Interpretation articles from October 2004

Interpretation archives from October 2004

Editorial.(Editorial)
October 1, 2004... ALL HUMAN BEINGS and indeed the whole creation are heirs of the murderous sibling rivalry between Cain and Abel pictured in the 16th century woodcut on the cover of this issue of Interpretation. Whether individuals or terrorists groups have...

Created in the image of a violent god? The ethical problem of the conquest of chaos in biblical creation texts.
October 1, 2004... The Bible opens with the remarkable claim that humans are made in God's image and likeness (imago Dei) and granted real power to rule the earth as emissaries or delegates of the Creator (Gen 1:26-28). Although the history of interpretation has...

Violence and women's lives in the book of judges.
October 1, 2004... The book of Judges is a violent book. There is hardly a single narrative that is not concerned with violence of some sort: battles as well as individual killings; kidnapping; threats; even human sacrifice; and the list goes on. I have been...

"I was only a little angry": divine violence in the prophets.
October 1, 2004... I was only a little angry; they made the disaster worse." This seemingly minor quotation from Zech 1:15, which witnesses to the excessive actions of divine agents, may provide a helpful angle on the interpretation of violence in the prophets....

The cross and cycles of violence.
October 1, 2004... At the core of the Christian story is the violent death of Jesus. The New Testament gives witness to the great variety of ways in which early Christians made meaning of this horrific event. For contemporary believers who struggle with how to...

Matthew 26:47-56.(Between Text & Sermon)
October 1, 2004... The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Martin Luther King, Jr. IT'S A STORY OF BETRAYAL AND VIOLENCE, a story...

Mark 13:1-8.(Between Text & Sermon)
October 1, 2004... MY HUNCH IS THAT FEW PASTORS TURN TO Mark 13:1-8 and shout with delight, "At last! What a wonderful passage for this week's lectionary!" More commonly, we who ascend to the pulpit week in and week out instead probably read this text then flip...

Luke 10:38-42.(Between Text & Sermon)
October 1, 2004... THIS TEXT, WHICH IS FOUND ONLY IN LUKE, should come with a warning: Proceed with caution! There is nothing neutral about these verses nor are they likely to evoke a neutral response from the hearer. Before the preacher ever gets to the sermon...

Romans 1:28-32.(Between Text & Sermon)
October 1, 2004... If there is no God, then everything is permitted. Dmitry Karamazov in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov utters these words as he contemplates murdering his own father. In this account, Dostoevsky intimates that God's existence is the last...

Paul among the Postliberals: Pauline Theology beyond Christendom and Modernity.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Paul among the Postliberals: Pauline Theology beyond Christendom and Modernity by Douglas Harink Brazos, Grand Rapids, 2003. 283 pp. $23.99. ISBN 1-58743-041-X. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE FRONT COVER OF DOUGLAS HARINK'S BOOK...

1 & 2 Samuel.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... 1 & 2 Samuel by Tony W. Cartledge Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Smyth & Helwys, Macon, 2001. 748 pp. $65.00 (cloth). ISBN 1-57312-064-2. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1 Samuel by Antony F. Campbell, S.J. FOTL, 7....

Jesus Remembered.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making; Volume 1 by James D. G. Dunn Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003. 1019 pp. $55.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8028-3931-2. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT OBVIOUSLY owes its origins to...

James.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... James by Patrick J. Hartin SP, 14. Liturgical, Collegeville, 2003. 319 pp. $39.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-8146-5816-4. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AT ITS BEST, THE SACRA PAGINA COMMENTARY SERIES has served its intended readers well by...

Healing Violent Men: A Model for Christian Communities.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Healing Violent Men: A Model for Christian Communities by David J. Livingston Fortress, Minneapolis, 2002. 129 pp. $17.00. ISBN 0-8006-3251-6. THIS BOOK'S SUBJECT MATTER is rarely acknowledged by faith communities, much less...

Joshua.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Joshua by Jerome F. D. Creach Interpretation. John Knox, Louisville, 2003. 135 pp. $22.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-8042-3106-0. THE AUTHOR SEEKS TO UNCOVER the active relevance of Joshua for the theology and faith of the Christian church....

Character & Scripture: Moral Formation, Community, and Biblical Interpretation.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Character & Scripture: Moral Formation, Community, and Biblical Interpretation edited by William P. Brown Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2002. 440 pp. $34.00. ISBN 0-8028-4625-4. THIS COLLECTION OF ESSAYS brings together a preeminent...

Genesis.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Genesis by David W. Cotter, O.S.B. Berit Olam. Liturgical, Collegeville, 2003. 366 pp. $49.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-8146-5040-6. IN THIS EXCELLENT CONTRIBUTION to the Berit Olam series, David Cotter, a Benedictine monk and priest,...

Lamentations.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Lamentations by Dianne Bergant Abingdon, Nashville, 2003. 144 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-687-08461-X. BERGANT HAS A TALENT FOR writing graceful, non-technical commentaries that convey the essence of modern scholarship in an accessible...

Speaking Jesus: Homiletic Theology and the Sermon on the Mount.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Speaking Jesus: Homiletic Theology and the Sermon on the Mount by David Buttrick Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2002. 230 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-664-22602-7. IN SPEAKING JESUS BUTTRICK MAKES contemporary homiletical sense of...

What Did Jesus Do? Gospel Profiles of Jesus' Personal Conduct.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... What Did Jesus Do? Gospel Profiles of Jesus' Personal Conduct by F. Scott Spencer Trinity Press International, Harrisburg, 2003. 279 pp. $19.95. ISBN 1-56338-392-6. WHETHER A PERSON BRANDISHES "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets or...

Preaching the Gospel of John: Proclaiming the Living Word.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Preaching the Gospel of John: Proclaiming the Living Word by Lamar Williamson, Jr. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2004. 342 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-664-22533-0. WILLIAMSON PROVIDES PREACHERS and teachers in the church a valuable...

The First Christian Historian: Writing the Acts of the Apostles.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... The First Christian Historian: Writing the "Acts of the Apostles" by Daniel Marguerat SNTSMS 121. Translated by Ken McKinney, Gregory J. Laughery, and Richard Bauckham. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002. 299 pp. $60.00...

Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The "Lutheran" Paul and His Critics.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Perspectives Old and New On Paul: The "Lutheran" Paul and His Critics by Stephen Westerholm Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2004. 508 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-8028-4809-5. THIS BOOK IS AN EXPANSION of Westerholm's 1988 Israel's Law and the...

Augustine's Commentary on Galatians: Introduction, Text, Translation, and Notes.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Augustine's Commentary on Galatians: Introduction, Text, Translation, and Notes by Eric Plumer Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003. 312 pp. $80.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-19-924439-1. GALATIANS IS THE ONLY BOOK of the Bible on which...

Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins: Diversity, Continuity, and Transformation.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins: Diversity, Continuity, and Transformation by George W.E. Nickelsburg Fortress, Minneapolis. 2003. 264 pp. $23.00. ISBN 0-8006-3612-0. THIS IS A "MUST-READ" book for students, educated lay...

Religious Pluralism in America: The Contentious History of a Founding Ideal.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Religious Pluralism in America: The Contentious History of a Founding Ideal by William R. Hutchison Yale University Press, New Haven, 2003. 276 pp. $29.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-300-09813-8. HUTCHISON OFFERS IN THIS book an overall...

The Vision of the Ecumenical Movement and How It Has Been Impoverished by Its Friends.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... The Vision of the Ecumenical Movement and How It Has Been Impoverished by Its Friends by Michael Kinnamon Chalice, St. Louis, 2003. 183 pp. $29.99. ISBN 0-8272-4006-6. THIS BOOK IS A PERSONAL assessment of the ecumenical movement...

Presbyterian Beliefs: A Brief Introduction.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Presbyterian Beliefs: A Brief Introduction by Donald K. McKim Geneva, Louisville, 2003. 126 pp. $10.95. ISBN 0-664-50253-9. ADDRESSED TO PROSPECTIVE or new Presbyterians and to life-long Presbyterians who want to examine the...

Just Preaching: Prophetic Voices for Economic Justice.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Just Preaching: Prophetic Voices for Economic Justice edited by Andre Resner, Jr. Chalice, St. Louis, 2003. 247 pp. $29.99. ISBN 0-8272-1715-3. THIS COLLECTION CONTAINS sermons and essays, thirty in number, from an ecumenical...

Preaching and Practical Ministry.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Preaching and Practical Ministry by Ronald J. Allen Preaching and its Partners. Chalice, St. Louis, 2001. 149 pp. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2972-0. AS ANY PARISH MINISTER KNOWS, there are many demands that compete for the minister's...

Understanding Male Violence: Pastoral Care Issues.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Understanding Male Violence: Pastoral Care Issues by James Newton Poling Chalice, St. Louis, 2003. 208 pp. $29.99, ISBN 0-8272-3802-9. A collection of previously published articles that serves as a resource for religious and...

Facets Series (Minneapolis: Fortress Press).(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Facets Series (Minneapolis: Fortress Press) Short, affordable volumes provide brief treatments of vital aspects of faith and life. Selected titles include: John J. Collins, Does the Bible Justify Violence? (2004), 56 pp. $6.00. ISBN...

The Art of Reading Scripture.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... The Art of Reading Scripture edited by Ellen F. Davis and Richard B. Hays Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003, 354 pp. $32.00. ISBN 0-8028-1269-4. Based on four years of conversation held at the Center of Theological Inquiry, the authors...

History of Biblical Interpretation: A Reader.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... History of Biblical Interpretation: A Reader by William Yarchin Hendrickson, Peabody, 2004, 444 pp. $34.95 (cloth). ISBN 1-56563-720-8. Yarchin provides an introduction to the history of biblical interpretation from 150 B.C.E. to...

Biblical Interpretation: The Meanings of Scripture--Past and Present.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Biblical Interpretation: The Meanings of Scripture--Past and Present edited by John M. Court T & T Clark, New York, 2003. 334 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-8264-6658-3. This collection of essays begins with a general introduction to the...

Reading Texts, Seeking Wisdom: Scripture and Theology.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Reading Texts, Seeking Wisdom: Scripture and Theology edited by David F. Ford and Graham Stanton Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2004. 297 pp. $28,00. ISBN 0-8028-2763-2. Originating from the Lady Margaret 500th Lectures at the University...

Jews and Christians: People of God.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Jews and Christians: People of God edited by Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003. 207 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-8028-0507-8. This volume presents the work of Christian and Jewish thinkers introducing readers...

Old Testament Theology: Flowering and Future.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Old Testament Theology: Flowering and Future edited by Ben C. Ollenburger Revised edition. Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, Ind, 2004. 544 pp. $55.01 (cloth). ISBN 1-57506-096-5. Intends to orient students to the work in Old Testament...

The Gospel of Matthew: A Contextual Introduction for Group Study.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... The Gospel of Matthew: A Contextual Introduction for Group Study by Daniel Patte Abingdon, Nashville, 2003. 165 pp. $24.65. ISBN 0-687-02214-2. This book presents an introduction to the Gospel of Matthew for a small group setting...

The Way Forward? Christian Voices on Homosexuality and the Church.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... The Way Forward? Christian Voices on Homosexuality and the Church edited by Timothy Bradshaw Second Edition, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2004. 256 pp. $16.00. ISBN 0-8028-2777-2. The essays in this volume address the full range of...

Walk in the Ways of Wisdom: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza.(BookNotes)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Walk in the Ways of Wisdom: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza edited by Shelly Matthews Trinity Press International, Harrisburg, 2003. 387 pp. $59.00 (cloth). ISBN 1-56338-406-X. This collection of essays honors the...