Review of Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction by Craig Bartholomew and Ryan O'Dowd in the Stone-Campbell Journal 15 (2012), 126-127.

SCJ15 (Spring, 2012): 91-156 land of promise. One will need to be familiar with Calvin’s view of these matters in order to understand thoroughly his arguments. The two most beneficial theological discussions were about “idolatry” and “covenant.” Both topics need to be understood in order to properly read Joshua theologically. In “Reading Joshua Today” Williams gives a summary of the book of Joshua: “What is indisputable is that the book of Joshua offers an account of entry, slaughter, occupation, and land allocation by and for a covenant community identified as the people of Israel, all taking place in narrative and religious succession to the ministry of Moses, whose death concludes the previous book, Deuteronomy” (207). Williams declares that “historical truthfulness does matter” (208). In terms of “his‫־‬ tory” in the Bible Williams writes: “‘Minimalists’ find a minimum, ‘conservatives’ a maximum of reliable history in the biblical accounts, and both agree that there are important issues at stake. The book of Joshua is at the heart of all this” (209). This volume will certainly challenge the thinking of readers and students of the book of Joshua. Insights and issues can be found on every page. In spite of the few anomalies, one given above, I highly recommend this volume to “students, pastors, and other Christian leaders seeking to engage in theological interpretation of Scripture,” the purpose of this series. It is not your “normal” commentary. Wa l t e r D . Z o r n Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages Lincoln Christian University Craig G. BARTHOLOMEW and Ryan P. O ’DOWD. Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011. 336 pp. $30.00. Bartholomew and O’Dowd have written this volume with the stated goal of not simply orienting the readers to the literature, but “to open a dialogue about what it means to embrace and embody a theology of Old Testament Wisdom literature today” (16). This hermeneutical concern is evidenced throughout the book in their emphasis on the theological questions this literature raises and their discussions of how best to appropriate the message of Wisdom in the church today. The volume is comprised of an introduction followed by twelve chapters. Each chapter ends with a “Recommended Reading” section with suggestions for both the general and more advanced reader. The first three chapters provide a context in which to understand and interpret Israel’s Wisdom tradition. In the first chapter, the authors introduce the concept of “wisdom” and wisdom literature. The second chapter discusses Israel’s wisdom lit‫־‬ erature in the context of the ancient Near East. This chapter highlights the similarities and differences between ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Israelite world‫־‬ views and wisdom literature. The authors argue that while Israel is indebted to ANE wisdom traditions, it is nevertheless unique in its rootedness in monotheism and its 126 Book Reviews -critique of “the naturalism and pantheism of her neighbors” (45). The third chap ter is an insightful and penetrating discussion of poetry. The authors not only reflect -on how Hebrew poetry works, which they do quite adeptly, but also on how poet ry is best suited to communicate wisdom. Poetry “evokes wonder” and “has the ability to address . . . our human nature as embodied creatures” )68 (. The following six chapters are the heart of the volume (4-9). The authors devote two chapters each to Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes respectively. The first chapter for each book walks the reader through the content and main theological themes of each book. Throughout their overviews, the authors dialogue with the -latest and most influential scholarship as well as the history of the boo^s interpre tation. The second chapter for each book presents an exegetical and theological reading of a poem from the book. The authors choose Proverbs 31, Job 28, and Eccl 3:1 ‫ ־‬.for this close analysis 15 -The final three chapters focus on synthesis and application. Chapter 10 evalu ates how Wisdom was used and interpreted by the NT writers. The authors suggest -that, in the NT, second Temple messianic themes get combined with Wisdom the -ology and focused on Jesus. In chapter 11, the authors outline a full orbed theolo gy of OT Wisdom. The final chapter suggest ways in which the message of the .Wisdom books can be applied today -Bartholomew and O’Dowd have written an engaging and accessible introduc -tion to OT Wisdom literature for the church. The volume succeeds in accomplish ing the main goal of all introductory books; it makes one want to study and engage with the literature firsthand and helps one do so more intelligently. Bartholomew and O’Dowd’s passion for Wisdom literature is evident on every page. The only -drawbacks of this volume are things that it did not include. Unlike many introduc tions to Wisdom Literature, this volume does not deal much with the intertesta‫־‬ -mental Wisdom tradition (Ben Sira). Also, it is light in its treatment of the compo sitional history of the books under discussion. Nevertheless, the volume is bristling -with fresh insights and new approaches to old theological problems. Especially help fill is the concern throughout the volume to not simply understand Wisdom Literature, but to wrestle with how to appropriate it today. This volume is ideal for .pastors, upper-level college courses, and seminary classes Ry a n C o o k Ph.D. Candidate in Old Testament Asbury Theological Seminary Daniel J. TREIER. Proverbs & Ecclesiastes, Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011. 288 pp . $32.99 . ,The volume contains a preface from the series editor, a preface from the author a list of abbreviations, an introduction, commentary on Proverbs, commentary on Ecclesiastes, a bibliography, a subject index, and a scripture index. The commentary 127 Copyright and Use: As an ATLAS user, you may print, download, or send articles for individual use according to fair use as defined by U.S. and international copyright law and as otherwise authorized under your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement. No content may be copied or emailed to multiple sites or publicly posted without the copyright holder(sV express written permission. 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