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Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 152 Reviews MIGHTY TO SAVE: A STUDY OF OLD TESTAMENT SOTEĀ· RIOLOGY. By T. V. Farris. Pp. 301. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1993. Cloth, $19.99. Farris' study is an attempt "to evaluate selected Old Testament passages and terminology that represent the core salvation message," noting from the start that the treatment is neither extensive nor exhaustive. In each chapter, Farris provides a detailed exegesis of a selected biblical passage and concludes with its soteriological significance. His interpretations generally follow evangelical lines. The highly selective passages, presented in the order of the Hebrew canon, come mainly from the Law and the Prophets. Based on the text of Genesis 1-3, chapter 1 of the book describes the nature and character of God as being an integral feature of salvation. The selected texts for chapter 2 through chapter 5 are also from Genesis, dealing with the human condition. The fall provides an understanding of the nature of sin, which involves doubt, pride, defiance and disobedience. Here Farris also examines the role of Satan in the Scriptures. The cryptic and enigmatic Gen 3:15 may be the first expression of redemptive hope, but the expression "call upon the name of the Lord" (4:26) is considered as the first clearcut statement of salvation. This statement contains people's acknowledgment of their sinful condition and their need to turn to God (p. 56). Here Farris also provides a helpful summary of the various interpretations of the Tetragrammaton. The Lord's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15) teaches that righteousness or salvation is always conditioned on a person's faith in God. Jacob's experience at the Jabbok (Genesis 32) serves as a redemptive example for people's encounter with God and their spiritual change. God's covenant with his people at Mount Sinai, which Farris prefers to name the Covenant of Holiness (Exodus 19-24), is the focus of chapters 6 and 7. In his view, this covenant with Israel must be seen as distinct from the two other covenants, which he calls the Covenant of Entry (Exodus 34) and the Covenant of Possession (Deuteronomy 28-30). The Covenant of Entry is neither a parallel nor a renewal of the one at Sinai because it comes after Israel had seriously violated the latter and because it is granted mainly to promise Israel's entrance into the land. As for the Covenant of Possession, a major argument for its distinctive status is based on the term -oc,o in Deut 29:1 ("in addition to," p. 103). The arguments would be more Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 153 Reviews convincing, however, if Farris also dealt with the continued relevance of the covenant at Sinai in the presence of two distinctly new covenants. The soteriological significance of atonement (Leviticus 17) is treated in chapter 8, while chapter 9 turns to Job 19 on the issue of sin and suffering and the redeemer idea in Job's hope. Why Farris locates the text of Job here is not clear. Chapter 10 uses the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6) to illustrate the concept of divine judgment on a fallen humankind. The selected biblical texts for the remaining chapters (11 through 15), except Joel 2:21-3:5 (Eng. 2:21-32), are from the Book of Isaiah. The investigation centers around the role of the coming Messiah in salvation. Farris understands "the teacher for righteousness" in Joel 2:23 as messianic and the content of the passage as both contemporary and eschatological. Isaiah 1:18-20 furnishes a crucial understanding of God's forgiving grace and of the importance of human responsibility, while Isa 52:13-53:12 describes the vicarious suffering of the Servant, a messianic figure distinct from corporate Israel. God's universal invitation to enter into his everlasting covenant, also being messianic, forms the salvation emphasis of Isaiah 55. The soteriological activity of the Holy Spirit, with its related messianic implications, is depicted in Isaiah 59. The last chapter of the book, a conclusion chapter, contains a brief synchronic view of salvation , summarized under the topics of theology, hamartology, atonement, election, justification, sanctification and fmal destiny. Pastors and seminarians, the book's...

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