Book Notes

015

The Bible

Stephen Prickett and Robert Barnes
(Cambridge Univ. Press, 1991)

The heart of Prickett and Barnes’ approach to the Old and New Testaments (they insist that the two be considered together) can be best expressed in their own words: “… the Bible was from the first a palimpsest of languages and contexts.” In it one sees clearly the ongoing influence of various cultures and a continuous process of interpretation and reinterpretation.

The authors have packed a surprising amount of useful information about the Bible into 141 pages. They supply a survey of what is found in the books or sections of the two testaments, but their longest chapter summarizes biblical teachings on ten leading themes (including God, creation, covenant, purity and holiness, the kingdom of God and the Messiah, and wisdom). From the scriptural text they then move to interpretations of that text—a process that is evident, of course, already in the Bible itself.

Prickett and Barnes’ concise history of interpretation stretches from biblical times to the present; thus there are sections on literal and allegorical readings and on the sorts of exegesis practiced during the Reformation, the Enlightenment and in more recent times. The final chapter offers a fascinating study of “the Bible and literature”—from the early translations to the versions in modern languages, especially English. Here Prickett and Barnes center their attention on the Authorized Version (AV), commenting at one point: “If a camel is a horse designed by a committee, then the AV is the ultimate camel.”

The Topical Josephus: Historical Accounts that Shed Light on the Bible

Cleon L. Rogers, Jr.
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992)

Cleon Rogers adds another book to the many that try to illuminate the biblical text through the use of extra-biblical documents. In this case, Josephus is the lone outside source. Rogers explains that his goal is to present topics and characters found in Josephus’ writings that cast some background light on the study of the New Testament. The book consists of three parts. The first covers characters (Herod, his sons Archelaus and Antipas, Pontius Pilate, Agrippa, John the Baptist, Jesus); the second deals with institutions (the three “philosophies”—Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes as organized groups—and the Roman army); and the last treats important events (all from the First Jewish Revolt against Rome in 66–73 C.E.), such as the conquest of Jerusalem and Masada. It is convenient to have information from Josephus’ lengthy writings organized and assembled between two covers, but it is hard to see why military matters get so much attention (about one-half of the book is occupied with the Roman army and the Revolt) when they are not all that central a topic in the New Testament. Also, Rogers accepts the narratives of Josephus and the New Testament at face value, with only a general remark in the last pages that Josephus is usually reliable (without saying when he’s not). When the New Testament and Josephus conflict (as, for example, in Josephus’ passing reference to Quirinius’ census, which he dates later than Luke does), the problem is ignored. Apparently even Josephus’ famous positive comments about Jesus, his messianic status and his resurrection, characterized by many scholars as later additions, raise no troublesome questions for Rogers about the genuineness of Josephus’ text as it now stands.

Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Birth of Jesus

John Shelby Spong
(San Francisco: Harper, 1992)

The controversial Episcopal bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and author of Living in Sin? A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality (San Francisco: Harper, 1990) and Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (San Francisco: Harper, 1991) has written yet another book certain to stir heated debate. In Born of a Woman, Spong argues that the stories about Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke (and in later church history) have denigrated the humanity of Mary and thus become weapons in a cultural assault on women in church and society. The Christmas legends, he says, were created to respond to and cover up the fact that Jesus was actually born to a sexually violated teenage girl. The notion of a virgin who gives birth to Jesus (which notion eventually evolves in the church into one of a perpetually virgin Mary) was invented by the early Christians to answer Jesus’ detractors, but has become in subsequent Christendom emblematic of a less than helpful attitude toward human sexuality and an unreasonable and abusive ideal of authentic femininity. This book is in many ways more speculative than historical or exegetical, although Spong frequently relies on and cites the work of noted historians and exegetes, but it will surely spark conversations beyond the coming Christmas season.

The Bible
Stephen Prickett and Robert Barnes
(Cambridge Univ. Press, 1991)