Biblical Studies Notebook (BSN)

The Bible Speaks Today (IVP)

Dr Karl Möller — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:09:33 +0000

The editors stress that the volumes in this series are intended to be expositions, not commentaries. The aims are threefold: ‘to expound the biblical text with accuracy, to relate it to contemporary life and to be readable’. Exposition is section by section, and the outlook is evangelical. Some volumes are surprisingly extensive.

Old Testament volumes:

The Message of Genesis 1–11: The Dawn of Creation, David Atkinson, 1990
The Message of Genesis 12–50: From Abraham to Joseph, Joyce G. Baldwin, 1986
The Message of Exodus: The Days of Our Pilgrimage, Alec Motyer, 2005
The Message of Leviticus: Free to be Holy, Derek Tidball, 2005
The Message of Numbers: Journey to the Promised Land, Raymond Brown, 2002
The Message of Deuteronomy: Not by Bread Alone, Raymond Brown, 1993
The Message of Judges: Grace Abounding, Michael Wilcock, 1992
The Message of Ruth: The Wings of Refuge, David Atkinson, 1974
The Message of Samuel: Personalities, Potential, Politics and Power, Mary J. Evans, 2004
The Message of Chronicles: One Church, One Faith, One Lord, Michael Wilcock, 1987
The Message of Nehemiah: God’s Servant in a Time of Change, Raymond Brown, 1998
The Message of Job: Suffering and Grace, David Atkinson, 1991
The Message of Psalms 1–72: Songs for the People of God, Michael Wilcock, 2001
The Message of Psalms 73–150: Songs for the People of God, Michael Wilcock, 2001
The Message of Proverbs: Wisdom for Life, David Atkinson, 1996
The Message of Ecclesiastes: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance, Derek Kidner, 1991
The Message of the Song of Songs: The Lyrics of Love, Tom Gledhill, 1994
The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles’ Wings, Barry Webb, 1996
The Message of Jeremiah: Against Wind and Tide, Derek Kidner, 1987
The Message of Ezekiel: A New Heart and a New Spirit, Christopher J. H. Wright, 2001
The Message of Daniel: The Lord is King, Ronald S. Wallace, 1991
The Message of Hosea: Love to the Loveless, Derek Kidner, 1991
The Message of Joel, Micah & Habakkuk: Listening to the Voice of God, David Prior, 1998
The Message of Amos: The Day of the Lion, Alec Motyer, 1974
The Message of Jonah: Presence in the Storm, Rosemary Nixon, 2003
The Message of Zechariah: Your Kingdom Come, Barry Webb, 2003

New Testament volumes:

The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, Michael Green, 2000
The Message of the Sermon on the Mount: Christian Counter-Culture, John Stott, 1992
The Message of Mark: The Mystery of Faith, Donald English, 1992
The Message of Luke: The Saviour of the World, Michael Wilcock, 1998
The Message of John: Here Is Your King, Bruce Milne, 1993
The Message of Acts: To the Ends of the Earth, John Stott, 1991
The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World, John Stott, 1994
The Message of 1 Corinthians: Life in the Local Church, David Prior, 1993
The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, Paul Barnett, 1999
The Message of Galatians: Only One Way, John Stott, 1993
The Message of Ephesians: God’s New Society, John Stott, 1991
The Message of Philippians: Jesus Our Joy, Alec Motyer, 1997
The Message of Colossians and Philemon: Fullness and Freedom, Dick Lucas, 1974
The Message of Thessalonians: Preparing for the Coming Kingdom, John Stott, 1991
The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus: The Life of the Local Church, John Stott, 1996
The Message of 2 Timothy: Guard the Gospel, John Stott, 1999
The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, Raymond Brown, 1974
The Message of James: The Tests of Faith, Alec Motyer, 1985
The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross, Edmund P. Clowney, 1994
The Message of 2 Peter and Jude: The Promise of His Coming, Dick Lucas and Christopher Green, 1995
The Message of John’s Letters: Living in the Love of God, David Jackman, 1982
The Message of Revelation: I Saw Heaven Opened, Michael Wilcock, 1991

Visit the following link for information about other commentary series.

Review of The Book of Job: Authorised King James Version, with an Introduction by Louis de Bernières

Dr Karl Möller — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:14:44 +0000

Bibliographical details:
The Book of Job: Authorised King James Version, with an Introduction by Louis de Bernières. 1998. Edinburgh: Canongate.

Publisher’s information:
The Authorised King James Version of the Bible, translated between 1603–11, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature. This version, more than any other, and possibly more than any other work in history, has had an influence in shaping the language we speak and write today. Presenting individual books from the Bible as separate volumes, as they were originally conceived, encourages the reader to approach them as literary works in their own right.

The first twelve books in this series encompass categories as diverse as history, fiction, philosophy, love poetry and law. Each Pocket Canon also has its own introduction, specially commissioned from an impressive range of writers, which provides a personal interpretation of the text and explores its contemporary relevance.

Louis de Bernières’s first three novels are The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts, Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman. His last book, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, is now a major best-seller worldwide and it won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, Best Book, in 1995. Louis de Bernières lives in London.

	Review
	This small volume features the book of Job in the translation of the King James Version together with a short introduction to Job by Louis de Bernières, entitled ‘The Impatience of Job’.
	In this introduction, de Bernières shows himself to be reasonably well-informed of scholarly conclusions regarding the book of Job. Thus he is aware, for instance, of ancient Near Eastern parallels, the apocryphal ‘Testament of Job’ and the Islamic tale about Job and his wife. He talks briefly about the development of the book, noting that there may have been at least three authors, and he praises the beauty and power of the poetry.
	There are some interesting comments on the translation of the King James Version, which he describes as ‘often confused and inaccurate’ (p. viii) due to the fact that the translators did not have access to the findings of modern biblical scholarship. As an example of ‘a hopeless mistranslation of the original verses’ de Bernières mentions the well-known words ‘I know that my redeemer liveth’, which, he says, ‘are not about redemption and resurrection at all’ (p. ix).
	Considering the book’s key issue to be that of theodicy, de Bernières then moves on to provide a rough summary of the plot of Job. This is at times witty and amusing, as in the following example: The quantity of shekels involved in this bet [of Satan and God] is not recorded, but no doubt Satan spends them whilst going once more to and fro in the earth … (p. x) Job’s comforters are described as ‘the most irritating characters in all of literature’, while Elihu is said to say ‘nothing interesting or original, in the manner of sententious bores the world over’ (ibid.).
	In line with the title of his introduction, de Bernières notes that the well-known phrase about the ‘”patience of Job” could not be further from the mark’ (p. xi) and that the ‘defiance of Job’ would have been a much more appropriate term to describe the attitude of the book’s hero. Observing Job’s total refusal to disengage his intelligence or give up his case, de Bernières considers him to be a very modern figure …, one who asserts his individuality and integrity in the face of all conventional wisdom or arbitrary power. He is, in other words, a classic existentialist hero (p. xiii). As regards God’s role in the drama, de Bernières believes him to come out of the story ‘as the most morally tarnished’. Instead of answering Job’s charges of injustice and heartlessness, God devotes 129 verses to a magnificently irrelevant and bombastic speech about His own accomplishments and abilities; it is as if He knows perfectly well that He has abused His power, but does not wish to address the issue (ibid.). This leads de Bernières to refer briefly to other biblical passages that present God in a rather bad light, only to conclude that either God must be ‘a mad, bloodthirsty, and capricious despot’ (p. xiv) or we have been worshipping the devil instead. He ends by highlighting the inadequacy of this God, noting that ‘Job is still winning the argument, and The Book of Job is still insidiously subversive’ (ibid.).
	Readers familiar with the book of Job will of course have noticed that the Job of the biblical story does not consider himself to have won the argument with God, far from it. And although it is indeed subversive in a variety of ways, the book’s point is precisely that Job does not walk away from God. De Bernières’ conclusions are thus not a little ironic, given the thrust of the story itself.
	Unfortunately, de Bernières does not engage with readings of Job that differ from his own (for instance, not everyone would regard the divine speeches as quite as irrelevant as he suggests) and might have helped to temper his rather dogmatic concluding pronouncements.

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Dianne Bergant, The Song of Songs

Dr Karl Möller — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:59:59 +0000

Bibliographical details:
Bergant, D. (2001). The Song of Songs. Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.

Publisher’s information:
This commentary views the Song of Songs as a collection of love poems that pays tribute to mutual love, and it carefully examines features of Hebrew poetry in order to uncover the delicacy of their expression. It is unique in the attention that it gives to the obvious feminine perspective of the poems and to their ecosensitive character. Wheter it is the woman in awe of the strength and splendor of her lover or the man praising her physical charms, the descriptions all call on elements from the natural world to characterize the feature being described.

Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., Ph.D., is professor of biblical studies and director of the Joint Doctor of Ministry Program at Catholic Theological Union. She has been an active member of the Catholic/Jewish Scholars Dialogue for twelve years. She is on the editorial board of The Bible Today, having previously served as its general editor for five years. She is also on the editorial boards of The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Biblical Theology Bulletin, New Theology Review, and Chicago Studies. She works in the areas of biblical interpretation and biblical theology, particularly with issues of peace, ecology, and feminism.

Table of contents:

Introduction … vii
Canonicity, Authorship, and Interpretation … vii
Hebrew Poetry … xi

Superscription (1:1) … 3

Mutual Yearning (1:2–2:7) … 7
Love Better Than Wine: 1:2-6 … 8
A Beloved beyond Compare: 1:7–2:7 … 17

An Opportunity Lost, Then Found (2:8–3:5) … 27
The Springtime of Love: 2:8-17 … 27
Whom My Soul Loves: 3:1-5 … 34

Ravished by Beauty (3:6–5:1) … 37
Solomon’s Procession: 3:6-11 … 37
An Ode to Her Body: 4:1-7 … 42
My Garden, My Bride: 4:8–5:1 … 49

One of a Kind (5:2–6:3) … 59
A Search at Night: 5:2-8 … 60
An Ode to His Body: 5:9–6:3 … 67

The Admiration of a Lover (6:4–8:4) … 75
A Woman of Singular Beauty: 6:4-10 … 75
Signs of Spring: 6:11-12 … 79
An Ode to the Dancer: 6:13–7:5 [MT 7:1-6] … 80
The Desires of Love: 7:6-9a [MT 7:7-10a] … 88
Desire Realized: 7:9b-13 [MT 7:10b-14] … 90
A Secret Rendezvous: 8:1-4 … 92

Love Affirmed (8:5-14) … 95
Out of the Wilderness: 8:5a … 95
The Power of Love: 8:5b-7 … 96
The Little Sister Matured: 8:8-10 … 100
Solomon’s Vineyard: 8:11-12 … 102
The Final Exchange: 8:13-14 … 104

Works Cited … 107
General Index … 111
Index of Hebrew Words … 116
Index of Scriptural References … 119

You may also be interested to read the reviews by Richard G. Smith, David M. Carr and Francis Landy, all published in the Review of Biblical Literature.

Buy this book from Amazon, have a look at some top titles in biblical studies, or visit the following link for further information on the commentary series Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry.

Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry (Liturgical Press)

Dr Karl Möller — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:14:39 +0000

Despite the subtitle, this is not a series of monographs. However, the subtitle is highly appropriate, because these commentaries focus on the final form of the text, approaching the books of the Old Testament as literary works and with the conviction that their truth can be better appreciated only with a fuller understanding of the ancient Hebrew craft of poetry and storytelling. The series’ editors note that the authors come from various religious traditions and professional backgrounds and reflect a variety of theoretical approaches. The publishing house, Liturgical Press, was founded by St John’s Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey in Minnesota.

Volumes:

Genesis, David W. Cotter, 2003
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Stephen K. Sherwood, 2002
Joshua, L. Daniel Hawk, 2000
Judges, Tammi J. Schneider, 2000
Ruth and Esther, Tod Linafelt and Timothy K. Beal, 1999
1 Samuel, David Jobling, 1998
1 Kings, Jerome T. Walsh, 1996
2 Kings, Robert L. Cohn, 2000
Ezra and Nehemiah, Gordon F. Davies, 1999
Psalms, Konrad Schaefer, 2001
The Song of Songs, Dianne Bergant, 2001
The Twelve Prophets, vol. 1: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Marvin A. Sweeney, 2000
The Twelve Prophets, vol. 2: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Marvin A. Sweeney, 2000

Visit the following link for information about other commentary series.

Andreas Schüle, Der Prolog der hebräischen Bibel: Der literar- und theologiegeschichtliche Diskurs der Urgeschichte (Genesis 1–11)

Dr Karl Möller — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:56:27 +0000

Bibliographical details:
Schüle, A. (2006). Der Prolog der hebräischen Bibel: Der literar- und theologiegeschichtliche Diskurs der Urgeschichte (Genesis 1–11). Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten und Neuen Testaments, vol. 86. Zurich: TVZ.

Publisher’s information:
Die biblische Urgeschichte erzählt nicht nur von Anfängen, sie ist ein Anfang – derjenige des Alten Testaments, der Hebräischen Bibel. Gemäß der These dieser Studie erfolgte die literarische und theologische Arbeit an der Urgeschichte im Bewusstsein, dass es sich um den Prolog zu einem Textcorpus aus Tora, Propheten und Schriften handelt. Ein diskursiver Durchgang durch Gen 1–11 zeigt die Auseinandersetzung der verschiedenen Stimmen der Urgeschichte (Priesterschrift und nichtpriesterliche Texte) insbesondere mit den prophetischen und weisheitlichen Traditionen, die schließlich im Rahmen des Tanak kanonisiert wurden.

Auch in anderer Hinsicht erweist sich die Urgeschichte als Prolog: Es finden sich Einflüsse mythologischer Traditionen mesopotamischer und griechischer Provenienz. Dies wird dahingehend interpretiert, dass die Autoren der Urgeschichte die literarischen Traditionen Israels und Judas gezielt in den Kontext antiker Literatur zu integrieren suchten.

Andreas Schüle, Dr. phil. Dr. theol. habil., Jahrgang 1968, ist Professor für Altes Testament und biblische Hermeneutik am Union Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education Richmond, Virginia.

Table of contents:
0. EINLEITUNG … 1
0.1 DIE ANFÄNGE DER WELT UND DER BEGINN EINES BUCHES … 1

0.2 ÜBERGREIFEND HERANGEZOGENE LITERATUR … 6

1. ZUR FORSCHUNGSGESCHICHTE … 11
1.1 DAS FORSCHUNGSGESCHICHTLICHE PROBLEM DES JAHWISTEN … 11
1.1.1 Die Frage nach dem Werden einer literarischen Quelle und die Urgeschichte … 11
1.1.2 Unabhängigkeit oder Intertextualität? – Die literarische Einordnung
von J in den Entstehungsprozess des Pentateuch … 14
1.1.3 Modifikationen der Quellen- und Redaktionshypothesen zu J … 20
1.1.4 J als Kommentar zur priesterlichen Urgeschichte … 24
1.1.5 Zusammenfassung … 31

1.2 DIE KOMPOSITION DER URGESCHICHTLICHEN STOFFE IM RAHMEN EINER ERGÄNZUNGSHYPOTHESE … 32

1.3 LITERATUR … 40

2. DIE GENEALOGISCHE THEOLOGIE DER PRIESTERSCHRIFT …43
2.1 DIE TOLEDOTFORMEL UND DER PRIESTERLICHE TEXT … 43

2.2 DIE PRIESTERLICHE GENESIS ALS GESCHICHTSBUCH … 51

2.3 DIE URGESCHICHTE ALS TEIL DER PRIESTERLICHEN GENESIS … 54

2.4 DIE GLIEDERUNGSEBENEN DER PRIESTERLICHEN URGESCHICHTE … 57

3. DIE NATÜRLICHE THEOLOGIE DER PRIESTERSCHRIFT … 59
3.1 ALLGEMEINE MERKMALE NATÜRLICHER THEOLOGIE … 59

3.2 NATÜRLICH-THEOLOGISCHE ELEMENTE DER PRIESTERLICHEN URGESCHICHTE …62
3.2.1 Der Text von Gen 1,1–2,3 … 65
3.2.2 Die mythische Rede vom Anfang und von der Menschenschöpfung …67
3.2.3 Die Urgeschichte als Einweisung in die Tora … 74

3.2.3.1 Terminologische Assoziationen … 74
3.2.3.2 Fortschreitende Konkretion … 79
3.2.3.3 Sachliche Entsprechungen … 81

3.3 DAS VERSTÄNDNIS DES MENSCHEN ALS BILD GOTTES … 84
3.3.1 Hermeneutische Vorüberlegung … 84
3.3.2 Ebenbildlichkeit und Bilderpolemik … 86
3.3.3 Das Bilderkonzept der Inschrift vom Tell Fekheriye … 89
3.3.4 Die Personwerdung des Menschen als Bild Gottes … 91

Exkurs: Individualisierung im Alten Testament … 97

3.4 GOTTES FERNE UND DIE KOSMISCHE ORDNUNG … 102

3.5 DAS DOMINIUM TERRAE UND SEINE AUFHEBUNG … 106

3.6 DER KÖNIGLICHE MENSCH? DIE IMAGO DEI IM VERGLEICH MIT PSALM 8 … 117
Exkurs: Der «überlegend-entscheidende Mensch» (maliku amelu) in neubabylonischer Tradition … 121

4. DIE PROPHETISCHE THEOLOGIE DER PRIESTERSCHRIFT … 125
4.1 WELLHAUSENS TRENNUNG VON PROPHETISCHER UND PRIESTERLICHER ÜBERLIEFERUNG … 125

4.2 NEUERE FORSCHUNGSPERSPEKTIVEN … 126

4.3 SCHÖPFUNG ALS WORTGESCHEHEN … 130

4.4 GOTTES ATEM ALS GRENZE DES CHAOS … 134

4.5 ZWISCHENREFLEXION I: DER PROLOGCHARAKTER VON GENESES 1,1–2,3 … 137

4.6 LITERATUR ZU K. 2–4 … 138

5. VON ADAM UND EVA ZU KAIN: DIE WEISHEIT UND IHRE FOLGEN … 149
5.1 DIE MENSCHEN IN EDEN … 149
5.1.1 Der Text von Gen 2,4–3,24 … 149
5.1.2 Synchrones und diachrones Textprofil … 152
5.1.3 Gen 2–3 und die Erzählung vom Urmenschen im Garten Eden … 156
5.1.4 Das Bild wird Mensch … … 161

5.1.4.1 Die Erschaffung Adams im Garten und die Herstellung eines Kultbildes … 161
5.1.4.2 Der Mensch und sein Gegenüber … 168
5.1.4.3 Der Mensch und seine Weisheit … 174

5.2 DIE KAIN-ÜBERLIEFERUNG … 178
5.2.1 Der Text (Gen 4) … 178
5.2.2 Die Kainerzählung als weisheitliche Reflexion auf das Werden des
Gewaltmenschen … 180

5.2.2.1 Die Verwandlung Kains … 181
5.2.2.2 Exkurs: Gen 4,7 und die stoische Affektenlehre … 189

5.2.3 Die literarische und theologische Interdependenz der Eden- und
der Kain-Erzählung … 191

5.2.3.1 Die Personifizierung der Sünde (4,7) und die Folgen für Eva … 195

5.2.4 Die siebenfache Rache für Kain und das priesterliche Tötungsverbot
(Gen 9,5f.) … 199

5.2.4.1 Gottes Präsenz und das Tat-Folge-Prinzip … 201

5.2.5 Zwischen Gottesgarten und Wüstenland: das Leben in Eden als Aufgabe des Menschen … 204
5.2.6 Die Überleitung zur Flutgeschichte: der Kainstammbaum als Genealogie des Gewaltmenschen … 207

5.3 ZWISCHENREFLEXION II: DER PROLOGCHARAKTER DER EDEN-ERZÄHLUNG … 210

5.4 LITERATUR ZU K. 5 … 213

6. DIE ENGELEHEN UND DIE EPOCHALISIERUNG DER URGESCHICHTE … 219
6.1 DER TEXT UND DIE THEMEN VON GEN 6,1-4 … 219

6.2 DER RELIGIONSGESCHICHTLICHE HINTERGRUND VON GEN 6,1-4 … 222

6.3 SCHÖPFUNG ALS ANTHROPOGONIE … 232

6.4 DIE BEGRENZUNG DER MENSCHLICHEN LEBENSDAUER AUF 120 JAHRE … 237

6.5 GOTTES GEIST UND DAS LEBEN … 239

6.6 LITERATUR ZU K.6 … 244

7. DIE SINTFLUTGESCHICHTE … 247
7.1 SYNOPSE DES PRIESTERLICHEN UND NICHT-PRIESTERLICHEN TEXTS VON GEN 6,5–9,17.28 … 247

7.2 DIE STRUKTUR DER PRIESTERLICHEN SINTFLUTGESCHICHTE … 254

7.3 DAS LITERARGESCHICHTLICHE VERHÄLTNIS VON PRIESTERLICHEM UND NICHT-PRIESTERLICHEM TEXT … 258

7.4 DAS THEOLOGISCHE PROFIL DER PRIESTERLICHEN FLUTGESCHICHTE … 260
7.4.1 Die degenerierte und die restaurierte Welt … 260
7.4.2 Die Taxonomie des Lebens: Fleisch, Seele, Geist … 269

7.5 DIE NICHT-PRIESTERLICHEN TEXTE … 271
7.5.1 Die erste Bearbeitungsschicht … 271

7.5.1.1 Die Flut als Strafe … 274
7.5.1.2 Die Gerechtigkeit Noahs und das böse Herz … 280
7.5.1.3 Noah als Gegenfigur zu Hiob … 284
7.5.1.4 Der Sinn des Opfers … 287
7.5.1.5 Reinheit … 291

7.5.2 Die zweite Bearbeitungsschicht … 292

7.5.2.1 Korrekturen zur Schöpfungsordnung (7,13-17a) … 293
7.5.2.2 Gottesgeist als Lebensatem (7,21-22) … 295
7.5.2.3 Exkurs: Das Problem der Chronologien in Gen 6–9 … 299

8. DIE FLUTERZÄHLUNG UND DAS PROPHETISCHE GESCHICHTSBILD … 303
8.1. DIE PRIESTERLICHE REZEPTION … 303
8.1.1 Gewalt auf der guten Erde. Die Begründung der Sintflut … 303
8.1.2 Zerstreuung (Gen 9,19) – die Umwertung eines Begriffs prophetischer Gerichtspredigt … 311
8.1.3 Noahbund und Neuer Bund … 316

8.2 DIE NICHT-PRIESTERLICHE REZEPTION … 320
8.2.1 YHWHs Reue … 320
8.2.2 YHWH und die mythische Götterwelt … 323
8.2.3 Die Götterwelt im Wandel … 328
8.2.4 Das alte Herz bleibt – Gen 8,20-22 als weisheitliche Kritik am prophetischen Weltbild … 335

8.3 ZWISCHENREFLEXION III: DER PROLOGCHARAKTER DER FLUTGESCHICHTE … 345

8.4 LITERATUR ZU K. 7 U. 8 … 348

9 DIE VÖLKERGESCHICHTE … 355
9.1 DIE VERFLUCHUNG KANAANS … 355
9.1.1 Der Text von Gen 9,20-27 … 355
9.1.2 Die Gliederungsfunktion des Texts als Zäsur zwischen Urzeit und
Völkergeschichte … 355
9.1.3 Die Brüder- als Völkerbeziehungen … 360
9.1.4 Gen 9,20-27 und die deuteronomistische Bannideologie … 364
9.1.5 Israel zwischen Kanaanäern und Großmächten … 366

9.2 DIE VÖLKERTAFEL … 367
9.2.1 Die ethnische Darstellung der Völkerwelt … 372
9.2.2 Die Nimrodepisode … 374
9.2.3 Die zweite Semitenliste (Gen 11,10-26) … 376

10. DIE BABELERZÄHLUNG ALS ABSCHLUSS DER URGESCHICHTE … 379
10.1 DER TEXT VON GEN 11,1-9 … 379

10.2 DIE BEDEUTUNG DER BABELERZÄHLUNG ALS MYTHOS … 380

10.3 DIE NARRATIVE STRUKTUR VON GEN 11,1-9 … 384

10.4 SPRACHVERWIRRUNG ODER ZERSTREUUNG? DIE FRAGE NACH DEM DIACHRONEN TEXTPROFIL … 386

10.5 DER VERLUST DER EINEN SPRACHE … 389
10.5.1 Sprach- und Textsemantik … 389
10.5.2 Sprache als Einheitsmerkmal … 392

10.6 DIE EINBETTUNG DER BABEL-ERZÄHLUNG IN DIE URGESCHICHTE … 394
10.6.1 Motivische Verbindungen mit Gen 2–3 … 395
10.6.2 Motivische Verbindungen mit Gen 4 … 397
10.6.3 Texte des Anfangs: Die Gibborim, Nimrod und die Entstehung der Völker in Babel … 400
10.6.4 Die Babelerzählung im Kontrast zur priesterlichen Sicht der Völkerwelt … 402
10.6.5 Der Ausgang der Sintflut und die Zerstreuung der Menschheit …403

10.7 STÄDTEBAU ALS SKLAVENARBEIT? BABELERZÄHLUNG UND ÄGYPTISCHE GEFANGENSCHAFT … 406

10.8 WELTREICH UND MENSCHHEIT – DIE BABELERZÄHLUNG ALS SUMME GESCHICHTLICHER ERFAHRUNG … 410

10.9 AUSWERTUNG: SUGGESTIVE HETEROGENITÄT ALS MERKMAL DER BABELERZÄHLUNG … 416

10.10 DIE FRAGE DER LITERARGESCHICHTLICHEN EINORDNUNG … 419

10.11 LITERATUR ZU K. 9 U.10 … 421

11. ABSCHLUSS … 425

REGISTER … 431
SACHREGISTER … 431
STELLENREGISTER … 437

My review of this book (in English) will be published in the Review of Biblical Literature later this year.

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker)

Dr Karl Möller — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:34:02 +0000

This evangelical commentary series is a major new project that engages directly with the Greek text while also offering detailed interaction with secondary literature. Although the commentaries are intended to be widely accessible (Greek terms are rendered both in Greek font and in transliteration, and all foreign-language expressions are translated), they are clearly most suitable for serious pastors, students and scholars. One of the express aims of these commentaries is to integrate detailed, scholarly exegesis and sustained theological reflection.

Volumes:

Matthew, David L. Turner, 2008
Mark, Robert H. Stein, 2008 (forthcoming)
Luke, vol. 1: 1:1–9:50, Darrell L. Bock, 1994
Luke, vol. 2: 9:51–24:53, Darrell L. Bock, 1996
John, Andreas J. Köstenberger, 2004
Acts, Darrell L. Bock, 2007
Romans, Thomas R. Schreiner, 1998
1 Corinthians, David E. Garland, 2003
Philippians, Moisés Silva, 2005
1 Peter, Karen H. Jobes, 2005
Jude and 2 Peter, Gene L. Green, 2008 (forthcoming)
1–3 John, Robert W. Yarbrough, 2008 (forthcoming)
Revelation, Grant R. Osborne, 2002

Visit the following link for information about other commentary series.

Richard S. Hess, Song of Songs

Dr Karl Möller — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:37:53 +0000

Bibliographical details:
Hess, R. S. (2005). Song of Songs. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Publisher’s information:
Song of Songs is the first volume in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series. The series is tailored to the distinctives of poetry and wisdom literature, featuring emphasis on the message of the biblical book; special attention to poetic structure and literary devices; incisive comments based on the author’s translation of the Hebrew text; exegetical rigor that incorporates linguistic, historical, and canonical insights; closing reflections on each section that explore the text’s theological dimensions; and textual notes that provide resources for advanced readers.

‘Finally, here is an up-to-date commentary on the Song of Songs that is easy to use. With superb clarity and concision, Hess’s commentary makes a world of scholarship about the Song of Songs available to a broad audience. Readers will enjoy Hess’s close attention to the lyrical beauty of the Song of Songs and his discussions of the book’s theological insights.’ – Mark S. Smith, Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York University

‘I read this book from cover to cover, both enjoying and learning from it. This is not just another commentary on the Song of Songs. While it interacts with other commentaries, it makes a unique contribution by reason of the technical skills and theological perspective of the author. A master of comparative Semitics, Hess is also well versed in historical and literary criticism, as well as in the geography and archaeology of ancient Israel – all of which are evident in the commentary but never overwhelm it. Instead of having recourse to symbolic interpretation, he treats with great sensitivity the sexually explicit nature of this sensuous love poem that ultimately affirms the Bible’s teaching that God is love. Finally, Hess skillfully demonstrates how Song of Songs has an important role to play in the canon of Scripture. Hess’s excellent book is intended for both professional scholars and lay adults.’ – Philip J. King, professor emeritus, Boston College

‘To comment on the book described by Jewish rabbis as “the holy of holies” is risky: it is too easy to reduce its sublime poetry to banal prose. But Hess’s daring has paid off. Here is a commentary on the Song of Songs that is sensitive, wise, and beautiful. Hess’s thorough scholarship is worn lightly and is used to illuminate the text helpfully. Students, pastors, and scholars will find this commentary a rich resource.’ – Gordon Wenham, professor of Old Testament, University of Gloucestershire

‘Hess helps readers to enjoy the beauty of the Song of Songs as love poetry and enables them to move from this celebration of physical human love to a deeper understanding and greater enjoyment of God’s love for all humanity. Hess does this with careful attention to the text and full awareness of the Song’s ancient Near Eastern background. His exegetical decisions judiciously take into account traditional interpretations and recent scholarship. The analysis of the Song’s rich poetic imagery of physical human love is imaginative and informed.’ – Knut Heim, tutor in biblical studies, The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Studies, Birmingham, UK

‘This well-researched commentary ably expounds the text as an expression of committed human love, while remaining alert to the theological implications of this focus.’ – Leslie C. Allen, senior professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary

‘Hess combines his widely recognized expertise in language and backgrounds with the perceptive literary eye of an exegete to produce a masterful commentary. He provides a canonically sensitive interpretation of this oft-misunderstood wisdom book.’ – John H. Walton, professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School

‘Not much of the Song of Songs shows up in church liturgy. It seems x-rated and so user unfriendly that we want to keep it in a plain brown wrapper, but Richard Hess is not afraid of this song. He has put it squarely in the center of the Bible, where it has always been, and said “Fear not! There is music in this piece.
Tear away the brown wrapping. Then sit quiet and the ancient music will begin.” Thank you, Richard. We can hear it – exotic and mystical, romantic and intimate, scriptural and sexual – a song for the ages.’ – Calvin Miller, professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School

Richard S. Hess (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary. He is the editor or author of a number of works, including the commentary on Joshua in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Family in the Bible, and Israel’s Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Table of contents:
Series Preface … 7
Author’s Preface … 11
Abbreviations … 13

Introduction … 17
I. Title (1:1) … 37
II. Prologue: First Coming Together and Intimacy (1:2–2:7) … 40
III. Lovers Joined and Separated (2:8–3:5) … 84
IV. Love and Marriage at the Heart of the Song (3:6–5:1) … 109
V. Search and Reunion (5:2–6:3) … 160
VI. Desire for the Female and Love in the Country (6:4–8:4) … 193
VII. Epilogue: The Power of Love (8:5-14) … 233

Bibliography … 253
Subject Index … 271
Author Index … 273
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings … 277

You may also be interested to read the review by Athalya Brenner, published in the Review of Biblical Literature.

Buy this book from Amazon, have a look at some top titles in biblical studies, or visit the following link for further information on the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms.

Tyndale Tech (David Instone-Brewer)

Dr Karl Möller — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:52:41 +0000

The Tyndale Tech blog is a highly useful site for finding out about electronic resources for biblical studies. At the time of writing it features posts on:

maps and geography in biblical studies (incl. interactive maps, PowerPoint maps, photos of places and archaeology;
the Tyndale Toolbar for Bibles, languages, bibliography and news, which works in Firefox and Internet Explorer and offers easy access to translation tools, bibliography tools, Bible lookup tools, links to useful web resources and more;
Qur’an, Arabic and Islamic theology, which includes resources on Arabic language, the Qur’an and Hadith, Islamic beliefs and practice, and apologetics between Muslims and Christians;
Unicode fonts for biblical studies (Hebrew, Greek and others);
publishing on the internet and on paper;
the Stuttgart Electronic Study Bible;
backup software;
lexicons for biblical studies (incl. Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Akkadian, Demotic, Hittite, Hieroglyph, Sumerian as well as some modern languages);
searching for academic research on the web (i.e. finding articles, archives, books and theses);
the best Bible tools on the web;
time-saving tools for writing (incl. InsertBible, Pen Scanner, speed tips for Word);
English Bible translations, original-language Bibles, web sites for Bible study, original languages texts to download as Word documents;
translation software;
free scholarly texts for Palm computers;
reading the Syriac Bible (incl. Syriac Peshitta and English translations, learning Syriac, lexicons and dictionaries for Syriac);
Bible study software packages (e.g. Libronix, Accordance, BibleWorks, Gramcord et al.), incl. packages for PDAs;
reading books online using TynCat (provided by Tyndale Library, Cambridge), Amazon and Google books as well as some other service;
Rabbinics and Jewish research (incl. introductions and dictionaries, Talmud and related ancient legal texts, Targums and Aggadic texts, manuscripts and archaeology, later Jewish works and collections);
theology periodicals online;
book buying, selling and reviews on the web (incl. price comparison sites);
PowerPoint images (e.g. art, geography, history, worship);
searchable full-text commentaries (incl. volumes from the Word Biblical Commentary, the Anchor Bible Commentary, the New Interpreter’s Bible, the IVP Bible Background Commentary, the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, the IVP New Testament Commentary and the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture);
church history documents on the web;
background to the Bible on the web (incl. ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Graeco-Roman, Jewish, early church and gnostic background)
etc.

Click on the following link to visit the Tyndale Tech blog.

Review of Raymond P. Scheindlin, The Book of Job: Translation, Introduction, and Notes

Dr Karl Möller — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:50:15 +0000

Bibliographical details:
Scheindlin, R. P. (1998). The Book of Job: Translation, Introduction, and Notes. New York: W. W. Norton.

Publisher’s information:
One of the most powerful and unsettling Bible stories, The Book of Job undermines the claim that our world is governed by justice and meaning. It does so through a poetry of unsurpassed beauty, captured in Raymond P. Scheindlin’s superb new translation.

Scheindlin’s Job is not a patient sufferer but a defiant man who eloquently demands an argument with God. Job’s words land like a fist, but he is left speechless by God’s reply from the storm – a commanding survey of creation and a challenge to man’s place in it. Job’s acceptance of God’s power comes with a dignity and a freshness that make it compelling even today. In Scheindlin’s vivid translation an ancient text speaks to us directly of timeless questions and passions.

‘[Scheindlin] has given us a beautiful new translation and a profound commentary.’ – Muriel Spark

‘Mellifluous and eloquent.’ – New York Times Book Review

Table of contents:
Acknowledgments … 7
Introduction … 9
The Book of Job … 53
Notes to the Book of Job … 159
Bibliography … 224
Index … 227

	Review
	This is not a full commentary on the book of Job. The subtitle describes the book’s purpose well, for it offers, first and foremost, a new translation of Job. In addition to that, we also find some fairly extensive introductory considerations and some textual notes.
	The Introduction begins with a discussion of the book’s *theology and poetry*. Scheindlin works from the assumption that an ancient tale of Job the Patient was in the 5th or 4th century BCE turned into the ‘literary and religious masterpiece’ (p. 10) we now find in the Bible. By casting Job as a non-Israelite, avoiding allusions to Israel’s history and institutions, and providing a setting in ‘a vague prehistoric age’, the book’s hero is deliberately drawn as ‘Everyman’.
	Scheindlin then proceeds to summarize the development of the plot, commenting especially on Yahweh’s surprising approval of Job in the epilogue. Against many a voice to the contrary, he affirms the unity of the poem and the narrative, arguing that both affirm that Yahweh is outside human calculations of justice … Yahweh is pleased with Job because, although he complained, he at least maintained the difficult truth that the author wants the reader to accept: that God’s management of the universe is arbitrary (p. 16). Scheindlin’s understanding of the book of Job is nicely summarized in his contention that it renders ‘meaningless the consolations of conventional piety, traditional wisdom, and theology. In their place it offers a poem’ (pp. 22-23). It is by means of its poetry that the book seeks to come to terms with and give full expression to our human suffering and thereby to offer consolation. Poetry, Scheindlin maintains, ‘is used to shift the ground from reason, where life must lose, to emotion, where it at least has a chance’ (p. 25). In addition, the poetry gives full expression to Job’s – and thus also our own – anger.
	The introduction also offers a discussion of *poetic form*, which looks at issues such as syntactic-semantic parallelism, the richness of Job’s vocabulary and its grammatical and syntactic anomalies. Scheindlin here argues against regarding the book’s difficulties as stemming primarily from problems of transmission, maintaining instead that its difficult language is an essential characteristic of the poem: ‘the author of Job may have decided that a difficult texture was the right one for his emotionally wrenching theme – a tortured language to describe life’s torment’ (p. 31).
	Next to be discussed is the *shape of the book*. Scheindlin here notes that the speeches do not always evince a clear progression of thought, even though there is an intensification of the friends’ accusations of Job just as Job’s replies also show some progression. It should be noted that Scheindlin resists the tendency to reassign parts of Job’s final speeches in the third cycle to Bildad or Zophar, arguing that the language, which echoes the views of his friends, is best understood as ironic.
	The meditation on wisdom in Job 28, which ‘provides a needed change in tone from the vehemence of Job’s speech in chapter 27 to a cool solemnity, a contrasting background for Job’s impassioned concluding soliloquies’ (p. 37), is understood as preparation for the divine speeches. At the same time, however, Scheindlin regards Job 28 as ‘too straightforward to match the subtlety of the book as a whole’, for it ‘derives from the certainty of wisdom literature, while the rest of the book is grounded in the ambiguity and conflict characteristic of real poetry’.
	As regards the Elihu speeches, Scheindlin praises both their poetry and the fact that they succeed in creating ‘a character who is a real personality’ (p. 38). He accepts that these speeches may have been a later addition, because they do not fit with the book’s dramatic structure, but he is nevertheless adamant that they make perfect sense as a complement to the book’s original parts. Scheindlin’s high opinion of the book’s poetry again shines through in his comment that Elihu is able, through the sheer magic of his verse, to evoke Yahweh and compel his appearance … by its placement, Elihu’s speech is a convincing metaphor for the power of poetry, and thus partakes of the very essence of the book (p. 40). In similar vein, God is said, in his speeches, which move from anger and aggression to a more contemplative mood, ‘to become more and more caught up in the contemplation of His own works, more and more engaged in His own poetic activity of describing them’ (p. 40). Poetry for Scheindlin is the message: ‘having heard Yahweh’s poem, Job acknowledges his submission’ (p. 41).
	Although Scheindlin is happy to accept that the book’s structural irregularities indicate a historical development that advanced in stages, he at the same time maintains its essential literary coherence.
	Finally, Scheindlin turns his attention to the *interpretation and translation* of the book of Job. He notes that modern philology has allowed us to make much progress in our understanding of the Hebrew text, and he offers helpful explanations of the process (e.g. recourse to cognates in other Semitic languages, emendation of corrupt passages) whereby commentators arrive at the meaning of difficult or obscure phrases. As regards emendations of the text, not only does Scheindlin profess to be ‘more tolerant of emendations of vowels and word divisions than of consonantal emendations’ (p. 45), he also cautions that emendations, which in any case have to be both simple and plausible, should only be a final resort.
	Scheindlin’s Translation of Job, which is at the heart of this volume, manages for the most part to make sense of the flow of thought without having to resort to a rearrangement of verses. The aim of the translation is to ‘produce a poem in English that reflects the poetic values specific to biblical Hebrew and the original Book of Job’ (p. 46).
	Scheindlin stresses that what to us may appear to be bizarre images and expressions, may not only have been perfectly intelligible to the original readers, but may in fact have been ‘brilliant inventions’ by the author. Thus, emendations of the text that are undertaken due to a failure on the part of the modern interpreter to appreciate the text because of their limited cultural knowledge risk eliminating precisely what is distinctive about the book of Job.
	Scheindlin’s own translation uses indentation to indicate the relationship between parallel lines, and it follows the Hebrew original closely in those cases where he believes the author’s rhetoric to have been intended to produce a particular effect. The philosophy underlying his translation is well summarized by Scheindlin himself when he notes that the result does not have to sound exactly like English. Part of the pleasure of reading an ancient text lies in its exoticism. I have not gone out of my way to stress the book’s foreignness, but neither have I tried to disguise it. I have adopted a register of English somewhat higher than that of ordinary prose, since the Hebrew is decidedly not colloquial, even for biblical times (p. 47).> The translation is followed by approximately sixty pages of Notes, which alert readers to emendations of the text (where these have been unavoidable) and explain the ancient setting and background where such information is essential to a proper understanding. A further function of the notes is to help readers understand the argument and train of thought of the book of Job.
	The book concludes with a brief bibliography of medieval commentators, standard translations and modern studies and commentaries as well as quite a detailed and useful index.
	To sum up: Scheindlin’s volume offers a fresh translation of the book of Job by an expert in the field of Hebrew literature. It can be recommended to anyone looking for a translation that is readable while at the same time aiming to reproduce the poetic characteristics of the Hebrew original. The notes are useful aids to the understanding of the text, but due to their terseness they cannot, and are not intended to, replace a standard scholarly commentary. The introduction, in turn, provides some general orientation to the book of Job that stresses especially the richness and value of its poetry.

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Tehillim (Richard Sherratt)

Dr Karl Möller — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:04:00 +0000

The particular strength of this useful blog, entitled ‘Tehillim’, lies in its unwavering focus on the Psalms. Most of the posts introduce readers to books, articles and sermons on the Psalms, many of which are available online (links are provided). Occasionally, Richard Sherratt, who has published a short article on ‘The Psalms in Anglican Worship’, also offers his own observations, as in a recent post on ‘Enthronement, Isaiah and New Exodus’. In addition to the regular posts, there are lists of scholarly articles on the Psalms that are available online in PDF format as well as sermons and talks in MP3 format. There are some suggestions for further reading (i.e. books on Old Testament poetry and the Psalms) as well as links to Psalm commentaries (e.g. C. H. Spurgeon, John Calvin, St Augustin) and Psalters that are available online. The blog might benefit from an author index, but this is nevertheless quite a useful resource on the Psalms, which can be accessed by clicking here.