Dead Sea Scrolls
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 53, No. 1 – Fall 2010
Managing Editor: Malcolm B. Yarnell III
By Bruce Waltke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. 1040 pages. Hardcover, $44.99.
This book is divided into three unequal parts. The first part consists of an introduction addressing the nature, task, and method of Old Testament theology. Waltke stresses that the basis for an Old Testament theology is the Old Testament texts themselves and that these texts are the revelation of God. Since the texts are revelation, his method focuses on the literary dimensions of them. He concludes the introduction by discussing the center of the Bible which serves as a recurrent touchstone for his Old Testament theology.
The second part constitutes the bulk of the book. It is devoted to the exposition of and reflection upon the Primary History, Genesis through Kings, plus Chronicles, Esther, and Ezra-Nehemiah. As Waltke unfolds the shape and message of these books, he also leaves room for these texts to address classical and contemporary theological issues. Some of these chapters (e.g. Chapter 22 on 1 Sam) read more like a survey of a biblical book sprinkled with insightful exegetical comments. Other chapters focus upon a particular theme, providing an opportunity to approach a theological issue more systematically, using both Old and New Testaments.
The third part is devoted to the other writings of the Old Testament: the prophets, Psalms, Ruth, and Wisdom Literature. This third part is similar to the second in format; however, Waltke covers more introductory material and devotes less space to theological topics. Some of the introductory material covered includes the various characteristics of prophets throughout Israel’s history and a description of interpretive approaches to the Psalms and the significance of their being edited into a psalter. Despite the limited space provided for theological themes, he concludes the book with a reflection on the biblical teaching about the afterlife.
The book’s subtitle helps to capture the distinctive characteristics of this Old Testament theology. First, it is exegetical; that is, it is structured to follow the shape of the biblical texts and the way in which the texts develop certain themes. Waltke completes his exegetical work primarily in terms of literary analysis: poetics and intertextuality. His exegetical work is a real strength of the book. One will quickly notice that he consistently devotes attention to the structure of passages at a macroand micro-level as a means of identifying a passage’s message as well as his insight in reading the contours of the narratives.
Second, it is canonical; that is, it focuses on the final canonical form of Old Testament books rather than attempting to reconstruct their compositional history even though he does not avoid discussions of compositional history “in those cases where there is convincing evidence and it is patently relevant to the [sic] explicating the Old Testament message” (55). On the other hand, his approach does not follow a particular shape of the Old Testament canon (i.e. tripartite Tanakh), but arranges the books into four major blocks: the Primary History, Prophetic Literature, Hymnic Literature, and Wisdom Literature. Despite this canonical emphasis, the book itself gives little attention to much of the Old Testament canon. The bulk of the book (ca. 580 pp.) is devoted to the Primary History. All of the Prophetic Literature occupies 45 pages; the Hymnic Literature, 27 pages; and Wisdom Literature, 50 pages.
Third, it is thematic; that is, it treats certain themes that arise from the text within the larger scope of the Bible. For instance, after explicating the creation narrative in one chapter, he devotes the following chapter to marriage. In the chapter, he does not limit his focus to the Genesis passage, but brings in questions raised in other biblical passages as well as contemporary discussions. However, it is also thematic by explicating the Old Testament books within the framework of a center, which Waltke describes as “the message that accommodates all [the Bible’s] themes” (144). He defines this center as the following: “Israel’s sublime God, whose attributes hold in tension his holiness and mercy, glorifies himself by establishing his universal rule over his volitional creatures on earth through Jesus Christ and his covenant people” (144), and uses the phrase “the irruption of God’s kingdom” as a shorthand for it. At the same time, Waltke is aware of the danger that forcing disparate material to fit within this mold may warp the material itself. He states that the “proposed center accommodates the whole, but the whole is not systematically structured according to it” (144). For the most part, Waltke heeds his own advice; he allows each part of the Old Testament to speak for itself. However, the book falls prey to another danger: giving insufficient attention to other parts of the Old Testament. The majority of the book is devoted to the primary history where the irruption of God’s kingdom is a prominent theme. Since Waltke devotes such little space to the other writings, he cannot show how this center naturally arises from them.
Along with the descriptors of the subtitle, there should be added another: it is confessional. Waltke approaches Old Testament theology as a spiritual exercise. It is a discipline of theology, not history or religion (39–40). As a result, throughout the book Waltke provides several devotional reflections with personal anecdotes. To illustrate, Waltke’s final topic in the book is the New Testament’s teaching about hell. In the last sentence of the entire book, Waltke recounts, “Spirit-filled preaching of the last passage cited [Revelation 20:10–15] convicted me to pray that God would have mercy on me a sinner” (969).
The book is of an academic style. Such is probably unavoidable given the author, subject, and aims. On occasion, the style leads to obfuscation. For example, Waltke writes, “The failure of paremiologists to grasp the significance of the restricted ability of epigrams to express the whole truth and the rectification of this problem by grouping them has bedeviled the discussion” (925). On the other hand, Waltke provides a pleasurable reading experience with colorful analogies and delightful turns of phrase. As an example, Waltke describes the royal psalms and Israel’s anticipation of the Messiah as follows: “Israel draped the magnificent royal psalms as robes on each successive king, but generation after generation the shoulders of the reigning monarch proved too narrow and the robe slipped off to be draped on his successor” (889). This type of picturesque analogy and turn of phrase is found throughout the book and provides quotable gems for any Bible teacher or preacher.
Because of Waltke’s exegetical competence in dealing with Old Testament passages, his theological insight in bringing the various parts together, his firm grasp of contemporary critical and conservative scholarship, and his devotional sensitivity to the spiritual task of Old Testament theology, there is something for everyone is this volume: churchman, student, exegete, or theologian. The volume is especially helpful in providing an overview to the Bible (especially Chapter 6 on the Bible’s center) and as a reference for individual Old Testament books and theological topics since it provides the necessary background discussion, exegetical interaction, and theological reflection that helps bring each book into focus within the larger biblical context. At the same time, the book proves woefully inadequate for certain Old Testament books, especially the prophets.
