BOOK REVIEWS AND SHORT NOTICES 95

to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by the OT. Though God's presence in war does not
justify it or make it holy, that presence does have positive meaning. To C , "War is
never less than unmitigated evil and its frequent mention in the Old Testament does
not elevate its character" (p. 54). But in spite of this fact, "war is a form of evil human
activity in which God participates actively for the purposes of both redemption and
judgment" (p. 43). It is through the experience of defeat in war on the part of ancient
Israel that the lasting message emerges, a Utopian vision of peace which stands at the
very core of the religious experience of both the ancient Hebrews and modern
Christians.
C. sees the beginning of the so-called "Wars of the Lord" (cf. Num 21:14) in early
Israel in the Exodus experience as celebrated in Exodus 15. One could argue, then,
that conquest and war in early Israel was more than a mere present reality, as C. asserts
(p. 71). It was also, in its own way, a distant vision of momentous experience. The
Exodus-Conquest as celebrated event in ancient Israel focused on a paradigm of God's
redemptive power in history—namely the Divine Warrior against whom no foe, in
heaven or earth, could stand. The problem of war in the OT rises from the fact that this
paradigm was taken literally.

Duane L. Christensen, American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, CA

94704

JAMES L. CRENSHAW, Gerhard von Rad (Makers of the Modern Theological Mind;
Waco, TX: Word Books, 1978). Pp. 193. $7.95.

The thinking of an undeniably great biblical scholar is carefully noted and

evaluated in well-written prose. By presenting the highlights of von Rad's impressive
career and introducing those theses most central to his theological and exegetical
endeavors, Crenshaw's opening chapter judiciously sets the tone for what follows,
namely, an extended dialogue with von Rad's writings from four perspectives: (1)
ancient confessional traditions in the OT—holy war, tent and ark, Sinai, the Exodus,
and David-Zion; (2) the most important transmitters of these traditions—
the Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist, Priestly Writer, Chronicler, prophets, and
sages; (3) von Rad's understanding of the "historical portraits" (Geschichtsbilder) of
Moses, Abraham, Joseph, David, and Jeremiah that exerted a considerable role in
articulating human response to divine initiative; and (4) the world view of ancient
Israel that took serious account of the relationship between nature and history, the
ways of divine justice, and the haunting reality of Yahweh's silence. A concluding
chapter summarizes what C. regards as the lasting contributions and negative features
of von Rad's scholarship.
The forty-six works by and about von Rad which comprise the selected biblio-
graphy have received a scrutiny requisite for such a volume. While C.'s interests are
not primarily biographical, his conversations with Frau von Rad and Hans Walter
Wolff, von Rad's successor, during a Heidelberg sabbatical have given him a sharper
perception of the context in which von Rad worked. Moreover, von Rad's artistic
capacities readily transparent in the handling of biblical texts and in the writing of
 96 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 42, 1980

powerful prose are rightly appreciated And C 's attempts at summarizing the argu-
ment of a vast number of von Rad texts and relating them to one another when
occasion calls reveal no little mastery of the issues
Some relatively minor criticisms, however, should be raised One concerns
organization It is not always evident why a particular consideration is introduced into
the discussion where it is For example, in presenting von Rad's grasp of the Sinai
tradition, C writes at length about his insistence that ancient Israel largely understood
creation sotenologically This issue and attendant references to Deutero-Isaiah, sev-
eral psalms, the Amos doxologies, and Genesis 1-2 do not directly address the Sinai
tradition as such In his treatment of the transmitters of Israel's traditions, C 's section
on the Elohist (p 73) consists of merely one paragraph wholly void of specific allusion
to von Rad Either a fuller examination or none would have been preferable
Moreover, in the sages section, C seems more eager to offer his own views than von
Rad's The fact that dates in von Rad's career are not always clear, that "aetiology"
receives two spellings, and that direct quotations from von Rad's writings are less
frequent than desired cannot militate against final judgment that this is a respectful,
informed study I learned this summer during a visit in Heidelberg that Jürgen Kegler
has just completed a German translation of this volume for publication, a convincing
indication of both von Rad's continuing impact on biblical scholarship and a favor-
able reception of C 's analysis

J Kenneth Kuntz, School of Religion, University of Iowa, Iowa City, I A 52242

JAMES L CRENSHAW, Samson A Secret Betrayed, A Vow Ignored (Atlanta John

Knox Press, 1978) Pp 173 $7 95

In this book Professor Crenshaw presents a fresh translation and most interest-
ing study of the Samson narrative in Judges 13-16 According to C the Samson story
is not to be understood as solar myth or nature legend, nor does it have much if any
historical basis It is 'saga' Still it contains within it certain solar features common to
ancient Near Eastern religion, reminiscences of the conflict between children of nature
and children of culture, also details of a historical nature derived from Philistine life in
the plain and life among the Danites and Judahites Certain folklore motifs are added,
such as the three riddles, the episode of the foxe&, the slaying of a lion, and the
discovery of honey in a lion's carcass Together with these one finds additional motifs
particularly common to Israel's literary corpus the barren wife, the helpless male hero
before a woman's wiles, the quest for the divine name, the death wish, the loss of
charisma, and the terror associated with theophanies The author(s) also composed or
made use of riddles, aetiologies, prayers, victory songs, a birth announcement, and a
recognition story "This diverse material," says C , "achieved a degree of coherence
when woven into the fabric of Samson's heroic exploits " In its final form the Samson
narrative has been inserted by a Deuternomic editor into a framework which makes
Samson one of Israel's judges
C 's aim is to treat the story as story His method of "aesthetic criticism" is an
eclectic sort of literary criticism employing many different tools to the end that the real
 ^ s
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