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Theologies of the Old Testament - Book Review
Biblical Theology Bulletin, Winter, 2002 by Roland E. Murphy
Monarchy
The period from Saul to Solomon witnessed the establishment of a state that quickly divided into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The political, economic, and social structures are turned upside down in an absolutism that gradually came to exist and perdure in both kingdoms. Now the welfare of the state and the king, understood to be supported by YHWH, becomes paramount. Solomon's division of the kingdom, described in 1 Kings 4, is typical of the social control engineered during the monarchy. The religious situation comes to resemble what G. Mendenhall (ISRAEL'S FAITH AND HISTORY [Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001], p. 128 and often) has called "Yahwisticism," a degeneration from the formative Yahwism of Moses. The king himself has divine authority and a secure dynasty, at least for David in Judah, as is evident from 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and Psalms 2 and 89:20-38. Throughout this period the royal ideal of Psalm 72 was not to be realized. Was there opposition to royal power? One can point to the revolt against Solomon, and the several changes of dynasty in the northern kingdom. The traditional view, still widely accepted, is that the prophets (Amos, etc.) provided real opposition to the well known hypocritical worship, and to the oppression of the poor. G. understands this as Deuteronomistic, describing the "prophets" in the mold of Moses (Deut 18:15); he denies that this is a description of pre-exilic prophecy, and he dates it to the exilic and post-exilic periods (p. 153). He adopts the model of R. Wilson's understanding of the prophet as a mere Mittler or communicator, whose talents cover far more than revealing the word of God. During the monarchy, the OT "prophet" (nabi') combined a broad range: man of God, seer, interpreter of dreams, etc. G. allows that some of the social criticism would have been voiced by certain marginalized groups, e.g., Amos 2:6-8; 5:10-13. Even in these cases, the ethics is derived, not from Yahwism, but from the standards of the family and village (pp. 158-59). Religion is at a low ebb; Elijah and Elisha are called "medicine men" (p. 162), and their adventures are characteristic of folk religion. In both the ancient and the modern world the exercise of power is the supreme value. G. claims that the usual "theology" of the pre-exilic prophets must be totally revised because the present understanding reflects post-exilic mentality; the conflict was between royalty and folk religion of the marginalized (p. 157).
The Faith of "Israel" in the Post-exilic Period
We enter into the definitive phase for Old Testament theology: only with the exile were the traditions of ancient Israel gathered, written, to become the basic documents of belief.... Only since the 6th century B.C. did the exclusive faith in the one God, Yahweh, become firmly established for all [p. 166].
Thus begins the longest and perhaps the most important chapter. G. deplores the effect that the doctrine of an exclusive divinity has had in modern western civilization; in view of our pluralistic world this intolerance must be "unlearned."
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