Bible, Theology, and Faith: A Study of Abraham and Jesus, The

The Bible, Theology, and Faith: A Study of Abraham and Jesus. By R. W. L. Moberly. Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, xii + 263 pp., $64.95.

Agenda-driven interests at the close of the twentieth century lobby for a redefinition of biblical interpretation and theological thinking that would legitimize and propagate certain social trends. Without claiming infallibility for traditional exposition, R. W. L. Moberly exposes shoddy thinking on all sides. All protagonists are challenged to lay aside political, cultural, and confessional agendas.

At the start, the author proposes "to develop an account of biblical interpretation in relation to the question of God" (p. 1). Near the end, his thesis is that "identity, integrity, and growth in relationship [between God and humanity] revolve around the paradoxes of a certain kind of self-giving (kenosis) to enable life in profound interrelationship (perichoresis)" (p. 234). To set the stage for the discussion, Moberly critiques three essays: James Barr's "Does Biblical Study Still Belong to Theology?" in The Scope and Authority of the Bible (Explorations in Theology 7; SCM, 1980); C. K. Barrett's "What Is New Testament Theology?" in Jesus and the Word and Other Essays (T. & T. Clark, 1995); and George Aichele's "Introduction" in The Postmodern Bible (The Bible and Culture Collective; Yale University Press, 1995). He concludes that all three essays are, to a certain extent, defective: "Although the Collective realize some of the defects and omissions in the kind of approach represented by Barr and Barrett, their own concerns to escape individualism and to engage with structural issues of the public exercise of power show a complete failure to engage with the critical content of the Bible and of the Jewish and Christian faiths rooted in it" (p. 38). His goal is to wed a more structural understanding of theology and faith to an engagement with contemporary issues in postmodern life (p. 37). Interpreting the Bible relates directly to resolving the question of God and its effect on how people live.

Chapter 2 focuses on Luke 24 as the primary text for defining and illustrating how one's discernment of God affects how one lives. Chaps. 3-5 are committed to a detailed exposition of Gen 22:1-19 and an examination of the Christological/typological interpretations of W. Vischer and G. von Rad, the Jewish interpretations of M. Roshwald and J. A. Levenson, the feminist hermeneutics of P. Trible and B. Groth, and the antihero expositions of D. N. Gunn and D. N. Fewell and P. Davies. Chapter 6 develops the relationships of Matthew's Gospel to Genesis 22.

In Genesis 22 Moberly discovers four key concepts: testing, fear of God, provision/ seeing, and blessing (p. 78). Employing these concepts, Moberly weaves together Luke 24, Genesis 22, Matthew's Gospel, and Phil 2:1-13. Ultimately, he concludes that true sonship involves growth in an unselfish and faith-driven obedience that is characteristic of Abraham and OT saints as well as of Christ and NT saints (p. 228). Equating "fear of God" with faith (pp. 79-81) aids his insightful and, in my opinion, successful emphasis on these concepts as the unifying elements for both OT and NT.

The author interprets "now I know" (God's statement in Gen 22:12) in a fashion reminiscent of open theism (pp. 102-7). Other debatable issues include identification of Christ's meal with the disciples in Luke 24 as a kind of eucharistic exercise (p. 66), a metaphorical interpretation of the sacrifice of Isaac (an unconvincing response to questions concerning child sacrifice [pp. 76-77, 127-30]), and a purely reflexive (rather than iterative or plurative) rendering of the hithpael of brk in Gen 22:18 (pp. 12126). However, a greater problem involves tying Abraham's fear of God to the Decalogue (pp. 82-83). Moberly declares that Genesis 22 "has been deliberately told in the language of Israel's obedience to torah so that Abraham can be seen as a type or model of Israel" (p. 83). This assumes a high degree of editorial freedom in the retelling of the patriarchal narrative. Such a view threatens to dismantle the narrative's integrity and authenticity. It also partially justifies von Rad's perspective that declares open season on the text and its interpretation (pp. 146-47), although Moberly recognizes, at least in part, the basic carelessness of that perspective (p. 144).

By examining what makes the variant theologies tick and by seeking to draw the focus back to the text itself in its context, this volume makes a weighty contribution to OT theology and to the current debate regarding the interrelationship of OT and NT. The basic issue has been accurately identified as hermeneutical. That is where subsequent contributions must focus.

Having experienced his own Anfechtung (pp. xii and 146) and renewed faith-life thus produced, Moberly closes his study with an invitation for readers to repent on the basis of the content of Scripture and to live accordingly (p. 242).

William D. Barrick

The Master's Seminary, Sun Valley, CA

Copyright Evangelical Theological Society Jun 2002
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