Review of Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships by Rob Dixon

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Review of Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships by Rob Dixon

Dixon, Rob. Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships. Downers Grover, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021, 176, $22, paperback.

Together

Rob Dixon is an associate regional ministry director with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and senior fellow for gender partnership with the InterVarsity Institute. He is an adjunct professor at Fresno Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary and provides training on flourishing mixed-gender ministry partnerships for numerous organizations around the country.

Together In Ministry is the culmination of Dixon’s twenty-seven years of ministry experience and four years of focused doctoral research in mixed-gender ministry partnerships. Dixon’s book “rests on the premise that women and men are designed to partner together in the work of fulfilling God’s mission on earth,” as laid out in the first two chapters of Genesis (p. 2). His thesis states that it is necessary and possible to embrace this Genesis picture in order to have flourishing mixed-gender ministry partnerships. Drawing on years of hands-on experience, research interviews, focus groups, and a survey of theology and church history, Dixon lays out a model for ministry partners that helps each person find a profound sense of personal satisfaction and accomplish their ministry goals (p. 17).

His research has led him to focus on ten attributes that need to be present for a mixed-gender ministry partnership to flourish. Dixon divides these attributes into three domains (p. 22). First, the inner life domain is comprised of the attributes of an authentic learner’s posture, a shared theological conviction of gender equality, and an awareness of gender brokenness. Next, the domain of community culture is populated with attributes including a vision for freely shared power, difference for the sake of mission, a value for holistic friendships, and a corporate sensitivity to adverse gender dynamics. The final domain is intentional practices, containing the last three attributes of abundant communication, contextualized boundaries, and public affirmation and modeling.

The bulk of the book is spent fleshing out each of the three domains, with individual chapters devoted to each of the ten attributes. Dixon begins each chapter with a survey of examples from Scripture and pertinent testimony from interviewees and focus groups that helped him develop and define each attribute. He then describes the benefits of exhibiting each of these attributes and the barriers that keep these attributes from being present in ministry partnerships between men and women. He rounds out each chapter with tactics for how to cultivate these attributes, leading to a well-rounded, flourishing mixed-gender ministry partnership.

Dixon anchors his organizational model in the context of church history and theology, resting on the premise that men and women are designed to partner together to fulfill God’s mission, as seen in Genesis 1. Dixon spends a good portion of each chapter explaining the principles of each attribute based on what he has learned from Scripture. While his interpretation of Scripture is unapologetically egalitarian, the purpose of this book is not strictly to convince the reader to adopt an egalitarian posture. It is to provide well-researched, practical guidance for creating a healthy staff culture in ministries and churches, one that focuses less on what women cannot do and more on what men and women can accomplish together to advance the Gospel.

Dixon approaches each attribute with humility and care, neither berating men for their perceived slights nor coddling women for their perceived inabilities. He also does not take a genderless approach. Many of his attributes focus on embracing the differences between men and women and encouraging the difficult work of inspecting some of the sinful behaviors that arise from how we think about these differences. Where Dixon does promote commonality is in areas involving the convictions that we hold and the power that we wield, with attributes like a shared theological conviction of gender equality and a vision for freely shared power.

Attributes with titles like awareness of gender brokenness and corporate sensitivity to adverse gender dynamics can initially be challenging for some readers, but behind the modern jargon is the conventional wisdom found in the process of sanctification. It has merely been applied to the specific context of men and women working together in ministry, from the examination of one’s own brokenness and how it leads men and women to sin against each other to how we learn to live and work with one another in the unity of fellowship through discipleship and spiritual formation within a community of believers. Even if some of the terms seem new or unwieldy to the reader, the underlying concepts can still be beneficial.

Admittedly, much of what Dixon teaches in these chapters can be summed up, as he puts it, in the pursuit of courageous intentionality (p. 151). That is also where the difficulty lies. It requires setting aside time to do things like debriefing during a staff meeting and putting in the effort to learn from the other person. It requires courage to be honest with one another when something is not working in the partnership and set appropriate boundaries and expectations. Regardless of the setting, if men and women are working together in a ministry context, applying these attributes can lead to personal satisfaction in their God-given calling and joyfully advancing the mission.

Christine Ellis

First Baptist Starkville

Starkville, MS

Review of Sixteenth Century Mission: Explorations in Protestant and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice edited by Gallagher and Smither

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Review of Sixteenth Century Mission: Explorations in Protestant and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice edited by Gallagher and Smither

Gallagher, Robert L. and Edward L. Smither, eds. Sixteenth Century Mission: Explorations in Protestant and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2021, 29.99, paperback.

Sixteenth

Many readers will be able to recall a barbed quotation taken from the Jesuit, Robert Bellarmine, who castigated Protestantism for its evident lack of apostolic zeal for mission. He claimed that “they had hardly converted a handful” (Stephen Neill, The History of Missions, 1986, p. 188).  As one who wrestled first to understand and then to explain to others the ‘tortoise and the hare’ phenomenon exhibited in the modest beginning of Protestant missionary effort in the sixteenth century, this reviewer was keen to examine Sixteenth Century Mission. The prospect of finding accounts of Reformation-era missions provided from both sides of the confessional divide in a single volume seemed promising. In this review, we shall consider Sixteenth Century Mission as to its concept, as to its methodology, and as to its overall quality.

The concept of Sixteenth Century Mission (hereafter SCM) is a noble one. Why hasn’t someone brought together essays representing early modern Protestant and Catholic mission, before now? The volume offers an initial ten chapters describing Protestant missionary activity within and beyond Western Europe, followed by eight chapters describing the Catholic mission activity which—because linked with transoceanic exploration of Columbus and da Gama—commenced before the dawn of the Reformation era. But this consideration of the laudable concept behind the book, leads naturally to a reflection on the methodology implicit in it.

In SCM we indeed see essays about Protestant and Catholic sixteenth century mission. But it is striking that the volume does not bring the two missionary movements together in any intersecting way. By volume-end, we are none the wiser as to what (if anything) Protestants thought about existing Catholic missionary endeavor, and vice versa. This lack of intersection is in part a reflection on the expectations spelled out in commissioning the conference papers which now form SCM chapters; it is also a reflection of the fact that the majority of chapters on Catholic mission are written by non-Catholics (which is the opposite of what we might expect).

Still thinking about methodology, on the whole, SCM employs a broadly historical method in its attempts at comparing Protestant and Catholic mission. Yet while some authors write from a rigorously historical perspective, emphasizing original sources (e.g. chaps. 7 &15); others utilize a blend of quite romantic nineteenth century accounts with modern scholarship (e.g. chap. 4). Some chapters (e.g. 5) are essentially historical-theological, while still others are extensively biographical (2,7,10, 13,14). It appears that the volume has overlapping chapters: two touch on the Genevan mission to Brazil (5&6), two explore European Anabaptist missionary activity close-to-home (9&10), while a further two (11&12) both touch on Jesuit missionary activity in China. It was not clear to this reviewer what warranted the inclusion of chapters 2 and 13, as they formed no real part of missionary history. It is enough to say that the project of bringing early Protestant and Catholic missionary activity into comparative focus was impeded by a lack of methodological unity and a clearer division of labor.

The reviewer wants to highlight strengths in this volume. An impressive opening chapter by Ray Van Neste sorted out fact from historical misrepresentation of early Protestant missionary efforts; this trend he traced back to German missiologist, Gustav Warneck (d. 1910). But Warneck, effectively dispatched in that first chapter, was still sowing frequent confusion later in the book. We find helpful surveys of Lutheran missionary expansion into Scandinavia in the early sixteenth century (chap. 3) and early, pre-Calvin Protestant proliferation in France (chap. 4). These chapters are primarily drawn from existing secondary literature. A chapter on the French Reformed mission in colonial Brazil (6) while largely dependent on a range of secondary literature, because written from within Brazil by Franklin Ferreira—did draw on Latin American literature and brought new insights which were truly helpful.

An insightful chapter (7) on the Zurich Reformation-era linguist, Theodore Bibliander, showed that this scholar was alert to the family of human languages and the theological implications of this inter-relatedness for the spread of the gospel. The chapter on Ignatius Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises (10) while instructive, seemed oblivious to the fact that the unquestioning submission to papal authority encouraged in these exercises made Jesuit emissaries of the Pope ‘persona non grata’ in Catholic Spain, Portugal, France and the Philippines by the mid-eighteenth century. The one which follows, on Matteo Ricci and the Jesuit mission to China (11) does well in drawing attention to the pitfalls of the Jesuit strategy of accommodating the Christian message to non-European cultures. But this is not shown to be part of the larger tendency of this religious order which led to the coining of the adjective, ‘Jesuitical’, i.e. duplicitous. The reviewer admired the nuance observable in the chapter (12) on Jesuit missionary effort in West African Kongo; here it is shown that Jesuits involved themselves in unwelcome statecraft and mercantile trade, as well as the evangelizing which was their stated reason for being in the Kingdom.

A chapter on Bartolomé de las Casas (14) deserves credit for its acknowledgement that las Casas – while defending the native population against efforts to enslave them, promoted the enslavement of West Africans (a stance he later needed to repudiate). But the attempt to show that las Casas, a Dominican, was almost-Protestant and very nearly conformed to the Bebbington quadrilateral represented a tendency toward digression away from his task.

In sum, SCM represents a noble concept which points the way towards a wider understanding of still-other tangled questions. Its methodology needed to be much clearer, especially in drawing on actual representatives of the Roman Catholic tradition. It contains a good number of excellent chapters which I know I will return to regularly.

Kenneth J. Stewart

Covenant College.

Review of The Calling of Eve: How the Women of the Bible Inspire the Women of the Church by Jacki C. King

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Review of The Calling of Eve: How the Women of the Bible Inspire the Women of the Church by Jacki C. King

King, Jacki C. The Calling of Eve: How the Women of the Bible Inspire the Women of the Church. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2022, pp. 176, $16.99, hardcover.

Calling of Eve

Jacki C. King holds a master’s degree in theological studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as a Bible teacher. Despite juggling life as an author, blogger, podcast host, pastor’s wife, and mother of three, Jacki King thinks of herself as “just a normal girl.” While such achievements exceed what society or even the church considers normal, King’s standard of reference does not come from society or the church but from the women of Scripture.

King begins her book by describing how her understanding of the importance of women’s roles in the kingdom was formed in the context of the local church but subsequently shaken in the church. Lacking the stereotypical qualities the church emphasized as most important among women, the young King questioned whether following and serving Christ meant being someone other than, well, her. Her leadership gifting and devotion to Christ and his church seemed undeniable. Nevertheless, King felt little connection to the demure image the church expected women to portray. King describes her younger self as loud, extroverted, energetic, and clumsy. Finding herself vastly at odds with the superwoman depicted in Proverbs 31 (which King would later come to recognize as a personification of wisdom), King turned to the rest of Scripture to uncover a more accurate understanding of biblical womanhood.

Drawing from the first two chapters of Genesis, King presents a theological anthropology of women in a simplified manner that is easily accessible to a lay audience. Having already extracted the “fear of the Lord” from Proverbs 31 as foundational to biblical womanhood, the author explores with readers how Scripture defines their identity as image bearers and establishes their purpose. While acknowledging the commonalities men and women share in these areas, King also recognizes distinct differences, such as the woman’s role of “ezer,” a term markedly misunderstood and underestimated in the contemporary church. King endeavors to help women understand God’s intention for them to, along with men, reflect his image, exercise dominion over his creation, and commit their lives to his glory,

Beginning with the third chapter, King pivots her focus to how women can flourish and carry out their divinely appointed purpose within whatever sphere or circumstance God may place them. She explores what it means for women to flourish as image bearers and submit to God’s purposes in (1) singleness, (2) marriage, (3) motherhood, (4) work, (5) mission, (6) church, (7) justice for the vulnerable, and/or (8) leadership. King highlights female exemplars from Scripture and modern-day women who stand out in fulfilling God’s purposes in each of these categories. For example, in her chapter on justice for the vulnerable, King spotlights Rachael Denhollander, whose courageous stand against Larry Nassar ended his decades-long spree of sexually abusing girls and young women. The author then explores women of Scripture who exemplified the same courage, such as the Hebrew midwives of Exodus who risked their own lives by refusing to kill infant boys. No matter what their circumstance, King notes that God has placed a calling and commission on every redeemed woman’s life.

With this book, King aims to help women catch a vision for flourishing as image bearers and fulfilling the cultural mandate—and the Great Commission—according to their design and God’s purposes. King has a gift for conveying critical theological truths in easy-to-understand language. Such skillful writing lends toward accomplishing her goal.

King’s eighth chapter, “Women in the Church,” provides substance for contemporary ecclesiological debate. Writing from a complementarian perspective, the author nonetheless laments the disturbing tendency of church leaders to accent limitations on women’s roles rather than freedoms. Juxtaposing such restrictive attitudes against Romans 16, King highlights women who worked hard, sacrificed, became imprisoned, and risked their lives alongside Paul for the gospel’s sake—each of whom Paul esteemed and honored by name in his letter. Consequently, King asserts that outside of the office of elder/bishop/pastor, “women are able to lead, teach, serve, and love in the same way the faithful sisters in Romans 16 lived out their giftedness in the early church” (p. 106). Likely, King will garner pushback on this statement from those who embrace a more restrictive view of complementarianism. Considering her exposition of the text, however, critics will face a challenging task in arguing with her.

One weakness of King’s work is her over-reliance upon the created identity found in Genesis 1 and 2 in her discussion of identity. While created identity is crucial to an accurate understanding of self, it is shared by all image bearers—all human beings—regardless of whether they are spiritually dead or alive in Christ. Believers wishing to flourish in the kingdom must also live in light of their redemptive identity received through union with Christ upon salvation. Not only do believers bear God’s image, but they also bear, in increasing degrees, Christ’s image. Adam and Eve were naked before the fall, but believers are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. Whereas the Old Testament focuses on created identity, the New Testament shifts its gaze toward redemptive identity–which is given only to God’s elect. I believe King applies this perspective, but it does not appear in chapter two’s discussion on identity.

While King writes The Calling of Eve to inspire women of the church, her book could and should be used also to inform the church. Women wrestling with how they can fit into and serve God’s kingdom should indeed read the book. However, pastors, ministry leaders, and seminary faculty and students who do or will shepherd or teach women should also read it to equip themselves for encouraging, empowering, and promoting the flourishing of the women they serve.

Angelia Dittmeier

PhD Candidate,

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Review of Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide by Gary E. Schnittjer

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Review of Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide by Gary E. Schnittjer

Schnittjer, Gary Edward. Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2021, 1098 pages, $58.00, hardcover.

Old Testament

Gary Edward Schnittjer is the Distinguished Professor of Old Testament for Cairn University’s School of Divinity. Schnittjer received his doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary and has completed post-graduate studies in both Hebrew and Aramaic from the University of Pennsylvania and Westminster Theological Seminary, respectively. He has published numerous articles in various aspects of Old Testament Biblical studies as well as another monograph, The Torah Story.

Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide represents the culmination of two decades of research into the intertextual and linguistic connections within the Tanakh by Schnittjer. The book is a cataloging, book-by-book, of exegetical allusions between the books of the Old Testament, rated according to their strength (read: confidence level). Material for the work was compiled from manual research and material generated from an originality program, iThenticate (xlvii).

In its introduction, Schnittjer provides the basic definitions used in the field of intertextuality and his work, such as revelation, allusion, and exegesis (xviii-xix). Surveying the work and methodologies from scholars like Hays, Kugel, von Rad and Fishbane, Schnittjer lays out his criteria for determining allusion and model for interpretation, siding more closely with Hays than the other three (xli). The remainder of the introduction lays out the content and form of the subsequent chapters. Before closing, Schnittjer has this to say to scholars. “Is this reference study comprehensive? No and yes.” By no, Schnittjer means that a total cross-reference of intertextuality for any book, much less the Tanakh, is impossible. By yes, Schnittjer means that this work does seek to capture every leading use of Scripture in every book of the Hebrew Bible. After this aside, there is a brief listing of other sources and lists of intertextual links.

The bulk of the book takes up the charge of implementing that methodology. Following the Tanakh ordering of the Old Testament, as opposed to the traditional Christian arrangement, Schnittjer lays out each chapter similarly. First, there is a listing of the siglia, followed by a condensed summary of all significant detectable links within the book. Schnittjer then adds in the hermeneutical profile for the book which gives a broad overview on how that book intertextually relates to others. Critical issues regarding the identified links and peculiarities of the book follow. Each chapter ends with a more verbose discussion of significant textual links, broken out by the context of the link, and their meaning for the book as a whole.

After finishing the books of the Old Testament, Schnittjer adds in one final chapter, which casts a vision for how the Hebrew Bible leads into the New Testament. This chapter is refreshingly rich and brings out the concept of the canonical consciousness and how Scripture seeks to bear witness to the Spirit and Word (872). Schnittjer highlights those multifaceted contexts and horizons that the New Testament authors use to bring the story of Scripture to its zenith in the coming of Jesus. A brief discussion of common linked themes, what Schnittjer calls networks (873), and a glossary appear at the end of the book.

Positively, this book represents a treasure-trove of academic effort. Schnittjer’s work has created an impressive reference text of intra-Old Testament linkage in a field that previously lacked any such comprehensive catalog. If not a complete catalog of every significant intertext in the Hebrew Bible, it is assuredly nearly that. Schnittjer elevates his work too beyond just a mechanical record through his detailed notes on how each book tends to use intertexts and relates to others. Readers are left not only knowing where significant links occur but also why the biblical author has used other texts. Old Testament Use of Old Testament should be a core reference text for any scholar doing substantial work in the Old Testament.

Schnittjer too should be praised for his introductory chapter, which provides one of the most straightforward and broad introductions to the field of intertextuality that this author has read. Intertextuality is notoriously tricky to pin down succinctly. It is a discipline that has shifting definitions between authors and can prove troublesome to the uninitiated. Schnittjer’s introduction offers potential students of the field a boon with his work as it is an excellent starting point covering all of the critical considerations and positions in a short space. Furthermore, Schnittjer’s engagement in the field is refreshingly non-sectarian and robust. The text engages with leading authors from numerous backgrounds and traditions, and this only aids its value as an introduction to the field. To provide just a sample, Schnittjer references: Fishbane, Hays, Kugel, Kynes, Miller, Schultz, Sommer, von Rad, Witherington III, and others just in the introduction.

Critically, one may question the rating system employed by Schnittjer because the method, at points, is driven by the evidence and not the evidence by the method. For example, the B level of confidence, the second-best link quality, requires only a single Hebrew root to define a link. Why such a low bar? Schnittjer explains, “It may seem disappointing to have such a low threshold of evidence: one term. Unfortunately, there are a few cases that require this” (xxiii). That means though, that Schnittjer has tailored the method to fit the evidence, contrary to sound practice. While the link given as evidence for this, Josh 9:6-7 cf. Dt 20:15, may be a significant link, this is a weakness in the principles undergirding the method and may weaken Schnittjer’s data, allowing weaker links to appear stronger than they are.

A second criticism may be leveled at the omission of some potential intertexts. There are occasional gaps in Schnittjer’s list that are present in the works he lists as possible parallels. One example is the linkage between Hab 1:2 and Job 19:7. These two texts share several roots, and indirectly share every noun and verb. This link is not mentioned by Schnittjer, who instead links Job 19 on weaker evidence to Lam 3:6-9 (557), despite the Hab-Job connection being covered by Anderson, whom Schnittjer lists as a resource for Habakkuk. Such omissions are to be expected in such pioneering and expansive work, but also point out that continuing efforts are needed in this area.

Overall, Old Testament Use of Old Testament is a significant work in the fields of intertextuality and Old Testament biblical studies. It provides a reference point for future investigations into how the Hebrew Scriptures built upon themselves and how Scripture interprets itself. Students should approach this text as a model for how scholars can weigh and determine the strength of exegetical links in a text. Schnittjer provides not only a model but also extensive reasoning and discussion of significant links. This text will help students become familiar with the field of intertextuality as well as the critical questions faced within the sub-discipline. The quality of scholarship and breadth of material easily makes Schnittjer’s Old Testament Use of Old Testament a first-tier reference work for scholarship.

Brian Koning

Grand Canyon University

Review of The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy edited by Kipfer and Hutton

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Review of The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy edited by Kipfer and Hutton

Kipfer, Sara and Jeremy M. Hutton, eds. The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy. Stuttgard, Germany: Kohlhammer, 2021, pp. 344, hardcover, $102.00.

Book of Samuel

 The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy is a collection of essays presented at Samuel Seminar in 2019 in Aberdeen, which coincided with Dr. Walter Dietrich’s 75th birthday. The book’s essays focus on the power of the in two ways. (1) The Book of Samuel as a Text Collection about Different Stages of the Institutionalization of Power. (2) The Book of Samuel as a Medium of Power Communication and a Contribution to the Political Discourse through the Centuries. The book divides into three main sections. Sara Kipfer and Jeremy M. Hutton introduce the reader to key topics (11–22). The main body of the book contains the essays from twelve contributors. The book concludes with a review of the material and critique by Dietrich.

David Firth, in the first essay, argues that Hannah’s prayer (1 Sam 2:1–10) is crucial for a final for reading of the text. Hannah’s prayer establishes key themes and points of references which are taken up and developed later in the book (23). The book primarily focuses on the reversal of fortunes motif and critiques those who do not align with Yahweh. Her song functions as a hope within the narrative since there is no king in Israel at this point, but also it critiques the traditional views of kingship. The next essay Regine Hunziker-Rodewald raises the issue of identifying pattern relationships among the semantic-syntactic data in 1 Samuel 5–6 in relation to the images offered by Philistia to the ark (39). He argues that the data shows the images belong to the setting of an ordeal performed to decide the ark’s guilt or innocence in what happened in 1 Samuel 6:9. In addition, he argues that the parallel in 1 Samuel 5–6 shows the foreigners winner’s perspective and the native loser’s perspective is unique in ancient Near Eastern texts.

In the third essay, Ian D. Wilson examines the book of Samuel as a source for the cultural history of ancient Judah (63). He focuses on how the book of Samuel presents the monarchy and how 2nd temple readers would interpret it. Next, Hulisani Ramantswana utilizes two cultural sayings from the Vhavenda people to interrogate the biblical text (81). Thus, this study engages in a culturally enthused hermeneutic of suspicion. The fifth essay Jeremy M. Hutton argues that an earlier pre-Deuteronomistic narrative underlies Wellhausen’s so called antimonarchic story (115).

The sixth essay, Hannes Bezzel questions the common interpretation of 2 Samuel 2–4 in terms of centralized monarchic states (165). He questions that these texts are anachronistic particularly from the point of view of recent approaches clan- and patronage-client relations. He argues that 2 Sam 2:1–2aa.3aLXX.4a as the oldest version of David’s coronation. The next essay, Sara Kipfer reevaluates the parallels between 1 Samuel 14:47–48, 52 and 2 Samuel 8:11–12, 15 (183). She revaluates these complicated literary problems by considering the ancient Near Eastern context. The eighth essay, Mahri Leonard-Fleckman argues that the exchange between David and Gath in 2 Samuel 15:19–22 could date as late as the post-exilic period.

The ninth essay, Benjamin J. M. Johnson argues that the final shape of the book of Samuel is not purely critical or defensive of David (225). The following essay, Thomas Naumann focuses on the question of establishing or realign royal power (243). His essay focuses primarily upon the weeping of the king as a means to establish power and he reviews previous suggestions concerning the weeping of the king. The next essay, Ilse Mullner examines the Davidic family with its conflicts, its power plays, and its struggles (281). The ambivalence of the main characters and the monarchy are best understood by focusing on the dynastic aspects of the monarchy. The twelfth essay, Johannes Klein argues that on a synchronic level 1 Samuel–1 Kings 12 gives an anti-dynastic tendency (299). However, the author of the Saul-David narratives have taken their material and shaped it so that it is positive.

The book presents some of the world’s leading scholars on the book of Samuel in a singular monograph. The book illuminates various topics in the book of Samuel from diachronic readings to cultural readings. The book’s focus upon the power of the monarchy highlights a key issue within the book of Samuel and the editors have chosen an appropriate theme. The book serves as a great reference for scholars researching the book of Samuel. The most significant essay was David Firth’s, “Hannah’s Prayer as a Hope for and Critique of Monarchy.” His essay brings to light the hermeneutical underpinnings of the book as a whole and shows that there is a macro-structure. Firth shows how Hannah’s song connects to the larger narrative. However, he does fail to connect 1 Samuel 2:10 and 2:35, which describes Yahweh’s anointed (king-priest) rising up after the fall of the Elide dynasty.

A downfall of the present volume is the lack of discussion of the king’s relationship to the priesthood. The priesthood is a major institution in the monarchy and the king’s relationship to it can be seen in the book of Samuel. For example, a key power struggle that 1 Samuel 2:35 anticipates is the removal of the Elide dynasty and the rise of a faithful priest, which this author believes is a king-priest (1 Sam 2:10, 35). Although various authors within this book consider ancient Near Eastern materials, they do consider that the surrounding kings of the nations were king-priests. Thus, the king’s role being similar to the kings of the nations (Deut 17:14; 1 Sam 8:5). As a result, the book focuses only on the power of the king within certain institutions and does not fully explore the role of the king’s role with the priesthood. Despite this oversight, this book is an engaging read and worth digging into for further study into the book of Samuel. The book is an ideal read for a Ph.D. student or professor engaging on the topic of Samuel.

Nicholas Majors

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Review of John Through Old Testament Eyes: A Background and Application Commentary by Karen H. Jobes

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Review of John Through Old Testament Eyes: A Background and Application Commentary by Karen H. Jobes

Jobes, Karen H. John Through Old Testament Eyes: A Background and Application Commentary. Edited by Andrew T. Le Peau. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2021, 374 pages, $20.99, paperback.

John

Karen H. Jobes adds to her long list of valuable contributions with John Through Old Testament Eyes. Jobes, who serves as the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor Emerita of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College and Graduate School, provides an in-depth dive into the Old Testament background of John, including but not limited to extensive treatment of how John’s uses Old Testament texts and themes.

As a commentary, the monograph follows a typical style, although Jobes does not treat each verse individually. Jobes’s goal is not to provide a verse-by-verse commentary, but rather to show how the Old Testament influences John’s thought and to comment on passages that demonstrate that influence.

In addition to the commentary, Jobes includes discussions entitled “What the Structure Means,” “Through Old Testament Eyes,” and “Going Deeper.” These helpful sections usually offer a broader consideration of issues than commentary on individual verses would allow, and they often bridge the gap between scholarly exegesis and practical application.

Jobes’s commentary is precise, succinct, and accessible. While her focus is on the influence of the Old Testament on John’s Gospel, she also spends time discussing debated passages or thorny grammatical issues, including discussion of Greek syntax or textual critical issues as needed (e.g., her discussion of John 8:1-11 on pp. 149-50). The reader benefits from her expertise in Greek, especially her knowledge of the LXX. For a scholar who is known most widely for her work in New Testament exegesis, she demonstrates a keen sensitivity to Old Testament echoes, citations, allusions, and overall influence.

One example of her excellent treatment of the text is her commentary on the first miracle of Jesus, the turning of water into wine at Cana of Galilee. She includes discussion on important details such as the chronological difficulty of John’s statement about the third day in 2:1 (pp. 57-58), and the meaning of “sign” from the perspective of both lexical analysis and Old Testament background (p. 61). She places these details within John’s overarching design to show Jesus’s ministry as the initial fulfillment of many Old Testament messianic expectations and predictions (e.g., Isa 55:1-5; Jer 31:1; Joel 2:19, 24, 3:15; Am 9:13, see p. 59). The new wine Jesus produced was “a small tasting, a sign pointing to Jesus’s messianic significance” (p. 59).

Jobes notes that the signs of Jesus can be read on three levels: the level of the “unknowledgable” first reader; the level of biblical-theology with a full awareness both of Old Testament and first century context; and the eschatological-soteriological level that sees Jesus’s death and resurrection as the hermeneutical crux of the Gospel (see pp. 63-66). In general, Jobes sees Jesus’s signs as a means of confirming his identity as stated in the prologue and explicated in Jesus’s teachings (pp. 63-64), an identity which cannot be understood without reference to Old Testament predictions and antecedents.

The reader will no doubt find many gems in the treatment of individual passages, but two contributions of the book deserve particular attention. The first is Jobes’s contention that “The resurrection of Jesus was not only a historical event, it was a hermeneutical event as well. Without his resurrection and the coming of the Spirit Jesus’ life probably would have made little sense” (emphasis original, p. 81). Jobes understands John to be intentionally crafting his account with the resurrection of Jesus as the hermeneutical key. The original disciples could only understand the identity of Jesus, both as eternal Word of God and Israel’s Messiah, after the events of his life, death, and resurrection. John understood this, and so he structured his Gospel in such a way to foreshadow the resurrection from the beginning (e.g., John 2:19) and accentuate its significance after it occurred (e.g., John 20:31). Similarly, the fulness of Old Testament symbolism and prophecy is only possible to understand through the lens of the resurrection.

A second strength is Jobes’s recognition of the resonances of the Old Testament beyond direct quotations. As an example of this, in her treatment of John 3, Jobes gives significant attention to Jesus as the sheliach, the one sent of God. The sheliach deserved the full honor of and exercised the full authority of the one who sent him. Jobes notes that John 3 does not include a single specific quotation from the Old Testament, but still the Old Testament clearly shapes “John’s understanding of who Jesus is and the significance of his incarnation, death, and resurrection” (p. 94). The Old Testament is baked into the cake, as it were, of John’s worldview and authorial aims.

Jobes also highlights the importance of the temple and feasts in John’s presentation of Jesus. Indeed, Jobes comments in her conclusion, “Instead of quotations and direct allusions to the texts of the Old Testament, the beloved disciple employs images, metaphors, and the traditions of Israel that originated in the Hebrew Bible, especially those of the temple and the feasts” (p. 320, see also p.109). Jobes’s sensitivity to the broader influence of the Old Testament is refreshing, incisive, and perhaps a needed correction to the somewhat fashionable attempts to focus merely on one text’s use of another. Jobes does not engage in hyperbole when in her final words she writes, “Reading the gospel of John through Old Testament eyes makes all the difference” (p. 320).

Overall, Jobes’s contribution is substantial, both in terms of its quality and its accessibility. Scholars, students, and teachers of the fourth Gospel will greatly benefit from her work and will find this volume a helpful accessory to other commentaries. Jobes’s focus on the Old Testament background makes this commentary unique, as far as this reviewer is aware, among resources currently available.

Timothy Howe

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Review of Creation and Christ: An Exploration of the Topic of Creation in the Epistle to the Hebrews by Angela Costley

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Review of Creation and Christ: An Exploration of the Topic of Creation in the Epistle to the Hebrews by Angela Costley

Costley, Angela. Creation and Christ: An Exploration of the Topic of Creation in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020, pp. 385, 94.00€, paperback.

Creation and Christ

When thinking about what makes the Christology of Hebrews distinctive, perhaps the first image that comes to mind is that of Jesus as high priest. Other topics of perennial interest in the study of Hebrews include the intriguing utilization of the Sabbath and the deployment of tabernacle, temple, and other cultic imagery. Angela Costley draws attention to the important role played by references to creation in Hebrews and argues that the author of Hebrews employs these allusions to creation in order to portray Jesus as the creator who descends to earth in order to lead believers into God’s primordial rest. Creation and Christ is a revision of the author’s 2018 Ph.D. dissertation, which was completed at St. Patrick’s College in the Pontifical University of Maynooth, Ireland. Costley currently teaches Greek and Wisdom literature at St. Mary’s College in Oscott.

After establishing her research focus, Costley outlines the methodological tools that she will use in order to exegete creation language in Hebrews. Following a line of recent Hebrews scholars (e.g. Neeley, Westfall, and Dyer), Costley utilizes discourse analysis in order to bring clarity to the way in which the author of Hebrews orders their thought. Discourse analysis does not denigrate historical criticism but rather recognizes its limitations and offers a literary, historically oriented set of tools with which to examine ancient texts. When it comes to Hebrews, Costley dates the text generally to the last half of the first century (ca. 60–90 CE), but she does not think that Hebrews offers enough information to, for example, locate the text before or after the fall of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE. The author is unknown, the geographical location is tentatively said to be in Alexandria, and the intended audience was likely to have been of Hellenistic Jewish origins (pp. 32–44).

The literature review is likewise expansive and can be found in chapter 2. This chapter more clearly outlines the topic of creation in Hebrews and highlights the need for Costley’s monograph by demonstrating the absence of another such book. Costley highlights other studies of Hebrews and discourse analysis, the application of narrative and rhetorical approaches to Hebrews, the relative absence of creation in thematic studies of Hebrews by Vanhoye and Lindars, and historical critical investigations into the author’s possible sources and dialogue partners. One of the nearest neighbors to Costley’s study is a 2009 chapter on the cosmology of Hebrews by Edward Adams (“The Cosmology of Hebrews,” in The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology, ed. Richard Bauckham et al. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009], 122–139), but Costley rightly argues that more remains to be done on the theological contribution of creation to the argument in Hebrews.

Having clarified the need for her study and set forth the methodological tools to be employed, the remainder of the book turns to a thorough investigation of five passages in Heb 1–4. These are Heb 1:2–3; 1:10–12; 2:5–9; 3:1–6; and 4:1–11 (esp. 4:3–4, 9–10). The author of Hebrews opens the address by stating that God has spoken through the Son (Heb 1:2). Costley emphasizes that the Son is identified as the one “through whom (God) made the aeons,” which is the most reportable event in the exordium according to her discourse analysis (pp. 91–95). The identification of the Son in Heb 1:2–3 can thus be interpreted in terms of descent and ascent as the Son’s work of creation, purification, and session come to the fore at the start of the text. The allusion to the Son’s laying of the foundations in the scriptural catena (Heb 1:10) is likewise understood with reference to creation. Whereas the exordium works from creation to descent to ascent, the catena moves from the ascension to Christ’s descension and finally to his act of creation. The importance of Jesus’s role in creation and the presence of the descent-ascent motif becomes clearer in Heb 2:5–9 as Jesus is the only one for whom humanity’s intended original status applies in the present. Focusing attention on Heb 3:4, Costley argues that Jesus’s activity in creation provides one of the reasons for the Son’s superiority to Moses in Heb 3:1–6. Finally, God’s rest and the discussion of Sabbath in Heb 3:7–4:11 are interpreted with a view to God’s primordial rest, into which believers can enter due to the Son’s entrance ahead of believers as pioneer (pp. 269–287).

Costley enhances her exegetical arguments with a sixteen-page appendix justifying her translations of the chief passages examined in the book (pp. 299–314) as well as an additional appendix examining recent approaches to the macrostructure of Hebrews (pp. 315–323). A substantial bibliography follows along with indexes of sources, authors, and subjects.

Creation and Christ thus draws attention to an important topic that is too often overlooked in studies of Hebrews. By examining the relationship between creation and Christology, Costley sheds fresh light on the Son’s role in much of the first four chapters in Hebrews. By emphasizing the Son’s activity in creation from the exordium on, she uncovers the presence of a descent-ascent motif into which the presentation of Jesus as high priest may be fitted. In addition, Costley highlights several points of connection to the Wisdom of Solomon and the Epistle to the Hebrews. While the similarity between the portrayal of wisdom in Wis 7:26–27 and the description of Jesus in Heb 1:3 is regularly noted by scholars of Hebrews, Costley patiently and subtly places more sustained focus to parallels in the thought of Wisdom and Hebrews (e.g. pp. 76–77, 123–128).

An additional strength of the book is its thorough examination of nearly every imaginable nook and cranny that can be considered with regard to creation language in Heb 1–4. This thoroughness is evident even in the early chapters of the book on methodology and previous studies, where a sustained introduction to discourse analysis may be found along with a description of related studies that indicate the need for Costley’s study. When exegeting Hebrews, Costley’s book is similarly expansive in the ground that it covers, suggesting that the house in Heb 3:1–6 should be read with a view not only to the people of God but also with connotations of the sanctuary and of the cosmos. When studying creation language in the exordium, Costley provides a detailed examination of the word aion in Heb 1:2. She traces the development of the term’s meaning in the history of the Greek language before giving extended attention to Philo, Septuagintal translations, apocalyptic Second Temple literature, and some New Testament instances of the word. Such a consistently exhaustive study repays close reading, while simultaneously providing an important resource for other scholars of Hebrews.

In sum, Creation and Christ is an important addition to scholarship on the Epistle to the Hebrews that draws attention to an underexplored topic in creative ways. By exploring Christ’s role as creator in Heb 1–4, Costley offers fresh insight into how one understands not only the depiction of Jesus in the text but also its understanding of salvation. Costley’s book will be of particular interest to those who conduct research on Hebrews as well as the libraries who support them.

Jonathon Lookadoo

Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul

Review of Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job by Robert S. Fyall

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Review of Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job by Robert S. Fyall

Fyall, Robert S. Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2002. $24.00, pp. 208.

Now my Eyes

A continuation of 1991 dissertation, Robert Fyall, revisits Job creation theology. Dr. Fyall is a Senior Tutor in Ministry for the Cornhill Training Course, Scotland. He has taught Old Testament at St. John’s College in Durham, England.  In the present work, the author focuses on creation and evil that revolves around Behemoth and Leviathan. Fyall examines these figures in light of the ANE materials. He argues that Behemoth represents death and Leviathan Satan. He solves the tension scholars perceive with the disappearance of Satan after the initial chapters.

Now my Eyes have Seen You introduces readers to Job with a succinct introduction. Readers unfamiliar with Job will benefit from the thorough but brief history of research. The author describes his aim as a holistic depiction of creation and evil within Job (17). Fyall interprets the book of Job as a literary unit which differs from critical scholars. Thus, he rejects deconstructive interpretations and opts for a canonical interpretation. The book interacts with Job’s adoption of myth through the imaginative canonical process of inspiration (27-28).

In chapter two, Fyall surveys the legal material which gives coherence to the book. He focuses on Job 19:21–27. Chapter three and four examine the Images of Creation and Evil in the book of Job to discuss the implications of Behemoth and Leviathan in chapters five through eight.  Thus, in chapter five and six, Fyall focuses on Behemoth to explain how the reader should anticipate Behemoth from Job 3. Chapters seven and eight discuss Leviathan within the scope of Job and ANE material.  He concludes with the unity of Job from Job 42.

Fyall describes the tensions of creation and evil within the book of Job while defending the integrity of the text and author. First, he balances Job’s use of myth and theology in the book of Job. The author argues that the Job interacts with the surrounding culture to show Yahweh triumphing over the gods of the nations. Lastly, he demonstrates a cohesion narrative from the images of creation which establishes a picture of evil in the world.

At the end of the first chapter, Fyall introduces the topic of myth and theology with three observations. He observes first that the author uses creative motifs to present a distinct message (28). He argues that if Job used common mythology then it would be hard to maintain to the doctrine of revelation. Fyall doesn’t deny a common cognitive framework but comes close.  Recent works such as John Walton’s The Lost World of Genesis One argue for a common cognitive worldview. Fyall does not fully develop this point but simply states that the author must understand his genre and message. He assumes authorial conscience in drafting parallel literature so much that he neglects to develop this observation. He does provide a brief overview of Job and Canaanite myths in his appendix. Fyall covers a large amount of material with brevity and clarity in the first chapter. Cecil Grant finds him unable to balance the materials,[1] but she overstates the case. The first chapter establishes a solid foundation to cover technical details later in the book.

Second, the author argues that Job interacts with the surrounding worldviews to demonstrate the incomparability of Yawheh (28). Fyall develops this observation throughout the book and Daniel P. Bricker comments that he goes to great lengths to prove the intertextual links.[2] Although, Fyall provides substantial textual links; he fails to provide an iron tight case.  He builds upon his presuppositions that Yahweh is the one true God in the author’s mind. Fyall does not engage the history religions school but presupposes the image of creation demonstrates that the author interacts with the surrounding worldview. Evangelicals will agree to his presuppositions, but critical scholars will baulk at them. His argument that author gleans from the surrounding literature does not prove that Job argues that Yahweh triumphs over their gods.  Critical scholars could argue that the Job saw the gods of the nations as a reliable source of inspiration. Nevertheless, he presents valid conclusions that Job subjects the gods of the nations to weakness while the Yahweh remains sovereign.

Third, the allusions to Canaanite myths provide strong evidence for interpreting Behemoth and Leviathan supernaturally. The absence of Satan from the majority of the text of Job perpexles interpreters. Robert B. Chisholm compliments Fyall’s answer to the absence of Satan and the possible solution.[3] Fyall aids interpreters to the issue of creation and evil in Job where Job finds himself in a fallen world that turns on him. He answers the question with showing that Satan and death are working in the world, but God sovereign rules over the world.

Now My Eyes have Seen You provides an analysis of creation and evil in the book of Job.  Evangelical readers will benefit from Fyall’s synthesis of ANE literature with the biblical text.  Readers will be able to engage the sources and begin to think holistically about the book.  In an era of critical scholarship, Fyall provides a breath of fresh air to the pastor and theologian.  His analysis transcends sections of the text by incorporating the final form. He uses the theology of the final form to demonstrate continuity of the text. Fyall encourages a spiritual reading of the text by incorporating Behemoth and Leviathan throughout the book.

Nicholas R. Majors

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

[1] Cecil Grant, “A Review: Now my eyes have seen you: images of creation and evil in the book of Job,” Them 28, no. 3 (2003): 56.

[2] Daniel P. Bricker, “A Review: Now my eyes have seen you: images of creation and evil in the book of Job,” JETS 46, no. 2 (2003): 328.

[3] Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Review: Now my eyes have seen you: images of creation and evil in the book of Job,” Bsac 162, no. 648 (2005): 499.

Review of The T&T Handbook of Septuagint Research edited by Ross and Glenny

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T&T

Review of The T&T Handbook of Septuagint Research edited by Ross and Glenny

Ross, William A. and W. Edward Glenny ed. The T&T Handbook of Septuagint Research. Great Britain, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021, pp. xxv+486, $175, hardback.

William A. Ross is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC (Back Cover). A sample of Ross’ publications includes The Septuagint: What it is and Why it Matters (2021) and A Book-by-Book Guide to Septuagint Vocabulary (2019). Moreover, he writes a blog titled Septuaginta &C. W. Edward Glenny is Professor of New Testament and Greek at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul in Minnesota (Back Cover). Glenny is also an accomplished writer with titles that include commentaries on Micah, Amos, and Hosea for the Septuagint Commentary Series.

A glance in the preface shows this handbook is constructed to complement James K. Aitken’s T&T Clark Companion to the Septuagint (xii). For those unfamiliar with Aitken’s book, his volume “provides a book-by-book overview of the corpus [i.e., the Septuagint]” (xii). Within the handbook, the contributors include many notable scholars. Among the several scholars worthy of mention are James K. Atkin, Peter J. Gentry, Steve Moyise, and Stanley E. Porter. The editor states the goal of the volume is to deliver a consolidated resource that presents “the wide variety of scholarly approaches to research” for both the “specialists and non-specialists” (xii).

The handbook is divided into six parts: (1) Origins, (2) Language, (3) Text, (4) Reception, (5) Theology, Translation, and Commentary, and (6) Survey of Literature. Most chapters follow a four-section structure: “first, introducing the research topic; second, presenting an overview of views and/or debates related to it; third, discussing the relevant research methods, theories, or tools; and fourth, highlighting ongoing research questions” (4). Also, each chapter has a short, annotated bibliography to provide further information for research (4).

Reviews of handbooks risk turning into reproductions of the table of contents (a resource readily available on the publisher’s website, www.bloomsbury.com). To avoid such a travesty, this review will highlight three chapters, which showcase the accessibility of the material on the LXX for new students, the advanced material for seasoned students of the LXX, and the quality of scholarship within the handbook.

Ross Williams’s introductory chapter highlights how accessible the Septuagint can be to new students of the LXX. First, his introduction contains a sweeping overview of major Septuagint studies dating to the 1600s (1). Second, the recounting of history slows down in the twentieth century. With the twentieth century in focus, Williams brings the reader, and new students, to the current discussions in the handbook. Williams states that the handbook’s purpose is “to help mitigate the proliferation of scholarship by providing an up-to-date overview of the discipline in a single volume” (3). Third, Williams explains the approaches to the meaning of the title “Septuagint” and the abbreviation “LXX,” which familiarizes readers with the complexity, nuance, and difficulties in applying the word and abbreviation to the corpus and serves as a guide for reading a variety of definitions for the Septuagint found in the handbook (4-5). In addition to the introductory material, the chapter shares the design and goals of the volume. This includes the secondary goal of highlighting significant research topics within Septuagint studies (4).

Mikhail Seleznev’s chapter, “The Septuagint in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition,” is highlighted because it demonstrates the advanced material in the handbook (Ch. 19). The Eastern Orthodox tradition receives an entire chapter, which is not common in introductory textbooks. Seleznev provides an overview of the OT Canon of the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Eastern Orthodox churches’ use of the Septuagint, modern-Greek and modern-Russian translations of the OT, and current debates within the Orthodox Church concerning the Septuagint and Hebrew OT. Last, the chapter discusses the uniqueness of the Septuagint in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Unlike Protestant or perhaps other Western Churches, “the Septuagint tradition in the Orthodox world, they are not just objects of historical study, but they have direct bearing on the matter of Orthodox identity” (297).

Stanley Porter’s chapter on “A Greek-Text-Oriented Approach” to study the Septuagint was a high point of the book. His goal is to defend the Brill Septuagint Commentary Series hermeneutical method (363). Porter makes a solid defense that is both elementary (e.g., “The Septuagint is a Greek text, and therefore merits comment on it as a Greek text” (366)) and technical (Porter’s argument for a Greek-text-oriented commentary has four reasons and six sub-dimensions (366-369)). The reader learns about the implications of such an approach, and the effect is far more helpful than using the LXX as an interlinear tool for understanding the Hebrew text. Also, Porter suggests that the “Greek text should be considered canonical” (372). For support of a canonical understanding of the Greek text, he discusses the canonical status when the Greek Pentateuch was first translated (372), the prevalent use of the Greek text by the NT authors, and “the eastern or Orthodox church or churches” practices or traditions (373). Readers will find Porter’s arguments thorough and worth engaging.

The T&T Clark Handbook of the Septuagint is an excellent tool for learning about the Septuagint, a mighty instrument for availing oneself of additional resources in Septuagint studies, and a conversation starter to prompt further research. The three benefits will briefly be discussed throughout the recommendation.

The handbook is recommended for advanced seminary students, scholars, and libraries. This book is likely too advanced for students entering seminary. The handbook requires previous knowledge of textual criticism and of Jewish and Christian traditions (particularly regarding textual transmission and understanding of texts). However, the resource may serve well at the graduate level, assuming the student has taken prerequisite courses like Biblical Hermeneutics. Further, this resource could be supplemented with entry-level textbooks or handouts. Established scholars—those already introduced to the Septuagint and biblical hermeneutics—will find the book approachable. It is unnecessary, but it would behoove the reader to know some Greek and Hebrew. Last, this resource should be available in libraries, perhaps even church libraries (i.e., where the church provides theological training). The handbook would serve well as the only book on the Septuagint in such a library.

The handbook serves as a wonderful entry-level tool for learning/teaching the Septuagint. Several, if not all, the chapters of the book overlap with content found in introductions to the Septuagint, such as chapters on the origin, transmission, and language of the Septuagint. However, unlike introductions to the Septuagint, the handbook contains advanced material and is focused on presenting “major research topics in the discipline” (4). The change in focus from an introduction to discussing major research topics best suits scholars. Besides the handbooks highlighting research topics and recommended resources, the handbook spends more time and gives more attention to issues of the Septuagint (e.g., Chapter 19 by Seleznev, mentioned above). This content is more advanced and is well suited for post-graduate or as selected material for graduate students.

Last, libraries should make this book available to their patrons. Indeed, theological colleges would be interested in this volume, so the main recommendation is directed toward smaller libraries and churches that serve semi-formal or lay-theological training. With this single resource, a patron has access to an advanced volume on the Septuagint that contains accessible portions for the novice and excels at serving the more knowledgeable reader.

Ross Daniel Harmon

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary