A Biblical, Theology of Exile

A Biblical Theology of Exile. By Daniel L. Smith-Christopher. Overtures to Biblical Theology Series. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002. xiv + 209 pp. $20.00 (paper).

In extremely accessible prose, Daniel L. Smith-Christopher (S-C) provides a very readable and applicable "biblical theology of exile." In a time when sundry so-called "practical theologians" have made so many diverse attempts to apply the concept of exile to our times, often in a very unsophisticated manner, this work is quite timely The book begins with Brueggemanns helpful editorial foreword, which provides the reader with an insightful roadmap to journey through the book.

In order to define a theology of exile, S-C stands on the shoulders of giants and builds his arguments from that starting point. He uses socioscientific methodology in order to explain some of the repercussions of exile and to bridge the 2,500-year gap between the contemporary reader and the biblical text. In chapter 2, he provides a good description of the Persian period and its implications for today, but strongly cautions the "modem" biblical reader to recall the biblical context of the exile before trying to establish a modem theology of exile today. Chapter 3 provides dynamic description of lament and urges that we hear the voice of Nebuchadnezzar the conqueror, as well as listen to the cries from Babylon. Chapter 4 focuses on how the social function of shame and penitential prayer in the post-exilic period has transformative power that roots the worshipers in the traditions of the Mosaic Torah so that they may avoid the sins of their ancestors. Chapter 5 shows that the nations also must undergo a humbling transformation and be penitent for their own sin. Israelite communities then become the tools of Cods transformative justice and mission. In chapter 6, S-C identifies the means by which the Jews of the diaspora gave evidence of purity. These Jews wished to show that they did not conform to the world in which they lived; this is an essential priority for a people wishing to survive in exile. In chapter 7, he focuses on how wisdom responds to the exile, and how wise humor, such as laughing at the stupidity of the state, provides a healthy response to violence; he shows that such wisdom does not believe in the myth of the state. S-C further develops this discussion of wisdom in his final chapter to set a mandate for the postcolonial church in exile.

Because the term "biblical theology" has been erroneously used over the past two hundred years to refer to the "pre-biblical" history that the modern scholar reconstructs behind the biblical text but not what has been called its "canonical form," this nomenclature raises red flags. In his opening chapter, however, S-C argues that earlier original pre-exilic traditions (for example, Syro-Ephraimite war, Assyrian crisis, Deuteronomistic history, and others) have been "reused" in the post-exilic period to provide a new description of exile. S-C, who seeks "to inform the contemporary realities of Christian faith and practice," asserts that biblical theology is not an exclusively "historical" enterprise that is confined merely to what "ancient Israelites thought" but belongs to "us" as well as "them" (pp. 2, 6). Expecting readers to criticize him for seeking to find "theological coherence in biblical texts" where evidence is sometimes scanty, he chooses to err on the side of being practical and wittingly and humbly claims "mea culpa" (p. 7). For example, S-Cs description of how the "weapon of the weak" is to "laugh at the state" is especially relevant in a time when the Bush administration reflects the very scenario of mindless injustice against which the biblical text bears witness.

Although this work is quite valuable, I find some methodological problems. S-C has difficulty drawing a line between pre-biblical traditions and Scripture-conscious editing; such a distinction might provide a better lens for how the latter editors in the post-exilic era set up Scripture as a response to exile to "re-use" earlier traditions. This might also provide a better basis for the application of Scripture today. For example, he juxtaposes the pre-exilic, exilic, and post-exilic texts in the book of Isaiah but fails to describe how the meaning of original traditions may have changed within the framework of the post-exilic scroll of Isaiah. S-C would have provided a stronger case for his arguments if he had shown, through redaction criticism, how earlier units of tradition history that originally did not apply to the exile have been semantically transformed by the later editors within scriptural context to respond to the exile. S-C docs not always see the limits of his methodology, and it would be helpful were he to apply some other methods to assist him in his enquiry. Nevertheless, he does try to pay attention to how the post-exilic features inform the reader about the exile and this is most valuable.

In sum, Smith-Christopher's book is insightful, well written, and has provided fresh insights to the community of faith in postmodemity. He invites his readers to explore theology of exile within the Bible as a cohesive whole. Surprisingly, this book is as valuable for its application to church and synagogue as for its description of the historical circumstances and the forces responsible for describing the exile. For all clergy and laity who wish to talk about "the church in exile," this book is a must read. Certainly future work in this area of study will profit from this contribution.