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Philippians
Stephen E. Fowl
Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 264 pp. $20.00. ISBN
978-0-8028-2551-3.
TAKING ITS PLACE WITHIN The Two Horizons NT
Commentary series, this volume on Philippians
weaves together adept scholarly exegesis with
probing theological reflection in a manner that
exposes the letter’s coherence and its relevance
for the church today. In Fowl’s reading, Paul
chiefly promotes in Philippians “Christ-focused
practical reasoning” as he cultivates in his readers
an ability to “deploy their knowledge of the
gospel in concrete situations” (p. 105).
The commentary is organized in a manner
that is both accessible and straightforward.
Following an introduction that treats method
and historical setting, the body of the book works
its way through the letter in typical commentary
fashion. However, it differs from many theological
commentaries in that each text-based discussion
intertwines careful study of text and context
with hermeneutical reflection. The book concludes
with a section entitled “Theological Horizons of
Philippians,” a synthetic theological treatment of
the letter under the thematic banner of friendship.
In terms of approach, Fowl gains interpretive
leverage through the use of both pre-critical
and critical exegesis. On the one hand, he relies
heavily at times on historical context to unpack
the meaning of the message as understood by its
original hearers. For instance, Fowl maintains that
the role of finances in Greco-Roman friendship,
provides an important foil to Paul’s dealings with
the Philippian congregation. On the other hand,
Fowl appeals throughout to a host of church
fathers, including Aquinas and Chrysostom, and
goes so far as to insist that the Christ hymn of
Phil 2:6–11 “sets out a series of claims which can
really be properly ordered and understood only
in light of the doctrine of the Trinity” (p. 209)—
a doctrine he acknowledges that the Philippians
themselves would not have known. Here, the
church’s later theological reflection trumps original
meaning as interpretive guide.
Just as Paul writes to an audience squarely
situated within the context of the Roman Empire,
Fowl interprets Paul’s letter specifically for Western
(especially American) Christians. Not surprisingly,
Fowl finds Paul’s message of community formation
highly serviceable to a church characterized
by what he calls an “ecclesiology of individualism,”
a by-product of contemporary Christianity’s failure
to embody the alternative politics of Christ’s
Lordship. As a result, readers of this commentary
will profit not only from its sound scholarship, but
also from the generative questions it poses about
their own experience of Christian community.
SUZANNE WATTS HENDERSON
SALEM COLLEGE
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA
Exodus
by Carol Meyers
New Cambridge Bible Commentary, Cambridge University,
Cambridge, 2005. 309 pp. $21.99. ISBN 0-521-00291-5.
THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD season for the book of
Exodus. A major two-volume commentary by
William Propp was published in the Anchor Bible
series, and the New Cambridge Bible Commentary
has come out with a much shorter but quite
wonderful volume by Carol Meyers. The Cambridge
series is designed for non-specialists and
uses the NRSV translation. It eschews philological,
text-critical, and source-critical issues, and seeks
to elucidate the translated text in an “accessible,
jargon-free” manner.Meyers, a distinguished
biblical scholar and archaeologist at Duke University,
successfully accomplishes this mandate for
Exodus, while injecting her own interests and
expertise into the mix. The result is a commentary
that ought to appeal to non-scholars and scholars
alike.
Meyers approaches the book as a storehouse
of cultural memories. That is, she abandons the
attempt to reconstruct or “prove” the history
behind the stories—or equally elusive, to “disprove”
it—and regards the stories themselves as a
mixture of the remembered past, folklore, and
literary artistry. The remembered past in cultural
memory is, of course, always a distortion of the
past, enlivened with ideals and colorings that are
pertinent to the present. The popular memory of
the major events of American history is a case in
point, but every culture shares this tendency to
revision the past in a way that speaks to the present.
The story of the exodus, which is clearly
linked to ceremonial recitations in the Passover
ritual (see Exod 12–13), is a marvelous and central
example of cultural memory in the HB. As
Meyers says, “[c]ollective memories create identity;
their truth represents actuality rather than the
factuality of the past” (p. 11).
The comments on each section combine
this perspective with literary, anthropological,
archaeological, and historical discussions, all
given in a lively and engaging manner. Meyers is
also a scholar of gender issues, and gives ample
attention to such figures as the heroic midwives
(Exod 1),Miriam, and other named and unnamed
women and their activities. She approaches gender
issues as a cultural interpreter —not as a culture
warrior—which is both refreshing and consistently
illuminating. Another truly helpful aspect
of the commentary is a generous sprinkling of
background discussions (called “A Closer Look”),
which allow Meyers to give a fuller treatment of
a variety of issues involving Israelite religion and
culture, from “Midwives and Wet-Nurses” to
“Temples and Temple Service” and “Holiness.”
These closer looks are themselves worth the price
of admission, since many of them are informed
by Meyer’s own research and are filled with fresh
insights.
In short, this is a gem of a commentary on a
key biblical book. It belongs on the shelf of all
who want to understand Exodus better.
RONALD HENDEL
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
1–2 Kings
by Gina Hens-Piazza
Abingdon OT Commentaries, Abingdon, Nashville, 2006.
407 pp. $36.00. ISBN 978-0-687-49021-9.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT non-technical road map to
Kings, written largely from a literary or narrative
perspective. The commentary is completely accessible
to the non-specialist. Yet beneath the surface,
it evidences Gina Hens-Piazza’s extensive and
intensive acquaintance with scholarly literature
on Kings and the classic problems of the book.
Each unit of text (usually one chapter) receives
commentary under three headings: Literary
Analysis, Exegetical Analysis, and Theological and
Ethical Analysis. The Exegetical Analysis sections
deal with paragraph-sized subdivisions of the
chapter. Narrowly historical questions are disregarded
in favor of questions of story and structure.
Pastors and teachers will find this a valuable
resource. The connections between commentary
and application are almost always natural, logical,
and unforced. The author’s reflections on theological
and ethical issues speak to contemporary
concerns and do not always take the most obvious
or predictably conventional route. The theological
arena is confined to the thought-world of
the OT and the contemporary dilemmas of
human existence, without excursions into NT or
specifically Christian concerns. The writing style
is straightforward and undemanding, almost
novelistic at points.
RICHARD D. NELSON
PERKINS SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
DALLAS, TEXAS |
