BOOK REVIEWS 107

these (p. 36) may illustrate the danger of being too up-to-date! It is a reference to the
common use of "Yahweh" as an element in theophoric names in the Eblaite texts; I
should be rather more conservative and prefer to wait for a detailed examination of the
texts in question.
It is fair to form an assessment of the book in terms of its purpose and designed
audience. On the positive side, it will convey to its readers something of the nature and
character of the enterprise that is biblical scholarship. And, presupposing a theological
interest on the part of the reader, it will indicate the manner in which matters of

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introduction may contribute to an understanding of the biblical text and a broadening
of the theological horizons. Yet this book will probably not broaden the minds of its
readers beyond their initial assumptions, for however much one may disagree with the
"critics" (as they are so frequently called throughout this book), there is no substitute
for reading their works. And whether one likes them or not, Wellhausen and Gunkel
lose something of their impact and challenge when reduced to potted summaries.
So I remain ambivalent about the ultimate merit of the book. It is certainly
worthwhile within the limitations which the author imposes upon himself, and no
doubt it will find thankful readers among those to whom it is addressed. And it is a
thoroughly honest work, written with an awareness of the assumptions of the starting
point and of their influence on the conclusions. Yet there remains a more positive task
to be done within the ranks of conservative scholarship; it is not so much the under-
taking of a salvage operation, but the establishment of a construction camp.

P. C. Craigie

The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

An Introductionto Old TestamentStudy, by John H. Hayes. Nashville: Abingdon, 1979.

Pp. 400. $10.95.

Hayes has written a clear and modern introduction to the study of the OT as
literature. It is an introductionin the educational sense, providing introductory material
for the student entering this field of study; it is not an Einleitung, in the more classical
sense, pioneering new methods or proposing fundamentally new interpretations of the
biblical literature.
The book begins appropriately with the study of the canon, elucidating both Jewish
and Christian perspectives on the topic and noting the reawakening of current interest
in canonical criticism. Then Hayes progresses to a chapter on the textual criticism of
the Hebrew Bible, followed by two chapters on questions of method: the historical-
critical approach and form criticism. The remainder of the book (chaps. 5-10) is
devoted to an examination of the major groupings of biblical literature, based upon a
descriptive analysis rather than a canonical division: the Pentateuch (5), the Historical
Books (6), Israelite Prophecy (7), the Psalms (8), Israelite Wisdom Literature (9) and
Daniel and Jewish Apocalyptic (10).
Each chapter begins with a bibliography, containing English language works
(including many foreign works available in English translation); the listed items are
mainly modern, but the bibliographies also contain the more important older works
pertaining to each subject. The substance of each chapter is clearly written and
characterized by a summary approach which should be of considerable assistance to
108 JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE

students. The majorpointsof this or that positionare summarizednumericallyin point

form; no doubt many of us will become familiar with the substance of these
summaries, if not through reading Hayes's book, then through reading student
examinationpapers!The authoralso makesconsiderableuse of directquotations(often
fairly lengthy); the quotations are judiciously chosen and provide something of the
flavorof the worksfrom which they are drawn.
This introductionis characterizedby numerous strengthsand features not readily
availablein comparableintroductions.The canonical introductionis a case in point,

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placingat the head of the work a discussionof the most fundamentalquestions which
are all too frequentlyignoredor placednear the end. Anotheradvantageof the work is
the modern historicalperspectivewithin which methods and interpretationsare set;
without giving a comprehensivehistory of modern criticism, Hayes has provided a
broadperspective,enablingthe readerto graspclearlythe trends and developmentsin
modern scholarshipand their historicalantecedents.Not least of the strengths of this
book, perceived as a textbook, is the manner in which Hayes has provideda cross-
section of opinions, particularlyin matterswhich are controversial.Thus, in the chapter
on the Pentateuch, he provides a fair statement, with extensive quotations, of the
views of a variety of scholars who have reacted negatively to documentarycriticism
(e.g., E. J. Young, U. Cassuto, K. A. Kitchen); the presentationis so fair that one
notices the relative absence of critical interaction with such views! But from the
perspectiveof the classroom,the presence of such quotationsis valuable.In my own
experience, a high proportionof students in the modern secular universitywho take
courses in biblicalliteraturecome from fairly conservativeJewish or Christianback-
grounds,and some notice of views representingthe traditionsfrom which they come is
worthwhile.
There is a related issue, which I hesitate to criticize, but raise for further
consideration,given the textbook characterof this introduction:it is the use of the
expression Old Testamentin the title. Over several years of teaching in a secular
university, I have noticed that whenever I use a textbook with Old Testamentin the
title, fewer Jewish students have taken the course (though the course is offeredfrom
an academicperspective,neither Jewish nor Christianin slant). Hayes's book is finely
balanced,giving sensitive attention to both Christianand Jewish perspectives(particu-
larlyin the introductorychapter), and academicin its treatmentthroughout.I am not
criticizingthe content of the book, merely raising again the troublesome issue of
terminology,as it appearsin the title. Some prospectivereadersmay get no further.
In a numberof minor points, the book may be less than totallysatisfactory.Thus,
the treatment of the subject matter accordingto a descriptiveanalysis, rather than
followingthe three-folddivision of the Hebrewcanon, for example, has resulted in a
few gaps. To take only a limitedexample, there is no sustainedtreatmentof either the
Song of Songs or of Esther(beyondtwo very brief referencesin a section exploringthe
possibilitiesof wisdom literaturebeyond the commonly acceptedbooks, pp. 359-60).
In a book which is otherwisefairlycomprehensive,this is an unfortunategap. And, in
anothercontext, while the emphasisof the book as a whole is on the study of biblical
literature,the section on prophecy(chap. 7) has as its primaryfocus the phenomenon
of prophecy,with relativelylittle detail on the propheticliteratureas a whole or the
individualbooks in particular.
It may be that my criticismsare unfair;Hayesmakes it clearin the prefacethat the
book is not intended to be a full introductionto the OT. Clearly,with so vast a subject
matter, there must be selection; but the selection that is legitimate in the classroom
may be misleadingin a textbook for students, who may seek a more comprehensive
coveragethan the lecturecan provide.(Manyof my students would be disappointedto
have no real guide to the Song of Songs!) But when all is said and done, this is an
excellent work. It is clear, comprehensivewithin the limits noted, fair-minded,and up-
to-date. It introducesmodernmethodswhichare beginningto make their presencefelt,
 BOOKREVIEWS 109

such as structuralism(p. 197), without giving them undue emphasis in their infancy,
and it providesmore comprehensivetreatmentof the tried and tested methods such as
form criticism.It is certainlyto be recommended,both as a textbook and as an intro-
duction to the general reader who desires a detailed, but not excessively technical,
introductionto the study of biblicalliterature.

P. C. Craigie

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Universityof Calgary,Calgary,AlbertaT2N 1N4

Introducing Biblical Literature. A More Fantastic Country, by Leonard L. Thompson.

EnglewoodCliffs:Prentice-Hall,1978. Pp. xvi+350. $13.95.

This book intends to introduceboth Old and New Testaments in one volume to
students on the undergraduatelevel with a specificemphasison the Bible as literature.
Thompson claims that he "focuses in this book almost entirely upon the language of
the Bible and the fantasticworldcreatedthroughthat language"(p. xv). Nonetheless,
the book raises a serious question as to whether or not the Bible can be introduced
only throughanalysisof its language.
After a brief discussionof the creativeforce of languagewhich leads to a fantastic
country, Thompsonanalyzesbasic ground rules operatingin the syntax of song, story
and sayings.These rules serve to dramatizethe dynamicsof a divine-humandialogue.
The author believes that the dynamicsconsists of six elements. First of all, two
types of myths, "cosmogonic," (element 1) and "covenantal,"(element 2), are used
to express the dynamicrelationshipbetween God and the human. The relationshipis
then, he believes, constantlychanging throughoutthe Bible in such a way that the
human is either "at-center"(element 3) with God or "off-center"(element 4) away
from God. In the processof the dynamics,God gives to the human either "condition-
al" promises (element 5) such as those accompaniedby the commandments of
obedience and the threatsof rejection,or "unconditional"promises (element 6) such
as love and forgiveness. This type of analysis reminds the reviewer of the so-called
structural analysis of the biblical text after the pattern of Claude Levi-Strauss.
The author, then, examines how the dynamics operate in the book of Psalms
because he believes that "the world created through the poetic language of the Psalms
mirrors in miniature the whole Bible" (p. 53). Here he treats the recurring "I" of the
Psalter,and concludesthat "in the PsalmsGod and man are constructedas partnersin
a relationship,"the theme of the divine-humandialogue.
The major portion of the book traces the theme of the dynamics of the six
elements throughoutthe Bible from creationto the Revelation of John. At times the
authorgives no more than outlines of the famous stories in the Bible. The tendency is
quite noticeablein the section of the OT (chaps. 7-13), but is somewhatcorrectedin
the section of the NT (chaps. 14-19). Discussingthe differentliterarystructuresof the
Synopticand JohannineGospels, Luke-Acts and Pauline epistles, the author presents
theologicaldynamicswithin the NT in such themes as the kingdomof God, eschatol-
ogy, and the church'sministrybeforeand after Paul.
The book is full of interestingperspectives.For example, the law in the Bible is
viewed not as a set of rules of human behaviorbut as a way of talking about people
and their relationships;for this reason, the humanisticor cosmogonicelement appears