The Canonical Hebrew Bible: A Theology of the Old Testament

bby Rolf Rendtorff

Deo, Leiden, 2005. 813 pp. $54.95. ISBN 978-90-5854- 020-1.

ONE OF GERHARD VON RAD’S most distinguished students (and his successor at Heidelberg University) has followed in his steps with the production of a major theology of the OT, two volumes in German, but now available in one (very long) volume in English. The rapid translation of the original now makes widely available this valuable treatment of the OT from a thoroughly theological perspective.

Two figures provide primary impetus for the direction Rendtorff takes in this work. One is von Rad. The other is Brevard Childs. Rendtorff acknowledges both explicitly.With regard to the former, the influence is felt in two ways. One is von Rad’s conviction that the course of the biblical canon should provide the basis for a theological interpretation of it. In that sense, von Rad is the initiator of a canonical approach to the theology of the OT. Von Rad’s other contribution to Rendtorff ’s way of doing OT theology is his focus on the retelling of the OT by means of a rich and deep theological exposition. Here, of course, von Rad’s approach arises from his perception that the heart of Israel’s faith rests in the ongoing stream of confessional testimony to God’s acts in Israel’s behalf, itself a continual retelling of the people’s story with their God.

As for Childs’ influence on this work, Rendtorff refers explicitly to his Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture (Augsburg Fortress, 1979). For Rendtorff ’s work, it is “the crucial stimulus” (p. 718). That is readily evident in the title of the book with its highlighting of the “canonical” character of the HB/OT. Rendtorff does not copy what Childs does. Indeed, Rendtorff ’s Theology is very different from both Childs’ Introduction and his Old Testament Theology (Augsburg Fortress, 1989). Childs’ impact is in his persistent call for interpretation of the OT in its final canonical form, for reading and interpreting the books as they are presented in the present canon. For Childs, this is an important theological point, centering in the character of the OT/HB as Scripture. Thus, it is to be theologically interpreted in that authoritative final canonical form and not in some earlier and usually hypothetical levels of the text that historical criticism has worked so hard to uncover. It happens that Childs’ theological emphasis coincided with a rising interest in literary interpretation of the OT, which also attends to the text in its present form. If von Rad generally followed a canonical approach, it is Childs who has insisted on both a) the determinative character of the fact that the OT is canonical literature and b) the necessity of dealing with it in its final form. One might argue that no single figure has so shaped OT studies in the second half of the twentieth century and into the new millennium as Brevard Childs. Few major interpretive efforts do not at least acknowledge the validity of Childs’ insistence that the final form and shape of the text is the primary interpretive base.

To date, Rendtorff is the first to shape his OT theology primarily from that perspective, though the canonical framework is definitive for the first part, but much less evident in the second. In part 1, Rendtorff offers—to a degree not found in von Rad’s own work—a theological retelling of what is found in the HB. He moves through each book within each section, following their sequence and flow, telling and interpreting the material as he goes, identifying literary segments as the reader confronts them, rather than genetically. He is fully conscious of all the discussion and proposals for a more genetic and diachronic approach to the text, but that is not the way to read and interpret the text theologically.Where the more diachronic approach comes in, through attention to literary and historical critical matters, it is confined to brief, smaller print paragraphs and thus, in a sense, bracketed within the ongoing theological interpretation. The result of the whole is a superb theological exposition of the OT, from beginning to end in its HB sequence, as fine an introduction to its story, content, and meaning as one can find in any current work.

The second part of the work—vol. 2 in the original German edition—moves to a more systematic and thematic presentation of the HB. Here the author discusses the major themes in their order—creation, covenant and election, the patriarchs, the land, and the Exodus (first and second). That leaves many topics only mentioned, if at all. Rendtorff expands this thematic part to include treatments of Moses, the Torah, the cult, David and Zion, and prophecy (now as a phenomenon of ancient Israel’s life rather than a part of the canon, as in the first part of the book). In the middle of this thematic overview, there is an extended section on God as a subject of the OT. Surprisingly, only two pages each are devoted to Wisdom literature and the Psalms, major parts of the canon. This thematic analysis then concludes with a look at how Israel regarded its past, its’ future, and attention to the relation of Israel to the nations.

The book concludes with retrospective attention to methodological issues. Particularly, the focus is more on synchronic than diachronic approaches, as is customary in most works, including some that have emphasized the canonical or final form as the basis for interpretation. The diachronic approach is not altogether ignored, for Rendtorff is interested in seeing how themes may work in new contexts; but this is not the primary concern. A final chapter attends to the differences and relationships between Jewish and Christian theology of the OT or HB, where Rendtorff identifies in concise ways the issues, questions, and tensions that exist when this matter is brought up. His treatment of the controversial question of proper terminology for the scriptures known as the OT or the HB is helpful, not because it reaches a resolution, but because it acknowledges the benefits and problems with the various terms that are in use. In a concluding chapter, Rendtorff lists some of the “questions that need examination and clarification in a ‘biblical theology’” (p. 754). He thinks that we are a long way from the collaboration and agreement among OT and NT scholars that is necessary to produce a biblical theology of persuasive integrity.

A reader may wonder why, in light of the methodological claims about the significance of the canon and its final form, it was necessary to do the second part of this work.Why is the canonical theological exposition not sufficient? Perhaps that is due to the fact that any approach accomplishes some things and lacks, or fails to lift up, other important dimensions. The whole rationale of systematic theology is to systematize, doctrinally, the varied materials, perspectives, voices, and circumstances that one finds in the theological well of Scripture. That may be why OT theologies have frequently employed a systematic outline. One may rightly decry the easy reliance on an external framework and consider it an imposition on the material of scripture, but such a response fails to recognize two facts: a) such a framework is the whole purpose of systematic theology; and b) inevitably, some system or ordering of the material seems to be necessary in order to comprehend and communicate what it is about. That is what Rendtorff does in the second half of his OT theology. Inevitably, the reader experiences a sense of déjà vu as he or she moves back through the material already covered, but now in a different approach.

This large and comprehensive presentation of OT theology ends up as a middle way, joining a thoroughly canonical reading with a more systematic presentation of the material. Perhaps that is the only way out. The result is less a breakthrough in the discipline of OT theology than it is a rich introduction to the literature of the OT. This reader came away less confident than before that a purely canonical approach suffices, if its main accomplishment is to lay out what is in the OT in the order in which the literature confronts us. There are clear reasons, literary and theological, for paying attention to sequence and order, and what that tells us—all the more so when they reflect the story character of much of the biblical literature. Eventually, however, the case for that sequence and order diminishes as one moves through the HB. Indeed one might make a better case—or at least a different one—for canonical order as theologically important if the text under interpretation was the Septuagint. But that simply reminds us that there is no final solution to these issues, only various and often equally fruitful ways of taking them up.

Patrick D. Miller, Professor Emeritus
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY

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The People’s Work: A Social History of the Liturgy

by Frank C. Senn.

Fortress,Minneapolis, 2006. 416 pp. $35.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-8006-3827-6.

FRANK SENN HAS SET OUT to write a social history of the liturgy. Since much of liturgical theology has concentrated on the history of liturgical texts and rites, Senn’s goal marks a new and significant departure. In pursuit of this goal, Senn explores how people experienced and participated in the liturgy at particular times and places in the history of the church.While this includes an exploration of official rites and texts, it also focuses at times on paraliturgical rites (for example, unofficial and unapproved religious and devotional aids) with a primary focus on the public reception and enactment of the liturgy. Senn plows his way through western Christendom, exploring ways in which the liturgy came to life. Needless to say, it is an ambitious and daunting task.

In many ways, this book is a follow-up to Senn’s exhaustive chronicle of liturgical history in Christian Liturgy—Catholic and Evangelical (Augsburg Fortress, 1997).While the earlier work provides a foundation, in The People’s Work Senn analyzes eras of liturgical history in search of interpretive clues as to how liturgy was enacted and received. From the very beginning, Senn acknowledges that this is an imaginative undertaking because it tries to understand the ordinary lives of people and reconstruct their experience of liturgical gatherings. Given the scope of 2,000 years of Christian practice, Senn must also narrow his focus to particular times, themes, and places. To that end, Senn’s areas of exploration often support his vocational identity as a Lutheran pastor. Much of the book centers on the transitional period from the medieval Roman Catholic Church to the early Reformation era. In this investigation, Senn chooses to look at particular topics including eucharistic practice, but also explores differing practices that developed around marriage and death.While there is no explanation for the topics that are analyzed and presented, one can assume that the need for documentation may have guided the selection process.

There is an underlying plot at work in this book that only becomes apparent in the closing pages. The final chapter of Senn’s work chronicles the contributions of the liturgical renewal movement in the twentieth century. Senn focuses on the work of the Liturgical Conference and the ecumenical convergence that paved the way for the reception of the Revised Common Lectionary as well as other work that grew out of the committee on the Consultation on Common Texts. Much of this work has resulted in a common shape (ordo) for worship and shared language and practices. This work, which burst onto the larger ecumenical scene as a result of Vatican II, is now ironically threatened by the current Vatican attempt to produce new texts (in greater isolation) that more accurately translate the ancient Roman rite. By highlighting the movement and embodiment of liturgy and not simply focusing on the development and reception of liturgical texts, Senn provides an appreciative summary of the work of the modern liturgical renewal movement while at the same time remaining open to new developments. He also includes a brief epilogue on postmodern liturgical renewal.

There are two compelling reasons to buy and savor this book. First, each chapter is filled with insights and nuggets of liturgical history, theology, and ritual practice. Readers will discover a wealth of information about neglected and sometimes obscure patterns and events.

Second and more importantly, Senn calls for and engages in precisely the kind of work that is needed in liturgical theology. The history of liturgical studies should not be reduced to the study of ritual texts. As important as these documents are for analyzing shifts in the nuances and interpretation of theological beliefs, the actual experience of those gathered to worship God remains primary.While the elusive nature of this task makes it difficult to grasp, recent studies have begun to explore ways to fill out the experience of earlier believers. It is these questions that show the shape and goal of the work of liturgical renewal. In the Reformed tradition, these questions are centered especially on the grand experiments of change in liturgical practice in Geneva, Strassburg, Basel, and other areas at the center of the Reformed movement in the sixteenth century. A social history of the liturgy looks beyond the historical figures and theological treatises to find clues about how people responded to the dramatic changes in their churches on Sunday morning. How did the congregation respond to the increased frequency of communion (even quarterly was a significant increase) and the reception of both elements? What was it like to experience baptism in the midst of the assembly?

In her recent book, Infant Baptism in Reformation Geneva (Ashgate, 2005), Karen Spierling undertakes extensive archival research on the consistory and council records in Geneva to discern more clearly the patterns of interaction between the church, the city government, and ordinary citizens as they relate to baptismal practice. It is this kind of carefully focused research that will provide the basis for a more sustained interpretation of a social history of the liturgy. It is perhaps too early in this process to attempt to write a complete social history of the liturgy. As a result, The People’s Work is a selective and eclectic romp through church history in search of clues for the work of liturgical renewal. If it ultimately falls short of its ambitious goal, it nevertheless whets the appetite for more sustained work in this essential area of investigation.

Paul Galbreath
UNION-PSCE
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

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