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SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

2006

Review: Encountering the Divine: Theophany in Biblical Narrative

James A. Borland Liberty University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Borland, James A., "Review: Encountering the Divine: Theophany in Biblical Narrative" (2006). SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations. 34. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/sor_fac_pubs/34

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Book Reviews Book Reviews absence of the proper end of human apocalyptic literature. The literary analysis originated as an independent narrative' A SURE GROUND ON WHICH TO community (which is participation in the is most enlightening, as when (46); 'multiple sources in our text' (93); 'a STAND: THE RELATION OF Trinitarian communion). And finally, theophanies to and Elijah are new ending ... was subsequently AUTHORITY AND INTERPRETIVE 'Thinking ' probes the nature of love compared at length (207-229). Savran appended' (154); and 'a complex METHOD IN LUTHER'S APPROACH as we can learn it from the interactions of writes clearly and logically, sharing redactional history' (164). There is no TO SCRIPTURE the Father, Son and (the Spirit thus helpful, fascinating insights into plot and factual basis for these critical notions. Mark D. Thompson being seen as the agent of all true love). character development. Pure fancy, they question the integrity of Carlisle: Paternoster; 2005, xviii + 336 Many of Jenson's observations flow The writing is up-to-date and aware 's Word. pages, £19.99, ISBN: 1-84227-145-8 from theological assumptions that Jenson of most relevant literature. Though This fallacy leads Savran to miss does not put on display here and with written in English, it is intended for important interpretational clues. Instead How Luther regarded and consequently which readers are sure to disagree at Hebrew scholars and students interested of allowing the text to indicate that the interpreted the has remained one of some point. However, in spite of such in scene development and narrator Malakh who spoke to was actually the most disputed questions amongst theological differences, I would technique. The Hebrew text and , Savran posits 'different scholars of the reformation over the past recommend this book as an invigorating individual Hebrew words are freely used redactional layers of the text' (128). The century. During this time it has received and deeply challenging read. and discussed. With 1010 footnotes, pentateuchal author, however, plainly answers portraying Luther as the virtual Reeves each page averages over four. The notes that the one who spoke to Hagar, forerunner of a wide spectrum of later Leicester bibliography lists about 500 recent the Malakh, was Yahweh (Gen. 16:13). movements including fundamentalism, sources. Indices of The Malakh and Yahweh are one, yet higher criticism, existentialism, and neo­ ENCOUNTERING THE DIVINE: references, 'other ancient references', distinct. In short, Savran treats the text as Orthodoxy. To sort out this problem, THEOPHANY IN BIBLICAL and authors cited follows. an interesting, well-composed human while avoiding the anachronism plaguing NARRATIVE Savran does not distinguish between literary document. the former solutions, Mark D. Thompson, George W. Savran conscious and theophanic dreams Strangely, Savran connects the deaths Director of Studies at Moore College London: Continuum, 2005, viii + and visions. Thus, he includes Jacob's of Nadav and Abihu (28), and Uzzah's (Sydney), performs the necessary tasks of 280 pages, hb., £75, dream (Gen. 28), 's and 's 'lethal proximity' to God with theophany extracting Luther from a post­ ISBN: 0-567-04391-6 visions, and God's appearances to (191), but no visual elements are evident. Enlightenment mould and freshly conscious individuals such as Hagar, In fact, Savran later concedes that 'no examining the entire Luther corpus George Savran, professor of Bible at the Moses, , Gideon, and Joshua as one dies in any of the theophany against the backdrop of Luther's patristic Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in part of the same text-type schema. The narratives' (193). Similarly, Jeremiah's call and medieval exegetical inheritance. Jerusalem, and the Hebrew University of comparisons of Genesis 28 and 32, (Jer. 1) is probably God speaking to the Drawing together scattered threads Jerusalem, has a delightful volume on Jacob's leaving and return, are 's mind, not theophany. Several throughout the Luther corpus concerning theophany, God's appearances to man. interesting, but why then does Savran typos are: 'and' should probably be the character of Scripture, Thompson Five chapters emphasize the literary omit Jacob's dream (Gen. 31), and the 'either' (p. 151, line 13); 'Samuuel' (p. contends that Luther perceived the Bible aspects of the text-type schema of bold theophany of Genesis 35:9-137 160, line 23); 'derives' should be derived as the authoritative Word of God, down theophany narratives, noting the Understandable, but still, troubling, are (p. 177, line 1); 'significance' should be to the very words of the text, but without preparations for, the visual aspects of, the Savran's critical suppositions i3;bout the significant (p. 187, line 19). "~,' "." denying its human authorship or literary human responses to, and the biblical text. He speaks of 'Deuteronomic Despite these observations, I enjoyed traits. As a result, Luther'S hermeneutical transformation of the human recipient of reworking of the Sinai traditions' (24); 'a the reading and would recommend it to approach analyzed the sacred text God's appearances. Three final chapters highly composite set of traditions' (27); others interested in a detailed narrative according to four interrelated categories: address literary motifs such as the 'subsequent editing' (53); 'an earlier portrayal and character study of the inspiratio (its God-breathed quality); tota potentially lethal nature of divine stage of the story' where Jacob wrestles recipients of theophany. scriptura (its unity); c/aritas scripturae (its encounters, intertextual comparisons of with a demon (37), and that the Genesis James A. Borland intelligibility); and sola scriptura (its various theophanies, and a tracing of 32 scene is 'actually pagan in origin' (84); Liberty University, Virginia, USA salvific sufficiency). Thompson succeeds theophany in Daniel and post-biblical the story of Balaam's ass 'may have admirably in leaving no stone unturned

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