Review in: Interpretation 2002 56: 432
Review door: Barry A. Jones
Gevonden op: http://int.sagepub.com/content/56/4/432.2.full.pdf+html
Joel and Obadiah: A Commentary
by John Barton Old Testament Library. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2001.
189 pp. $39.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-664-21966-7.
WITH CUSTOMARY CLARITY
of thought and expression, John Barton demonstrates the particular
contributions of these two later prophets within their own historical and
religious contexts. Although aware of the recent skepticism about historical
criticism and the attending emphasis on holistic interpretations, Barton aims
to demonstrate the merits of a historical-critical approach. Barton sees a
clear difference in character between the contents of Joel 1:1-2:27 and
(English) 2:28-3:21. He argues that the first unit is the literary testimony to
Joel’s prophetic speech
concerning a catastrophe that threatened the Judean community during the early
Second Temple period, probably prior to 400 B.C.E. The particular threat seems
to be a locust plague, although the poetic language surrounding the day of YHWH
includes imagery of drought and military invasion. The second part of Joel
seems to be a disjointed series of eschatological predictions of a general and
unspecified future. Barton offers a similar analysis of Obadiah, arguing that
w. 1-14, 15b comprise a mid-sixth century prophecy of judgment against Edom for
offenses during the Babylonians' sack of Jerusalem, while w. 15a, 16-21 are
miscellaneous prophecies of an indefinite future time. Both Joel and Obadiah
depict the canonical development of Old Testament prophecy as each book grew
from specific messages about concrete circumstances to more general messages
that addressed a broader ranges of audiences and contexts.
Barton's
interpretations of Joel and Obadiah are fair, judicious, and well-reasoned, encompassing
both critical and canonical approaches to these books. He clearly articulates
the important theological themes of eschatology, divine mercy, the retributive
character of divine judgment, YHWH'S zeal for Judah and Zion, and Joel's unique
description of the outpouring of God's spirit on "all flesh." The
commentary belongs in the personal libraries of all interpreters who would do
justice to the historical and theological distinctives of these two Second
Temple prophets.
BARRY A. JONES
CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY DIVINITY
SCHOOL
BUIES CREEK, NORTH CAROLINA
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