What is Scripture? (review)

Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 158 Reviews cult. 1 and 2 Chronicles rewrite history to illustrate the proper role of the priest and Levite in the socio-political situation of Jerusalem. In turning to the New Testament (pp. 141-168), Nelson discusses the Christology of the book of Hebrews in which Jesus is viewed as the faithful and effective High Priest who has performed his priestly work in the heavenly tabernacle. Attention is given to the way in which the book draws on the Melchizedek traditions, the covenant traditions, and the Day of Atonement ritual. In the discussion of 1 Peter, emphasis is placed on the priesthood of the church as understood particularly in the phrase "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9) and in terms of the life of the community, its holiness , its mission, and its genealogy. The book is a clearly written discussion of Israelite priesthood that demonstrates the need for and value of both historical-descriptive and cultural -interpretive perspectives in biblical studies. The book is filled with excellent exegetical and (descriptively) theological insights. There are, however, two significant problems. First, there is little or no attention given to the understanding of priesthood in Judaism. This gives the impression that one can easily jump from the Old Testament to the New Testament without recognizing the importance and integrity of "intertestamental" Judaism. Second, many will find the emphasis on descriptive theological analysis, as opposed to more constructive concerns, less than satisfying. The book does not give enough attention to the role of the contemporary reader in the construction of biblical theology. The book remains, however, an insightful and very helpful introduction to priesthood in the biblical traditions. Frank H. Gorman, Jr. Bethany College Bethany, WV 26032 WHAT IS SCRIPTURE? By Wilfred Cantwell Smith. Pp. x + 381. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. Paper, $18.95. With this work Smith issues a challenge to "intellectuals, theologians, scholars, and responsible leaders" (p. 212) to help formulate a new definition of scripture which is more sensitive to the world wide phenomena of sacred texts. He believes that the overly bookish definition of sacred scripture found in the West does not do justice to the emphasis upon orality and the multiplicity of texts encountered worldwide. After considering Islamic, Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 159 Reviews Hindu. Buddhist. and Confucianist understandings of sacred texts. he concludes that ultimately scripture is not a text but "an interactive relationship between that text and a community of persons" (p. 11). Even for those traditions which appear to have a well-defmed concept of a written, single bible. the oral dimension may still evoke the greater religious response in the piety of the community (Judaism, Islam). From whence did Western culture. especially Christianity. develop the sense of scripture as a fixed canon? In chapter 3 he traces the emergence of canonical texts among Muslims. Zoroastrians. Manichees, Jews. and Christians from the second to the seventh centuries C.E. He suggests the evolution toward canon was precipitated by several factors much earlier in the Near Eastern and Hellenistic world: 1) the Greek classics, 2) Near Eastern notions of celestial tablets of destiny, and 3) the emergence of writing (p. 57). Smith turns to other religions to demonstrate that scripture is not always perceived as a fixed written text. In chapter 4 Islam, the most book oriented of all major religions. is portrayed as really being more attentive to the oral testimony of the Qurtan. In chapter 5 he opines that Jews revere the Torah as the image of God's revelation in the world, sometimes even as an icon, and they actually pay far less attention to the content found therein. Jews may even bifurcate the notion of the sacredness of Torah scrolls from a critical. scholarly analysis of biblical texts, as do modem Jewish scholars. Furthermore. the directions for life come from Mishnah and Talmud, which rely only indirectly upon the biblical text. In chapter 6 he stresses the heavy emphasis Hindus place upon the recitation of the sacred words, especially the Vedas (Smrti) and their manifold explications over the years. Only in the past two centuries, under the influence of the West, have Hindus committed their sacred words to...