Ridley Hall, Cambridge

Resources: Biblical Studies Bulletin 18

Vol 18: Dec 2000

Three of the Best

Peter Head bumped into the distinguished New Testament scholar Don Hagner (who teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary in California) at Tyndale House and asked him which three books had most influenced his reading of the Bible. This is his reply (Peter: 'not copied ver-batim as shorthand was not available then; let's just say it is ipsissima vox or close to it'):

In the first place I would have to put G E Ladd's book, The New Testament and Criticism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967, with many reprints). It doesn't look like much now, but this little book helped me see a positive role for criticism within an evangelical framework, after two years in a seminary characterised by reflex rejection of anything remotely 'critical'.

Secondly, I would have to put G E Ladd's, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974 [a revised edition, edited by Don Hagner with additional chapters by Dick France and David Wenham was published in 1994]). Here was a book that had honest dialogue with the best of the critical scholarship, and yet showed the coherence of the theologies of the various New Testament books.

It is hard to identify a third book, as there are so many. I would like to mention F F Bruce, who was the author of many books, but more importantly (to me anyway) he was my PhD supervisor in Manchester. He was a model of traditional, sober, judicial (you pick the best word) scholarship.

Peter adds, 'Don suggested I change "distinguished" to "extinguished", but having been immensely impressed by his two volumes on Matthew (Word Series), I'll stick with it.'

Letters to the Editor

Michael Gisbourne and Mark McCaghrey (both former students of mine at St John's Nottingham), and April Munday joined the throng asking for more humour. Unfortunately the well is dry, so with reluctance and embarrassment here are some crusty 'oldies':

Where are cigarettes first mentioned in the Bible?

When Rachel lit off on her camel

Who had the worst foot problem in the Bible?

Samson; he died of fallen arches

When was tennis first mentioned in the Bible?

When Moses served in Pharaoh's court

Where are motorcycles first mentioned in the Bible?

When the roar of David's triumph was heard throughout the land

Who was the shortest man in the Bible?

This is a close one, with three possible answers:
Knee-highmiah, Bildad the Shuhite (say it; Job 2.11), or Simon Peter (he slept on his watch)

Rob Gladstone of Holy Trinity, Norwich writes,

I've just read the latest Grove Biblical booklet on the ten commandments. It raises an important issue with respect to Common Worship. As far as I can see CW perpetuates the misuse of the ten commandments enshrined in BCP, by placing them at the beginning of the Communion Service as the first word and without the introductory words about what God has done for his people (with the implication that we have failed to keep a law code); we only get to God's saving grace in the communion at the end. Perhaps we ought to recite the commandments as the final word of the service in response to the setting forth of the new covenant of God's grace in the bread and wine.

Indeed. I'm sure Colin Buchanan has an opinion on this...

Frances Shaw writes,

I appreciate that Margaret Killingray could not perhaps cover all the Bible study notes published [in BSB 16], but I was a little disappointed that she did not include the two International Bible Reading Association Annuals, Words for Today and Light for our Path. These publications are unique in covering the whole year in one volume. They include contributions from different cultures and perspectives, which I find both stimulating and challenging, since we easily come to believe that our own 'western' interpretation is the only one. Light is more suited for new Christians or those who want to get started with Bible reading; Words is aimed at those who are further along the road, and explores the Bible alongside contemporary themes and issues. IBRA is part of NCEC, based in Birmingham.

Thanks. A few more details about Light for our Path appear in John Backhouse's letter in BSB 17.

Professor I H Marshall writes,

It would seem that Philip Jenson [writing Comments on Commentaries in BSB 16] is not familiar with G A F Knight's Leviticus in the Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1981, reprint 1984/Philadelphia: Westminster Press). This 173 page commentary attempts to do a Christian reading of Leviticus with lots of interesting and perceptive comment; thoroughly positive and thought-provoking, and would help the preacher, though not always convincing!

Similarly, it would seem that Margaret Killingray does not know this series (OT counterpart to William Barclay's famous series on the NT) edited by John C L Gibson, which covers most if not all of the OT, generally good at exposition and application of the text, but occasionally some more arid exegesis; by a variety of authors from various points on the theological spectrum. I find them stimulating for daily reading.

Thanks Howard. I suspect that both of our reviewers know this series, but working under cruel conditions imposed by a ruthless editor they were unable to say more!

Revd Sue Groom, reviewer of commentaries on Ruth in BSB 17 writes about my mistaken attribution there:

Thanks for the Oxford MPhil! Actually, my thesis was accepted by the Open University, not quite the same. But, the worst thing is that I am NOT an Oxford graduate, I am a Cambridge graduate - my first MPhil was in Engineering from Cambridge!

Yow. Sorry. I knew there was something special about you.

Books in Brief

Michael Joseph Brown, What They Don't Tell You. A Survivor's Guide to Biblical Studies (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000).

I wish I'd written this book. Well, part of it. At least the title and most of the headings in the chapters. Ok, some of them! Michael Joseph Brown is an assistant professor of New Testament at a Methodist seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, and a former pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He offers a lively, stimulating, and very readable introduction to the discipline of biblical scholarship. This is not an introduction to the Bible, but an attempt to demystify the discipline of academic study and to help students to relate their study to their faith.

What makes the book so interesting is the format: after a first chapter that helpfully explains, inter alia, why biblical scholarship is not Sunday school, we get a discussion of a twenty-eight 'Rules of Thumb' which succinctly (and sometimes with humour) state general principles in a nutshell. These pearls include: 'Be careful not to read your modern assumptions into ancient texts' (Rule of Thumb 2); 'A translation is only as good as its translator' (4); 'When reading a text, don't ask and it won't tell' (5); 'Don't ask Jon to tell you what Suzy meant' (11); 'If somebody in the Bible is upset about something, it's because someone else is doing it' (12) [although critics of 'mirror reading' could be unhappy with this!]; 'If your faith can't stand a little shaking, perhaps there wasn't much of a foundation there in the first place' (27); and my favourite, 'Most biblical scholars can't agree on lunch, much less the precise meaning of a text' (20).

Brown has the right idea, a fun way of presenting his ideas, and a number of biblical examples along the way to illustrate his points. I'm less happy with aspects of his theology (e.g., his understanding of the inspiration of the Bible as 'the movement of God that caused certain people to accept some writings as sacred and to reject others' [p. 11]) and some of his judgements. For example, yes, discrepancies between synoptic accounts provide vital clues about an author's peculiar emphases, but to say 'These "problem points" are where the real importance and meaning of the text is passed on' (p. 44) is going too far. This classic mistake of redaction criticism focuses on the idiosyncratic and undervalues the significance of traditions that are held in common by two or more evangelists. I also found it odd that having spent an average of two pages introducing disciplines such as form and tradition criticism, Brown devotes six and a half pages to deconstruction. In fact the benefits and limitations of a postmodern approach are writ large in the content of this book.

What They Don't Tell You would be ideal for students who are bright, have a secure faith, and who will go on to discuss Brown's Rules of Thumb with an experienced teacher, as they embark on a course of academic biblical study. Those unafraid to ask questions of and about the text will find some rich nuggets in this fresh approach. Others may find it less helpful.

Jan P. Fokkelman, Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999).

In recent years the stories of the Old Testament have stimulated some outstanding discussions. These are now joined by this readable but sophisticated book by the eminent Dutch scholar Jan Fokkelman. Observing that we often tend to jump to conclusions about a passage, he suggests that we suspend judgement about the 'what' of the message of a text until we have explored the 'how' of the text's narrative technique. There follow a number of brilliant readings of assorted biblical texts, under general headings such as narrator, plot, time and space, repetition, point of view, and large-scale organization. He also looks briefly at the relation between prose and poetry, and the New Testament gospels. Because the biblical texts are being put under the microscope, the reader needs to concentrate, but the style is lively and often colloquial and the results are frequently revelatory. Only occasionally did I feel uncomfortable. For example, Fokkelman writes of the manipulative nature of the narrator, but good authors always respect their readers and I would prefer to speak of the story's persuasive artistry.

However, any reservations are minor in comparison to the potential of a book like this. It is my growing conviction that most Christians no longer know how to read the Bible. Old style Bible studies are rapidly losing out to more exciting alternatives (or none). Fokkelman ends with 'ten productive questions' for reading narratives that could transform people's engagement with the Bible. Although his questions might be simplified and adapted, they encourage a fresh approach to the text and the possibility of recovering its power and relevance. Warmly recommended!

Comments on Commentaries

An assessment of commentaries and other works on books of the Bible to keep you up to date with what will help in preaching and teaching in the local church. This month we only have room for one, so again the NT must wait. Let no one accuse us of being Marcionites.

OT: Chronicles

The books of Chronicles were largely neglected in English-language scholarship until about thirty years ago, and the amount of attention which has been given to them since means that most older commentaries are seriously out of date. It is generally agreed now that their importance lies less in what they fill in for the account of the history of the monarchy and more in what they can tell us about how that older history could be applied theologically much later on. We know little about the circumstances of writing, and that is precisely the point: they show us how the retelling of older history can be an encouragement to faith in those potentially deadening times when nothing special seems to be happening. G H Jones (Sheffield OT Guides, 1993) is a useful introductory survey of this recent work.

The weightiest commentary now available comes from the doyenne of Chronicles studies, the Jerusalem-based Jewish scholar, Sara Japhet (OTL, 1993): strong on theology and the Chronicler's method, but weaker on traditional critical issues. My own in the New Century Bible series (1982) attempted to give equal attention to both aspects in full, but manageable, scope, and it has generally been received kindly [Ed: Once again, Hugh is too humble]. The two volumes in the Word series (R L Braun on 1 Chronicles in 1986; R B Dillard on 2 Chronicles in 1987) are both extremely useful, though in different ways: Braun is more interested in technical issues, while Dillard shows an honest evangelical wrestling with the problems which Chronicles poses for a fully conservative position; his appreciation of the Chronicler's theology is impressive.

S J de Vries (FOTL, 1989) is as technical as the series demands, but lays a solid foundation for exegesis, while W Johnstone's two free-standing volumes (Sheffield, 1997) are a deliberately non-historical reading, which is sometimes idiosyncratic, to say the least, but which often gets to the heart of the Chronicler's theology. Two major scholarly commentaries are in preparation: R W Klein for the Hermeneia series, and G N Knoppers for the Anchor Bible. Based on what I know of his previous work, I am particularly looking forward to the latter.

Less academically-minded readers are well served by M J Selman (TOTC, 2 vols, 1994) and J G McConville (DSB, 1984). M Wilcock (BST, 1987) modestly claims to do little more than amalgamate my and McConville's commentaries, which hardly does justice to his own communicative skills. And while on the latter, L C Allen's contribution to the Communicator's Commentary (1987) deserves to be far better known than it is. Allen has also written on Chronicles for the multi-volumned New Interpreter's Bible, 1999). Among shorter treatments, honourable mention should be made of P R Ackroyd (Torch, 1973), because of his important role in the general rehabilitation of the Chronicler, but the commentary itself is very brief, and seems to have been hurriedly written.

Computer Corner

• David Instone Brewer has been hard at work redesigning the Tyndale House website (http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk) and adding several new bits. The Online Resources 'doorbell' gives access to websites including a very full listing of online Bible translations, as well as links devoted to Biblical studies, computer issues, and items of general interest to Christians. In addition the site provides information about the facilities and staff at Tyndale House, which, in conjunction with Cambridge University's library and the new Divinity Faculty library (both close by), offers the best facilities available in the UK for advanced study of the Bible.
• If you haven't discovered it yet, one of the fastest search sites on the web is
  http://www.google.com
• The cheapest source for reliable memory chips in the UK appears to be http://www.crucial.com/uk/index.asp We have ordered from them several times and never had a problem; postage is included when ordering over the web.