Review

Author(s): Leslie J. Hoppe

Review by: Leslie J. Hoppe
Source: Hebrew Studies, Vol. 29 (1988), pp. 110-112
Published by: National Association of Professors of Hebrew (NAPH)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27909077
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Hebrew Studies 29 (1988) 110 Reviews

9:1-10:3 does contain some secondary material, but I do not think that
there are as many stages as there are literary units.

Stage 5. Various further expansions, Hebrew and Greek, bring us to the

Septuagint story of Esther (pp. 168-74). The primary effect of the LXX ex
pansions is, according to Clines, "to assimilate the book of Esther to a scrip
tural norm, especially as found in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel" (p. 169). The
additions recreate the book in the mold of post-exilic Jewish history by
adding divine interventions, explicit references to the religious activities of
the actors, reinterpretations of history through dreams, and more. Clines'
brief discussion of the "effects" of the additions (which he distinguishes from
their "purposes") is the best I have seen and is convincing in every particular,
except insofar as he downplays the significance of the introduction of explicit
divine causality to the story, just as he overemphasizes the clarity and cer
tainty of God's presence in the Masoretic version.

In an appendix Clines reprints the AT (Brooke-McLean edition) together

with the first complete translation, giving us the material necessary for
weighing, judging, and enjoying his fresh, bold, and significant ideas.
The arguments I have raised are not an attempt to discredit Clines'
insights or to show his scholarship to be flawed, but rather a continuation of a
scholarly dialogue in which his book will for many years be the starting point
and measuring rod.

Michael V. Fox
University of Wisconsin-Madison

EXODUS. By John I. Durham. Word Biblical Commentary 3. Pp. xxxiv +

516. Waco: Word, 1987. Cloth.

This commentary is the fruit of the author's twenty-year study of the

Book of Exodus. Familiarity with both the biblical text and the relevant
secondary literature, which should be the consequence of such a long time
devoted to the study of Exodus, are certainly in evidence in this book.
In accordance with the format of the Word Biblical Commentary, each
section of the commentary begins with a bibliography of important mono
graphs and articles dealing with the text under study. Next there is the
author's own translation of the text followed by textual notes which serve to

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Hebrew Studies 29 (1988) 111 Reviews

justify the author's translation. The section entitled "Form/Structure/Setting"

focuses on the state of modern scholarship. This is followed by an analytical
section called "Comment," where the author offers his comments on the sub
sections of the unit under study. The final component is called "Explanation,"
in which the author offers a synthesis of his views regarding the entire pas
sage. In this book, the thrust of the last two sections is decidedly theological.
In his bibliographies, the author focuses on English-language literature,
though he does include significant non-English studies as well. The author's
translation is the weakest aspect of his work. Durham does not seem to have
decided whether he wants to provide a formal translation or a more idiomatic
rendering. For example, he translates Exod 2:1 as "a man of the family of
Levi had taken to wife a young woman..." instead of saying simply that the
Levite married a young woman. On the other hand, he translates 2:11 as "The
days flew by, and Moses grew up." Sometimes his translation is a paraphrase
of questionable theological value. For example, he renders 2:25 as "God saw
the sons of Israel, and so God knew, by experience."
It is clear from his comments in the "Form/Structure/Setting" section that
the author is looking for a post-Wellhausian approach to the Pentateuch.
While he is certainly aware of the source analysis of the Book of Exodus,
Durham is clearly impatient with these efforts since he believe that it is
impossible to reach certain conclusions about the Pentateuchal sources. The
author cannot, however, avoid a discussion of these sources entirely. He
simply lists various suggestions regarding each unit without much evaluation,
leaving the impression that the issue is hopelessly muddled and the only
productive alternative is to concentrate on the shape of the text as it now
exists. Durham is basically pessimistic regarding the availability of con
clusive evidence regarding Pentateuchal sources, so he considers source
analysis as too subjective an enterprise to be of any genuine help in exegesis.
A recurring theme in his discussions of sources is his assertion that the key to
interpreting Exodus lies not with traditio-historical roots of the text, which
are basically unrecoverable, but with the theological purpose of the present
text that is evident from analysis of the canonical shape of the book.
Since Durham is convinced that he should focus on the theological
affirmations of the text, he is most creative in the sections entitled
"Comment" and "Explanation." The author believes that the key theological
affirmations made by the book of Exodus center around the theme of God's
presence. In chapters 1-24 the progression goes from the "promise of Pres
ence" to the "proof of Presence" to the "coming of Presence." The wilderness
trek leads Israel to experience God's absence as well as God's presence.
Finally chapters 25-40 deal with the symbols of God's presence in the cult
that has as its purpose extending the experience of God's presence through
time and space. According to Durham, it is this theme of "Presence" which
gives the Book of Exodus its present shape. He asserts that the Book of

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Hebrew Studies 29 (1988) 112 Reviews

Exodus as a whole is theological in its origin, theological in its statement, and

theological in its very arrangement (p. 353). By virtually ignoring the
Pentateuchal sources, the author limits his theological investigation to the
final form of the text. He does not see how source analysis can contribute to
an appreciation of the theological richness of the Book of Exodus that he
wishes to bring to light. Brevard S. Childs, another interpreter concerned
with the canonical shape of the text, has proven to be much more sensitive to
the interplay of tradition and reinterpretation in his commentary on Exodus
(OTL, 1974).
There are times when the author is genuinely insightful and offers clear,
concise, and innovative analysis. One such situation is his discussion of the
call of Moses (Exod 3:1-12; pp.27-34). He summarizes previous scholarly
discussion of similar narratives and then asserts that earlier analyses were too
narrowly centered on the relationship between call and message because of
their connection with prophetic traditions. Durham suggests that the focus be
shifted to the theophany-call sequence. He states that the call narratives
reflect a broader presence-response pattern found throughout the biblical
narratives (p. 30).
The series in which this commentary appears is designed as a "showcase of
... evangelical critical scholarship." This commentary gives a wider audience
a sample of what evangelical scholars can produce. This book is certainly not
a confessionally based dispute with historical critics. The arguments that
Durham makes reflect the kind of scholarly reassessment of the documentary
hypothesis that is in vogue today. The author is not the only scholar trying to
develop a post-Wellhausian approach to the Book of Exodus.
This volume is a significant effort at contributing to an understanding of
the Book of Exodus. It can be appreciated by serious students of the Bible as
well as by people who read and study the Bible as spiritual discipline. All its
readers will find their efforts highly rewarded.

Leslie J. Hoppe
Catholic Theological Union
Chicago, Illinois 60615

HOSEA: AN ISRAELITE PROPHET IN JUDEAN PERSPEC

TIVE. By Grace I. Emmerson. JSOT Supplement Series 28. Pp. 224.
Sheffield: JSOT, 1984. Cloth, $29.50. Paper, $11.95.

Originally written as a Ph.D. dissertation for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the

author's thesis has as its goal an examination of the (1) expressions of hope,
(2) references to the Southern/Davidic Kingdom, and (3) polemical material

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