Review in: Interpretation
1999 53: 422
Review door: Claire Mathews
McGinnisGevonden op: http://int.sagepub.com/content/53/4/422.1.full.pdf+html
Isaiah
1-39, by Walter Brueggemann. Westminster John Knox, Louisville,
1998. 312pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-664-25524-8.
Isaiah
40-66, by Walter Brueggemann. Westminster John Knox,
Louisville, 1998. 280pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-664-25791-7.
ALTHOUGH PUBLISHED
SEPARATELY, these two commentaries function well as companion volumes since the
author's aim has been to understand Isaiah in its intentionally-shaped final
form, while at the same time holding in view the distinct features of any given
chapter or section. Those who delve into only one of the volumes will have no
trouble getting their bearings, however; the author's introduction to the whole
is printed at the beginning of each volume, and complements nicely the helpful
overviews to particular subsections of the prophecy.
While Brueggemann's primary interest is in "the
theological stuff of the text," he by no means slights the book's concrete
historical referents. Indeed, the major strength of the commentaries may lie in
his wonderful ability to discuss the prophetic
message in relation to its historical contexts, but in a way which makes the
theological relevance of Isaiah's vision apparent without the need for a
separate "application" section. He is more explicit in some places
than others in relating the prophet's message to contemporary circumstances.
These offer, perhaps, his most unique contribution, but are also the places in
which his comments may fall flat for some readers.
Of special note are
Brueggemann's attempts to address how one might read Isaianic texts christologically,
but not "preemptively." For instance, in relation to 52:13-53:12 he
promotes, and models, a kind of reading that seeks to avoid Christian
triumphalism in favor of recognizing "the commonality and parallel
structure" of Jewish and Christian claims to God's capacity and
willingness to "do something new through suffering." One wonders,
though, whether a Jewish reader would not see such an enthusiastic embrace of
suffering as decidedly Christian, influenced by a belief in the salvine nature
of Christ's crucifixion. To his credit, Brueggemann openly admits his reading
is "probably more Christian than [he knows] or intend[s]." Overall,
readers will find these works of a seasoned interpreter both interesting and
immensely helpful in getting a foothold in Isaiah's complex work.
Claire Mathews McGinnis
Loyola College in Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
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