Books in Brief
Resources for Students of the Bible
These new textbooks and reference works will be of value not only to biblical studies students but to anyone interested in the Bible.
The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible
Ed. by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan
(Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001) 384 pp., $30.00 (paperback)
To order, contact the press at 212–726-6000 or www.oup.com.
This compact reference book features straightforward, lucid, informative accounts of the key characters in the Old and New Testaments, what they did, who they knew and the places they frequented. Replete with maps, it is a fine resource for beginning students or for those who simply want to be able to quickly learn about biblical characters encountered in nonbiblical contexts, such as in works of art and literature.
What They Don’t Tell You: A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies
Michael Joseph Brown
(Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000) 157 pp., $10.95 (paperback)
To order, contact the press at 800–227-2872.
This fun and easy-to-read book contains a wealth of interesting and important information for anyone who is thinking of studying the Bible, whether inside or outside the academy. It explains, for example, how faith-based study of the Bible, which is devotional and personal, differs from the critical approach of academic biblical scholarship, which evaluates the text as a historical document and not as sacred or authoritative canon. That distinction is not always instantly apparent to students who enter a university or seminary biblical studies program after years of Sunday school study.
After a concise review of the methods of modern critical biblical analysis, the author offers 28 Rules of Thumb for engaging in critical Bible study, such as: “Most biblical scholars can’t agree on lunch, much less the precise meaning of a text.” The explanation following each (somewhat flippant) rule is delivered with a light touch, yet always conveys a serious message that is wise, true and to the point.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000) 832 pp., $29.99 (hardback)
To order, contact the press at 630–734-4321 or www.ivpress.com.
How does a student of the Old Testament bridge the historical, linguistic and cultural chasm separating the modern world from the civilizations of the ancient Near East? As the authors of this excellent, comprehensive reference work note, those who don’t grasp the worldview of the people who produced the Old Testament are often propelled by modern cultural biases toward erroneous conclusions.
Organized by chapter and verse of the Old Testament, this volume is grounded in ancient Near Eastern culture, history, geography and archaeology, illuminating ideas and practices that are not widely understood today. For example, an entry on the selection of Saul as king in 1 Samuel 10:1 says this of the practice of anointing: “In Egypt the pharaoh was not anointed, but he anointed his officials and his vassals. His anointing of them established their subordinate relationship to him and indicated his protection of them. This model would fit the idea of Saul being anointed as a vassal to God.”
Unfolding the Deuteronomistic History
Antony F. Campbell and Mark O’Brien
(Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2000) 505 pp., $37.00 (paperback)
To order, contact the press at 800–328-4648 or www.augsburgfortress.org.
This textbook closely follows the ideas of German biblical scholar Martin Noth (1902–1968), who proposed that a Deuteronomistic History stretched from the Book of Deuteronomy through 2 Kings. In their examination of this section of the Bible, which tells of the formation and demise of the kingdom of Israel, the authors cast a wide net, covering the rich and complex mix of law, narrative and theology within the various books. Some readers may find it difficult to navigate the tightly packed pages, which present a confusing array of typefaces in combination with a complicated system of footnotes. Those who weather the visual obstacles stand to gain much from the multidimensional commentary on the language, origins and meaning of the text.
The Social Visions of the Hebrew Bible
J. David Pleins
(Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) 592 pp., $39.95 (paperback)
To order, contact the press at 800–227-2872.
Reading the Bible is not enough, the author says, to discern fully the diverse crosscurrents of thought that make up its social vision. Students of the Hebrew Bible will learn much from this book’s conception of the text as a conversation, indeed at times a “conflicted diversity” of viewpoints, about the nature of community and the obligations of its members toward each other. “It is these conflicts,” Pleins claims, “that drive the production of the biblical text.”
Moving smoothly from the Pentateuch through the major and minor Prophets and wisdom literature (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.), Pleins’s sophisticated and persuasive vision of the Hebrew Bible affirms as a strength its divergent ethical perspectives. He suggests that modern religious communities are best served not by imposing idealized notions of communal harmony on Israel’s past but by accepting ancient Israel’s “disjointed tableau” as a positive and dynamic model that endured many struggles.