Bernhard Lang, The Hebrew God: Portrait of an Ancient Deity - Book Review

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Winter, 2002 by Robert Gnuse

As can be observed in this extremely brief summary, Lang puts forth a number of critical and very suggestive scholarly concepts. Some of his ideas resonate closely with the contemporary consensus of critical biblical scholars. However, some of his ideas are rather provocative and very much minority positions among scholars, including an early date for Proverbs 1-9 around 750 BCE and describing it as one of the earliest biblical books, the sinking of ships as the historical inspiration for exodus traditions, an early date for Zoroaster, Shaddai as an ancient deity of the "animals of the field," a negative pre-exilic view of agriculture among Israelites, an exilic synthesis of Ea and Yahweh, the division of Genesis 28 into three stages and its evolution from temple legitimation to affirmation of divine presence, Jeremiah's dependence upon Babylonian beliefs for the concept of Yahweh's divine universal rule, the early superiority of El Elyon over Yahweh, and the understanding of Jesus as a mystic who had a symbolic ascent to the heavenly realm during his baptism and transfiguration. Not that he is wrong on all of these issues, but this reviewer would love to see further defense of these ideas with better documentation. (In general, the footnotes tend to be rather casual with comments rather than substantive scholarly sources.)

Lang's book is enjoyable to read for the biblical scholar who is familiar with these scholarly issues, but it might be overwhelming for the beginning student who cannot distinguish between what has become established in the new scholarly consensus and what are the casual and suggestive comments of the author. For which audience Lang intended the book is difficult to determine, especially with elementary discussions on ancient culture and geography. Nonetheless, the text will be a classic work in the field by a great scholar. His primary point, the use of Dumezil's three categories to understand the First Testament vision of Yahweh, may not be totally convincing to most readers, but it is an excellent pedagogical format by which to discuss a myriad number of concepts and motifs. The book is to be highly recommended for critical scholars interested in the development of Israelite religion and fascinated by the "history of religions approach" to First Testament texts.

Robert Gnuse
Loyola University
New Orleans, LA 70118