremiah in which L. concludes that ‘Baruch is responsible for the final ordering in proto-LXX; Seraiah is responsible for the final ordering in proto-MT’ (p. 86). Chapter 6 is an essay on rhetorical criticism (and includes chiastic structures), ch. 9 a homiletic discourse on Jer. 2.7, ch. 10 an exegetical examination of Jer. 15.15–21, and chs. 11 and 13 ‘are lectures of a more popular nature’ (p. ix): a devotional piece on ‘Jeremiah and the Walk of Faith’ and an excursus on ‘Jeremiah's New Covenant for the Church and the World’.
J.I. W
M
This compilation of articles explores the so-called ‘Oracles against the Nations’ (OANs) in the three biblical books Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. What are their shared features and themes, and what are the unique characteristics of each collection? The book opens with a foreword by Marvin A. Sweeney, ‘The Oracles Concerning the Nations in the Prophetic Literature’. Then follow four articles devoted to Isaiah: Hyun Chul Paul Kim, ‘Isaiah 22: A Crux or a Clue in Isaiah 13–23?’; J. Blake Couey, ‘Evoking and Evading: The Poetic Presentation of the Moabite Catastrophe in Isaiah 15–16’; J. Todd Hibbard, ‘Isaiah 19:18: A Textual Variant in Light of the Temple of Onias in Egypt’; and Willem A.M. Beuken, ‘Common and Different Phrases for Babylon's Fall and its Aftermath in Isaiah 13–14 and Jeremiah 50–51’. The five subsequent articles deal with the book of Jeremiah: Rannfried Thelle, ‘Babylon as Judah's Doppelgänger: The Identity of Opposites in the Book of Jeremiah (MT)’; Carolyn J. Sharp, ‘Embodying Moab: The Figuring of Moab in Jeremiah 48 as Reinscription of the Judean Body’; Amy Kalmanofsky, ‘“As She Did, Do to Her!”: Jeremiah's Oath OAN as Revenge Fantasies’; Rhiannon Graybill, ‘Jeremiah, Sade, and Repetition as Counterpleasure in the Oracles against Edom’; and Hugh S. Pyper, ‘Postcolonialism and Propaganda in Jeremiah's Oracles against the Nations’. Another three articles explore matters in Ezekiel: Madhavi Nevader, ‘Yhwh and the Kings of Middle Earth: Royal Polemic in Ezekiel's Oracles against the Nations’; John T. Strong, ‘In Defense of the Great King: Ezekiel's Oracles against Tyre’; and Corrine L. Carvalho, ‘A Serpent in the Nile: Egypt in the Book of Ezekiel’. The volume concludes with a response by Steed Vernyl Davidson, ‘After the Nation: Reading Oracles against the Nations amidst the Fragmenting of the Nation-State’. The volume ends with a bibliography and two indexes (References, Authors). This volume sheds important new light upon the OANs in the aforementioned individual books. At the same time, I would have liked to see additional articles exploring the concept of OANs from a broader perspective.
L.-S. T
O
This interesting and well-researched monograph explores the notion of divine violence throughout Isaiah. After a history of research, as well as a discussion of methodology, O. progresses systematically through the canonical order of the book, yet the parameters of each section are informed by historical-critical scholarship. After discussing the structure of the section as a whole, O. offers a translation and an in-depth exegetical analysis of the relevant pericopes. As a result of his study, O. concludes that the notion of a violent God is central to Isaiah as a whole. O. also analyses the vocabulary used to denote God's violent character/acts and makes the important observation that Isaiah never uses sexual terminology in this regard. O. further notes that the image of the violent deity changes throughout the book, a change that reflects the historical circumstances of its composition. While chs. 1–12 and 40–48 portray God as an army general who commands armies (against Israel), chs. 24–27 and 56–66 portray God as a mighty warrior who himself acts on behalf of Israel. Furthermore, O. discusses the fact that while God uses the Assyrians as a tool of violence to punish Israel and likewise uses the Persians to punish the Babylonians, other nations, such as Babylon and Edom, are always the victims. In particular, O. highlights that Israel/Judah are never employed as instruments of violence. O. concludes by discussing the inner conflict in Isaiah: although the violent deity is a key feature, so is the promise of peace.
L.-S. T
O
This monograph, the author's doctoral thesis, explores the theology of Isaiah 56–66 from a canonical perspective. It postulates a progressive and eschatological theology. Isa. 56.1–8 declares that covenant obedience will determine whether someone belongs to God's people or not. Building upon this foundation, Isa. 59.15b-21 ascertains that God and his messianic envoy (v. 19) are coming, not only in response to Israel's repentance but also to judge those who have failed to observe the covenant stipulations. The subsequent Isa. 60.1–22 portrays Jerusalem as the fulfilment of the eschatological hopes of Isaiah 1–55. Jews and Gentiles, although not on the same footing, will be offered salvation. Finally, Isa. 65.13–25 declares the Servant's vindication, as well as the creation of a new heaven and a new earth where those faithful to the covenant will be blessed while the faithless ones will be punished. O.'s study interacts with a wide range of scholarly material in English and German and provides solid exegetical discussions of the relevant passages. I have, however, a few concerns. First, I remain unconvinced that a canonical study of Isaiah 56–66 is doable, given that the delimitation of Isaiah 56–66 is a historical-critical construct. Second, at times O. appears to assume a dichotomy between a canonical and a historical-critical study of the text (p. 49). Third, O.'s broad definition of ‘eschatology’ as ‘Israel's future hope’ creates a flat reading of Isaiah 56–66 which fails to distinguish between different kinds and shifting nuances of future discourse in the various sections.
L.-S. T
O
This monograph, a revised doctoral thesis, is a corpus-linguistic study of passages in Isaiah 40–55 concerning Zion/Jerusalem. O. maintains that these place names are not interchangeable: rather, they ‘refer to the same participant but reflect different aspects of this participant’ (p. 161), since ‘Zion’ is associated with the return of the exiles from Babylon, whereas ‘Jerusalem’ relates to the rebuilding of the city. After the preface and introduction, the first (lengthy) chapter is devoted to methodology, with much attention given to valency patterns, which are crucial to his analysis. The bulk of the book (116 pages) comprises chapter-by-chapter linguistic analyses of passages concerning Zion and/or Jerusalem. O. focuses first on language and syntax, using comparison with similar linguistic constructions from elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, then progresses to the discussion of the discourse structure and participants in each section. The final chapter attends to literary features and ultimately to reading Isaiah 40–55 as a single discourse. Here the role of ‘the Participant Zion/Jerusalem’ and her place in the literary composition of Isaiah 40–55 as well as in comparison with the rest of the OT is considered. The ‘Conclusions’ are followed by two appendixes, detailing syntactic patterns of nominal clauses and of verbal clauses respectively. The book closes with a bibliography and author and references indexes. Despite the familiarity of the material concerned, O.'s close attention to linguistic detail enables him to offer many fresh insights, and his method, entailing the primacy of linguistic over literary considerations, will be of interest beyond Isaiah scholarship.
R.S. W
O
O. is one of the major recent commentators on the book of Isaiah, and inevitably during the decades of his engagement with this book he has published articles in various outlets from time to time. It is therefore much to be welcomed that they are now gathered together here, sometimes in significantly revised forms. As he himself admits, ‘some of the articles are more popular and some are more scholarly’ (p. xi), but a distinctive overall approach to the book is apparent. Of the 13 chapters, the first three relate to the overall structure of the book (‘Kerygmatic Structure’, ‘A Short Course on Biblical Theology’, and ‘Judgment and Hope’), the next five to broad themes (‘Holiness’, ‘Righteousness’, the addressees of chs. 40–66, ‘The Mission of Israel’, and ‘The Nations’), and the remaining five to more circumscribed passages (passages on redemption in 1–39; 7.14 in the context of chs. 7–12; chs. 24–27; 52.13–53.12; and 60–62). The convenience of having all these essays brought accessibly together will be widely acknowledged.
H.G.M. W
P
For a review of this volume, see Section 7 below.
P
This dense and informative monograph explores and re-evaluates the so-called Zion tradition in the Hebrew Bible, with focus on the prophetic literature. P. challenges the common view that (1) there is a single Zion motif and (2) it conveys the inviolability of the city. Rather, P. detects two motifs which are often mutually contradictory and which run in parallel throughout much of the prophetic literature. One motif—the classic motif—conveys the notion that YHWH allows his city to be attacked, yet also defends it successfully against its enemies, and saves a remnant of its population. The other motif—the dynamic motif—expresses how God allows the city to be destroyed but ultimately also rebuilt and repopulated by its returning expatriates. After a substantial history of research, the first half of the book offers a systematic discussion of the various uses of the term ‘Zion’ in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve. For instance, P. notes that the portrayals of Zion in Isaiah testify to a tension. Zion enjoys special status and God's protection, yet it is also a city in ruins which awaits its restoration. The second half of P.'s book explores the material thematically across the prophetic corpus. This investigation enables the reader to appreciate how one motif may appear only in a single book or may straddle several books. Many of P.'s individual insights are common scholarly knowledge, yet his synthesis of the vast textual corpus under consideration highlights new and important insights.
L.-S. T
S
Five years after his volume on Jeremiah 1–20, S. has now completed his contribution to the ATD commentary series. As in the first part, S. seeks to describe both the prophet's proclamation (i.e. the content of the Urrolle) as well as the redactional materials which have developed around it. These materials consist for S. of sapiental and liturgical additions, the oracles against the nations (chs. 46–51), and a substantial deuteronomistic layer (for S.'s discussion of these components, see vol. 1, pp. 28–41). While his differentiation between these elements is an integral aspect of his discussion, the divergences between MT and LXX versions are for the most part restricted to the footnote apparatus. Because of this layout and his clear writing style, S.'s contribution provides the reader with a concise commentary which can be recommended without any restrictions. However, and this is to be expected with second parts, the full understanding, use and appreciation of this volume require access to S.'s prolegomena of prophet, book and method which preface the first volume.
S. H
S
This book begins with a brief introduction setting out the purpose and scope of the study. There then follow two chapters for each of the three commentators whose work is considered in detail, chosen because each represents a different Christian approach to the interpretation of Scripture. For each interpreter, the first chapter devoted to them gives an overview of their approach to Isaiah and some of the reasons for this, and the second offers an analysis of key features of their discussion specifically of Isa. 52.13–53.12. These chapters aim to be primarily a description of the approach taken, rather than evaluative of its merits and demerits. The lengthy ch. 7 then compares and evaluates the approaches, maintaining a good balance between sympathetic presentation and clear critique. In each case S. finds a problematic rhetorical construction of supposed opponents—respectively ‘supernaturalists’, ‘anthropocentrists’ and ‘rationalists’—while in reality these neat oppositions fail. But more positively the interpreters point to the need for Christian theological interpretation to engage history (Duhm and Childs), the relationship between Old and New Testaments (Duhm and Motyer) and Christocentrism (Childs and Motyer). S. in his epilogue then suggests that his examination of these three interpreters shows that it is problematic to divide interpretations into pre-critical, critical or post-critical, or to counterpose theological and historical concerns in interpretation. This is an excellent study, though the thoroughness appropriate to its PhD thesis origins, while a strength, can at times make the detailed discussion feel primarily preparatory to the final chapter.
K.N. B
S
The volume brings together 24 articles, most of them previously published, illustrating S.'s method of exegesis from a form-critical as well as an intertextual perspective. As such the volume joins his earlier collection on Form and Intertextuality in Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature (see B.L. 2006, pp. 15–16). After an introduction and the first essay on ‘Reading Prophetic Books’, both of which lay out the methodological foundations for S.'s analysis of the final form of a biblical book, there are contributions on Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve as well as four essays on the reception of the biblical text in postbiblical literature, namely the Temple Scroll (‘Sefirah at Qumran: Aspects of the Counting Formulas for the First Fruits Festivals in the Temple Scroll’, and ‘Midrashic Perspectives in the Torat ham-Melek of the Temple Scroll’), Talmud (‘Some Issues concerning the Book of Ezekiel in Talmudic Literature’), and Targum Jonathan (‘Targum Jonathan's Reading of Zechariah 3: A Gateway for the Palace?’). The six studies on Isaiah range from philological observations on Isa. 8.16–9.6 through a Josianic reading of Isaiah 11, intertextuality in Isaiah 24–27, and a re-examination of the imagery in Isaiah 27, to reconceptualization of the Davidic covenant in Isaiah, and the legacy of Josiah in Isaiah 40–55. The three studies on Jeremiah focus on the differences between LXX and MT in Jeremiah 1–10, Jeremiah's reception of Isaiah, and the reconceptualization of the Davidic covenant in Jeremiah. Four essays on Ezekiel address Ezekiel's debate with Isaiah, the role of myth and history in Ezekiel 26–28, Ezek. 37.15–28 as a reflection on the Josianic reform, and the form and coherence of Ezekiel's vision of the Temple. The six articles on the Book of the Twelve focus on various aspects of structure, genre and rhetorical strategy: the relationship of Amos 9.11–15 to the rest of Amos, reappraising YHWH's deliverance in Mic. 2.12–13, the structure and genre of Nahum, and of Habakkuk, and a form-critical reassessment of, followed by comments on metaphor and rhetoric in, Zephaniah. As usual when reading S.'s contributions one learns a lot and discovers numerous details from his careful close reading but often also wonders why there is not more engagement with literary-critical minded scholarship.
A.C. H
T
This study is an in-depth reading of the visions in the first half of Zechariah, predicated on the possibility that real visionary experiences stand behind the text. The book consists of an introduction, 12 chapters covering the eight ‘vision accounts’ in Zechariah 1–6, a short conclusion, bibliography, and two indexes. T. begins the study by surveying the issue of dreams and visions in the Hebrew Bible and ANE. She then discusses how visions relate to pre-existing culture and presents a structure for the entire set of visions in 1–6. The bulk of the book gives detailed exegetical analyses of all eight visions. T. concludes that the assumption of real visionary origins indeed influences the exegesis of the passages and emphasizes the inherent polyvalence of vision reports. T. leaves redactional questions open for future study. This book succeeds in carrying out a consistent interpretative perspective throughout its varied and difficult material, with the implications of medium firmly kept in mind during the analysis. Further, it contains very useful reviews of positions on various interpretative cruxes within Zechariah as well as lucid analyses of said issues. Overall, the book will provide useful stimulus not only to the study of Zechariah but to issues of the real-world origins and developments of prophetic literature.
J.M. S
Y
The series to which this commentary belongs states as its primary goal ‘to help serious students of Scripture, as well as those charged with preaching and teaching the Word of God, to hear the messages of Scripture as biblical authors intended them to be heard’. Emphasis is strongly on rhetorical aspects, and the overall format for each section is 1. The Main Idea of the Passage; 2. Literary Context; 3. Translation (the author's own) and Exegetical Outline; 4. Structure and Literary Form; 5. Explanation of the Text; 6. Canonical and Practical Significance. Y.'s volume is one of the first in the series, and is untypical in that it covers the whole of Jonah rather than selected passages. There is a clear emphasis on Christian and canonical readings, though this is emphatically not at the expense of Jonah's status as a Hebrew product within the (late) Second Temple period. Y. is to be congratulated on having fulfilled his remit superbly. This is both a fine discussion of the book of Jonah in all its aspects, informed by the most up-to-date scholarship, and a useful contribution for those who wish to read it within the wider Christian tradition. Of particular interest is Y.'s structuring of the book as a whole. He nuances the familiar division into two parallel narratives by dealing with each as having three sections: Stage Setting (1.1–4a and 3.1–3b), Pre-Peak Episode (1.4b–2.1b and 3.3c–10), and Peak Episode (2.1c–11 and 4.1–4), the whole being rounded off with Post-Peak Episode (4.5–11). There is much to appreciate in Y.'s treatment, which will be of interest as much to scholars as to a more general readership.
A.G. H
IV. Psalms and Wisdom (Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Job)
B
The Handbook comprises more than 40 articles, including an introduction, ten topical sections, and two appendixes. Brown's article, ‘Psalms: An Overview’, lays out essential information on the Psalms including form, function, early interpretation and recent research. Part I, ‘Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds’, gathers valuable information on the ANE contexts related to the Psalms: Anna Elise Zernecke, ‘Mesopotamian Parallels to the Psalms’; Mark S. Smith, ‘Canaanite Backgrounds to the Psalms’; and Bernd U. Schipper, ‘Egyptian Backgrounds to the Psalms’. Part II, ‘Language of the Psalms’, covers literary features of the Psalms: F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp, ‘Poetry of the Psalms’; Peter S. Hawkins, ‘The Psalms in Poetry’; Carleen Mandolfo, ‘Language of Lament in the Psalms’; Travis J. Bott, ‘Praise and Metonymy in the Psalms’; and Diane Jacobson, ‘Wisdom Language in the Psalms’. Part III, ‘Translating the Psalms’, explores three traditions: David M. Stec, ‘The Aramaic Psalter’; Joachim Schaper, ‘The Septuagint Psalter’; and Scott Goins, ‘Jerome's Psalters’. Part IV, ‘Composition of the Psalms’, discusses aspects of psalm collection and organization: Susan E. Gillingham, ‘The Levites and the Editorial Composition of the Psalms’; Yair Zakovitch, ‘On the Ordering of Psalms as Demonstrated by Psalms 136–150’; and Peter W. Flint, ‘Unrolling the Dead Sea Psalms Scroll’. Part V, ‘History of Interpretation and Reception: A Sampling’, provides examples from Jewish, Christian and Islamic perspectives: Alan Cooper, ‘Some Aspects of Traditional Jewish Psalms Interpretation’; Stephen P. Ahearne-Kroll, ‘Psalms in the New Testament’; Walid A. Salid, ‘The Psalms in the Qu'ran and the Islamic Religious Imagination’; and Brennan Breed, ‘Reception of the Psalms: The Example of Psalm 91’. Part VI, ‘Interpretive Approaches’, engages with various interpretative strategies and concerns: William H. Bellinger, Jr, ‘Psalms and the Question of Genre’; Richard J. Clifford, ‘Psalms of the Temple’; Erhard S. Gerstenberger, ‘Non-Temple Psalms: The Cultic Setting Revisited’; J. Clinton McCann, Jr, ‘The Shape and Shaping of the Psalter: Psalms in their Literary Context’; Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, ‘The Meta-Narrative of the Psalter’; Joel M. LeMon, ‘Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Psalms’; Robert L. Foster, ‘Rhetoric of the Psalms’; Brent A. Strawn, ‘Poetic Attachment Psychology, Psycholinguistics, and the Psalms’; Melody D. Knowles, ‘Feminist Interpretation of the Psalms’; and Norman K. Gottwald, ‘Kingship in the Book of Psalms’. Part VII, ‘Culturally Based Interpretations’, presents articles that engage contextually based models: Rodney S. Sadler, Jr, ‘Singing a Subversive Song: Psalm 137 and “Colored Pompey”’; John J. Ahn, ‘Rising from Generation to Generation: Lament, Hope, Consciousness, Home, and Dream’; and Edisio Sanchez, ‘Psalms in Latin America’. Part VIII, ‘Theologies of the Psalms’, contains two essays: Mark Zvi Brettler, ‘Jewish Theology of the Psalms’; and Rolf A. Jacobson, ‘Christian Theology of the Psalms’. Part IX, ‘Anthropologies of the Psalms’, addresses the nature of humanity in the Psalms: Walter Brueggemann, ‘On “Being Human” in the Psalms’; and Jerome F.D. Creech, ‘The Righteous and the Wicked’. Part X, ‘Practicing the Psalms’, offers six articles that explore present-day engagement with the Psalms: Kimberly Bracken Long, ‘The Psalms in Christian Worship’; Thomas G. Long, ‘Preaching the Psalms’; Michael Morgan, ‘Singing the Psalms’; Carol L. Schnabe Schweizer, ‘Psalms as Resources for Pastoral Care’; Edmeé Kingsmill SLG, ‘The Psalms: A Monastic Perspective’; and David Rensberger, ‘Ecological Use of the Psalms’. Peter W. Flint contributes two appendixes: ‘“Apocryphal” Psalms in the Psalms Scrolls and in Texts Incorporating Psalms’; and ‘Contents of the Psalms Scrolls and Related Manuscripts’. The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms covers a wide range of topics that will be of interest to teachers and students, priests and professors, rabbis and practising clerics. The articles are of the highest level and the volume would be a valuable addition to any library.
E.R. H
B
In effect this volume is a thoroughly revised second edition of B.'s 1996 monograph Character in Crisis: A Fresh Approach to the Wisdom Literature of the OT (see B.L. 1997, p. 88). Whereas the earlier foray had taken ‘character in crisis’ as the primary concern of the wisdom literature (interpreting the corpus of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes as being aimed especially at the formation of moral character), a reformulation of matters now sees ‘character, creation, and crisis’ as interacting themes in this literature, and all under the hermeneutical lens of ‘wonder’ (i.e. the wisdom tradition's cultivation of delight in creation and fear of the creator). At times B. gets carried away with alliterative formulations, such as ‘the sages were wielders of wonder, for … without wonder wisdom withers’ (p. 194), but nonetheless his proposal of ‘wonder’ (or ‘inquisitive awe’, as he defines it on p. 24) as the key to an understanding of the wisdom literature works well on the whole. Specifically, the idea that this literature suggests a journey of ‘fear seeking understanding’ (p. 28), with Proverbs presenting ‘fear finding fulfilment’ (p. 66), Job offering a ‘reformulation of fear’ from submission through defiance to reverence (p. 134), and Ecclesiastes turning to ‘fear accepting the unknown’ (p. 181), is a worthy notion. The world is indeed a place for wonderment, and in making our own way within it we could all benefit from adopting a potential motto to be found in this volume: ‘WWWD’ (‘What would Wisdom do?’, p. 187).
J. J
C
The essays of this Festschrift (mostly in English but a few in French and German) are focused on six biblical books, as follows. Proverbs: a profile of the Septuagint Proverbs (M.V. Fox); Abraham as master of wisdom according to the ideal of Proverbs (J.-L. Ska, in French); on the ‘exertion of concept’ (Prov. 1.3) and of ‘difficulty’ and ‘difficulty changing power’ (Prov. 24.10, 11–12) (H.-W. Jüngling, in German); the words of Agur (Prov. 30.1–9) and the book of Proverbs—some historico-anthropological considerations (A. Passaro). Job: Job and the hand of God (F. Mies, in French); courtroom imagery as a background to Job 5.1 (D. Iwanski); a phoenix in Job 29.28? (R. Egger-Wenzel, in German); Job and the reasons for a protest (Job 29–31) (S. Pinto). Qohelet: Qohelet's hatred of life, a passing phase or enduring sentiment? (J.L. Crenshaw); power in Qohelet and the Prophets (J.M. Asurmendi); a comparison of Qohelet and Sirach (J. Corley); Qoh. 4.12b in rabbinic tradition (K. Bardski). Ben Sira: parallels of Ben Sira's wisdom in Tobit 4.3–19 (A.A. Di Lella); Ben Sira 23.27, a pivotal verse (Calduch-Benages); a rereading of the primaeval narratives in Ben Sira 40.1–17 and 16.26–17.4 (P.C. Beentjes); some observations on the use of ergon/ma'ăśeh in Ben Sira (M.C. Palmisano). Wisdom of Solomon: ‘to punish’ and ‘to benefit’ in Wisdom (L. Mazzinghi); the hereafter in Wisdom 1–3 (M. Nobile); building a temple to wisdom (Wisd. 9.8) (M. Priotto); divine epieikeia or the measure of judgment according to Wisd. 11.15–12.27 (A. Leproux, in French). Psalms: the ‘quasi-alphabetic’ Psalms 33 and 103 (J. Vermeylen, in French); Melchizedek in Ps. 110.4 (A. Spreafico); the structure of Psalm 111 (G. Barbiero); Ps. 117(LXX).22–23 and the parable of the wicked vinedressers (R. De Zan). This is the third Festschrift dedicated to Professor Gilbert and contains a list of his writings from 2000 to 2014. Unfortunately, the volume contains no proper introduction.
L.L. G
This collection results from a celebration under the auspices of SBL of the 25th anniversary in 2010 of Gerald Wilson's hugely influential book, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter [EHP] (reviewed in B.L. 1986, pp. 82–83). Essays are contributed by deClaissé-Walford, ‘The Canonical Approach to Scripture and EHP’; H.P. Nasuti, ‘The Editing of the Psalter and the Ongoing Use of the Psalms: Gerald Wilson and the Question of Canon’; J.C. McCann, Jr, ‘Changing our Way of Being Wrong: The Impact of Gerald Wilson's EHP’; E.S. Gerstenberger, ‘The Dynamic of Praise in the Ancient Near East, or Poetry and Politics’; J. Gericke, ‘Philosophical Perspectives on Religious Diversity as Emergent Property in the Redaction/Composition of the Psalter’; D.E. Wittman, ‘Let Us Cast Off their Ropes from Us: The Editorial Significance of the Portrayal of Foreign Nations in Psalms 2 and 149’; C.B. Jones, ‘The Message of the Asaphite Collection and its Role in the Psalter’; C. Petrany, ‘Instruction, Performance, and Prayer: The Didactic Function of Psalmic Wisdom’; P.J. Botha, ‘Acrostic Wisdom Psalms and the Development of Antimaterialism’; K.N. Jacobson, ‘Perhaps YHWH Is Sleeping: “Awake” and “Contend” in the Book of Psalms’; S.S. Ndoga, ‘Revisiting the Theocratic Agenda of Book 4 of the Psalter for Interpretive Premise’; J. Magonet, ‘On Reading Psalms as Liturgy: Psalms 96–99’; W.D. Tucker, Jr, ‘The Role of the Foe in Book 5: Reflections on the Final Composition of the Psalter’; R.E. Wallace, ‘Gerald Wilson and the Characterization of David in Book 5 of the Psalter’; P.W. Flint, ‘The Contribution of Gerald Wilson toward Understanding the Book of Psalms in Light of the Psalms Scrolls’; R.A. Jacobson, ‘Imagining the Future of Psalms Studies’. While the ambition of this volume is worthy, it is in some ways a missed opportunity. The essays are too short to allow deeper analysis, and too many either offer uncritical review or address quite specific issues which, while important in themselves, are only very loosely related to the ostensible theme. This is not to deny, however, that there is much that is rewarding here.
A.G. H
This substantial commentary fits neatly into the niche between the larger multivolume commentaries on Psalms currently in production (e.g. F.L. Hossfeld and E. Zenger) and more popular works. As is typical of the series of which it is part, it provides a translation of each passage along with textual and translation notes in footnotes and then an exegesis which is historically rooted. Where it varies is in its provision of a reflection on each psalm which explores theological and pastoral issues of relevance to contemporary (principally Christian) readers. The division of the work has produced some unevenness in presentation, so that Jacobson always provides a heading for his reflections whereas deClaissé-Walford and Tanner do not, but for the most part there seems to be a consistent attempt to read Psalms as an ancient text which is canonically significant. The canonical element is enabled by a brief introduction to each of the five books as well as a compact introduction to the book as a whole for which canonical issues receive the most attention. The shape of the book is seen as reflecting the history of Israel recounted elsewhere in the OT, though the issue of potential links between individual psalms receives less attention. The volume admirably fulfils the goal of providing a scholarly reading of Psalms which is also of use to contemporary readers.
D.G. F
G
This young Indonesian pastor's first book is a significant addition to the very limited number of books on Psalms in Indonesian. After an introduction to the lament psalms, G. elaborates five principles for interpreting them: reading a psalm as Hebrew poetry; reading in and beyond history; noting literary features used by the psalmist to create the rhetorical impact; noting movement within the psalm; and relating the psalm to major themes of the book of Psalms and the biblical canon. He next sets out five steps for preaching lament psalms, then provides sample sermons on Psalms 13, 6, 51, 143, 42, 12, and 60. Two of these he has written himself, and the remainder are by other Indonesian preachers.
D.L. B
G
This fine collection of conference papers provides an example of increased collaboration between leading Jewish and Christian scholars in the study of the Psalms, while also testifying to a history of disagreement and rivalry. The conference modelled a collaborative approach, with a number of the papers receiving a brief response from someone of the other religious tradition. Thus, with regard to reception history, Peter Flint's ‘The Dead Sea Psalms Scrolls: Psalm Manuscripts, Editions and the Oxford Hebrew Bible’ is followed by ‘Reflections on the Canon and Text of the Bible in Response to Peter Flint’, by Geza Vermes. Adele Berlin's ‘Medieval Answers to Modern Questions: Medieval Jewish Interpreters of Psalms’ receives a response from Corinna Körting, while Susan Gillingham's ‘The Reception of Psalm 137 in Jewish and Christian Tradition’ has a response from Jonathan Magonet. In a later part of the book attention is given to conventional historical-critical questions and some literary-critical concerns; here William Bellinger's ‘The Psalter as Theodicy Writ Large’ receives a response from Dirk Human, Klaus Seybold's ‘The Psalter as a Book’ has a response from David Howard, and Philip Johnston responds to Nancy deClaissé-Walford's ‘On Translating the Poetry of the Psalms’. Most of these responses augment and develop the ideas presented in the previous paper, rather than offering any significant challenge through robust critique (Philip Johnston's response is the exception); this could be seen as a weakness of the respectful and collaborative approach. Imaginative and aesthetic reception of the Psalms is explored in David Mitchell's ‘How Can We Sing the Lord's Song? Deciphering the Masoretic Cantillation’, Elizabeth Solopova's ‘The Liturgical Psalter in Medieval Europe’, and Aaron Rosen's ‘True Lights: Seeing the Psalms through Chagall's Church Windows’. Sixteen high-quality colour plates give support to these papers, and to John Sawyer's ‘The Psalms in Judaism and Christianity: A Reception History Perspective’ (plus two illustrating Gillingham's paper); a recording of a choral performance from the conference based on Mitchell's research unfortunately could not be included. Other chapters examine ‘Psalm 104 and Akhenaten's Hymn to the Sun’ (John Day), ‘The Psalms and Sumerian Hymns’ (Erhard Gerstenberger), and ‘Problems and Prospects in Psalter Studies’ (Frank-Lothar Hossfeld and Till Magnus Steiner), and there is a brief postscript by John Barton. The whole is a wide-ranging and thoroughly enriching example of joint scholarly work across religious traditions.
P.W. G
G
This is the published version of G.'s 2012 doctoral thesis, a fact worth mentioning both as regards the speed with which it has appeared in print and the exemplary manner (apart from a few inevitable typos) of its publication. This is a fine study which genuinely breaks new ground without neglecting the imperative to attend to precise and well-informed scholarship. The theoretical setting of contemporary work on metaphor, and the instructive summary chapters at the end, bracket what at first might seem to be a traditional verse-by-verse analysis. That analysis, however, is informed throughout by a close attention to the metaphoric dimensions of the language used, and benefits from this both at the level of individual decisions as to meaning and the unity and integrity of the psalm as a whole. G. points out four principal metaphorical ‘threads’ binding Psalm 18: ‘The King's Relationship with YHWH: Strength as Metaphorical “Glue”’; ‘The Double-Helix of Protection and Empowerment, Deliverance and Victory: Spatial Models and Metaphors’; ‘The Chaoskampf Motif’; and ‘War as Law-Suit: YHWH as Judge and Warrior’. The integrity of the psalm is further supported by the identification of a clear concentric pattern (p. 201). In welcoming this monograph it is to be hoped that it will find a wide readership amongst both scholars and students, though its publication by Brill—undoubtedly one of the most significant of scholarly houses—means that their traditional pricing policy will exclude many potential readers.
A.G. H
H
This monograph is the revised version of H.'s 2011 doctoral thesis (University of Sheffield), supervised by Hugh Pyper. Chapter 1 offers key correctives to C.A. Newsom's dialogic reading of Job (The Book of Job [2003]; see B.L. 2004, p. 97) by casting doubt on the narrator's authoritative perspective, reading the prologue as polyphonic rather than monologic text (ch. 2), and clarifying the difference between Bakhtin's definition of genre and the form-critical one. The dialogic reading of Job is extended by H.'s application of Bakhtin's concept of chronotope to Job for the purpose of reading each of its many voices (including Job's multivocal response [ch. 3]). This concept aids in understanding character construction, multiple images of Job, the interaction of different genres, transformed terms, and the relationship of readers and text, as well as recognition of changing points of view in Job. An interesting suggestion is made in ch. 4 concerning the claim that voices from the prologue are echoed in the dialogue sections: ‘Although God and hassatan no longer appear in the dialogue, their voices are still alive in the three friends’ voices’ (p. 27). Chapter 5 examines the complementary dialogic relationship between the prologue and dialogue sections. As the title conveys, it is concluded that Job is ‘unfinalizable’, both in the sense of the undetermined blamelessness of the character as well as an unfinalized ending to the book, which is left open for interpretation. This work proves beneficial primarily for refining and undergirding the foundational Bakhtinian readings of Job.
B.N. M
K
After an introduction, a brief survey of ‘basic issues in epistemology and the sociology of knowledge’ (p. 4), and a case study of Proverbs 1–9, K. turns to his analysis of four psalms. This begins by discussing the problem of ‘wisdom psalms’, asserting that the recognition of wisdom elements can facilitate the identification of ‘epistemological qualities that might otherwise be missed’ (p. 67), and then a chapter is devoted to each psalm. These chapters each present a text and translation, with text-critical and philological notes, followed by a discussion of questions like structure and dating before observations are made and conclusions drawn about epistemological issues. These sometimes seem forced, and the ‘counting of days’ in Ps. 90.12, for example, is explained not as ‘the simple act of enumerating his days, but rather of rightly ordering them in such a way as to understand their nature and meaning’ (p. 130)—a conclusion reached through a very questionable word-study. The four psalms are set beside each other in a closing chapter, where K. discerns an ‘epistemological progression’ (p. 171) when they are taken in canonical order, with the psalmists confronting the problem of righteous suffering with increasing sophistication and a growing emphasis on the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own growth in wisdom. There is no obvious discussion of whether or how such a progression might have been deliberately created. Some interesting exegetical ideas cannot conceal the thinness of the methodological basis, and it is curious to find no reference to many relevant works, such as A. Schellenberg's Erkenntnis als Problem (B.L. 2004, p. 146) or my own study of Proverbs 1–9 (B.L. 2008, p. 142).
S.D.E. W
K
This book is a detailed literary and theological study of the historical psalms (Exod. 15; Pss. 78, 105, 106, 114, 135 and 136). Through the application of redaction criticism and by putting ‘inner-biblical’ interpretation in a particular order, the role of the historical psalms is celebrated as a move from a more communal reflection of the past in the Song of the Sea to a more individualistic appropriation through prayer of Israel's history. At each stage the process appears to reflect some concern with identity, particularly as that might be constructed through cultural memory. The discussion of Exodus 15 is juxtaposed with an analysis of Psalm 114 as a key to the composition of Psalms 111–118; Psalm 78 is understood as a key to the redaction of the Asaph collection; Psalms 105–106 are viewed as a bridge between Books IV and V of the Psalter; Psalms 135–136 function in Book V to move praise from its historical basis towards the sovereignty of God. The book is a clear and decisive investigation of the individual psalms in themselves and in relation to one another and their literary contexts. It is somewhat surprising that, apart from reference to Nehemiah 9, the redactional developments that are portrayed do not engage with the wider literary context of the Second Temple period; so, for example, the presence of what can be easily recognized as parts of Psalms 105 and 106 in 1 Chronicles 16 are used merely to disclose textual variants rather than as contributing to how historical psalmody might have been used. It is a pity too that there is virtually no use of the fresh understandings of historical psalms that emerge when the full range of evidence is put on the table, as in Mika Pajunen's dissertation on 4Q381 and related collections (reviewed below in Section 10). The book is thus an engaging close reading of the selected poems in their immediate literary contexts, a compulsory read for all interested in these psalms and their redactional use, but the implications of what K. points out have yet to be fully worked out.
G.J. B
L
The first volume in this series, which dealt with Psalms 1–41, was included in B.L. 2006, p. 114, and the second volume, on Psalms 42–89 and published in 2010, was reviewed in B.L. 2012, p. 120. Fortunately, the author provides an abridged account of his methodology, first presented in vol. I, so that this volume on the remaining psalms (plus Ps. 1) can be read independently. Definitions of the technical terms used are also given (pp. 611–14). The structure of each psalm is set out in transcription, using typographical markers, with some textual notes when required and an outline of its content. Then come lists of transition markers and verbal repetitions, which are considered an important formal feature. These are followed by various figures (number of strophes, words per strophe, etc.), a list of the divisions proposed by other scholars, extensive comments on the cantos making up the psalm, and a summary. Each psalm has its own bibliography. Because of its length, Psalm 119 is given special treatment, and Psalms 120–134 have a separate chapter. The book closes with a description of the canto patterns in Hebrew poetry in terms of verse lines. Comparison with J. Fokkelmann's method (e.g. Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible, vol. III [Assen 2003], reviewed in B.L. 2004, pp. 82–83) is inevitable, since he also analyses many of these psalms in a similar way. However, whereas Fokkelmann counts syllables, L. counts words, although both calculate the number of strophes. Only L. sets out the texts, and one could say that these two approaches complement each other, but in either case the reader is required to do some of the legwork.
W.G.E. W
M
Mark Biddle is to be congratulated on this readable and accurate translation of M.'s Psalmenstudien (originally published in six volumes in 1921–24). The individual studies are ‘Awen and the Psalms of Individual Lament; YHWH's Enthronement Festival and the Origin of Eschatology (in vol. 1); Cultic Prophecy and Prophetic Psalms; The Technical Terms in the Psalm Superscriptions; Blessing and Curse in Israel's Cult and Psalmody; and The Psalmists (in vol. 2). Merely to scan these titles is to realize the stature of M. and his influence in Psalms research over the last century. There is much that is still of value in this collection, many proposals which remain valid and merit continuing investigation. No doubt some of M.'s views and positions are of their time, but to a remarkable extent they retain a power to stimulate and an attention to detailed exegesis which have rarely been surpassed. Together with the long-since translated The Psalms in Israel's Worship, these volumes should be on the shelves of every Psalms scholar—and not merely as ornaments! Biddle adeptly communicates M.'s intelligence together with his often surprising wit and his willingness to engage forcefully with his critics. Two small cavils: the second volume uses as a running head on the verso pages the last study in vol. 1 (YHWH's Enthronement Festival, etc.), which is a minor irritation when trying to ascertain where one is in the book; and there is no bibliography: the inclusion of one would have had considerable historic interest.
A.G. H
P
The Elihu speeches have often been the step-child of Joban studies, excised in one or another way from the book. This Göttingen doctoral thesis (supervisor Hermann Spieckermann), however, gives a central theological place to Elihu and his responses to Job and the friends. The main theme is indicated in the title: education through suffering. P. proposes that the four monologues of Elihu were not a literary unity, even though they represent a textual unity in the book of Job. There was originally a single speech (that now is found roughly in 32.1, 6–10, 18–22; 33.1–25; 36.22–23, 29–33; 37.6–14). This was expanded and restructured in three stages to the four monologues of the present text. The Elihu speeches had their origin in the late Persian period, composed specifically for the book rather than existing independently at a prior time. The initial speech was added in the late Persian period, while the further expansions into four monologues took place during the third century in the Greek period. Whether or not all will find P.'s thesis of literary development convincing, she has shown what some of us have always thought: the Elihu speeches are not redundant but form an essential element in the composition and structure of the book of Job.
L.L. G
S
For a review of this volume, see Section 4 above.
S
Despite its title, this fascinating and wide-ranging book is not a work of biblical studies, nor of deep theological reflection, but of popular science. S., an ecologist, seeks to explain the natural processes and systems operative in the earth, as well as the environmental risks engendered by anthropic activity. Selected verses from the first divine speech of Job, which are introduced only very briefly, merely provide thematic rhetorical questions against which to read S.'s answers. The unJoban premise is that ‘we must understand the planet's function’ (p. 4) because of our impact on it. After the preface and a brief introduction to Job and the ‘whirlwind speech’ (ch. 1), ch. 2 explains the origin of the Earth and of its life (quoting Job 38.4–11). Subsequent chapters consider animal and plant domestication and its impact (ch. 3; Job 39.9–11), the ecological effects of the release of feral and invasive species (ch. 4; Job 39.5–7), the mechanisms of tides and sea level (ch. 5; Job 38.8–11, 29–30), and the ‘winds, ocean currents and the global energy balance’, including the effects of changes to these currents (ch. 7; Job 38.16, 24). Further sections concern biological and ecological timing and their vulnerability to climate change (ch. 6; Job 38.31–33; 39.1, 26), the relation between climate and vegetation (ch. 8; Job 38.25–27), the preservation of biological diversity in the face of anthropic dominance (ch. 9; Job 38.39–40), and attempts to manipulate the climate (ch. 10; Job 38.22–23, 34–35, 37). A brief conclusion iterates the need to comprehend the earth, and is followed by the endnotes and a general index.
R.S. W
S
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (V) below.
W
Waltke et al. aim to provide a ‘historical’ commentary on a selection of psalms based on the traditional seven penitential psalms of the church (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). They actually deal with Psalms 5, 6, 7, 32, 38, 39, 44, 102, 130 and 143, defending their choice by arguing for 5 to 7 as a cluster with special pleading for 39 and 44, and excluding 51 which was dealt with in their earlier The Psalms as Christian Worship (2010). Each commentary has four parts: I. ‘Voice of the Church’, in which one or more interpreters from the Church's past are briefly reviewed; II. ‘Voice of the Psalmist’, the author's own translation; III. ‘Commentary’, covering matters of context and structure followed by exegesis; and IV. ‘Conclusion’. The theology is generally conservative and Christian; indeed, this reviewer felt that the discussion suggested eisegesis rather than exegesis, reading a largely Lutheran theology out of the psalms discussed, with little nuance. The term ‘historical’ in the title is ambiguous: it seems to refer to a somewhat uncritical placing of the psalms at points in the life of David; but at another level it could indicate a modified form of Receptionsgeschichte. The commentary itself is detailed (within the limits already noted), and the translation is replete with technical notes, raising a question as to the intended readership; most busy preachers would find this aspect largely redundant. The authors use throughout the phrase ‘I AM’ to render the tetragrammaton—a usage unfamiliar to the reviewer which was presumably defended in their earlier volume. There is some evidence of editorial laxity: n. 89 on p. 146 is identical to n. 48 on p. 60. On the whole, despite the undoubted expertise of the authors, this is something of a mixed bag.
A.G. H
W
W. addresses questions concerning divine appellations in the Psalter. Scholarship by F.L. Hossfeld and E. Zenger and by C. Süssenbach in particular is fundamental, as is work on ‘oral cultures and the construction of meaning in oral-derived literature’ (p. 2). Approaching the text in its final form and avoiding diachronic analysis, his thesis intersects with canonical concerns. He distinguishes between the ‘Elohim’ of the Pentateuch and of the Psalms. Examining the interchange between ‘YHWH’ and ‘Elohim’ in the Psalter, W. redefines the Elohistic Psalter to include Psalms 84–89. He focuses on the oral nature of psalm texts, arguing that divine names are used to make connections with semantic or thematic connotations, such as those inspired by J and E portions of the Pentateuch. He associates ‘Elohim’ with the ordering of creation, and as a means to emphasize YHWH's sovereignty and power over chaos. W.'s canonically guided method does not easily convince of ‘marked use’ of ‘Elohim’ in Book I, but his work on Books II and III is stronger, where some striking readings develop the imagery of water, its relationship to chaos, and his ‘Elohistic’ theology. His textual analysis is thorough, and footnoting throughout demonstrates breadth of reading. A subsection on parallel psalms argues for oral formulation rather than literary and redactional dependence. A brief chapter on Books IV and V examines four further psalms, before a wide-ranging conclusion. While more consistency of evidence is required to make this hypothesis watertight, nevertheless scholars may value such different perspectives on liturgical traditions, Pentateuchal connections, oral formulations, and functional final-form methodology.
M.I.J. D
V. Other Writings (Lamentations, Daniel, Ruth, Esther, Chronicles, Ezra–Nehemiah)
B
This helpful study of the different ways in which restoration was understood after the Exile originated as a dissertation completed under H. Klement in 2013. Rather than seeing ‘restoration’ as a single concept, B. argues that it is multiplex, suggesting there are four strands to it in Ezra–Nehemiah related to covenant, salvation history, prophetic promises and rebuilding. The ambivalence that he proposes as a theological concept emerges from the interplay of these strands. After outlining his questions in an opening chapter which also argues for the unity of Ezra–Nehemiah, B. then devotes one chapter to each strand, though rebuilding is treated more briefly than the others. For each, B. offers a careful reading of the relevant texts that engages with a broad range of scholarship but which is well applied to his central argument. He also carefully draws in passages from elsewhere in the OT where relevant; although his labelling of this as intertextuality may suggest a more sophisticated literary method than is employed, they do open up the concept of ambivalence. There are a few typographical errors which might suggest that the work was published rather too quickly after the submission of the thesis. However, this does not detract from the overall quality of the work which makes a worthwhile contribution to the study of these texts.
D.G. F
B
B. begins by attributing the recent decline in scholarly interest and confidence in the analysis of the NM's genre to the questionable assumption that its divergences from comparable ANE genres render further analysis unproductive. In ch. 2, B. argues for a more slender NM than some, seeing as secondary both 3.1–32 and 12.27–43 (including the first-person narration within it). In the following chapter, B. invokes the notion of genre not as an essentialist end, but rather as an analytical means, before going on to identify elements of two genres in the NM (ch. 4), first by adding to the list of ANE memorializing texts to which the NM has long been compared and then by observing the resonance of Nehemiah 1–2 with ‘court tales’ (cf. Joseph, Daniel, etc.). Chapter 5 then offers a reading of the NM which traces the transformation of Nehemiah's recollection as successful Jewish exile in a foreign court into an increasingly self-aggrandizing memorialization of his actions as representative of that same foreign court but now on behalf of the Jewish survivors returned from exile. B. goes on in ch. 6 to explain how the subsequent reception of the NM led to the formation of the remainder of Ezra–Nehemiah including the so-called Ezra memoir, before he concludes with a historical reflection on his analysis. While the value of the ‘court tale’ for an analysis of the NM may well be debated, there can be little doubt that B.'s work warrants a place alongside other recent scholarly contributions to the study of Ezra–Nehemiah.
D. S
D
D.'s study of Esther emerges as a side-project from his PhD studies (which are focused on the NT) in order to follow through on the interest he developed in Esther while studying for his MA. Perhaps because it comes at a relatively early stage of his own scholarship, it closely follows the views of his lecturer Ronald Pierce, who also contributes a foreword here. D. argues that the book of Esther was always intended to be completely secular, but in this way functions to critique those who had remained in exile. In spite of this, he also believes that the book functions theologically, showing that God remains faithful to an unfaithful people. In working towards this conclusion he takes aim at both scholarly and popular interpreters who have wanted to make Esther more overtly theological, though it is not always clear that he has fully understood the reasons offered by scholarly readers, for which a clearer treatment of intertextuality was needed. The dual focus also leads to an uneven tone: sometimes D. is very colloquial, sounding rather like someone speaking in church, and at other times he focuses on matters that popular readers may struggle to understand. His thesis also depends on a contested reading of 4.14 and understanding AT Esther as a derivation from LXX, a view which would need to be substantiated more thoroughly.
D.G. F
D
For a review of this volume, see Section 5 (II) above.
F
This monograph explores the life and afterlife of Ezra, the character. After a brief introduction (ch. 1), F. seeks to isolate the Persian period material embedded in Ezra 7– 10 from later Hellenistic additions. The earlier text, according to F., portrays the historical Ezra as a royal official and outsider who was sent to inspect the situation in Yehud. The later material transforms Ezra into a ‘second Moses’ who taught Torah to the people and who brought profound changes to their identity and community (chs. 2–3). The rest of the book is devoted to the afterlife of this ‘biblical’ Ezra (chs. 4–8). F. discusses the content and origin of 1 Esdras, as well as suggesting reasons for its omission of the Nehemiah narrative and the covenant renewal ceremony and its introduction of the narrative about Zerubbabel. F. also explores Josephus's use of 1 Esdras. Turning to the Ezra Apocalypse (4 Ezra), F. offers a detailed survey of its content and theology. She also discusses its gradual growth and its transformation from a Jewish into a Christian text, as well as how a wide range of mediaeval Christian texts employed the figure of Ezra to probe the nature of God's justice, before turning to the figure of Ezra as depicted by the Church Fathers and the rabbis, as well as in Samaritan and Islamic traditions. The concluding section surveys modern scholarship on Ezra. While I am sceptical of our ability to differentiate between the biblical and the historical Ezra, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can recommend it.
L.-S. T
L
This is a revised version of L.'s doctoral dissertation from Emory University, supervised by D.L. Petersen. L. sets out to investigate the link between monotheistic belief, defined as ‘the assertion of Yhwh's categorical supremacy (or supreme uniqueness)’ (p. 27), and the presentation of the Jerusalem Temple, its priesthood, and the Davidic monarchy in the book of Chronicles. In the textual world of the Chronicler these institutions represent a qualified yet nevertheless real expression of YHWH's uniqueness. This is true first and foremost of the Temple which embodies divine reality functionally, through its cult, qualitatively, through its participation in divine greatness, and materially, because of the fact that it was a divine creation. The priesthood manifests divine supremacy by fulfilling its divinely ordained tasks which model an appropriate cultic response to YHWH. The Davidic monarchy also represents an expression of YHWH's supreme rule especially in the description of the reigns of David and Solomon. The rhetorical goal of all this is to establish the Temple as definitive for the identity and purpose of the postexilic community. Unfortunately, L. does not commit himself clearly on the issue of how exactly the treatment of the Davidic monarchy contributes to achieving this rhetorical goal, even though there are some suggestive remarks about the ‘unification of kingship and cult’ and the use of foreign kings by YHWH. Notwithstanding this, the book presents a very useful and readable investigation of the way these institutions are handled in Chronicles.
T.S. H
S
This monograph is the revised version of S.'s doctoral thesis (University of St Andrews), in which he utilizes the Megilloth as a test case for establishing the possibility of the intentional shaping of the Writings. In the same vein as recent scholarship on the Twelve and the Psalter, following Childs’ canonical approach, S. searches for ‘collection-conscious connections’ among the members of the Megilloth by examining the deliberate positioning of each of the Five Scrolls in the two Hebrew orders (MT and BB 14b). The observation of similar reasoning for the positioning of each book within the varied canonical orders is an insightful contribution. S. relies on J. Steinberg's (Ketuvim, 2006) understanding of the division of the Megilloth into the wisdom and national-historic sub-collections within the Writings. He identifies catchwords and phrases at the ‘seams’ of the Megilloth as ‘the strongest indicator of compilation’ (p. 208). With the compilational history in view it is doubtful, as S. argues, whether ‘contiguous associations’ are largely responsible for bringing this collection together; however, this does not preclude the fruitfulness of canonical readings produced from such a collection. S.'s chiastic macro-structure for the Megilloth is strained, but a convincing case is made for putting the argument to rest that the Megilloth were first compiled as a liturgical set. To consider the intentional arrangement of these books provides yet another hermeneutical dimension from which to glean meaningful interpretation, and establishes the possibility that the Writings should no longer be regarded as a random collection.
B.N. M
W
This Regensburg doctoral thesis (supervisor Georg Steins) investigates the question of Daniel 10–12 as the key to the book's message, as the title indicates. Much of the content of these chapters is a review of Hellenistic history in coded form, vaticinia ex eventu. Only at the end of ch. 11 and then ch. 12 does the text move into genuine prediction. While not denying the importance of the historical interpretation, W. seeks to go beyond this with a literary analysis that puts these chapters in the context of biblical theology. Her close reading of the text produces a ‘super-history’ in which historical events are interpreted in a dynamic way from the point of view of Jewish religion and ethics (pp. 248–49). The events of Seleucid history serve only as a model or pattern of continuing events for the reader. The three themes of power (Macht), understanding (Verstehen), and time (Zeit) in Daniel 11–12 are in fact found throughout the book. The maskilim (11.33–35) serve the same function as Daniel and his friends in earlier chapters and, in fact, they all represent the individual readers of the book. The threat from the nations is overcome by the twin ‘strategies’ of understanding and time (p. 294). W. argues that Daniel is not a marginal apocalyptic work but a canonical book that has the ‘voice of a book in inner-biblical discourse concerning the relationship between Israel and the nations’—a theme throughout the Bible, from Genesis 12 (p. 300).
L.L. G