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5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Breathes New Life, 29 Nov 2008

By	D. Tomlinson (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book comprises a collection of essays largely published between 1992 and 2002 and brought together with the stated purpose of bringing to greater prominence a wider critical engagement by the author on his contribution to the contemporary discussion about the Old Testament. It is structured in such as a way so as to lend itself to easy accessibility with the essays divided into three parts. Part I contains three chapters each looking at an aspect of Biblical Authority with chapter two offering a very personal reflection on the authors foundational motivations. Part II is the bulk of the work with six essays looking at the nature of Old Testament theology in the twentieth century. The primary focus is around the work of Walter Eichrodt and Gerhard von Rad during the middle of the century. Part III presents a conversation with other theologians pre-eminent of which is Brevard Childs from whom a critique of Brueggemann is included in the final chapter.

The title of the book reflects the quote from Karl Barth (p.xiii) "The strange new world within the Bible" which also serves to preface Brueggemann's intention to construct a Biblical theology with a postmodern perspective. He introduces his arguments by making clear his assertion (p.xv) that `what one finds in scripture is to some extent determined by what one brings to the text'. He does qualify this by pointing out that this does not imply a `free and easy', (my paraphrase) approach but what it does suggest is that any critique inevitably reflects the deeply held passions of the one critiquing. He goes slightly further than that suggesting that these passions are often rooted in our `woundedness' and it is perhaps for this reason that he includes the very personal chapter two allowing the reader a glimpse of the man and his motivations.

It is on this basis that he constructs his post modern hermeneutical platform taking an approach best described as `dialogical' with texts allowing for "ever-new disclosures when they must meet, address, and respond to evocative and particular contexts" (p. 125). He uses the modern, scientific, enlightenment, approach to scripture as a backdrop against which he demonstrates the strength of his arguments. The questions, he claims, have moved on (p.5) and the challenge for today is around what it means to be a `community of interpretation' rather than in pursuit of scientific certitude. Following the personal reflection in chapter two he then argues (p.23) that issues of interpretation are thus more likely, in today's world, to live in `deeply powerful though unrecognized ways' and so to become `long term habits of conviction' before being recognized as such.

In the main part of the book Brueggemann takes this argument further defending a reading from the context of the communities of faith (both Jewish and Christian) in which theological claims are normative. He challenges the dominance of the historical perspective when approaching interpretation (p.50) arguing that such a model dissolves normative textual claims whilst making theological reflection almost impossible. He does not however dismiss the historical approach altogether suggesting instead that durable resources can be found here (p.59) but does argue that `objective interpretation' is no longer viable when faced with the rapidly changing pluralistic twenty first century world.

In chapter five he moves his survey on from the broad sweep of the preceding chapter to a look at the work of Gerhard von Rad and so to make clear the dominant place of both the man and his work throughout the twentieth century. In evaluating the work of von Rad he maintains his broad thesis which demands a contextual look at the work of a theologian and so avoiding a naive rendering (p.60). Von Rad's work is therefore evaluated against the rise of National Socialism in Germany and the problem of supersessionism. In chapter 6 he offers a more specific example arguing that the German church's struggle with the "blood and soil" ideology of National Socialism in the 1930s influenced Gerhard von Rad's criticism of Canaanite Baal religion and his consequent marginalizing of the role of creation in the beliefs of ancient Israel. He uses this as an example of the way in which Old Testament theology has been organized around `major shaping models of interpretation'. The work of Gerhard was then taken up and advanced by numerous other scholars and Brueggemann comments (p.85) that this approach still remains largely uncriticised. He points to G. Ernest Wright as the most influential American Old Testament theologian of this period and notes the way in which Wright pursued the same agenda articulating what came to be standard categories for Old Testament theology.

Chapter seven reflects briefly on some of the issues covered by the previous essay and quickly concludes that by the 1960's Old Testament theology had reached a `settled state' seeing the Old Testament Meta narrative as primarily covenantal. He points out succinctly that this past is however never actually `past' for it feeds the present and also serves to illustrate the contextual nature of our own world view and hermeneutical approach. He then seeks to briefly survey the latter end of the twentieth century commenting on Phyllis Trible's sensitive feminist approach before looking at Brevard Childs and Norman Gottwald. In chapter eight he brings the story in to the contemporary arena with a `contextual prospectus' looking at these contemporary approaches to Old Testament theology. He examines some of the modernist perspectives (Robert Carroll) including those that view the text as `an oppressive ideology of social control'; premodern perspectives (Brevard Childs) that `try to conform the text to a rule of faith'; and postmodern perspectives (for example, Wesley Kort) that view the text as lacking a single credible coherence because of its "sheer, dread holiness." (p. 129) He argues that there is actually enough evidence to support the concerns of all three groups, while maintaining that they aren't mutually exclusive and urging scholars in each camp to listen to the readings of the others.

The final essay in this section continues this appeal by arguing around the theme of the book, `New Life'. He points out that interpreters of Scripture would do well not just to listen to one another but also to avoid what he describes as `the Christian propensity to closure'. He examines briefly why this apparent drive has remained a constant in Christian theologizing referring to his ideas around imagination and testimony as `sitting ill at ease' with both Constantine hegemony or Hellenistic tradition. He ends the section by quoting George Steiner meditative comment on the nature of the `long day's journey' which is Saturday, trapped between nightmare of Friday and utopian Sunday.

Section three is relatively brief but allows the reader a critical view of the wider response to Brueggemann's thinking and thus perhaps some of the weaknesses of the arguments he presents. Brevard Child's most damning criticism (p.175) is perhaps the comment that `one does not have to look far to discover striking analogies between Brueggemann's postmodernism and ancient Gnosticism'. He goes on to suggest that the involvement of imagination in the activity of interpretation whilst denying the primary covenantal historicity of the Old Testament in favour of `dialectical tension' is not helpful. Childs points out that the Gnostics established their own system of Biblical interpretation with a mixture of mythology, rationalism and intuition. He describes the Gnostic comparison as an analogy with Brueggemann's six "I" descriptors (inherency, interpretation, ideology, inspiration, imagination, and, importance) in chapter two. On page 172 he describes what he refers to as Brueggemann's hermeneutical challenge which he further clarifies as raising theological stakes regarding many basic questions relating to the authority of the Bible and the church.

Childs is also critical of Brueggemann's claim to be arguing on behalf of both Jewish and Christian faith communities contending that his description of God in theology is `one no serious religious Jew can tolerate'. He continues this by considering the testimony and counter testimony dialogical interpretation as undermining the very nature of God as revealed in scripture. Brueggemann in response describes the criticism particularly the Gnostic analogy as `a deep distortion of what I have done' (p.175) and then again `nothing could be more of a distortion' (p.176). He is gracious in conceding that, rather than deliberate, Childs criticism is rooted within his own interpretative agenda, an argument which takes us back to Brueggemann's earlier comments around the subjectivity of interpretation.

Perhaps it is the nature of this subjectivity that makes conversation with someone who's view appears predetermined (Childs) with one who would claim it isn't (Brueggemann) difficult. In the end however it seems to me that the difference between them is primarily a value judgement. Childs considers the nature of interpretation and deems the editorializing activity of the original authors as inspired or at worst well meaning. Brueggemann considers the editorializing activity suspect and hence emphasises the contextual element.

Childs does however appear somewhat shrill in his criticism whilst Brueggemann is gracious and it is this generosity toward his scholarly sparring partner that seems to reflect Brueggemann's core belief that scripture defies all our categories. Thus for me if the Bible is `The Book that Breathes New Life' then I would describe Brueggemann as the man who inspired my exploration of that life and who it is worked out.

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