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The Character of God
in the Book of Genesis: A Narrative Appraisal
by W. Lee Humphreys
Westminster John Knox, Louisville,
2001. 284 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-664-22360-5.
In this eminently readable yet never simplistic book, Humphreys
reads Genesis sequentially, examining the ways God is characterized.
He notes those parts of Genesis where readers’ understandings
of God are shaped by the narrator’s statements about God’s
thoughts, feelings, speech, or actions, and where those understandings
are fed chiefly by other characterizations of God. In so doing,
Humphreys notes a general progression from direct to indirect
characterizations of God within Genesis. By the end of Genesis,
God is present only in speeches by Joseph and a few other characters.
Humphreys also charts (literally, with a table of characterizations
appearing at the end of each chapter) the changing roles that
God seems to play within the story: designer, parent, destroyer,
sustainer, and patron, among others.
Humphreys takes a formalist approach to reading Genesis. He adopts
a “first-time reader” persona, and insists that the
God on whom he focuses is strictly a literary character who has
no existence outside the narrative. Such strictures have become
familiar to students of biblical narratives in recent decades,
and they discourage importing into a reading of Genesis notions
about God derived from other sources. However, readers wondering
how portrayals of God in Genesis might have functioned within
early Judaism to shape social norms and theological concepts will
find no help here. Within the limitations of Humphreys’s
method, this book is an excellent resource. The study is especially
good for readers new to literary studies of biblical narrative
and studies of God as a literary character. More experienced readers
may find that Humphreys’s study sharpens and challenges their
own ideas about the characterization of God in Genesis. No student
of Genesis should neglect this book.
R. Christopher Heard
Milligan College
johnson city, tennessee
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Holiness to the LORD: A Guide
to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus
by Allen P. Ross
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2002. 496 pp. $29.99 (cloth). ISBN
0-8010-2285-1.
Ross intends to make the book of Leviticus accessible and valuable
for contemporary Christian readers. His methodology is straightforward:
place the material within its historical context, draw out “timeless
truths,” and then explicate those truths in light of the
“fuller revelation” of the New Testament. He begins
with a lengthy discussion of the critical study of Leviticus,
dealing with historical, literary, and theological issues in the
book and aligning himself with the conservative evangelical tradition.
His treatment of Leviticus is divided into forty-nine separate
chapters, and each one includes a summary of the passage and a
synthetic description of its theological ideas. Without fail,
Ross concludes by showing how these ideas find their fullest expression
in the atoning death of Christ.
Ross should be commended for struggling to make such an odd text
available to modern Christians. However, his attempts fall dramatically
short of their goal because his treatment of Leviticus is completely
subsumed by his Christology. His book is actually an exposition
of Christian substitutionary atonement, using Leviticus as a springboard.
On almost every page, Ross outlines his theological starting point:
sin leads necessarily to death, but this legal requirement can
be satisfied by the sacrifice of a substitute, which provides
the opportunity for renewed life. Ross never hints that there
might be other understandings of Christ’s death. It is also
highly questionable whether Leviticus conforms to this view of
atonement at all. Ross is unable to explain the subtle meanings
of “defilement” and “purification” in Leviticus
because for him they are basically the same as “sin”
and “salvation.” He implies that the priestly and sacrificial
systems in Leviticus have meaning only as they point toward Christ’s
eternal priesthood and perfect sacrifice. However, if preaching
from Leviticus is to be anything more than a restatement of the
book of Hebrews, the expositor must interact with various interpretations
of the book, especially the perspectives of Milgrom and other
Jewish interpreters. A Christian expositor would be better served
by using less theologically determined works in order to study
the historical, literary, and theological content of Leviticus.
Bryan Bibb
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina
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Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy
by Stephen K. Sherwood
Berit Olam. Liturgical, Collegeville, 2002. 306 pp. $39.95 (cloth).
ISBN 0-8146-5046-5.
The Berit Olam series of commentaries is directed toward a broad
audience of readers, from interested lay persons to religious
educators and professional biblical scholars. The aim of the series
is to highlight the literary character of biblical literature
in its final written form. Sherwood fulfills this aim by applying
a literary study to three of the five books of the Torah: Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy. His focus for interpretation is on literary
structures, including inclusio and chiasm, and poetic features
of the narrative, such as irony and allusion. A central argument
running throughout the commentary is one of genre: these three
books are narratives and not law-codes in spite of their vast
amount of legal material. Sherwood provides an introduction to
each book before taking the reader through a quick overview and
commentary. His commentary concludes with a short, but helpful
bibliography.
Sherwood provides insightful introductions in which he summarizes
the distribution of key words and motifs as well as the basic
literary elements of each book, including chronology, plot, character
development, and the modulation between narrative and discourse.
But the commentary covers a vast amount of biblical literature
in one volume. The result is that it is often little more than
an outline of the biblical text. The abbreviated form of the commentary,
with its literary focus on the canonical text, makes this a helpful
text for an introductory class on Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The outlines guide the reader through literature that may be unfamiliar,
but other commentaries will be necessary for any in-depth study.
Thomas B. Dozeman
United Theological Seminary
Dayton, Ohio
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Preaching
the Psalms
by J. Clinton McCann, Jr., and James C. Howell
Abingdon, Nashville, 2001. 144 pp. $15.00. ISBN 0-687-04499-5.
Journey through the Psalms
by Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
Revised and Expanded. Chalice, St. Louis, 2002. 176pp. 26.99 (cloth).
ISBN 0-8272-1714-5.
“For many clergy,” write McCann and Howell, “there
is nothing obvious about preaching the Psalms.” As part of
the Old Testament, the psalms are often seen as “riddled
with bulls and altars, pleas for vengeance, kings and priests,
a passion for the temple—all the agenda we think the New
Testament has left in the dust” (p. 15).
Hopkins identifies a general neglect in the use of psalms in the
church. She writes, “For too many Christians the psalms are
not preached from, prayed from, or sung in worship services nor
studied as much as they could be. Psalms are often treated as
little more than poetic appendages to our liturgies or as catchy
introductions to church committee meetings” (p. 9).
Both of these books aim at invigorating the use of psalms in the
church. Part I of Preaching the Psalms asks the question “Why
preach the Psalms?”and comments on the “great tradition
of [psalm] preaching” by Barth, Bonhoeffer and Niemoller,
King and Luther, Augustine and Jerome, Peter and Origen, John
Donne, Spurgeon, and others. Part II addresses how to preach a
psalm and provides a discussion of word pictures in the psalms,
movement within individual psalms, and the entire Psalter. Part
III deals with what should be preached and considers “The
Pursuit of Happiness” (Psalms 1 and 2), “The Problem
of Pain” (laments), and “The Cause for Celebration”
(psalms of praise and thanksgiving). The book includes sermons
on Psalms 85, 42, 73, 19, 22, and 47. Quotations from traditional
and contemporary theologians, poets, authors, and musicians abound,
as well as anecdotes from everyday life. An appendix lists “Music
and Other Worship Resources.”
Hopkins’s book also deals with preaching, but is especially
focused on teaching. After a chapter on the use of psalms in the
synagogue and the church, she offers fresh investigations of typical
groupings of the psalms, including praise psalms, torah and wisdom
psalms, laments, and thanksgiving and enthronement psalms. There
are abundant practical suggestions for teaching, including group
praying exercises (p. 35), making collages (p. 44), creating a
“wisdom wall” (p. 65) and a “service of silence
and lamentation” (p. 154–61). The book also includes
poems, artwork, and projects produced by students in seminaries
and churches. The author provides a wide-ranging bibliography,
listing both theological and non-theological resources. Hopkins’s
writing style is lively and engaging. For example, cutting out
parts of the lament psalms in worship services is described as
“pious pole-vaulting”(p. 116).
These two volumes are commendable contributions to the current
rediscovery of the psalms in the life of the church. Both exemplify
solid scholarship attractively and effectively packaged for contemporary
readers of the psalms.
James Limburg
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Berkeley, CAlifornia
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The
Prophetic Literature: An Introduction
by David L. Petersen
Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2002. 260 pp. $34.95. ISBN
0-664-25453-5.
Biblical prophetic literature is an enigmatic and complex terrain.
A good map should therefore possess authority and exhibit clarity
and brevity, all qualities abundant in this latest contribution
to the venerable genre of the introduction. Readers will find
cogent discussions of definitions and origins, as well as sustained
reflections on each of the “major” prophets, the Book
of the Twelve (the “minor” prophets), and prophetic
literature outside the prophetic books. Unlike studies that emphasize
the prophets as individual personalities or trace the development
of prophecy as an institution, Petersen’s focus is literary.
Thus while ample attention is paid to issues of context, the work
is chiefly an exposition of the prose and poetry that resulted
from prophetic activity and their subsequent transmission.
The work is helpful for gaining one’s bearings within the
fractious culture of biblical interpretation. Petersen renders
a valuable service by summarizing recent developments in North
American and European scholarship. Petersen’s task is also
constructive, witnessed by his perceptive discussion of Moses
as prophet (pp. 220–26). Another forte is his clear explanation
of diverse critical methods and their results, such as form, redaction,
tradition history, and sociological criticism, showcased nicely
in the interpretation of Hosea (pp. 178–81). Given the occasional
discussion of more technical matters, there is much here for the
serious reader. Enhanced by a scripture index, minimal notes,
and concise chapter bibliographies, the only desiderata are a
timeline and map.
Here is an accessible guide to the prophets, preserving enough
complexity to guarantee increasing returns with repeated visits.
Like any good map, it encourages readers to enter and appreciate
the literary topography for themselves.
J. P. Kang
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, new jersey
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Re-Imagine
the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus
by Bernard Brandon Scott
Polebridge Press, Santa Rosa, 2001. 167 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-944344-86-0.
The parables, according to Scott, give us a glimpse into the alternative
manner of living that Jesus presented to his followers. The problem
is that modern readers miss their provocative thrust because of
historical and cultural separation from their original context.
Using an historical approach, Scott attempts to recover the assumptions
and cultural background of the parables so that readers can appreciate
how the original audience would have understood their power. The
central theme of the parables for Scott is the “Empire of
God,” which is a re-imagined social community for Jesus’
followers that stands in contrast to the empires of this world.
As an introduction to the parables, this book finds a balance
that is neither overly technical nor simplistic. Scott also includes
a concise discussion of the history of interpretation and devotes
a substantial portion of the book to examining individual parables.
Readers will appreciate the generous sidebars that provide useful
background information or contemporary questions about the parables.
Readers suspicious of the Jesus Seminar may question Scott’s
application of their conclusions in this work. However, this should
not keep someone from reading his book. It is a well-written introduction
to the parables, and his exegesis contains rich material for teaching
them.
David P. Parris
Fuller Theological Seminary in Colorado
colorado springs, colorado
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What
Did Jesus Mean? Explaining the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables
in Simple and Universal Human Concepts
by Anna Wierzbicka
Oxford University Press, New York, 2001. 533 pp. $29.95. ISBN
0-19-513733-7.
This book applies the study of semantics to the texts of Jesus’
preaching. Using the idea of “conceptual primes,” that
“all explanations of meaning require a core of concepts that
are self-explanatory” (p. 6), Wierzbicka aims to translate
the texts into simple, though universal, expressions.
Well-versed in biblical theology and hermeneutics, Wierzbicka
consistently demonstrates that the idea of a universal core of
Jesus’ teaching does not conflict with the idea of inculturation.
She achieves considerable success in reducing Jesus’ preaching
to simple expressions, with the result that they become extraordinarily
exact and specific. Still, they are at once too simple (like baby
talk that communicates sophisticated information) and too long
(for instance, the Lord’s Prayer is more than 100 lines long).
The reduction inevitably levels all the texts to the same playing
field and thus no specific biblical insight is privileged over
another. Moreover, for all the attempts to get to the real meaning
of Jesus’ words, we are often led to her own judgment or
conjecture. Phrases like, “I think,” “my
solution,” and “I hold” are clear indicators that
we are grasping at the “real meaning” through Wierzbicka’s
perspective and competency.
Still, there is an engaging adventure here. Above all, readers
will want to meet her after reading her translations of the beatitudes
and each of the eighteen parables. In short, though she does not
think that Bible translators should be reducing the texts to this
language (p. 254), she makes a strong case that semantics provides
an adequate language of analysis for biblical theology and scholarship
(p. 441). It will be the first of many subsequent attempts.
James F. Keenan, S.J.
Weston Jesuit School of Theology
cambridge, massachusetts
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The
Quest for Home: Household in Mark’s Community
by Michael F. Trainor
Liturgical, Collegeville, 2001. 201 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-8146-5087-2.
The powerful experience of family and belonging in the contemporary
world has created for Trainor a “preoccupation, almost obsession
with houses and households in archeology, ancient literature and
Mark’s gospel” (p. 177). Thus the book begins with an
overview, from both archeology and ancient literature, of the
shape and character of Greco-Roman houses and families. This is
relevant in Trainor’s view because he believes that Mark’s
Gospel was written in Rome for an urban audience.
The book then offers a narrative reading of Mark’s gospel
through what Trainor calls “domestic” lenses. He finds
Mark to be both pro-cultural, accepting the best of Greco-Roman
attitudes toward the family, and countercultural, offering the
surrogate Christian families as an alternative to the hierarchical,
male-dominated and socially exclusive families of the Roman elite.
He understands Mark’s Jesus to be calling, defining, instructing,
and correcting his householders (disciples) so that they might
experience the risen Jesus in their life together in a concrete
and practical way. Trainor’s pastoral concern for those who
experience homelessness in the modern world is evident throughout.
Some of the places Trainor finds “household” in Mark’s
“intent” (his term) might be a stretch. However, most
questions would arise over the notion that Mark is an urban gospel.
On that no scholarly consensus exists. In fact, there are almost
no stories in Mark about the kind of urban poor Trainor assumes
it addresses; its urbanites are almost exclusively Jesus’
elite opponents. Equally puzzling is Trainor’s use of elite
Greco-Roman attitudes toward the family. He reluctantly acknowledges
that we have no other written sources, but offers no corrective
from kinship studies in the social sciences.
Despite these problems, Trainor’s work offers pastoral resources
for those using the Gospel of Mark. Especially relevant is Mark’s
use of the stories of Jesus to speak to the congregations of his
own day.
Richard L. Rohrbaugh
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon
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Paul
in Acts
by Stanley E. Porter
Library of Pauline Studies. Hendrickson, Peabody, 2001. 242 pp.
$24.95. ISBN 1-56563-613-9.
Porter invites us to consider “a depiction of one character,
Paul, as he is presented and appears in various ways in the book
of Acts” (pp. 3–4). After carefully assessing the Paul
presented in Acts and comparing that figure with the Paul encountered
in the apostle’s letters, Porter concludes that Acts and
the letters present “one Paul.” The Paul we uncover
from his letters is consistent in theology, attitude, and behavior
with the figure in Acts. This book is, in large part, an attempt
to bolster that conclusion.
Porter begins his survey of Paul in Acts by looking at the “we”
passages and concludes that, while these passages did not originate
with the author of Acts, they did offer him a “credible portrait
of Paul” (ch. 2). According to Porter (ch. 3), the “we”
source downplays Paul’s gifts as a miracle worker, writer,
speaker, and theologian, focusing rather on the practical side
of the apostle. The next five chapters roam freely around the
book of Acts. Porter considers the relationship between Paul and
the Holy Spirit (ch. 4), Paul’s missionary speeches (ch.
6) and defense speeches (ch. 7), and Paul’s nearly obsequious
behavior in Acts 21 (ch. 8). Chapter five seems out of place;
“Paul as Epistolographer and Rhetorician?” could link
directly to the last chapter (ch. 9), which compares Paul in Acts
and the letters.
Porter has done a superb job of pulling together decades of debate
about the Paul of Acts. His research is thorough and his discussions
are detailed. However, while he is convinced that the Paul in
Acts is consistent with the Paul of his letters, he does not come
to terms with a problem he hints at in his introduction: Paul
as a character in the book of Acts. A consideration of characterization
as a literary aspect of Luke’s narrative could shed further
light on Luke’s portrait of Paul. An external comparison
of Luke and other Hellenistic narrators or an internal analysis
of Luke’s characterizations of Jesus, Peter, Paul, and others
could lift some of the burden of harmonizing the Paul of Acts
with the Paul of the letters. But that is another task for another
day. Porter has given us plenty to chew on for now.
Paul W. Walaskay
Union–PSCE
Richmond, Virginia
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Ephesians
by John Muddiman
Black’s New Testament Commentaries. Continuum, New York,
2001. 338 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-8264-5203-5.
Ephesians
by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld
Believer’s Church Bible Commentary. Herald, Waterloo, 2002.
397 pp. $24.99. ISBN 0-8361-9167-6.
Both authors are well-versed in recent scholarly discussions of
Ephesians and give detailed attention to the problems of translating
it into English. However, the two commentaries come from such
different traditions that the reader gets a very different perspective
on Ephesians in each instance. Muddiman, an Oxford don, has produced
a very readable running commentary on his translation of the text
for university level theology students. Yoder Neufeld, a Canadian
Mennonite, casts his interpretive net more widely. He discusses
divergences between the nrsv, niv, and other translations, and
the strictly exegetical material forms about half of the volume.
Additional sections treat the biblical context of themes in each
unit and the relevance of the text for the life of the church.
The latter discusses general theological topics and draws out
the importance of Ephesians for Anabaptist communities. Yoder
Neufeld seeks to show that Ephesians presents a crucial vision
of the church as God’s power of peace and reconciliation
at work in the cosmos. He acknowledges the fact that his tradition
has not found much inspiration in this epistle.
Unlike the majority of scholars, who treat Ephesians as the later
work of an anonymous Paulinist, both books try to develop a more
precise picture of the author. Yoder Neufeld’s is closest
to the mainstream. He agrees that Ephesians has reworked material
from Colossians and other Pauline letters into its own unique
vision of salvation. In order to highlight the peace-making potential
of its message, Yoder Neufeld takes the Jewishness of the authorial
persona in Ephesians as evidence that the actual author was a
Jewish Christian committed to the incorporation of Gentiles into
the Jewish Christian community. Muddiman rejects more of the consensus.
He hypothesizes a core letter to the Laodiceans written by Paul
himself that has been reworked by a later editor. Since the relationship
between Ephesians and earlier Pauline letters, especially Colossians,
is central to the common view, he routinely denies that Colossians
was the source for Ephesians, while Yoder Neufeld provides parallel
charts to show how such editing worked!
A further idiosyncrasy in Muddiman’s reading conflicts with
his emphasis on Pauline authorship. He treats the Ephesians address
as sufficient reason to associate the vertical eschatology of
Ephesians with traditions found in the other Johannine writings:
the Gospel, 1 John, and Revelation. He even goes so far as to
suggest a link between the Ephesians household code and 1 John
2:12–14 (p. 284). Yoder Neufeld’s discussion of contemporary
debates over the household code will be more useful to pastors
and others wrestling with issues of gender and subordination in
a passage that continues to be read at weddings. Both books are
thoughtfully and clearly argued, well worth reading. Yoder Neufeld’s
provides more diverse biblical and theological reflections that
will be appreciated by the working pastor or Bible study leader.
Pheme Perkins
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
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Paul
and the New Perspective: Second Thoughts on the Origin of Paul’s
Gospel
by Seyoon Kim
Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2002. 351 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8028-4974-1.
In what may be the most comprehensive critique to date of the
New Perspective on Paul, Seyoon Kim presents a thorough reworking
of the traditional view of Paul’s self-understanding and
theology. Sharp—even biting at times—though always erudite,
this volume launches a barrage of criticism against the “New
Perspectivists” (Sanders, Dunn, et al.). Readers who are
unfamiliar with this controversy will find many key issues in
clear relief, at least from a “traditionalist’s”
perspective. Those who are more acquainted with the issues from
either viewpoint will find much to assist them in the ongoing
work of analyzing and weighing the evidence. At stake are such
matters as Paul’s relation to Judaism before and after his
conversion or call; the significance of his conversion for understanding
his gospel and mission; the place of justification by grace through
faith in Paul’s theology; and Paul’s employment of the
Old Testament, the early Christian teachings, and the Jesus traditions.
For Kim, Sanders’s argument for “covenantal nomism”
cannot be substantiated exegetically. The doctrine of justification
and Paul’s call to the Gentile mission are bound inseparably
together in Paul’s Damascus Road event. Justification is
God’s forensic judgment of acquittal. Paul’s self-understanding
and mission are strongly influenced by texts like Isaiah 42 and
Ezekiel 1.
This is no mere reworking of Kim’s dissertation. Five new
essays interact with the New Perspective, as well as provide extended
consideration of Paul’s relation to the Jesus tradition.
Kim’s earlier positions are largely reiterated, but there
are many new insights drawn from rigorous research. It is unfortunate
that Kim’s polemic against the so-called New Perspectivists,
especially James Dunn, is presented so contentiously, for it clouds
rather than enhances his argument at points. Still, Kim offers
a vigorous defense of the traditionalist perspective.
Robert A. Bryant
Presbyterian College
Clinton, South Carolina
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In
the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity
by Oskar Skarsaune
InterVarsity, Downers Grove, 2002. 444 pp. $30.00 (cloth). ISBN
0-8308-2670-X.
Skarsaune presents a broad and inclusive examination of the Jewish
roots of pre-Nicean Christianity for the general reader. He maintains
that earliest Christianity continued to interact with, and be
affected by, Judaism long after it became a Gentile movement.
Arguing that Gentile god-fearers (non-Jews attached to the synagogue)
were the target of earliest Christian missionizing, he suggests
they carried much of their knowledge and love of Judaism into
Christianity. He examines themes such as the impact of Hellenism,
relations with Rome, Jesus the Jew, Jewish-Christian debate in
the second century, and Jewish influences on liturgy and calendar.
A chapter on women in early Judaism and Christianity is the only
obvious lacuna noted by this reader.
This irenic, clearly written work will benefit the reader in two
ways. First, it gives the “lay of the land” on crucial
themes. He summarizes the issues and includes the scholars of
earlier generations (the “classics”) as well as more
recent works. Second, it is an invaluable reference tool, including
many of the primary sources for the study of early Christianity
(e.g., Josephus’ testimony on Jesus, the Theodotus inscription
that describes the earliest function of the synagogue, Pliny’s
letter to Trajan about the prosecution of Christians). Also helpful
are maps and lists of major sources such as the important Gnostic
teachers, the Apostolic Fathers, and major polemicists in the
Jewish and Christian debate.
Skarsaune tends to favor more conservative interpretations and
earlier scholars. In describing the Historical Jesus Quest, he
relies on David Flusser and N.T. Wright, while relegating the
Jesus Seminar to a footnote. He is optimistic about the historicity
of Acts and the superiority of the canonical gospels as evidence
for the historical Jesus, while negative about the usefulness
of the Gospel of Thomas as an early source.
Skarsaune’s emphasis on the philo-Semitism of earliest Christianity
sheds light on those Christians as they struggled to define themselves
in relation to their Jewish ancestors and contemporary neighbors.
Claudia Setzer
Manhattan College
new york, new york
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The
Making of Sages: Biblical Wisdom and Contemporary Culture
by Donn F. Morgan
Trinity Press International, Harrisburg, 2002. 207 pp. $22.00.
ISBN 1-56338-328-4.
Morgan deftly juxtaposes biblical and contemporary perspectives
on what makes a “sage.” Morgan cleaves to his goal of
urging the church and other communities of faith “to relate
wisdom of the past to new challenges and changing circumstances”
(p. xvii). Eager for present-day professionals to engage biblical
sages as dialogue partners, Morgan points the way by considering
the identity and social location of ancient sages and their contemporary
counterparts. In the book’s first section, Morgan highlights
the origins, pedagogy, and social aspirations of biblical sages.
He then explains why university professors, religious educators,
and other professionals may be perceived as sages in our time.
Finally, Morgan reflects on the contributions that biblical and
contemporary sages make toward the enhancement of religious communities.
Given the paucity of data in the Hebrew Bible about ancient sages
and our reluctance to designate contemporary sages, readers may
approach this text with the suspicion that it cannot be substantive.
That misperception is corrected as they encounter Morgan’s
cogent argument that all sages are invested in “a common
educational task” (p. 32). Yet the capacity of ancient and
modern sages to explicate one another is sometimes overstated.
Moreover, the chapter summarizing recent scholarship in biblical
wisdom names few key contributors. Morgan is at his best when
he views the sage as social construct, problem setter rather than
problem solver, and dispenser of a value-laden wisdom that is
never static. Despite the occasionally repetitious prose, readers
will benefit from perusing this text in its entirety. They may
also opt to focus on chapters that handle topics close to their
own interests.
J. Kenneth Kuntz
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
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The
Christian Myth: Origins, Logic, and Legacy
by Burton L. Mack
Continuum, New York, 2001. 237 pp. $25.95. ISBN 0-8264-1355-2.
This book, in three major parts, presents the origins of Christianity,
its inner social logic, and its historical and cultural legacy.
Mack begins with a critique of the quest for the Historical Jesus,
claiming that the gospels are inadequate for reconstructing the
Historical Jesus. Instead they document early Christian myth-making.
He then defends his view that the earliest traditions remembered
Jesus as a cynic-like teacher who established a school tradition,
not a new religion, and concludes the first part of the book by
calling for a redescription of Christian origins along non-theological
lines. Turning to the issue of social logic, he proposes that
religions may be analyzed in terms of social interests that generate
their myths and rituals, which then, over time, function to shape,
critique, and maintain the society in which they have emerged.
He then applies this insight to early Christianity. In the final
part, Mack explores the construction of several Christian myths
in terms of social interest and social logic. He concludes by
suggesting that the legacy of the Christian myths is irredeemably
inadequate for the modern world.
This book offers a fascinating and challenging revisionist reinterpretation
of Christian origins and their legacy. Fundamental to Mack’s
approach is his attempt to drive a wedge between the Historical
Jesus and the emergence of a multiplicity of Christian movements
with distinctive social interests and diverse mythologies. Mack
is unable to account for the fact that Jesus became the object
of myth-making in the first place. Why, within less than a decade
of his death, had the important and powerful Christ myth of Paul
come into being around the figure of Jesus, and where are comparable
examples of this from the period? This alone implies a historical
uniqueness that Mack denies.
As to the legacy of Western Christianity, there can be no doubt
that Mack is partially correct. Christianity has played a role
in such evils as imperialism and anti-Semitism, as well as “anti-Muslimism.”
But it has also been a force for humanization and liberation that
cannot be ignored. Thus, when it comes to the legacy of Christianity
and its myths, Mack has simplified a complex and rich history
and, in the process, done an injustice to Christianity and its
potential for the twenty-first century.
Charles Wanamaker
University of Cape Town
Pinelands, south africa
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The
Control of Biblical Meaning: Canon as Semiotic Mechanism
by George Aichele
Trinity Press International, Harrisburg, 2001. 259 pp. $26.00.
ISBN 1-56338-333-0.
This book deconstructs conventional presentations of the Christian
Bible as an expression of a single truth or meaning. Aichele distinguishes
between the “canon” and text. He defines “canon”
as an ideological mechanism meant to control and delimit the multiple
meanings of biblical texts.
Part One, “The Control of Denotation,” explains how
“the semiotic mechanism of the biblical canon creates order,
lines of power, and makers of identity” (p. 18). The canon
authorizes certain ways of reading the text correctly. In ch.
1, “A Semiotics of Canon,” Aichele argues that the Christian
double canon transforms the “Old Testament” by rewriting
the Jewish scriptures in a normative manner. The New Testament
appropriates the Jewish scriptures and turns them into a Christian
first canon. In ch. 2, “The Technology of Text,” Aichele
discusses the materiality of the biblical canon and distinguishes
between “oral” versus written text and between “codex
and canon.” He highlights the ways in which literacy, manual
copying, printing, and digital production of texts affect the
status of the canon as a product of a reading community. In ch.
3, “Ideologies of Translation,” Aichele explains that
Christian logocentrism, the belief in the separation of meaning
from text, led to an over reliance on translation, a fickle process
that always requires a transfer of meaning. In ch. 4, “The
Imperial Bible,” Aichele questions the modern status of the
Bible as a “literary classic.” In Part Two, Aichele
exemplifies a postmodern reading of various biblical texts (e.g.,
Genesis 11, the letters of Paul), which emphasizes the plurality
and multiplicity of meanings and implications.
This book makes effective and inventive use of postmodern theories
in an effort to question a fundamentalist coherence or authoritative
meaning of the Christian Bible. His reading of the appropriation
of the Jewish scriptures is especially refreshing. This book is
a must read for anyone claiming to know what the Christian Bible
means, and for anyone who believes scripture is knowable.
Esther Fuchs
University of Arizona
Tuscon, Arizona
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Heroism
and the Christian Life: Reclaiming Excellence
by Brian S. Hook and R. R. Reno
Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2000. 253 pp. $23.95. ISBN
0-664-25812-3.
In this fascinating query into Christian heroism, Friedrich Nietzsche
poses the book’s problem. Can a religion that places so much
emphasis on humility, forgiveness, and grace really produce a
legitimate heroism? The authors take Nietzsche’s [rhetorical]
question seriously and set out to respond to it in this study.
In order to do so, they look at Christian heroism in the light
of classical and recent (Bonhoeffer and Camus) treatments. The
first three chapters deal with Achilles, Socrates, and Aeneas
and demonstrate that even classical treatments of heroism are
fraught with difficulty. Achilles, for example, is a hero, but
his antics are so exceptional that one questions whether such
heroism can “fit” or be recognized on the human stage.
The figure of Socrates presents a different challenge: his heroism
is so ironic, cloaked in such an unlikely figure (ugly, seemingly
naïve, and self-deprecating), that it is a difficult form
of heroism to imitate.
In the end, the authors defend Christian heroism, at least of
a sort. They admit that the Christian emphasis on sola Deo gloria
presents an interesting challenge to the idea of heroism, but
difficulties are built into the notion of heroism itself. Christianity
resolves such tensions in the light of the God-man. Jesus did
not set out to be a hero or to bring honor to himself; he only
set out to do the will of the Father. However, in denying himself,
in his lowly obedience, he manifests a kind of glory, a kind of
greatness. Similarly, the Christian disciple, in deferring all
glory from himself to Christ, attains a certain greatness and
can even be held up for imitation. In other words, the saint is
great only in her transparency to Christ, but this is a real greatness:
it is greatness by participation. In an age that despairs of the
very idea of greatness—whether in the name of crass egalitarianism
or bourgeois conformism—this book is a welcome and well-executed
call for Christianity to reclaim excellence.
Rodney Howsare
DeSales University
Center VAlley, Pennsylvania
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Evil
and Christian Ethics
by Gordon Graham
New Studies in Christian Ethics. Cambridge University Press, New
York, 2001. 241 pp. $64.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-521-77109-9.
Never before have I read a book where I have been so sympathetic
to the author’s conclusions yet so suspect of his methodology.
Graham clearly favors orthodox views on the ontological existence
of evil including a real Satan, and spiritual warfare. But Gordon’s
philosophical methods for reaching these conclusions may leave
some readers unconvinced.
A good example is his contention that there is no such thing as
a distinctive Christian ethic, which he argues from his observation
that Christians can be found on both sides of most moral issues.
Graham seems to assume that there are only two alternatives to
any issue. Surely, one can hold that some ethics are definitely
not Christian (Randian ethical egoism, for example) and still
concede that the interpretive range allowed by faithful readings
of scripture, combined with the variety of faith experiences,
can produce a spectrum of ethics that can justly be called Christian.
This criticism should not discourage readers from Graham’s
book, however, as it contains many gems. His discussion of evil
and action, which considers the cases of serial killers and recent
psychological thought about their motivations, will stimulate
lively debate. However, Graham fails to articulate a category
of tragedy that accounts for things that appear evil, such as
natural disasters and plane crashes, but are simply part of living
in a contingent world. The reader will have to determine whether
Graham succeeds in his Kantianesque attempt to prove the existence
of God by trying to demonstrate that all humanism ultimately fails
to explain the nature of evil.
Mark Peters
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Richmond, Virginia
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Calvin:
A Biography
by Bernard Cottret
Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2000. 367 pages. $28.00. ISBN 0-8028-4289-5.
By design, Cottret’s account is an historian’s Calvin.
Cottret declares that he is neither a theologian nor a minister,
meaning that he will be able to avoid “the glossy embellishments
of forced sanctity or false devotion.” “The ‘real’
Calvin,” is described as “discreet, secret, shy . .
. the absolute opposite of a movie star, a true man in every sense
of the word, as well as one of the greatest writers of the French
language. [Calvin was a] writer, thinker, preacher, city administrator”
(p. x). Since Calvin was also a theologian and minister, these
opening words do not inspire confidence that a full picture of
Calvin’s life and influence will be provided.
The book is divided into three parts: Calvin’s early years
(1509–36), his life and work in Geneva (1536–64), and
his beliefs. This final section deals with Calvin as (1) polemicist;
(2) preacher; (3) author of the Institutes (sixteen pages with
five on law, one on faith, three on predestination); and (4) French-language
stylist (the Institutes compared with Montaigne’s Essays).
Those interested in Calvin’s theology will find little help
here.
Cottret asserts an unwillingness to drink a glass of beer with
Calvin (p. xv), presumably indicating that he is not blinded by
personal fondness for the subject of his biography. The result,
and the strength of the book, is a sharp focus on John Calvin
as a Frenchman and historical figure. This focus—wider than
the history of the man—includes considerable exposition of
the history around Calvin. Cottret has written an interesting
biography of John Calvin from the perspective of a contemporary
French historian using mainly French sources.
Charles Partee
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh, pennsylvania
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Theology
and Modern Science: Quest for Coherence
by James A. Wiseman
Continuum, New York, 2002. 175 pp. $22.95. ISBN 0-8264-1381-1.
The title of the book fairly describes its contents. Wiseman takes
us on an urbane tour of the now lively and even crowded territory
known as “science and religion.” After a helpful opening
chapter setting the historical scene, he moves on to discuss the
implications of contemporary science for some traditional Christian
doctrines (i.e., creation, providence, the soul, cosmology, and
divine action in the world). He concludes with a chapter that
attempts to make sense of the general topic.
This is a large task for such a small book (136 pages of text),
but the author manages it well. Particularly useful is his summary
and respectful judgment of the opinions of others, including those
with whom he disagrees. Occasionally his judgment might be argued
more fully rather than simply stated. But, on the whole, the reader
feels in good hands.
The most interesting part of the book is Wiseman’s discussion
of the difficult problem of God’s action in the world. Deftly
summarizing three approaches (top-down causality, bottom-up causality,
and the traditional Thomistic solution of primary/secondary causality),
he opts for Aquinas. My only criticism here is that Wiseman never
comes to grips with the embarrassing directness of Jesus on the
matter of petitionary prayer.
Readers who are not versed in both science and Christian theology
may be challenged by this book. It is not an introduction aimed
at novices. However, if the reader can ably handle the terms “stellar
parallax” and “anima separata,” she will have no
trouble with the book.
Paul Giurlanda
St. Mary’s College of California
Moraga, California
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Most
Moved Mover: A Theology of God’s Openness
by Clark H. Pinnock
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2001. 202 pp. $16.99. ISBN 1-84227-014-1.
Throughout his prolific career, evangelical theologian Clark Pinnock
has battled for his (changing) view of biblically centered faith
against an entrenched opposition, nearly always with a polemical
edge. In his early career, he advocated a militantly fundamentalist
view of biblical authority against liberal and neo-orthodox theologies.
Mid-career, he dropped fundamentalist inerrancy doctrine, argued
for a neo-evangelical alternative to conservative evangelical
thinking about scripture, and further argued that American evangelicalism
needed to be liberated from the absolutist and deterministic presuppositions
of Calvinist theology. More recently, he has concentrated on developing
and pressing the latter contention. This book is a developed version
of the argument Pinnock began in 1994 with two co-authored books,
The Openness of God and Unbounded Love. He asserted that God is
essentially relational, loving, and affected by the world, not
all-controlling or impassible.
Though accustomed to controversy, for which he has a decided flair,
Pinnock justly protests that his “creative love theism”
has been far more controversial than it should be. In his current
book, he cites and responds to many criticisms of his position.
He clarifies “open theism” as primarily a biblically
centered evangelical theology of divine love, not a species of
process theology or a rehash of Arminian thinking about limitations
on God’s power. God’s power is an attribute of God’s
being and an expression of divine love, which is God’s essence.
Like his previous books, this one has a tendency to dichotomize
its topic, lining up favored theologians against those who led
theology astray. But Pinnock has chosen well in devoting his later
career to the theme that God is vulnerable and active in the world
for the sake of love, and he is an able advocate of this faith.
Gary Dorrien
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michigan
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The
Systematic Thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar: An Irenaean Retrieval
by Kevin Mongrain
Crossroad, New York, 2002. 232 pp. $29.95 ISBN 0-8245-1927-2.
The Ethical Thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar
by Christopher W. Steck, S.J.
Crossroad, New York, 2001. 205 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-8245-1915-9.
Hans Urs von Balthasar—one of the most cultured and forceful
theologians of the 20th century—set his face firmly against
the neo-scholasticism prevalent in Roman Catholicism at the beginning
of the century. He urged a return to the mood and attitude of
the early church fathers, an attitude that valued symbol over
concept, liturgy and sacrament over abstract statements of belief.
His influence could and should extend beyond Roman Catholic theological
circles, for he gave weight to the thinking of Protestant theologians
of the caliber of Karl Barth and Rudolph Bultmann. His key ideas
today find an echo in the writings of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop
of Canterbury.
Von Balthasar is perhaps most commonly associated with theological
aesthetics. It is of the utmost importance to note that von Balthasar
was never one to overlook the reality of evil, especially the
evil of deceit. It was never his intention to underplay the horror
of the crucifixion. Rather he wanted, through focusing our gaze
on the tortured and dying Christ, to bring us to an appreciation
of the love and trust flowing between Christ and the Father, to
see the transcendent good in this love and therefore its beauty
and truth.
The two organizing themes of von Balthasar’s work are simple:
first, the glory (kabôd, doxa) of God, made manifest in
the progressive glorification of the created universe, occurring
through the loving and obedient response of human beings to the
goodness, beauty, and truth of Jesus Christ, the second person
of the Trinity. Second, the corpus triforme is the whole Trinity
at work in the Old Covenant through pedagogy, in the New Covenant
through the life, death, and the resurrected life of Jesus Christ
and again in the life and mission of the church, a community of
committed followers of that same Jesus. These three forms now
continue and indeed overlap, leaving room for the Spirit to move
and work outside ecclesiastical lines.
Mongrain and Steck develop workable outlines of von Balthasar’s
systematic theology and ethical thought. In so doing, they have
contributed to making his insights into specialized forms of theology
more accessible to those engaged in theological and pastoral work.
These insights are enormously valuable and often properly critical,
though by no means dismissive of the seriousness of the issues.
Mongrain and Steck have achieved all this while upholding and
underlining von Balthasar’s profound insights into the Tri-unity
of God and the breaking into human history of God-in-Jesus Christ.
They have succeeded in these tasks most convincingly, despite
the inherent difficulty of conveying into the English language
von Balthasar’s academic German. Their books invite one to
read at least part of von Balthasar’s work, most of which
is now available in English translation.
Both books are thematically well organized. The footnotes and
citations are first-rate. I commend both these books to the serious
student of theology.
Avril M. Makhlouf
The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.
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Christian
America? What Evangelicals Really Want
by Christian Smith
University of California Press, Berkeley, 2002. 267 pp. $18.95.
ISBN 0-520-23470-7.
The great contribution of Christian Smith’s work is that
it provides a careful empirical grounding in what we know about
American evangelicals, in some cases debunking myths and in other
cases supporting them. If the only virtue of this book were its
calling to account the so-called “culture wars” debates,
its purpose would be well served. However, this book goes beyond
that, addressing the political natures of Evangelicals, their
relationships to authority, democracy, and civil society.
Smith presents the stereotype commonly associated with American
evangelicals: they are intolerant, exclusivist, and willing to
enforce their moral agenda on the American public through whatever
means necessary. Not surprisingly, he immediately counters with
studies that have led to an erroneous perception of evangelicals,
arguing that there are four fallacies in analyzing their behavior.
These include the assumption that evangelical leaders represent
the views of ordinary evangelicals; the reliance on survey data
alone to understand what evangelicals do and think; the assumption
that evangelicals are consistent in their beliefs, attitudes and
behaviors; and that evangelicals can be treated as a monolithic
bloc. Smith argues that while many evangelicals feel that there
has been an erosion of America’s Christian heritage, far
fewer are willing to excoriate others as a means to serve their
ends. Rather, their focus is on living a faithful life, showing
tolerance and respect for others, and changing other behaviors
through witness and persuasion rather than moral coercion. Smith
admits that while most evangelicals are not on the leading edge
of social tolerance, they are also not of the racist, misogynist,
and exclusivist character that is often portrayed in the media.
Smith’s work is fundamental for anyone trying to develop
an empirical understanding of what American evangelicals think
and value.
Patricia M. Y. Chang
Boisi Center for Religion and American
Public Life
Boston College
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Preaching
to Every Pew
by James R. Nieman and Thomas G. Rogers
Fortress, Minneapolis, 2001. 159 pp. $16.00. ISBN 0-8006-3243-5.
The need for a text that addresses cross-cultural issues in homiletics
prompted Nieman and Rogers to produce this in-depth yet practical
book. In the opening chapter, the authors introduce the theological
and analytical approach that unfolds throughout the book. Then,
they present four distinct areas or cultural frames (ethnicity,
class, displacement, and religious beliefs) that present challenges
to cross-cultural preaching today. The authors explore each area,
discuss the group characteristics of the issue that affect preaching,
and provide specific preaching strategies to address that frame.
The authors draw on extensive interviews with pastors working
in cross-cultural settings for analysis and advice in each section.
Finally, they return to the broader perspective of thinking differently
about the task of proclamation in light of cultural diversity.
This book is not a “quick fix” approach to cross-cultural
preaching. The authors confess that this work is neither a simplistic
“how to” nor a “one size fits all” approach
to preaching in the midst of cultural diversity (p. viii). Instead,
they invite readers to learn from the experiences of others and
then to draw conclusions appropriate to their own settings.
This work will benefit pastors in the midst of increasingly diverse
congregations as well as seminarians preparing for preaching ministries.
It encourages examination of how cultural frames shape ministry.
It examines what preaching can and cannot accomplish in relation
to the issues addressed, and it acknowledges that the relational
work we do during the week grants us the right and privilege of
standing in the pulpit on Sundays. Well-grounded in theory yet
with an eye to praxis, this book is a valuable resource for cross-cultural
preaching.
Tracy L. Hartman
Baptist Theological Seminary at
Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
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Preaching
is Believing: The Sermon as Theological Reflection
by Ronald J. Allen
Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2002. 162 pp. $14.95. ISBN
0-664-22330-3.
Ron Allen teaches New Testament and Preaching at Christian Theological
Seminary. His latest book is a gem, reflecting his expertise as
a homiletician and biblical scholar who considers theological
reflection an integral part of proclamation.
This is not just a book on doctrinal preaching, but a work encouraging
preachers to think theologically about every sermon, whether topical,
textual, or doctrinal. As Allen notes, “Christian tradition
is not simply a deposit of unchangeable doctrine. . . . The Christian
tradition is less a deposit that is transferred from the vaults
of faith from one generation to another, and more the record of
the process of coming to understandings of God, Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit, the church, and the world for each new era”
(p. 27). It is this last phrase, “for each new era,”
that makes Allen’s book exciting. He assumes that sermons
are occasions where theological meanings are negotiated and articulated.
The theological preaching Allen promotes becomes a model for theological
reflection within a community.
Allen claims his own theological commitments (as a process theologian
in the revisionary mode) to demonstrate how he thinks through
theological claims. Even if one does not support Allen’s
theological location, one can grasp his method. His systematic
approach allows the preacher “to enter into open and honest
conversation with biblical texts and other elements of Christian
tradition as a part of exploring what we really do (and do not)
believe” (p. 35).
Of particular benefit is Allen’s ongoing commitment to issues
of theological diversity and his familiarity with “problem”
doctrines. As in other books, Allen laments Christian anti-Judaism
as a peculiar homiletic problem, and he offers specific strategies
for avoiding it.
The book is highly readable and well-organized, including chapters
on systematic theology, biblical preaching, sermon preparation,
integration of systematic theology with the lectionary, and sample
sermons. Lectionary preachers will be relieved to learn that “systematic
theology and the Christian year are not only different theological
modes, but (depending on the content of a particular systematic
theology) they sometimes fine tune theological visions differently”(p.
100). Two sections of the book stand out: ch. 3, “Biblical
Preaching Through the Lens of Systematic Theology,” is worth
the price of the book, along with the appendix on “Relationships
among Contemporary and Historic Theological Families.” An
excellent bibliography draws on contemporary homiletic theory,
specific Christian traditions, doctrinal history, and contemporary
theology. This is a must-read for all preachers and theological
students.
L. Susan Bond
Vanderbilt Divinity School
Nashville, Tennessee
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