Anatomy of the New Testament by Robert A. Spivey and D. Moody Smith, Jr. (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 523 by biblical historians (including the Yahwist) may prove to be disturbing. He concedes, for instance, that whole speeches have been put into the mouths of historical characters, and he cites S. Driver as his (1907} authority (Lagrange in 1898 had noted how the Greek historian Thucydides had done the same thing} . But this does not render the accounts worthless, provided the speeches fit the situation and are consistent with the thrust of the biblical message. There is also the technique of foreshadowing, essential to any good storyteller. Divine soliloquies and dialogues, theological comments, genealogies, obstacle stories-these are categories which the Yahwist used with consummate skill and mastery. What is truly remarkable is that, even when he touched upon myths, he injected them with life and meaning; not content with demythologizing, e. g., the Flood story, he rethought it and gave it its theological meaning: God will not tolerate sin. Nor is the Yahwist lacking in profound theology. His God is one who chooses and makes promises, one who loves. (p. 15~ fl'.) He is the Lord of history who forgives readily. (158 fl'.) Lord of life and of fertility, he is covenant-minded and deeply concerned with the kingdom of God. (165 fl'.) In his view of salvation history the Yahwist was led almost forcibly to the exciting vision of God's plan for all men (i.e., the universality of salvation) . The Yahwist is, then, for an advanced reader interested in the scholarly advances of the past fifty years. There is, alas, a notable lag between the scholars and the believing multitude; this book should help build a bridge between the two. On the debit side, one might point out one important title that is twice misspelled (pp. 95 and ~19 should be Aram Naharaim); Finnegan should be Finegan (p. 216); the reference on p. 102 is confusing. There are also several omissions from the bibliography: Dentan, Chaine, and RobertTricot . Holy Spirit University Parish Landon, Ontario R. T. A. MURPHY, 0. P. Anatomy of the New Testament. By RoBERT A. SPIVEY and D. MooDY SMITH, Ja. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1969. Pp. 510. $8.95. By way of justifying the publication of another New Testament manual, two recognized Protestant biblical scholars have attempted what they consider to be a fresh approach: they have set out to isolate key passages 5Q4 BOOK REVIEWS in the text and to offer a commentary on them. What they have actually succeeded in doing, however, is to dissect the New Testament into a series of pivotal themes illustrated by quotatings from the text. This is accomplished mainly by asking key questions at the beginning of each section and then proceeding to answer them through the exegesis of pertinent passages. A comprehensive review of late Old Testament history provides material for the first chapter in which the authors show themselves sensitively aware of the aspirations and ideals of Judaism, the "matrix" of Christianity. Included is a fine treatment of Gnosticism, the Greco-Roman mystery rites, and the canon of Scripture. With regard to the text itself, Mark's Gospel is treated first, then Matthew's and Luke's. The primacy of Mark is assumed, together with the existence of " Q." Traditions (Eusebius, Papias) on the origin of Mark and Matthew are handled as second century •· guesses." The authors are aware of the conclusions of both form and redaction criticism, as also the principal Protestant positions on controverted issues. In chapter 5 the authors attempt a "portrait " of Jesus. Here they gather together several loose threads which the reader might have assumed had been omitted, e. g., the parables in Matt. 13. Conclusions regarding Christ's self-knowledge are guarded; after citing his unique exercise of authority during the public ministry, Spivey and Smith offer the following lame observation: How could Jesus assume such authority? The probable explanation proceeds from the central proclamation of Jesus concerning the irruption of the kingdom of God. This emergent rule of God rendered all other authority provisional and transitory. The preaching of the inaugurated kingdom gave to Jesus' message a fresh, almost revolutionary, quality that inevitably offended those who respected traditional authority. (p. ~13) The...