Abstract
This is the latest once-per-generation SOTS volume reviewing current HB scholarship. It contains an introduction, twenty-six chapters (with bibliographies), and the usual indices. All contributors are SOTS members who, apart from B., did not write for Mayes’s previous collection (B.L. 2001, pp. 12-13). B. (‘Introduction’) highlights twenty-first-century growth in the following: inter-disciplinarity; Second Temple studies; theological, final-form, and reader-response approaches; and reception history. N. MacDonald (‘The Pentateuch’) provides an excellent overview of pentateuchal research, explaining the demise of the Documentary Hypothesis consensus, alternative theories and tendencies (e.g., appeals to Fortschreibung), and new convergences (e.g., H post-dates P). R.G. Kratz (‘The Narrative Books’), noting the loss of consensus regarding DtrH, helpfully outlines recent work on Joshua-Kings, including emerging agreements (e.g., these books underwent a long process of editing). A. Klein (‘Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature’) explains the twenty-first century focus on diachronic and synchronic study of the prophetic books, rather than the historical prophets, and briefly considers apocalypticism. J. Jarick (‘Wisdom Literature’) offers a valuable survey, including disagreements regarding the category’s ongoing usefulness, though not all will be persuaded by his biblical Wisdom/modern Humanities analogy (p. 74). S. Gillingham (‘Psalms and Poems’) provides a thorough survey, explaining the growth of synchronic work alongside diachronic and new emphases on inter-faith dialogue and reception. C.A. Newsom (‘The Bible and Early Jewish Literature’) describes the textual plurality of ‘biblical’ books in Second Temple times, summarises ‘Rewritten Bible’ debates, and characterises Second Temple textual authority in terms similar to B.’s Oracles of God (1986). G.J. Brooke (‘Biblical Canons’) presents a comprehensive account of collaborative studies on canon since the 1990s; he also looks at the DSS and what can consequently be said about the formation of the Jewish canon and Christian OT. J.K. Aitken (‘Textual Criticism’) outlines changes in thinking regarding textual criticism, given new data and findings; he further comments on new textual editions. K.J. Cathcart (‘Philology and Linguistics’) draws on clear examples to illustrate how Semitic philology and historical linguistics continue to improve our understanding of the HB’s languages. H.G.M. Williamson (‘Archaeology’) notes speedier publication of archaeological findings; new discoveries; ongoing debates about dating strata and relating them to texts; and challenges from illicit excavations and forgeries. L. Quick (‘The Ancient Near Eastern Context’) argues for adopting NT scholarship’s ‘audience criticism’ to grasp better the HB’s historical-cultural context. C.L. Crouch (‘The History of Israel and Judah’) explains well how thoroughly late twentieth-century ‘minimalism’ pushed twenty-first-century scholars away from earlier phases of Israelite history towards the Persian period; she hopes future researchers will return to the former. M.W. Scarlata (‘Religious Practice in Ancient Israel and Judah’) looks at recent scholarship which, drawing on ritual theory and social science, is focused mainly on Leviticus and the cult. F. Stavrakopoulou (‘Visual Cultures of the Hebrew Bible’), aided by illuminating examples (e.g., Judaean pillar figurines), unpacks scholarly work with regard to the text-image relationship and visual culture’s social-material dimensions. R.S. Briggs (‘Theological Interpretation of Scripture’) proposes a threefold characterisation of recent discussions; he then borrows from Ricoeur to create an interesting sixfold tabular summary (p. 232). C. Blyth (‘Gender and the Hebrew Bible’) divides this area into feminist-, queer-, and masculinity-oriented components, observing their common ‘deconstruction’ of biblical binaries and the need for fuller collaboration; she acknowledges such work’s ‘political’ nature (p. 241) without intimating whether that too has been subject to deconstruction. H.S. Pyper (‘Postcolonialist Readings of the Hebrew Bible’) surveys postcolonialism’s threefold application to the HB (i.e., to academic HB studies, the HB’s role in European colonisation and decolonisation, and the HB’s own ancient world), though whether postcolonial HB scholarship has yet engaged thoroughly with critiques of postcolonialism remains unclear. E.W. Davies (‘Ethics in the Hebrew Bible’) describes the recent flourishing of this aspect of study vis-à-vis biblical law, narrative, prophecy, and Psalms. H. Marlow (‘The Hebrew Bible and Ecology’) traces post-Second World War developments (e.g., new emphases on HB themes like creation) that enabled ecological approaches (e.g., ecocriticism), projects (e.g., Exeter Project), and publications to emerge in recent decades, though repeated vague references to an ecological ‘crisis’ require explanation. T.K. Mapfeka (‘The Hebrew Bible and Race…’) makes a reasonable case that the HB focuses on ethnicity (i.e., genealogy and shared culture), not race (i.e., skin colour), despite occasional lapses in clarity or accuracy (e.g., regarding John Troglita on p. 293). K.E. Southwood (‘The Hebrew Bible and the Social Sciences’) surveys the vicissitudes of nineteenth- and twentieth-century contributions before highlighting more careful uses of social science recently (e.g., on the body), including potential pitfalls (e.g., anachronism). E.E. Kozlova (‘The Hebrew Bible and Psychology’) outlines the theoretical bases for psychological analysis of the HB (e.g., attachment theory), surveys the fascinating insights gained (e.g., DtrH as trauma literature), and considers possible future research. J. Schaper (‘Cognitive Science and the Hebrew Bible’) helpfully examines matters of application, drawing on examples (e.g., iconism/aniconism) to demonstrate benefits and dangers; he also points to cognitive history and cognitive archaeology as potentially fruitful. D.W. Rooke, H. Morse, and D.J. Shepherd (‘Reception…in Music, Visual Art, Theatre, and Film’) separately contribute three informative essays: R. considers research on musical compositions with an accompanying text (e.g., oratorios) by outlining recent surveys and detailed studies; M. explains two main scholarly approaches to visual art (‘visual exegesis’ and ‘visual criticism’), suggesting that curatorial theory may provide a third; and S. looks at literature (via an overview of recent reference works), film (distinguishing between the Bible on film, Bible in film, and Bible and film), and theatre (including medieval, early-modern, and twentieth-century dramatizations). J. West (‘Translating the Hebrew Bible’) discusses recent translations, recommending the Zürcher Bibel (2007) and Alter’s Hebrew Bible (2018). P.M. Joyce (‘Literary Approaches to the Hebrew Bible’) describes Biblical Studies’s literary turn last century and subsequent developments, noting particularly the ‘common-sense’ literary insights now widely seen in HB research. B. has done us a great service by editing a collection that reflects so well the panoply of current HB scholarship; it will benefit researchers and advanced students alike.