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Psalms 1–72
by Richard J. Clifford
Abingdon, Nashville, 2002. 338 pp. $28.00. ISBN 0-687-
02711-X.
ONE WHO SITS IN THE SEATS of the scoffers might
well ask, “Does the world really need another
Psalms commentary?” To such an impertinent
question, an appropriate answer would be: “The
world will definitely profit from this new Psalms
commentary!” This volume, which covers the
first seventy-two psalms, is part of the Abingdon
Old Testament Commentary series. The volume
tightly follows the programmatic outline of that
series, by analyzing each psalm under three headings:
“Literary Analysis,” “Exegetical Analysis,”
and “Theological and Ethical Analysis.” For most
psalms, Clifford also includes a brief paragraph
of introduction. The recursive nature of the
enterprise helps the reader get a grasp of each
psalm and will help careful readers locate particular
information about any given psalm.
This volume also includes a carefully honed
introduction to the Psalter. Such introductions
often make for boring reading, but not in this
case. Clifford has succeeded in writing what may
be the best brief introduction available to the
study of the Psalter. His brief survey of the genres
of psalms is especially fine, as is his helpful
section on the “implied narratives” that lie
behind the psalms.
Of the three analytical sections for each
psalm (literary analysis, exegetical analysis, and
theological/ethical analysis) the exegetical sections
are consistently the strongest. Clifford
offers concise explanations of the meanings of
words, images, social practices. His interpretation
is especially well steeped in a deep understanding
of Israel’s ancient Near Eastern context (this contribution
to the interpretation of the psalms will
be particularly appreciated). His readings of
these ancient poems are delicate and artful. With
almost every psalm, I learned something new or
was given a new framework in which to understand
old information.
No commentary can be all things to all people,
and in two aspects Clifford fails to match the
high standards set by the rest of the volume. In
the introduction, Clifford promises to interact
extensively with the poetry of the Psalter. When
he does so, as for example in the case of Psalm
13, the reader is rewarded. But most often, he
does not live up to this promise. Likewise, the
theological and ethical analysis sections fail to
maintain the vigor that is found in the exegetical
sections. In spite of these minor reservations, this
book is highly recommended. Readers will be
well pleased with the first installment of
Clifford’s commentary and will look forward
with anticipation to the next volume.
ROLF A. JACOBSON
LUTHER SEMINARY
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
Psalms 101–150, revised
by Leslie C. Allen
Word Biblical Commentary, 21. Nashville: Thomas
Nelson, 2002. 423 pp. $39.99 (cloth). ISBN 0-7852-
4773-4.
GIVEN THE NUMEROUS recent works in Psalms
studies, this revision has provided a much-needed
face-lift. Included in the revisions: a
Comment section for each psalm studied (not
found in the original commentary), new and
improved translations, incorporation of inclusive
language, inclusion of ideas from numerous
psalms monographs written in the last twenty
years, and an updated main bibliography.
Allen claims to adhere to the “theory of
competing editorial frames” (p. xxiv), i.e., the
theological emphasis of praise intertwined with
the ethics of the Wisdom tradition, and his interpretive
work proves him faithful to these. At the
same time, the reader will find a wealth of information from numerous decades of Psalms scholarship
as Allen summarizes and critiques the
interpretive conclusions of nearly every author of
merit. While Allen is reading primarily through a
theological lens, his work is highly informed by
the literary devices typically found in Hebrew
poetry. Allen rarely misses a poetic turn or
metaphorical shift. Ultimately, he concludes each
analysis with what he calls “a pastoral dimension
of exegesis” (p. xxiv).
This reader has only one major point of
contention. Allen’s presupposition that the primary
focus and emphasis of the psalms is one of
praise coupled with his desire to be pastoral frequently
results in reading the lament psalms (45
percent of the Psalter) as having a “change of
mood” that Allen interprets as resolution (e.g.,
pp. 20–24). It seems to me that many of the
lament psalms end with a promise to praise,
should the distress be eliminated. In other words,
resolution, for the psalmist, is pending. Allowing
the psalmist (as well as the contemporary reader)
with faith and hope in tact, to remain unresolved
about the current distress is a more authentic
reading (and sound pastoral care) in my mind.
LEANN SNOW FLESHER
AMERICAN BAPTIST SEMINARY OF THE WEST
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
Qoheleth: A Continental Commentary.
by Norbert Lohfink
Translated by Sean McEvenue. Fortress, Minneapolis, 2003. 176 pp. $23.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8006-9604-2.
THIS BRIEFVOLUME BY a leading European scholar
of Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) is a revision and
translation of his 1980 entry in the German Die
neue Echter Bibel series, which is based on a
German translation. Lohfink’s reading strategy is
based on the “New Criticism,” paying particular
attention to “the concrete form of the text and its
structures” (p. viii). He frequently notes the repetition
of key words within literary units as part
of his effort to discern the literary structure of
this enigmatic book (e.g., the commentary on
11:9–12:8, pp. 136–37), an effort illustrated by
the copious marginal cross-references. While
tiresome for the reader to follow, this focus on
repetition is quite helpful for understanding
Qoheleth’s argument. Lohfink situates Qoheleth
within the economic, social, and intellectual context
of Ptolemaic Palestine, and believes that the
Israelite sage was involved in heavy debate with
Greek wisdom and philosophy. Thus he maintains
that Qoheleth adopts the form of the philosophical
diatribe, whose dialogical character is
apparent in Qoheleth’s quotations of others’
opinions, especially as found in 6:11–9:6.
Regardless of one’s opinion about the literary
structure of Qoheleth, Lohfink’s discovery that
deconstruction and ethics play important roles
in this book (p. 8) merits further attention.
While Lohfink’s own articles listed in the
bibliography may provide the background and
details for his exegetical decisions, the lack of
footnotes is decidedly inconvenient. Moreover,
readers without a strong background in
Hellenism may occasionally find themselves lost
in the maze of Lohfink’s arguments. However,
those who are patient will benefit from this
insightful work.
NAOTO KAMANO
NISHI-YAMATO CHRIST CHURCH
NARA, JAPAN
Micah: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
by Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman
The Anchor Bible Vol. 24 E. Doubleday, New York, 2000.
601 pp. $42.50 (cloth). ISBN 0-385-08402-1.
WITH THIS VOLUME the authors complete their
commentaries on 8th century Minor Prophets.
Their work focuses on the book before us rather
than the prophet behind the book. The volume is
undoubtedly one of the most important current
commentaries on Micah. It is a feast for scholars.
It is also readable and should be accessible to
pastors and laypersons who want to know all
there is to know about the book of Micah. But
the commentary is a formidable book that will
require careful reading.
The commentary is comprehensive. The
introduction details the texts and translations of
the book of Micah, speaks of its setting in The
Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and discusses
literary units and the history of interpretation.
It also includes an exhaustive bibliography.
Andersen and Freedman are among the
sopherim (“counters”). They count syllables in
colons of short Hebrew poems to validate the
need for changes or support for the current text
(see pp 136, or 300–301, for example). Sievers
counted accented words to establish parallelism
in Hebrew lines. Labuschagne and Christensen
counted letters through entire Hebrew books.
This commentary provides for each pericope
a transliteration of the Hebrew text with
side–by-side translation, as well as a translation
of the Greek text. Each has its own introduction
with extended discussion of its structure and
form-critical identity. A detailed commentary
discusses each verse. The treatment of Micah
1:2–7 alone covers pp. 132–86. Discussions of the
history of interpretation are included, especially
of the critical era, there are specific interpretations
of each verse and unit. The historical background
is kept in view, but the early history of
interpretation by the scribes is also in view.
One may also note some of what is not present.
Readers may miss the reference to biblical
theology of German Lutheran commentaries or
the “canonical interpretation” of Childs. The
commentary concentrates on the text of Micah
with only very occasional references to Exodus or
Amos.
JOHN D. W. WATTS, emeritus
SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
Introducing the Apocrypha: Message,
Context, and Significance
by David A. deSilva
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2002. 428 pp. $32.99 (cloth). ISBN 0-8010-2319-X.
THOSE CULTURED OFT-DESPISERS of the Apocrypha,
evangelical Protestants, are the target audience
of this introductory text. David deSilva’s
careful and clearly written exposition of these
texts should help this group appreciate the
Apocrypha. Beyond that, it can assist Christians,
especially Protestants predisposed in these texts’
favor, to achieve a fuller understanding of them.
DeSilva uses the broadest definition of the
Apocrypha possible, including all the texts which
appear in the NRSV, and adopts a common structure
in his discussion of all but the shortest of
texts. He presents the structure and contents of
the book, usually via an extended summary, then
discusses textual transmission, author and setting,
genre and purpose, formative influences,
theology and influence. Issues specific to certain
texts receive extended treatment (e.g., “Tobit and
the Values of Intertestamental Judaism,” The
Wisdom of Solomon and “reinforcing group
commitment”). DeSilva frequently emphasizes
the texts’ presentation of women and also deals
extensively with their relationships with each
other, with texts from the Old Testament, and
with later Christian texts.
This introduction is clearly Protestant in
outlook, which perhaps inevitably results in a
certain fuzziness when it come to the purposes
for which one is to read the Apocrypha. The
book vows to read these texts “for what they are
in and of themselves and value them on that
basis” (p. 15). In themselves, deSilva rightly realizes,
they are a witness to early (or, as he likes to
say, “intertestamental”) Judaism, the “matrix of
early Christianity” (p. 19). But if we are to read
these texts as artifacts of Second Temple Judaism,
then it is hard to justify not including other texts
of clear influence on early Christianity (e.g., 1
Enoch). Thus, the canonical decisions of the
Church hold weight (p. 27), which means that
the texts are not being taken simply for what
they are but for what the Church has made of
them. In short, his fudging the authority question
nicely represents the uncertain position of
Protestantism on these texts, and especially the
position of those evangelicals who are most profoundly
suspicious of the Apocrypha while also
boldly insistent that the Church’s faith and practice
replicate that of the earliest Church. DeSilva
grounds his work in the claim that, while the
New Testament does not cite any of the
Apocrypha as Scripture (using a too narrow idea
of citation in my view), the Apocrypha influenced
the New Testament authors and rapidly
became an authoritative theological witness for
Christian theologians.
DeSilva’s readings of these texts emphasize
both their meanings in historical context and
their later use in Christianity. As a reader, he frequently
draws on rhetorical analysis and on sociological
understandings of honor and shame.
While there is always something to quibble about
in such readings (is an honor/shame reading of
Judith too easy?), the book succeeds in producing a set of studies which is almost entirely free
of jargon, and a challenging yet accessible introduction.
Moreover, this work stands as an
encouragement for ministers and educators to
delve into these neglected texts in congregations.
DON POLASKI
COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY
WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
The Word in This World: Essays in New
Testament Exegesis and Theology
by Paul W. Meyer; edited by John T. Carroll
New Testament Library. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2004. 338 pp. $39.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-664-22701-5
PAUL MEYER IS NOT NECESSARILY a household
name for all the readers of this journal. But for
his colleagues in NT studies and for his students
(and I am part of both groups), he is the epitome
of deliberate, careful exegesis that pays huge theological
dividends. When Paul Meyer speaks,
people listen. This anthology makes it possible
for a broader audience to hear his voice. The
book is divided into five parts: four groups of
essays arranged neatly on either side of a fifth
part, which is the focal point of the book—
Meyer’s already classic commentary on Romans
in the HarperCollins Bible Commentary (2000),
itself a revision of his contribution to the
Harper’s Bible Commentary (1988). The five parts
are thus: four essays on theological and historical
interpretation; five exegetical and theological
essays on Paul; the complete text of the commentary
on Romans; five exegetical and theological
essays on the Gospel of John; and six shorter
exegetical studies and sermons on the Gospels. A
foreword from the editor and a “personal word”
from J. Louis Martyn put Meyer’s work in context.
This collection of (mostly) previously published
work reveals many of the interrelated concerns
that have driven Meyer for decades. At the
heart of these concerns are (a) “the brute historical
reality” (p. 26 and elsewhere) of Jesus’ public
crucifixion and (b) God’s validation of it (and of
Jesus) in the resurrection, the resurrection making
the cross normative for Christian theology
and existence. This two-part central reality of the
NT compels the church to recognize certain
additional realities, including (1) the NT’s “thisworldliness”
(in contrast to the “otherworldliness”
with which the church is often tempted);
(2) the inseparability of history (represented by
crucifixion) and faith (represented by resurrection);
(3) the continuity between the Risen One
and the Crucified One; and (4) the gracious,
divine initiative (or better, this-worldly involvement)
in humanity’s salvation. These concerns
find expression in Meyer’s treatments of the NT
generally, Paul, the Synoptics, and John. Editor
John Carroll has therefore rightly placed the
book’s first two essays (“The This-Worldliness of
the New Testament,” “Faith and History
Revisited”) at the head of the collection as a kind
of hermeneutical lens through which to read the
rest of the book.
Meyer’s essays are not for the faint of heart.
Nevertheless, those who wish to think carefully
and clearly about the Word in this world will be
richly rewarded by engaging his rich work.
MICHAEL J. GORMAN
ST. MARY’S SEMINARY & UNIVERSITY
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND |
