Review in: Interpretation
2003 57: 448
Review door: Carol
A. NewsomGevonden op: http://int.sagepub.com/content/57/4/448.1.full.pdf+html
Daniel
by C. L. Seow Westminster Bible Companion Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2003. 198 pp. $22.95 ISBN 0-664-25675-9
THE BOOK OF DANIEL is no longer the battleground between traditionalists
and modernists that it was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries—at least in mainline Protestant denominations. A historical-critical
understanding of the book has triumphed, and virtually every commentator,
including the majority of evangelicals, now interprets the book in its final
form in relation to the events of the Maccabean revolt in 168-164 B.C.E. The
challenge for the interpreter today is to articulate the religious meaning of
the book in a way that is exegetically responsible and theologically
compelling. Although the "Bible stories" of the first six chapters of
Daniel remain a staple for children's education (as in the Veggie Tales video series), these popular interpretations
are often exegetically flawed. The apocalyptic chapters in the second half of
the book, by contrast, are often avoided as bizarre and even embarrassing.
Seow's commentary
succeeds superbly both on the exegetical and the theological planes. As he
demonstrates, the themes of human fidelity and religious courage, though
present, are subordinated to the book's consistent theological focus on the
sovereignty of God and the various ways in which "God is intimately and
actively involved with humanity in their struggles, as they face the terrors of
this world" (p. 17). Seow does not shirk the theological difficulties of
the text (e.g., the violent imagery, the failure of specific predictions) but
aids the reader in a critical appropriation of what is of lasting value.
Written in a fluid and engaging style, the commentary is accessible without
being condescending. Since the interpretation of Daniel requires significant
historical, cultural, and literary background, the commentary may be
challenging for some readers, but should be well
received by serious lay students of the Bible. Though not designed primarily
for the academic community, the subtle and original exegesis rewards the
scholar as well. The only thing one might wish for is somewhat more attention
to the history of interpretation to help explain why the book has been a source
of such controversy.
CAROL A. NEWSOM
CANDLER SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY ATLANTA, GEORGIA
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