(Part 1)

JBTM Book Reviews
154
“The People of God and the Peoples of the Earth” and “Reading the Christian Old Testament
in the Contemporary World,” explore issues such as ethnography, ecology, and sociology in
relation to biblical studies. The contributors discuss the clash of worldviews that modern
interpreters often experience when approaching the ancient texts, and shine light on new
interpretive avenues, such as feminist and post-colonial readings.
The main body of the commentary is divided into five sections: Torah, Historical Writings,
Wisdom and Worship, Prophets, and Apocrypha. Each section begins with an essay providing
introductory material on genre, authorship, historical setting(s), and distinctive themes.
The preliminary essays are followed by a chapter devoted to each biblical book within their
respective categories. The commentary chapters provide a section-by-section analysis of the
biblical text with corresponding discussions of “The Text in Its Ancient Context” and “The
Text in the Interpretive Tradition.” Each chapter concludes with bibliographical information.
The greatest strengths of the book are threefold. First, the attention given to the history
of interpretation, past and present, for each biblical pericope is invaluable. There are few
other resources that provide such a comprehensive survey of the history of interpretation for
the entire Old Testament and Apocrypha. Second, all of the contributors give consideration
to the historical and literary backgrounds of the biblical texts. Attention is given, for instance,
to the writings of Philo, Josephus, Qumran, and many others. Additionally, readers are
introduced to patristic writings through the interpretive histories. Third, unlike most Old
Testament commentaries, the volume contains a substantive section on apocryphal works.
The contributors provide an excellent overview of the body of literature as a whole, as well
as information on specific apocryphal texts. Regardless of whether one regards the literature
as canonical, the thorough treatment certainly will enhance readers’ understanding of both
Old and New Testament contexts.
On a critical note, evangelical readers will encounter several major problems with the
volume. First, the commentary boasts an impressive array of expert contributors from
a variety of ecumenical viewpoints. Unfortunately, evangelical conservatives are sorely
underrepresented. As a result, many of the contributors do not appear to regard the Bible as
the inspired Word of God. For example, Hugh R. Page Jr. blatantly asserts that “the Hebrew
Bible does not speak with a single voice on the issues of what it means to be part of the
human family” (40). Matthew J. M. Coomber suggests that the portrayal of God in the Torah
is an amalgamation of the Canaanite God El and the Israelite YHWH (18–19). Rodney S.
Sadler Jr., in his exegesis of Genesis, posits that the puzzling narrative of Noah’s sin Gen
9:18–28 is included as an inadequate “justification for the dislocation and oppression of the
Canaanites” (101). Moreover, the inclusion of Tamar Kamionkowski’s textually unjustifiable
interpretation of the Nadab and Abihu incident (Lev 10–11) as a “homoerotic account”
reflects a troubling disregard for proper exegesis. With so many instances of doubt regarding
the authority and inspiration of the Bible in the opening chapters alone, evangelicals may be
hesitant to utilize the volume as a resource.