James L. Crenshaw

The Psalms in Israel's worship

One of the most important contributions to our understanding of the psalms, The Psalms in Israels Worship by Sigmund Mowinckel has largely provided the framework and suppositions of modern Psalms study. Fully revised from the original Norwegian edition and now featuring a substantial new foreword by James Crenshaw, this classic work (two volumes in one) argues that the psalms originated in actual temple worship and were used regularly to add drama to Israels adoration of Yahweh. Throughout this fascinating work, Mowinckel carefully explores the relationship of the various psalm types to the congregations devotional life, including hymns of praise from Israels national festivals, psalms of lamentation and penitence, and personal or private psalms of thanksgiving. Other topics include the psalms relationship to prophecy and wisdom, their composition and collection, their style and performance, and the technical terminology involved in Psalms study.

Roots of Wisdom: The Oldest Proverbs of Israel and Other Peoples

In this book, Claus Westermann argues that Israels early wisdom literature grew out of an oral tradition reflecting an agrarian setting. Dealing primarily with Proverbs 10-31, Westermann demonstrates how the wisdom literature evolved into a form of poetry that had greater universal appeal as the people of Israel became more urbanized. A distinctive feature of Roots of Wisdom is Westermanns use of other wisdom sayings, particularly those from ancient Africa, to illustrate the logical progression of wisdom poetry being simply observational in character to becoming more universal in character.

Ecclesiasticus : or The wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach

1. The ways of wisdom 2. Mans life under divine providence 3. Maxims of prudence and self-discipline 4. The praise of wisdom 5. Counsels upon social behaviour 6. True piety and the mercy of God 7. Man in Society 8. The wonders of creation 9. Heroes of Israels past.

A Living Tradition The Book of Jeremiah in Current Research

Careful study of the Book of Jeremiah helps us remain faithful to the prophets legacy by learning from him to weigh the traditions of the past and to use them in the struggle to forge a better world.

Gold Dust or Nuggets? a Brief Response To J. Kenneth Kuntz

Of Kuntzs arguments against my position in Wisdom Psalms?, I find only one to have any merit, and it is tangential to the discussion. The vague and misleading category Wisdom Psalms is useless in scholarly research.

Die "Bindung Isaaks" Im Kanon (Gen 22): Grundlagen Und Programm Einer Kanonisch-Intertextuellen Lekture

Die Bindung Isaaks im Kanon (Gen 22): Grundlagen and Programm einer kanonischintertextuellen Lekture, by Georg Steins. Herder: Freiburg, 1999. Pp. x + 302. C45.00. The polyvalency of the Bible presents serious difficulty for those who expect a symphony of voices in perfect harmony. Rather than celebrating the multiple witnesses to revelation, many interpreters search earnestly for a norm by which to read the seams and to mute the cacophony. Steins opts for the canon as controlling norm but seeks to provide methodological rigor. As a test case, he studies the Akedah (Gen 22:1-19). The book therefore consists of two distinct and roughly equal parts, method and application. The result, a Habilitationsschrift from the University of Munster, illustrates both the potential of canonical criticism and its weaknesses. Context shapes the manner in which a given text is read; that much seems clear. The problem arises when one insists that a particular external context takes precedence over others. First, which canon provides the structure for reading-the Pentateuch, the poetic books, prophetic texts, Wisdom literature; Hebrew Bible or Septuagint; ancient Near Eastern literature or Jewish extrabiblical literature? Second, which religious community-jewish, Christian, or neither? Third, what manuscript tradition, or oral tradition, or stage of transmission is definitive-the final destination or stages on the journey? Steins subscribes to a positive understanding of canonical reading, despite these inherent flaws, and endeavors to salvage the enterprise by providing a methodological underpinning. His proposal has three ingredients: dialogic discourse as outlined by Mikhail Bakhtin, intertextuality as propounded by Julia Kristeva, and psychological insights of reception theory. The initial pages, nearly half the book (pp. 1-102), offer elaborate analysis of these three prongs; here and there one comes across perceptive insights about this oft-discussed duo, along with incisive quotations (e.g, Kristevas formulation of a post-Cartesian axiom: I speak, you hear me; therefore we are). Few readers today would contest the claim that discourse is polyphonic, that metatexts enrich ones understanding of a given textual unit, and that three factors-author, text, and reader-make up the dynamic of interpretation. Where I find the method wanting is at the point of choosing hypotexts, specifically Gen 12;1-19; Exod 3-4; 19-24; 29:38-46; Lev 8-9; 16; and Dent 8:2-6; 12, for the test case, Gen 22:1-19. The mere occurrence of similar vocabulary (in particular, three days, rain, burnt offering, mountain, appear, fear) fails to link them in more than a superficial way, for the vocabulary is too common and the substance too disparate to carry the weight of the hypothesis. Steins seems to imply that readers would have thought of each one of these texts when interpreting Gen 22:1-19. The few links isolated by linguistic similarities seem altogether accidental, and the fact that they point away from the real problematic of Gen 22, which comes closest to the prologue in the book of Job, does not help. Similarly, the authors assumptions about the position of ancient interpreters on the continuum of orality and literacy, so much in dispute today, raise questions. …

Book Review: Ethical Dimensions of the ProphetsEthical Dimensions of the ProphetsbyJensenJosephMichael Glazier/Liturgical, Collegeville, 2006. 203 pp.

an OT canon that emphasizes covenant fidelity. Proverbs affirms the same deity as the other biblical writers, even if the generic conventions of Wisdom literature differ from those of the legal and prophetic books. Dells textual examples suggest that the compilers of individual proverbs did not isolate themselves from the rest of Israelite society, for they were clearly influenced by developing religious beliefs. This study is an important corrective to several false assumptions about the book of Proverbs. Dells systematic exposition and sustained interest in theological content make this a useful resource.

24.95. ISBN 978-0-8146-5983-0.

LIKE OTHERS IN THIS SERIES, the commentary by Michael V. Fox is written for the general public. It consists of a brief introduction, both to the biblical book and to some of its major interpreters, the commentary, and explanatory notes. Christian readers will be especially interested in the succinct characterizations of traditional Jewish commentaries by Abraham ibn Ezra, RASHBAM (Rabbi Samuel ben Meir), Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, Moses Alsheikh, Moses Mendelssohn, and SHADAL (Samuel David Luzzatto). They may be somewhat puzzled by the choice of contemporary interpretations (Barton, Ginsberg, Hengel, Murphy, Seow, and Fox). Surely, Robert Gordis has earned at least honorable mention in this list, to name only one prominent interpreter. Perhaps, however, Fox merely intends to comment on a variety of interpretations. The rationale for the selection is by no means obvious, in any event.

Book Review: Ecclesiastes: The JPS Bible Commentary

FOR MANY YEARS I HAVE BEGUN a class in Old Testament Theology with a lecture on metaphors in Psalms, hoping to convey a sense of the agony and ecstasy experienced by worshippers of YHWH. In Seeing the Psalms, Brown asserts that the psalms at once assault and caress the soul (p. 2) and reminds readers that biblical interpretation involves a loving lingering over the text (p. 13). Indeed, he throws down the gauntlet: Perhaps the time has come to declare the resurrection of the text and the receptivity of the reader (p. 223 n. 110). No moribund text lies before him; rather, a symphony of voices waits to perform for an empathetic reader/director. Those not enamored by postmodernism may recall the skeptical response to another claim about a resurrection. Nevertheless, Brown balances the objective demands of the text with the subjective interests of interpreters.

Book Review: Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor

Les dix occurences de mi yodea dans la Bible hebraique. Deux categories : (1) qui sait si... (II Samuel 12 : 22, Joel 2 : 14, Jonas 3 : 9, Esther 4 : 14) ou encore qui sait + objet (Psaume 90 : 11)| (2) qui sait ? ou qui peut savoir ? (Proverbes 24 : 22, Ecclesiaste 2 : 19, 3 : 21, 6 : 12, 8 : 1). LA. degage les significations dune telle tournure