The Hebrew Bible Today: An Introduction to Critical Issues (review)

Hebrew Studies 41 (2000) 239 Reviews only one example is extant, not accepting the correspondences would be safer, no matter how clear the identification seems. The dictum that "one example is no example" certainly holds for the comparative study of languages . The fmal chapter of the book offers his conclusions, including a summary of the consonantal correspondences established. There is a section on phonetic changes in the Egyptian language related to North-West Semitic phonetic changes, such as assimilation and the loss of certain consonants. Muchiki also provides a quantitative analysis of Egyptian loanwords into Hebrew and Aramaic by their semantic group, plus an attempt to determine when certain Egyptian words were adopted into Hebrew. A fmal section tries to discern the amount of Egyptian religious influence on the different North-West Semitic groups by noting the distribution of Egyptian gods in personal names. Not surprisingly, Phoenician exhibits the largest concentration of Egyptian divine elements, while Hebrew shows the smallest. Despite the reservations noted above, the book is a very good study and a handy resource. Indexes to Egyptian words add to its usefulness. Kevin A. Wilson Johns Hopkins University Sunderland, MD 20689 kwilson@jhu.edu THE HEBREW BIBLE TODAY: AN INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL ISSUES. Steven L. McKenzie and M. Patrick Graham, eds. pp. xiv + 240. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998. Paper, $24.00. This helpful anthology of articles by a group of eight well-known international scholars is designed to offer surveys of critical research on the major canonical sections of the Hebrew Bible. The book is divided into three parts: The Law{l'orah O. Van Seters), the Prophets/NevPim (A. G. Auld on the Former Prophets; M. A. Sweeney on the Latter Prophets, and D. L. Petersen on the Book of the Twelve), and the Writings/Ketuvim (K. A. Farmer on the Wisdom Books, J. H. Hayes on the 'Songs of Israel: K. Nielsen on the 'Other Writings' [Ruth, Songs, Esther, Daniel], and M. P. Graham on the 'Chronicler's History'). Hebrew Studies 41 (2000) 240 Reviews The editors explain in the Preface that the goal of this volume is to present an up-to-date and accessible look at the state of academic discussions for the "average reader" (pp. vii-ix). Just who this "average reader" is, however, is not explained. Most probably, it must be assumed, this person is a seminary student or graduate. Each chapter is organized into three primary sections: an overview of the content or story-line of the biblical books pertinent to that chapter, a summary of the history of research, and the identification of the most important topics of contemporary critical debate . Although not mentioned in the Preface, each chapter closes with a bibliography "For Further Reading," which-along with the endnotes (pp. 217-235}-can serve to key the more diligent to more sources for deeper study. Another item that could prove interesting to the beginning student would be the extensive biographical information provided on each of the contributors (pp. xi-xii). In many ways the volume lives up to its stated purpose, an achievement evident in the weighty testimonies of appreciation in the blurbs on the back cover (W. Brueggemann, R. Rendtorff, and R. W. Klein). Indeed, each of the contributors has followed the format stipulated by the editors and does provide informed and well-documented discussions of scholarly debates. These scholars also exhibit their particular expertise in their chapters, thereby giving this book a nice touch of variety. Sweeney, for example, dwells on redactional history, whereas Nielsen expounds on intertextuality. Nevertheless, at the same time, this collection does manifest some unevenness . This observation, of course, is almost always true of any edited volume . Three items particularly stand out. First, the chapters vary greatly in the complexity of their explanations. As this reviewer read this book with his seminary students in mind, he could not help but be struck by the intricate and very detailed presentation of the Pentateuch by Van Seters (forty-seven pages) and its juxtaposition with the more straightforward prose of Auld in his much briefer chapter on the Former Prophets (sixteen pages); one could also contrast the complexity of Sweeney's survey...