Book Reviews

JETS 58/4 (2015) 803–87 BOOK REVIEWS Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical & Post-Biblical Antiquity, vol. 1: A-Da. Edited by Edwin M. Yamauchi and Marvin R. Wilson. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2014, xxxvi + 400 pp., $24.95 paper. Edwin Yamauchi serves as Professor Emeritus of History at Miami University. He authored Persia and the Bible (Baker, 1990) and Greece and Babylon: Early Contacts between the Aegean and the Near East (Baker, 1967). Marvin Wilson is the Harold J. Ockenga Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College. He wrote Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (Eerdmans, 1989) and its sequel, Exploring Our Hebraic Heritage: A Christian Theology of Roots and Renewal (Eerdmans, 2014). Thirty-three scholars contribute to the dictionary. Following the list of Ab- breviations, the authors provide an overview of the pertinent “Periods, Ages, and Dates” and an Introduction to the series. Volume 1, the first of a projected three- volume set, contains thirty-nine articles ranging from “Abortion” to “Dance.” The entries address subjects seldom included in Bible encyclopedias and dictionaries— subjects such as domestic life, laws, cultic practices, and technology. Each entry, approximately five to twenty pages in length, develops the topic according to six subheadings: the OT, the NT, the Near Eastern world, the Greco-Roman world, the Jewish world, and the Christian world. The articles conclude with a bibliography of topic-specific resources. More general resources appear in the back of the volume in the seven-page Select Bibliography comprised exclusively of books. The back matter also displays seven Figures (photos or sketches) that depict various aspects of ancient culture. Unfortunately, the lack of indexes diminishes the dictionary’s value as a stand-alone reference work. The contributors often draw attention to background information that illu- mines the Scriptures. For instance, Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27:14–44 transpired in October, a dangerous time to sail on the eastern Mediterranean (p. 191). The essay on “Clothing” elucidates the charge of 1 Peter 1:13 to “gird up loins of your mind” (p. 325). The discussion of “Ceramics and Pottery” expounds the onomatopoetic term (Jer 19:1, 10), a “jar” that produced a gurgling noise when liquid was poured out of it (p. 273). An assortment of fascinating facts lures the reader from one entry to the next. For example, men in antiquity lived only forty years on average, and mothers only thirty years, according to the entry on “Childbirth & Children” (p. 280). Moreover, a “Roman delicacy was fattened rodents known as dormice,” and sometimes they were “glazed with honey and covered with poppy seed” (p. 232). The “Aqueducts & Water Supply” essay reports that “The earliest aqueduct in the Near East was the 35-mile canal built by Menua (809–786 BC) at Urartu in eastern Turkey, which is still in use today” (p. 68). By reading the treatise on “Baths and Bathing,” one 804 JOURNAL OF THE EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY learns that “A temple of Sahure (5th Dyn.) at Saqqara had a drainage system using copper pipes which extended 400 m. into a valley” (p. 148). At times the writers espouse debatable interpretations. Some contributors imply a minimum age of the earth. Yamauchi, developing the work of the late R. K. Harrison, dates a red dot in the El Castillo Cave to 40,000 BC (p. 91). Wilson as- signs the Late Paleolithic Era to 40,000–10,000 BC (p. 199). Keith Schoville dates a cave painting to 50,000 BC in his entry on “Dance” (p. 374). Furthermore, Yamau- chi and Harrison contend that the “three days’ journey” of Jonah 3:3 functions as “a literary expression for a large city” (p. 291). On occasion, the contributors conceal their own view when discussing a de- bated topic. In the tractate on “Census,” Yamauchi and Harrison fail to take a posi- tion on the issue of large numbers of the HB (p. 263). In addition, their entry on “Clothing” does not resolve the question of whether Joseph’s garment was multi- colored (p. 323). The article on “Astrology” by Lester Ness never specifies the identity of the Christmas star in Matthew 2:2–10 (p. 101). This work is more up to date than the Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols., Double- day, 1992) and broader in scope than the books by Victor Matthews (The Cultural Word of the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Manners and Customs, 4th ed., Baker Academic, 2015) and Philip King and Lawrence Stager (Life in Biblical Israel, Westminster John Knox, 2001). Scholars and ministers can garner useful information from this dictionary for Bible study and sermon preparation. Mark A. Hassler The Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley, CA Reading and Understanding the Bible. By Ben Witherington III. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015, 278 pp., $29.95 paper. In the field of books on scriptural interpretation, Ben Witherington III has recently added his contribution. His previous works have been recognized for their scholarly work and he is well recognized in the field of NT studies for his efforts. Yet, what makes this book a somewhat unique contribution to its field is the fact that it is targeted at helping new readers of the Bible to begin reading it properly (p. 3) Or, to put it another way, it is to be used as a “GPS” to help the reader navigate the difficulties of the Bible. (p. xxii) Witherington seeks to do this by splitting his book into two separate parts that can roughly be seen as theory and practice. He has chosen to break them into the imagery of surveying the map and unearthing the treasure. One of the unique features of this book is that it begins by seeking to provide an overarching picture of what the Scriptures say, calling the student to seek to read the Scriptures analyti- cally. He argues that beginning with theory and working toward the text appears to be backwards and it would be most helpful if one allows the text to decide the sub- ject matter (p. 6). He then moves the reader through genre-related subjects such as literary features, historical matters, and theological issues to finish out the first part of the work. BOOK REVIEWS 805 The initial section of the work has much to commend it. Calling students to analytical reading is a rare but positive and direct incentive for students to take the Scriptures seriously in an age where many students enter theological programs with what may be a superficial reading. His distinction between history and biography are helpful for dealing with questions in regard to what is included in the historical texts of Scripture and why certain matters are left out (e.g. the childhood of Jesus). In the section on wisdom literature, Witherington rightly suggests that reading such literature takes patience and time in order to properly interpret it. Also, his explana- tions of prophecy and figurative language appear to bring the material within the reach of novice students yet still provide consideration and explanation that come from years of experience in the field. In the second part of the book, Witherington works to show the student how one might put the considerations of the first section into practice. He begins with a basic chapter on hermeneutics and works through Historical Narrative, the Psalms, Isaiah, Prophecies and Parables of Jesus, and Paul’s work. Finally, he ends the section by providing students with ideas on how to move forward in their study of Scripture after they have finished with the book, and he closes the book with articles on the formation of the canon and the history of the English Bible. Noteworthy in this section is Witherington’s chapter on the basic rules of hermeneutics. Arguing the importance of the context and for Scripture as its own interpreter is helpful for new students. Furthermore, his advice to students on what kind of commentary they should use, based on their current knowledge, is a useful tool that seems to be missing from many books of this nature. His sections regard- ing the formation of the canon and the English Bible were both well written and useful for students and pastors alike who might have people under their care who are curious about such matters. Finally, the layout of every chapter makes the point of the chapter plain and the goals specific, as well as providing the reader with fur- ther resources for future research. While this work has much to commend it, there are a few areas of concern. When Witherington provides the core metanarrative, he spends a lot of space on the creation account, suggesting primarily that it is not a literal history, and that patriarchy is the result of the curse. Moreover, while much time is spent on this material, when it comes to the OT and the metanarrative, nothing is said of the covenants. While this might not seem too alarming to some, Witherington spends three pages on how the creation account is not a history and that the “worst conse- quence of original sin” was the loss of egalitarianism, yet he only spends two para- graphs on the rest of the OT. Perhaps more notable in this is that in Witherington’s account of the fall, within the metanarrative, the euangelion is not mentioned. While a lack of proportion is often a shallow argument, the primary issue here is what appears to be the neglect of core issues to the study of the OT for the beginning student. A second issue is that while the second part of the text is designed to show the student how to apply rules of hermeneutics, Witherington tends to stick to grammatical exegesis of the biblical languages from his own knowledge.

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