Leviticus: A Commentary (review)

Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 304 Reviews meaning for the Old Testament gospel and to explain why the Exodus event is central to the gospel of Iesus Christ [emphasis mine] (p. xi.), he is summarizing his approach to the book of Exodus as story, his Christian view of the Old Testament and New Testament as a single canon and his belief that the Bible's theology is Liberation Theology. Ashby's is a theological reading of the book of Exodus which he formulates within his South African context. And as such, his elucidation of the exodus story brings with it arguments against apartheid and in favor of Liberation Theology and nonviolent resistance. His South African context is also evident in his frequent reference to twentieth century African tribal culture for comparison with ancient Egyptian and ancient Near Eastern cultures. Ashby's writing is light and enjoyable, but his commentary may be too light for scholarly use. His survey of major twentieth century male scholarship is solid though cursory. His work with the text in the original language is limited to the occasional reference to a Hebrew word, and this he does in the rare instance. He gears his work to an audience which has limited Hebrew knowledge and interest, and as such one does not get a great deal of information as to his own knowledge of the ancient language. He offers no engagement with feminist scholarship or with any of the various literary critical approaches. However, bearing in mind these limitations, this commentary offers a pleasantly readable survey of twentieth century historical critical work related to Exodus and an engaging theological reading of this most defining biblical book. M. Beth Bruskewicz Szlos Union Theological Seminary New York, NY 10027 mbs12@colurnbia.edu LEVITICUS: A COMMENTARY. By Erhard S. Gerstenberger. Old Testament Library. Pp. xiv + 450. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1997. Cloth, $43.95. Gerstenberger offers a "sociotheological" interpretation of Leviticus (originally published in German, 1994). He suggests that post-exilic Iews encountered the text in worship centered on reading the Torah in small communities often removed from participation in the temple cult Leviticus itself is portrayed as a literary end product of a process of growth and accretion which cannot be accounted for by the usual hypotheses using the Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 305 Reviews sigla of P and H. In fact, the "Holiness Code" is dismissed as a fantasy. Exegesis proceeds on the basis of units of thematically or editorially related material. The book is directed primarily to a Christian, non-specialist readership and Gerstenberger attempts to relate the theology of Leviticus to contemporary concerns. The result is a commentary which identifies with trends in modem hermeneutics (including feminism) to "read against the grain," and which is concerned to describe the use of Leviticus in later Jewish and Christian traditions. In this regard, Gerstenberger acknowledges the misuse that Christians have made of Leviticus in an attempt to disparage Judaism and the need for a corrective. The author is well known to biblical scholars for innovative and thoughtful approaches to reading the Hebrew Scriptures. But this commentary is rather disappointing. Gerstenberger does not engage adequately with scholarship at odds with his views, for example, in the recent commentaries of Milgrom (1991) and Rendtorff (1985). There are also a number of problems with his discussions of technical terms, notably those for "sinoffering ." For example, Gerstenberger contends that the whole burnt offering of Leviticus 1 was originally meant to effect the same kind of atonement as the sin offering described in Leviticus 4. But he offers little explanation why in subsequent ritual instructions one must present both a sin offering and a whole burnt offering (e.g., Lev 12:6) save that both are required to effect atonement. Of greatest concern, in this reviewer's opinion, is that Gerstenberger does not sufficiently read Leviticus against the grain of Christian antisemitism , though this is a stated aim (p. 16). This would require a more sympathetic reading of Leviticus than Gerstenberger offers his readers. A principle difficulty is the attitude Gerstenberger takes toward the sacrificial cult. Readers are informed that the entire institution of temple times derives from Canaanite models (pp. 21-22...