Ancient Greek Divination – By Sarah Iles Johnston

A faithful use of modern medicine calls Christians toseek God’s intentions for their assent in the use of medicaltechnology and health-care resources. Theologian Shumanand pediatrician Volck argue that approached uncritically,modern medicine and its technologies are a type of “power”(as in “powers and principalities”) that has been grantedundue authoritative status—greater than the authority of aChristian worldview. They seek to readjust that misplacedauthority by emphasizing the biblical concept of “body” andthe practice of hospitality in accordance with orthodox inter-pretations of Christian doctrines. In their chapter about fer-tility and children, they encourage couples to reflect on theirreasons for pursuing parenthood. They admonish believersagainst worshiping advanced technologies associated withinfertility such as in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, or the useof genetic diagnostics before implantation. Couples shouldseek God’s intentions for their family, which, in hospitality,may lead them to invite an adoptive child into their lives andhome. Hospitality also calls for an ethic of care for the bodiesof the marginalized and poor around the world through thesharing of health-care resources. This book is aimed at con-gregations that want to responsibly connect their theology totheir faith practices in a variety of medical situations.

Terri LawsRice University

PROPHETIC REALISM: BEYOND MILITARISMAND PACIFISM IN AN AGE OF TERROR. By RonaldH. Stone. New York: T &T Clark International, 2005. Pp. xv +192. Hardcover, $26.95.

Prophetic Realism serves as a passionate antidote to thefalse dichotomy by which Christians must choose betweennaive pacifism, on the one hand, and secular realism, on theother hand. Stone acknowledges the resurgence of religionin public life and the surge of Islamist fundamentalism andterrorism, yet he avoids platitudes that place AmericanChristianity in opposition to other nationalities and faithtraditions as well as oversimplifications asserting that Chris-tians must either resist their government or uncriticallysupport it. Rather, he provides a nuanced, thoughtful analy-sis, largely drawing upon the thought of Reinhold Niebuhrand Scripture’s prophetic tradition. Stone’s approach iseclectic, drawing upon theology, Biblical studies, normativeethics, political science, and international relations. In par-ticular, he aims to revitalize the Niebuhrian tradition, rescueChristian realism from mistaken interpretations, and cri-tique forms of Christian pacifism. Stone models how reli-gious ethics contributes to debates about foreign policy,including human rights, terrorism, militarism, and imperi-alism. His thesis is clearly and passionately argued, anexample of applied religious ethics, even if some may find itdifficult to fully subscribe to Stone’s adaptation of ChristianRealism. This book is accessible to clergy, laypersons, andscholars alike.

Roderic L. OwenMary Baldwin College

WATCH THIS!: THE ETHICS AND AESTHETICS OFBLACK TELEVANGELISM. By Jonathan L. Walton. NewYork: New York University Press, 2009. Pp. xv + 281. Cloth,$75.00; paper, $23.00.

In this groundbreaking work, J. L. Walton moves usbeyond the naive belief that televangelism is a territorydominated solely by the white religious right and intro-duces us to the intricate world of black televangelism.Walton explores and explicates the historical relationshipbetween media, technology, and black religion in a waythat challenges monolithic renderings of black religioushistory in which the social activist church of the civil rightsmovement dominates social memory. Far from a shallowcritique of the prosperity gospel, Walton proposes threeecclesiastical categories with which to interpret black tel-evangelism: neo-Pentecostalism, Charismatic mainline, andthe Word of Faith movement. Watch This! then uses thesecategories as prisms through which to view three of themost outstanding examples of black televangelism: theministries led by T. D. Jakes, E. Long, and Creflo and TaffiDollar. Undoubtedly, there is much to be criticized withinthese ministries, yet Walton’s ethnographic research chal-lenges us to go beyond simplistic write-offs in order tounderstand what these movements might tells us about thesociety in which we reside. Whether or not one agrees withWalton’s relatively empathetic interpretations of the threeministries examined in this book, the reader cannot evadethe prophetic challenge put forth by the author. Waltonchallenges us to examine the relationship between thesuccess of black televangelistic ministries and the failureof more traditional ecclesiastical and political movementsto address the needs of those rendered socially invisible inour society. This book is highly recommended for anystudent of American and/or African-American religioushistory and religious studies.

Ben Sanders IIIIliff School of Theology and the University of Denver

Ancient Near EastTHE DYNAMICS OF BIBLICAL PARALLELISM.Revised and Expanded Edition. By Adele Berlin. GrandRapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008. Pp. xxiv + 200. $21.00.

This new edition of a classic 1985 study of the poeticconcept of biblical parallelism basically keeps the body ofthe original work intact. As such, it remains today as thestarting point for any discussion of parallelism in theHebrew Bible. The book’s revision includes only the correc-tion of small errors and a new, very brief introduction andbibliography of studies on the topic since 1985. One cer-tainly wishes to hear more new thoughts by the author inthis section. The expansion of the work is simply the inclu-sion of an incomplete essay on metaphor by the Russianlinguist L. Knorina. Hopefully, the fresh edition will provide

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the impetus for a new generation of biblical scholars toengage this fascinating topic.

Tyler MayfieldClaremont School of Theology

RITUAL WORDS AND NARRATIVE WORLDS INTHE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. By Bryan D. Bibb. Library ofHebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 480; New York andLondon: T & T Clark, 2009. Pp. vii + 182. $115.

This revised Princeton Theological Seminary disserta-tion contains an innovative ritual and literary analysis ofLeviticus in which Bibb argues that the biblical book is adistinct, coherent piece of literature that participates in theunique genre, “narrativized ritual.” To support this reading,the first half of the monograph explores methodologicalissues pertaining not to traditional source—andhistorical—criticism but to literary criticism, structuralanalysis, and genre criticism. This succinct discussionattempts to move beyond older, diachronic debates related tosources to investigate synchronic matters. The second halfexegetes selectively the entire book of Leviticus, beginningwith the legal sections of chapters 1-7 and 11-5, then movingto the narrative units of chapters 8-10 and 16, and conclud-ing with the Holiness Code in chapters 17-27. Throughoutthese careful yet sweeping exegetical chapters, Bibb arguesfor a process of ritualization—commonplace actions takingon ritual characteristics—by which characters and readerspiece together mutual values and considerations. In the end,Leviticus contains both prescriptive ritual and descriptivenarrative as a unique blend. This study has much to recom-mend, it including its skilled use of ritual theory and itsoriginal presentation of this overlooked book.


OPENING THE SEALED BOOK: INTERPRETATIONSOF THE BOOK OF ISAIAH IN LATE ANTIQUITY. ByJoseph Blenkinsopp. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006.Pp. xx + 315. $25.00.

Blenkinsopp makes a vital contribution to the history ofthe interpretation of Isaiah from the seventh century BCE tothe early second century CE. He traces the historical devel-opment of portraits of Isaiah, from the politically adversarialfigure implied in the earliest oracles, to the more domesti-cated figure of the Deuteronomic redaction, the apocalypticvisionary of Second Temple Judaisms, and the prophet-martyr revered among first-century Jewish sects, includingChristianity. With Hanson, among others, he reads chapters24-27 as pointing to emerging apocalypticism and the redac-tion influence of a sect that read the Isaiah book as apoca-lyptic literature (“sealed book”), carried on later in theDamascus covenanters, Qumran sect, and Christianity. Thor-oughly recounting the breadth of intertexts in a way nocommentary can, he shows the enormous influence of Isaiahon the literature, thought, and life of early Christianity,apparent not only in Matthew, but also Mark, Luke–Acts,

John, Paul, 1 Peter, and Revelation. The reference to “LateAntiquity” in the title could be misleading to those especiallyinterested in Rabbinic and Patristic interpretation, whichare mostly left untapped and partially unindexed. Even so,this work deserves a prominent place on the shelves of everybiblical scholar, particularly those interested in the Proph-ets, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the role of the Jewish Scrip-tures in earliest Christianity.

Mark Glen BilbyPoint Loma Nazarene University

POLITICAL MYTH: ON THE USE AND ABUSE OFBIBLICAL THEMES. By Roland Boer. Durham, NC: DukeUniversity Press, 2009. Pp. x + 254. Hardcover, $79.95;paper, $29.95.

Boer’s work has long provided provocative readings ofScripture, bringing together religious reflection fromMarxist traditions and Scriptural exegesis. In this work,Boer develops a political myth for the Left that might be usedin service of progressive politics. Reading the Hexateuch(Genesis to Joshua) as an arcane political myth about thefragile yet unfulfilled promise of Israel, Boer argues thatwhat is present in these texts is not a divinely authorizednation, but an analysis of how political power exerts itselfover against chaos and uncertainty in manifold ways. This isnot entirely negative for Boer, however, as he argues thatwithin every myth is a countermyth that is necessarilypresent as its counterpoint—a countermyth that can providea counter-reading to dominant ideology and the fuel forpolitical revolution. The result of the traditional reading ofIsrael’s conquest, Boer argues, is the validation of other con-quest myths engaged in by America and Australia, who haveused the “fantasy” of Israel as justification for global capital-ist policy. Engaging with Marxist theorists such as Zizek,Bloch, and Adorno, Boer constructs a new myth for the Leftthat seeks to undermine the authority of the traditionalmyth. An eclectic work of biblical hermeneutics and politicaltheology, Boer’s readings will undoubtedly be questioned bymany but helpfully provoke conversation about the nature ofpolitical myth and the justifications for theologicallyinformed political acts.

Myles WerntzBaylor University

THE STORY WITHIN A STORY IN BIBLICALHEBREW NARRATIVE. By David A. Bosworth. TheCatholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series, 45. Washing-ton, DC: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2008.Pp. viii + 200. $12.50.

This revised dissertation at the Catholic University ofAmerica examines the literary topic of repetition via themise-en-abyme, which occurs when part of a narrative repro-duces the main themes of the whole narrative; in otherwords, a mise-en-abyme is a story within a story that servesas an analogy. Bosworth argues for three mises-en-abyme inthe Hebrew Bible: Genesis 38 (within Genesis 37-50), 1


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Samuel 25 (within 1 Samuel 13:1 to 2 Samuel 5:3), and 1Kings 13 (within 1 Kings 11 to 2 Kings 23). In the firstexample, the story of Judah and Tamar in Gen 38 is situatedwithin the larger narrative of Joseph in Gen 37-50 as a redu-plication of the whole. The smaller and larger narratives arethus analogous to each other and contain similarities such asthe plot structure and the role of Judah. Bosworth’s contri-bution to the interpretation of these passages deserves sus-tained consideration, especially with regard to his newreadings of the texts in light of their role as mises-en-abyme.The potential audience for this book includes literary schol-ars of the Bible as well as specialists in Genesis, Samuel, andKings.


“TELL ME O MUSE”: THE SONG OF DEBORAH(JUDGES 5) IN THE LIGHT OF HEROIC POETRY. ByCharles L. Echols. Library of Hebrew Bible/Old TestamentStudies, 487. London: T & T Clark, 2008. Pp. xiii +241. Cloth,$130.00.

Echols draws on classical scholarly work and exploresthe various interpretations of the Song of Deborah in theprolegomena of the book, and he addresses the issue ofdating a text regarded as one of the oldest in the HebrewBible. Then, working from a form and literary critical base,the author attempts to pin down the genre of the song inorder to find meaning and original work in the text. Echolsexamines these genres as they relate to his reading of thesong as “classical heroic poetry”; however, he concludes that“victory song” relates best. The excurses is laden with jargonthat will be unfamiliar to lay people and will even be prob-lematic for scholars not well versed in complex literary cri-tique. His work also draws upon genres that are foreign tothe Ancient Near East and span various cultural contexts.His argument that the Epic of Gilgamesh is a heroic narrativeis not well developed and is problematic in that he uses theargument to assert that heroic narrative exists in the HebrewBible. Problems arise when he decides YHWH is a secondaryinsert in the song, but he needs to evaluate the importance ofYHWH as the hero of song instead of trying to find a hero ofthe “original” song. Although these problems exist, the textis an interesting reexamination of old issues in an attempt topin down answers to still unanswered questions about theSong of Deborah.

Nicholaus PumphreyClaremont Graduate University

THE SEER IN ANCIENT GREECE. By Michael AttyahFlower. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008.Pp. xviii + 308. Paper, $24.95.

W. Burkert has brought attention to the influence ofMesopotamian culture on Greece in the Neo-Assyrian,Persian, and Hellenistic periods. In this volume, Flowerextends this scholarship on the seer (mantis) in archaic,classical, and Hellenistic Greece. Flower gleans information

from various Greek literary genres, inscriptions, evenstatues and iconography on pottery, in order to reconstruct“the role and function of seers in Greek society, the tech-niques of their art, and the system of belief within whichthey were operative.” Whereas in the archaic period seersinterpreted spontaneous signs, in the classical and Hellenis-tic period seers adopted the Near Eastern practice ofextispicy, but without the regimented rules of the Mesopota-mian practice. The authority of seers depended upon theirelite familial genealogy. Seers depended on wealthy, power-ful patrons (whom Flower calls “clients”) and played sub-stantial roles within the operation of Greek society,particularly in military affairs. Such divination played theimportant social function of allowing one to “bypass indeci-sion and to proceed with confidence with a specific course ofaction.” Flower shows that women functioned as seers, par-ticularly in household settings, and possessed the highestoffice of seer in the Greek world as the Pythia at Delphi. Thestudy has an extensive bibliography and should be awelcome resource for classical scholars, scholars of theancient Near East, and students and scholars of Judean pro-phetic and historiographic texts, particularly from theSecond Temple period.

John W. WrightPoint Loma Nazarene University

THE OLD TESTAMENT IN THE LIFE OF GOD’SPEOPLE: ESSAYS IN HONOR OF ELMER A.MARTENS. Edited by Jon Isaak. Winona Lake, IN: Eisen-brauns, 2009. Pp. xxvii + 349. $49.50.

This Festschrift celebrates the life and work of Old Testa-ment theologian and President Emeritus of Mennonite Breth-ren Biblical Seminary, E. Martens, by means of eighteenbiblical theological essays in three areas: “Christian Use ofthe Old Testament,” “Aligning God’s People with God’s Callfor Justice,” and “Addressing the Issue of Land in the Life ofGod’s People.” Each of these three sections commences withan essay by Martens himself and proceeds to include contri-butions by his (mostly Evangelical) former students and col-leagues, including P. House, W. Kaiser, T. Hiebert, and D.Block. This compilation results in sustained attention to con-temporary appropriations of the Bible within mostly Anabap-tist contexts. Thus, the ideal audience includes both biblicaltheologians in general and Anabaptist theologians specifi-cally. The book also includes a list of publications by Martensand a brief biography by his wife, Phyllis.


ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF THE PROPHETS. ByJoseph Jensen. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006.Pp. xi + 203. Paper, $24.95.

This work contributes to the body of literature that inter-prets the prophetic books in dialogue with the study ofethics. The author aims for a systematic presentation of theoverall ethical contributions of the prophets, but not in the


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form of a series of themes shared by various books. The workproceeds through a prophet-by-prophet exposition, treatingonly those texts seen as providing the most significantethical material and stressing the distinctive contributionsof each composition. The book’s strength lies in the openingchapters that outline modern ethical theory, particularlyvarious understandings of ethics, and its past and presentuse within prophetic study. For Jensen, the various ethicalcontributions of the prophets share a general understandingthat ethics are rooted in a conception of Yahweh as an abso-lute authority who stands in relationship with Israel, and theprimary dimension of prophetic ethics revolves aroundsocial justice. From this starting point, the monograph’sexaminations of individual books include basic backgroundinformation, the primary ethical dimension, and specifictextual examples. The work concludes with a brief prospectconcerning the possible significance of the prophets for con-temporary ethical reflection, a special concern that surfacesat various points throughout the book. The study aims at ascholarly audience but is accessible for general readers. Par-ticularly, Roman Catholic concerns are evident at somepoints. Extensive interaction with scholarship should earnthe volume a place in most libraries, but the sources citedpredominantly reflect scholarship before the 1990s.

Brad E. KellePoint Loma Nazarene University

EZEKIEL. By Robert W. Jenson. Brazos Theological Com-mentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2009.Pp. 367. Hardcover, $32.99.

In keeping with the aims of the series, Jenson, who is nota biblical scholar, interprets Ezekiel theologically within thedominant doctrinal tradition of the Christian church (repre-sented by Origen, Augustine, and others). He shares thegoals of premodern Christian exegetes, who viewed the Bibleas a single coherent narrative of God’s revelation in Christ.In that vein, the commentary proceeds through larger units,rather than verse by verse, extrapolating the book’s theologi-cal perspectives on God and God’s people as these areshaped by the tradition and categories of Christian ortho-doxy. The commentary bypasses nearly all of the basic inter-pretive issues of Ezekiel and interprets the final canonicalform of the text as given by the NRSV (with some excep-tions), explicitly relying upon older critical commentariesfor insights into standard interpretive issues. As is typicalfor this kind of theological exegesis, the particularities of thetext are often inconsequential, frequently being taken up forthe ways they contribute to the understanding of broaderChristian doctrines such as incarnation and the Trinity.Strikingly, feminist-critical analysis of the book’s sexual vio-lence, now a mainstay of Ezekiel scholarship, is dismissedout of hand. The author’s focus on historic Christian doc-trine, as well as his explicit use of comments by early Chris-tian and Jewish writers, makes the volume most useful for anarrow audience of Christian theologians, pastors, and laity.The exclusively theological exegesis, especially as defined

by a particular understanding of Christian orthodoxy, yieldslittle for broader scholars and students of Ezekiel.


ANCIENT GREEK DIVINATION. By Sarah IlesJohnston. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Pp. xii +193. N.p.

This is a very accessible volume that explores the com-plicated roles and methods of divination throughout theGreek world. Johnston successfully elucidates the uses,importance, and pliancy of divination in the ancient worldusing both Greek and Roman sources. She bravelyapproaches this inherently vague realm and has created atext that is very useful in its breadth and scope. AlthoughJohnston fully acknowledges the artifice of sweeping defini-tions that seek to clearly distinguish the arts of the oracle,magician, healer, and so on, she has, nevertheless, organizedthe material well. Her discussion of the freelance manteisand their works, as distinguished from the institutionalizedoracles (such as those at Delphi and Dodona), is mostwelcome, as it has received far less attention in modernliterature than their famous counterparts. Unfortunately, thehighly variegated attitudes reflected in the ancient sourcesleaves interpretation wide open, but Johnston’s interpreta-tions are well defined against the relatively vague informa-tion provided by ancient writers. We are left with a goodunderstanding of the information available on the subject, aswell as an understanding of what we do not know from thosesources. The resources listed at the end of each chapter areuseful and appreciated. Although she explains her decisionto avoid footnotes, the additional information and argumentspresented therein would have been useful. This is an excel-lent source for nonspecialists and upper-division under-graduate courses.

Nancy O. MeyerClaremont Graduate University

A PEOPLE TALL AND SMOOTH-SKINNED: THERHETORIC OF ISAIAH 18. By Marta Lavik. Supple-ments to Vetus Testamentum, 112. Leiden, The Netherlands:Brill, 2007. Pp. xvii + 274. Cloth, $146.00.

This revised version of the author’s doctoral dissertation(University of Oslo, 2004) blends the classical understand-ing of rhetoric as persuasion with attention to literary art-istry in order to examine the final form of the oracle againstthe nation in Isaiah 18. Lavik moves beyond historical andgeographical reconstructions, although not discountingthem, and focuses on how the text’s design and literarymotifs combine to persuade the audience. The monographgives a strophe-by-strophe analysis, including a discussionof each strophe’s text and translation issues, textual design(phonetic, syntactic, and semantic elements), central motifs,and rhetorical effect. Significant attention is paid to theappearance of the text’s rhetorical features and motifs inother biblical texts, as well as their likely function within the


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prophet’s time. Lavik challenges the traditional understand-ing that Isa 18:1-7 is an oracle of judgment against Cush orAssyria. She argues that the text’s rhetoric entraps the audi-ence into believing that a foreign nation is to be judged, untilthe imagery eventually reveals that Judah is the target ofGod’s judgment. Hence, the oracle aims to persuade theJudeans to avoid entanglements in foreign alliances.The detailed history of research on the oracles against thenations and the method of rhetorical criticism, as well as theextensive documentation and bibliography, commend thiswork for research libraries and scholars. It is especiallysignificant for those working on the rhetorical study of bib-lical texts or the nature of prophetic discourse.


AMOS AND THE COSMIC IMAGINATION. By JamesR. Linville. Society for Old Testament Study Series. Alder-shot, UK: Ashgate, 2008. Pp. vii-xii + 199. Hardback, $99.95.

This work contributes to the growing body of scholarlyliterature that interprets the prophetic books as intentionalliterary compositions addressed to the needs of the eliteliterati in postmonarchic Yehud, and bearing no necessaryconnection to the historical prophet or his historical settingin the monarchic period. Linville reads the book of Amos asa mythic text that develops a cosmic imagination, and usescreative language and mythological motifs to shape an alter-native vision of reality for its readers. He relies especially onthe imagery of the visions in chapters 7-9, particularly thetemple vision in chapter 9, and argues that the book inter-prets the world as a cosmic temple that has been corrupted,is being destroyed, but will be restored. The focus of Amos’language is a mythic depiction of the dissolution of thecosmos, yet the mythical language gives the presentation atranshistorical character that serves as a model for theongoing creation, destruction, and recreation of the world,regardless of particular contingencies of time and place. Thework includes a very thorough history of interpretation, yetthe reading is complex and often idiosyncratic, relyingheavily on the cosmic symbolism in Amos 7-9 as an inter-pretive lens for the book as a whole. This is most useful forscholars and research libraries.


MORE THAN MEETS THE EAR: DISCOVERING THEHIDDEN CONTEXTS OF OLD TESTAMENT CON-VERSATIONS. By Victor H. Matthews. Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans, 2008. Pp. xii + 198. $30.

This study utilizes social–scientific communicationtheory to exegete several passages from the Hebrew Biblethat prominently feature dialogue. Matthews, who has alengthy publishing record concerning the social world of theHebrew Bible, introduces clearly the theory-laden topic ofcommunication studies in chapter 1 with several biblicalexamples. This chapter, along with its footnotes, opens up a

new world of interpretative questions for those biblicalscholars trained only in traditional historical or literarymethods. Matthews then offers readings of Genesis 38, 2Samuel 6 and 1 Samuel 25, 1 Kings 22, and Isaiah 7, 36 andJeremiah 36 in the four following chapters. For example,chapter 3 introduces conversation analysis with its focus onthe organization of everyday, spoken interactions amongpeople and applies this methodology to three biblical stories,including the confrontation of David by Michal in 2 Sam 6.According to Matthews, the narrative relays Michal’ssocially offensive and sarcastic ridicule of the king in publicand David’s subsequent response, which is also sarcasticand leaves Michal shameful. At the end of the conversation,Michal pays a social price for publicly confronting the king.In summary, this book maintains a difficult balance betweendemonstrating competence in an auxiliary body of theoryand using that theoretical insight to read biblical texts. Thebook’s target is, clearly, biblical scholars, especially thoseinterested in social–scientific methodologies. The book con-cludes with a brief, helpful glossary, a bibliography, and twoindices.


THEMES AND TRANSFORMATIONS IN OLD TES-TAMENT PROPHECY. By Samuel A. Meier. Downer’sGrove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009. Pp. 240. Paper, $23.00.

Meier’s volume serves as a supplement to traditionalintroductions to the Hebrew Bible prophets. The book ana-lyzes a number of themes and features (e.g., the divinecouncil, prediction of the future, role of angels, use ofwriting) found throughout the prophetic corpus in order toextrapolate patterns that appear and changes that occur invarious contexts. The work’s distinguishing contribution isto explain the changes in features and patterns by appealingto a chronological scheme of devolution, with the gradualloss of the prophet’s role in the divine council serving as themost representative case. In Meier’s view, the changes ineach of the primary features can be explained by a declinefrom the ideal preexilic character of prophecy to a less“impressive” postexilic caliber. The transition point was theexperience of exile, which is represented most clearly by theappearance of the various features in the book of Ezekiel.Each chapter examines a different theme or feature, andattempts to show the changes it underwent. The book will bemost useful as a basic supplementary text for students andwill also provide scholars with a survey of the most promi-nent themes and features of the prophetic corpus. However,the rigid scheme of chronological devolution used to explainthe variations produces an outmoded devaluing of the post-monarchic period and overshadows the rhetorical dynamicsof the individual literary compositions that may be moredirectly responsible for the variations in patterns.



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“MY BROTHER ESAU IS A HAIRY MAN.” By SusanNiditch. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Pp. 159.Cloth, $45.00.

Niditch’s book takes an object as frivolous as hair anddemands that scholars no longer give it a mere passingglance. With a focus on Israelite folklore and culture, sheexamines the cultural and religious significance of hair.While examining the art of Mesopotamia and the text of theHebrew Bible, she concludes that plentiful hair was the markof the Israelite warrior. The absence of hair was a sign ofweakness and resembles the Philistines and Egyptians, butit was also a metaphor for the weak nation’s triumph overthe strong. The text chooses Jacob (the hairless brother) to bethe namesake of the country and not Esau (the hairy one).Niditch places the Nazir vow as a later adaptation of the“heroic” Samson model. Her Nazir examination resembles aWellhausean interpretation of a hidden agenda by the “Psource,” which stems from her want of Samson to be the“hairy” hero of Judges. Her interpretation of the Judges as“Robin-Hood”-like heroes settling border disputes skews thepurpose of a downward spiraling world presented by thetext, which culminates in chaos created by Samson’s “adven-tures” leading to all-out war between the tribes. However,her text is important in starting the conversation on culturalnorms of Israelite women and men with regard to how theyidentify themselves according to hairstyle. Niditch’s book isone that is not rife with complex concepts but is still full ofinsightful information that appeals to laity and scholar alike.

Nicholaus PumphreyClaremont Graduate University

PERSPECTIVES ON PURITY AND PURIFICATIONIN THE BIBLE. Edited by Baruch J. Schwartz, David P.Wright, Jeffrey Stackert, and Naphtali S. Meshel. New Yorkand London: T & T Clark, 2008. Pp. x + 118. $110.

This slim volume contains just eight essays, which areunevenly divided between two themes related to purity. Thefirst five essays discuss the possibility of a coherent systemwithin the priestly legislation: “The Function of the Nazir-ite’s Concluding Purification Offering,” by R. E. Gane; “Sinand Impurity: Atoned or Purified? Yes!” by J. Sklar; “Pure,Impure, Permitted, Prohibited: A Study of ClassificationSystems in P,” by N. S. Meshel; “Dirt and Disgust: Body andMorality in Biblical Purity Laws,” by T. Kazen; and “Does thePriestly Purity Code Domesticate Women?” by D. TabbStewart. These detailed treatments relate to highly specificissues even within the subfield of priestly literature, so theirpotential audience is small. The last three essays deal moredirectly with broader, methodological questions: “Blood asPurification in Priestly Torah: What Do We Know and HowDo We Know It?” by W. K. Gilders; “Methodology and Ideol-ogy in the Study of Priestly Ritual,” by J. Klawans; and“Pagans and Priests: Critical Reflections on Method,” by F. H.Gorman. These methodological treatments ask pertinent andcompelling questions, and strengthen the volume consider-

ably. Nevertheless, the list price for this volume, combinedwith its lean number of essays, relegates it to academiclibraries only.


OUT OF THE WHIRLWIND: CREATION THEOLOGYIN THE BOOK OF JOB. By Kathryn Schifferdecker.Harvard Theological Studies, 61. Cambridge, MA: HarvardUniversity Press, 2008. Pp. xii + 217. Paper, N.p.

In this book, directed toward Hebrew Bible scholars,Schifferdecker wrestles with the issue of how the divinespeeches in the book of Job relate to the rest of the text.Whereas other scholars suggest an incongruent collection ofspeeches, Schifferdecker argues that Job can (and must) beunderstood as a whole. Schifferdecker argues that the posi-tion of the divine speeches (at the end of the book) and theirlength imply that their content contains answers to the ques-tions raised earlier in the text. In examining the languageand imagery of creation, Schifferdecker demonstrates anumber of literary links between the divine and humanspeeches. She argues that the primary difficulty for Job andhis associates is their androcentric understanding of cre-ation. The divine speeches, instead, declare a radically dif-ferent understanding, wherein humans are one creationamong many. It is only through understanding the place ofhumanity in the larger scheme of creation that the problemof human suffering can be understood. Schifferdecker is inconstant conversation with C. Newsom’s analysis of Job andreflects Newsom’s preoccupation with identifying genres.This emphasis on genre sometimes overshadows the signifi-cance of linguistic relations that are set forth and sometimesdownplays these excellent observations. As a consolation forthose desiring a more linguistic approach, Schifferdeckerprovides a sizeable appendix with her translation of andcommentary on the divine speeches in Job, which serves toconsolidate and organize most of her previous linguisticobservations.

Jacob RennakerClaremont Graduate University

OLD AND MIDDLE KINGDOM THEBAN TOMBS. ByRasha Soliman. Egyptian Sites Series. London: Golden HousePublications (distributed in the United States by DavidBrown Book Company), 2009. Pp. vii + 173; plates, illustra-tions. $40.00.

While the New Kingdom tombs in the Theban necropolisare well known, the remains of earlier cemeteries are largelyunfamiliar to all but serious scholars. The tombs are poorlypreserved, often reused, and, in many cases, poorly pub-lished. This book makes the Old and Middle Kingdom tombsavailable in a single, easily accessible publication for thefirst time. The author begins with an overview of the topog-raphy and development of the necropolis before describingindividual tombs chronologically, including some pre-OldKingdom and Second Intermediate Period material in addi-


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tion to the main subject. The layout and surviving decorationof each tomb is described, and the owner is identified whenpossible. In most cases, a plan is provided. Althoughsparsely illustrated, the book allows readers to appreciatethe extent and nature of the early cemeteries and gives asense of how much has, unfortunately, been lost. It will be avery welcome reference for students and scholars of Egyp-tology and archaeology, and includes an extensive bibliog-raphy for those seeking more in-depth information aboutspecific tombs.

Denise DoxeyMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

THE CHRONICLER’S GENEALOGIES: TOWARDSAN UNDERSTANDING OF 1 CHRONICLES 1-9. ByJames T. Sparks. Academia Biblica, 28. Atlanta, GA: Societyof Biblical Literature, 2008. Pp. xviii + 385. Paper, $47.95.

Displeased with past diachronic scholarship, Sparksasserts that the final form of 1 Chronicles 1-9 is a cohesivechiasm formed by the Chronicler to elevate cultic leadershipto religious, sociopolitical dominance. After detailed analysisof the distinctions between the sons of Aaron, Levites, andZadokites (chapters 2-3), the bulk of the book highlights theChronicler’s theology—unfaithfulness to YHWH results inexile, and atonement is only possible through the cult (chap-ters 4-9). In the final chapters, Sparks argues that theChronicler: 1) included every tribe in “all Israel” (chapter10); 2) altered the available written sources for his ownpurposes (chapter 11); and 3) deliberately juxtaposed 1Chronicles 1 and 9 to reveal a progression from cultic “bar-renness” to ideal restoration (chapters 12-13). Although thebook’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses, some argumentsfeel strained or inadequate. For example, Sparks hastily usesconclusions from narrative studies to evaluate genealogicaltexts (chapter 11) and spends only three pages legitimizinghis chiasm, which is the basis of his whole book. Neverthe-less, Sparks still manages to put forth a valid synchronicreading of a very difficult passage. His ideas are thought-provoking, and his thesis is a meaningful addition to thescholastic conversation on Chronicles and its genealogies.

Shelley LongClaremont Graduate University

EZEKIEL, DANIEL. Edited by Kenneth Stevenson andMichael Glerup. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scrip-ture: Old Testament, 13. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsityPress, 2008. Pp. xxvii + 378. Hardback $40.00.

This work, like other volumes in the same series, pro-vides the RSV text of Ezekiel and Daniel, a brief introductionto each book, and then a selection of early Christian com-ments on the text. The comments are mainly on words andphrases in the text (e.g., “blameless and holy”) and not onlarger syntactical units. Each comment is referenced by afootnote to the original source in case the reader wants toread more from the commentators. According to the intro-duction, the goal of the series is to help lay people study the

Bible, and to help pastors and scholars pursue further studyof ancient writers. As such, it is not a tool for those who wanta substantial exposure to the ancient writers. The excerptsfrom their writings are too brief and disconnected for thatpurpose. However, this book does bring the reader intocontact with a fairly wide range of commentators. Thebrevity of many excerpts will frustrate the scholar but maybe just right for lay people.

Samuel M. PowellPoint Loma Nazarene University

OLD TESTAMENT EXEGESIS, FOURTH EDITION: AHANDBOOK FOR STUDENTS AND PASTORS. ByDouglas Stuart. Louisville, KY: Westminster John KnoxPress, 2009. Pp. xxi + 193. $24.95.

Eight years have passed since the third edition of thisstandard, introductory exegetical handbook. Stuart’s latestrendition contains a revised and updated bibliographyincluding much additional information on electronic andonline databases. Moreover, the author has expanded hisclear and thorough discussion in some sections. In the end,the newest edition, with its stable price, remains an excel-lent overall guide to the practice of exegesis, especially forpastors interested in exegesis for their sermon delivery,even if the numerous steps of the outlined exegetical processoften portray it more as a scientific inquiry than an artfulpractice. Stuart’s central audience remains Christian evan-gelical seminary students and pastors who value detailedbiblical exegesis in their preparation of sermons.


EZEKIEL. By Steven Tuell. New International Biblical Com-mentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009. Pp. vii-xv + 368.Paper, $16.95.

Tuell’s commentary is based on the NIV translation. Inkeeping with the aims of the series, it targets a Christianaudience, with some advanced knowledge of biblical schol-arship, and employs critical approaches through a “believingcriticism” that shows “commitment to the Bible’s full author-ity for Christians.” The work contains an overall introductionto Ezekiel, which surveys most of the major interpretiveissues, and outlines the book in two major parts (chapters1-33 and 34-48). The bulk of the volume treats Ezekiel as aunified literary composition that reached its final form in thePersian period and offers a unit-by-unit analysis. The mainexpositions concentrate on thematic and theological matters,and the treatment of technical issues, as well as explicitinteraction with scholarship which appears in a separatesection at the end of each unit. This division tends to sepa-rate the exposition from some of the critical issues thatshould be considered, yet the discussion is consistently wellinformed, even if implicitly, by current scholarship. Tuelldevotes significant space to links between Ezekiel and theNew Testament, often expounding the text’s meaning for


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Christian perspectives, yet his focus on historical and liter-ary analysis over hermeneutical considerations makes thebook useful to a wider audience. One wishes for more con-sideration of newer trauma-based and ecological approachesto Ezekiel, but the discussion strikes a good balance betweenexpertise and accessibility. It is relevant for scholars butmore useful for students and ministers.


Greece, Rome, Greco-Roman PeriodTALKING BOOKS. READINGS IN HELLENISTICAND ROMAN BOOKS OF POETRY. By G. O. Hutchin-son. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2008. Pp. xiv + 332;illustrations. $120.00.

This timely and wide-ranging volume talks aboutancient poetry books both as objects produced, arranged,and edited, and as they were received by readers andhearers. An author might arrange his poems according totopics, as the new papyrus of Posidippus attests, or editors,especially those involved with the library of Alexandria,could order works by formal criteria like meter. Their order-ings and commentaries could in turn inspire not onlyreaders but also other poets in their interpretation and adap-tations of their predecessors. Readers might order personal-ized anthologies of favorite poems, or professional copyistsmight produce what became standard editions of canonicaltexts. The arrangement of poems by Alexandrian editorswould in turn influence the reception of these texts by laterauthors. Topics include how the new Posidippus affects ourunderstanding of Latin poetry, the differing narrative strat-egies in the four books of Callimachus’ Aetia, the meaningfularrangement of Catullus’s poems, the distinctive characterand dating of each of Horace’s first three books of Odes, thecomplex relations of contrast and similarity in Ovid, anddidactic poetry. This rich and eye-opening book, which allscholars of ancient poetry will want to read, will surelystimulate further talk.

Jenny Strauss ClayUniversity of Virginia

OPERA INEDITA: ESSAI SUR LA RELIGIONGRECQUE. RECHERCHES SUR LES HYMNESORPHIQUES. By Jean Rudhardt. Edited by P. Bourgeaudand V. Pirenne-Delforge. Kernos Supplement 19. Liège:Centre internationale d’Étude de la religion GrecqueAncienne. 2008. Pp. 346. Paper, €40.

The Nachlass of the well-known Swiss historian of Greekreligion Jean Rudhardt included these two substantial butunfinished studies that revisit some of his earlier work. Thefirst treats some fundamental terms of Greek religion(nomos, nomima, etc., sebas, eusebeia, and ta hiera), whilethe second offers a fine survey of the form, vocabulary, andinterpretation of the Orphic Hymns. The editors offer an

introduction to Rudhardt’s work and methods, and a bibliog-raphy. They note his lifelong efforts to “think Greek” aswitnessed by his exercises in Greek composition. Rudhardtsituated his approach as an attempt to understand Greekreligion from the inside by examining the vocabulary theGreeks themselves used, which quickly reveals their verydifferent conception of what we call religion, one linked tobroader notions of individual ethical behavior in conformitywith tradition or custom. Similarly, the concept of the sacred(ta hiera) embraces a wide range of actions and objects thatinvolve the juncture of the human and the divine. Known forhis acute interpretations of texts like the Homeric Hymnsand Hesiod, Rudhardt ignores the epigraphic evidence butsticks to literary texts; one wonders how consideration of theformer might have modified his conclusions. The discussionof the Orphic Hymns has a special focus on the epithets ofthe various divinities whose meanings illuminate theirbeliefs and the configuration of the Orphic pantheon, whichRudhardt teases out from the texts. Students of Greek reli-gion will be grateful to the editors for bringing out thesestudies, not only for their conclusions, but also as a means oflearning from Rudhardt’s exemplary methods of analysis.

Jenny Strauss ClayUniversity of Virginia

POTS AND PLAYS: INTERACTIONS BETWEENTRAGEDY AND GREEK VASE-PAINTING OF THEFOURTH CENTURY B.C. By Oliver Taplin. Los Angeles:The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007. Pp. x + 310; illustrations,map. $75.00.

In this beautifully illustrated and accessible work onvase paintings from South Italy, Taplin has made an impor-tant contribution to the hotly disputed point at which clas-sics and art history intersect: the extent to which depictionsof myth on Greek vases depend on the treatment of thesestories in Greek poetry. Taplin explored this subject in anearlier work on Athenian comedy in fourth-century BCItalian vase painting (Comic Angels, 1993); in the presentwork, he returns to Magna Graecia with a study of paintingson funerary vases that may depict subjects of plays byAeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Taplin builds his argu-ment in a series of short discursive sections comprised in thefirst half of the book (“Setting the Scenes”), engaging boththe general reader and the scholar. Taplin mounts a vigorousresponse to the recent scholarly view that mythologicaldepictions on ancient Greek art must be studied withoutreference to ancient texts. He suggests that, while SouthItalian vase paintings do not depend on scenes from particu-lar plays, viewers’ appreciation was “enriched” by their first-hand experiences viewing local productions of the greatAthenian tragedies. The second half of the work (“The Pots”),a well-annotated selection of South Italian vase paintingswith tragic subjects, provides his judicious assessments ofthe relationship between these particular pots and Athenianplays. Taplin thereby accomplishes his second aim: toacquaint the general reader with this important and


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Documents

Ancient Greek Divination – By Sarah Iles Johnston