Raising Up A Faithful Priest: Community and Priesthood in Biblical Theology (review)

Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 156 Reviews However, taken as a whole, Beyond Form Criticism will be useful as a resource only to those individuals and institutions who value literary criticism primarily as a way of bringing traditional readings of the Hebrew Bible to a new level of academic sophistication. That such a large and expensive book on such an important topic should be of such limited scope and usefulness is sad. Readers must continue to wait for an anthology that fully represents what is best in literary criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Jan Tarlin Emory University Atlanta, GA 30322 RAISING UP A FAITHFUL PRIEST: COMMUNITY AND PRIESTHOOD IN BmLICAL THEOLOGY. By Richard D. Nelson. pp. xiii + 192. Louisville: WestminsterlJohn Knox, 1993. Paper, $19.99. Nelson states that this book is "an introduction to what can be said theologically about priests on the basis of the biblical text and the priestly role in Israelite religion and society" (p. x). As such, it is a biblical theology of priesthood. For Nelson, "biblical" refers to the Christian canon, inclusive of the deuterocanonical books, while "theology" refers primarily to those aspects of Israel's social system and worldview that touch upon the Yahweh-Israel relationship, as well as the various theological conceptions found in the Hebrew scriptures (p. x). In the New Testament, Nelson focuses on the Christology of the book of Hebrews and the priesthood of the Christian community in 1 Peter. The first six chapters discuss historical, social, and theological aspects of Israel's views of priesthood (pp. 1-140), chapter seven discusses the books of Hebrews and 1 Peter (pp. 141-168), and a fmal chapter offers some thoughts on priesthood and the Christian community (pp. 169-174). The central focus of the book is a descriptive and historical analysis of priesthood in Israel's life and theological traditions that draws on anthropological categories of interpretation. Rather than developing a sustained argument, the book examines various aspects of priesthood in relation to Israel's social and theological life. Nelson recognizes that the biblical materials reflect a variety of historical situations and diverse theological understandings of priesthood. The diversity concerning priesthood, how- Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 157 Reviews ever, may be usefully organized around the interrelated themes of Israel's life before God and the on-going life of the community. The book opens with a brief history of priesthood in Israel that recognizes the struggles for power among various priestly groups within Israel and the ultimate victory of the Jerusalem hierarchy (pp. 1-15). A discussion of Israel's "culture map" follows that locates the work of the priesthood within the basic categories of clean/unclean and holy/profane (pp. 17-38). The priests teach the torah of clean and unclean and enact cleansing and atoning rituals designed to maintain and restore boundaries. In addition, the priests deliver oracles, declare blessings, and serve in various administrative capacities (pp. 39-53). An entire chapter is devoted to the priests and sacrificial ritual (pp. 5582 ). Ritual is understood as a complex and symbolic performance designed to maintain or restore religious and/or social order. For Nelson, "sacrifice created human community and linked that community with Yahweh's power and presence" (p. 82). At the heart of Israel's sacrificial system is the transfer of an animal from the possession of the offerer to the realm or ownership of God. Within that basic context, Nelson argues that Israel's sacrificial theology involved several overlapping models (e.g., sacrifice as food for or gift to God, as a means for establishing social stability, as a means of reducing tensions and contradictions within the larger cultural system, as a means for obtaining purification and atonement). A discussion of some key theological aspects of priesthood follows that reflects on the ways in which priests function as theological markers and symbols in texts and how priests functioned in the belief structure and religious life of ancient Israel (pp. 83-110). The priests existed in a permanent state of liminality and served as intermediaries between the people and Yahweh. They were the custodians of tradition who provided social order and continuity, enacted rituals on behalf of the community, and...