Southwestern Journal of Theology (48.1)
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 48, No. 1 - Fall 2005
Editor: Paige Patterson
By Peter Enne. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005. 200 pages. Softcover, $17.99.
As indicated in the title, Inspiration and Incarnation attempts to deal with interpretive issues that commonly arise in Old Testament study. How can scripture be unique given the many parallels with ancient Near Eastern literature? Is there theological diversity among Old Testament writers? Furthermore, what hermeneutical principles flow from the seemingly unusual manner in which New Testament writers interpret the Old Testament? Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard university) boldly addresses these unsettling questions by using the Incarnation as a paradigm for interpretation.
Enns advocates what he calls an “incarnational analogy.” Jesus Christ, the Word Incarnate, is both fully God and fully man. An Incarnational model of scripture recognizes that God’s written Word has both human and divine elements. Whereas evangelicals are comfortable with the latter assertion, they are often unnerved by (or deny outright) the former. The Incarnation paradigm allows for a more honest assessment of problems in the Old Testament and accommodates a positive position by which evangelicals can address interpretive issues while maintaining their theological distinctives. For instance, Paul was guided by the Spirit in his interpretation of the Old Testament but he was also employing common Second Temple hermeneutics.
Enns masterfully balances Old Testament history and exegesis with evangelical theological commitments. The problem of Old Testament studies is that evangelicals have taken a primarily defensive position against the onslaught of historical and literary criticism. Thus, the ultimate goal of this book is to construct a positive interpretive paradigm by which evangelicals can address Old Testament issues in a manner that maintains critical theological commitments as well as academic integrity.
Incarnation and Inspiration offers a critique of common assumptions regarding inspiration. First, inspiration need not imply that the Bible is always unique. In fact, the Bible parallels other ancient sources regarding the flood, legal codes, and literary forms. Liberals and conservatives make the same mistake of seeing these similarities as counting against the inspiration of scripture. The incarnation analogy implies that biblical writers were both culturally situated and moved by the Spirit. Any interpretative method which does not affirm and accommodate both is in error. Second, inspiration doesn’t require scripture to speak with one voice on all matters. Enns appeals primarily to differences in the Wisdom literature to argue that the humanity of scripture naturally results in a level of diversity.
Inspiration and Incarnation is an exceptionally organized and accessible book. Chapters are divided to address critical issues in the Old Testament. Each chapter states the particular problem, gives a selection of Bible passages or ancient Near Eastern case-studies which illustrate the point, followed by Enns’s proposed solution. Readers who are new to the field are aided by an extensive glossary. Each time a technical word or term is used, it is printed in bold to indicate an entry in the glossary.
While the incarnation analogy is helpful, the book fails to develop this critical comparison. Most notably, Enns spends precious little time clarifying what is meant by the divine aspect of scripture. The conservative reader might find Enns’s treatment of the Genesis flood as myth unsettling, as well as his tacit assumption of multiple-meaning. However these cautions are far outweighed by the profound contribution this book makes to biblical studies.
