Judges - Book Review

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Winter, 2003 by John F. Craghan

By J. Clinton McCann. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 2002. Pp. x 146. Cloth, $28.95.

J.C. McCann favors translating Judges as "establishers of justice," i.e., they assume the role of covenant mediators. In his view much of the material in Judges stems originally from the so-called "period of the judges" (1200-1020 BCE). Indeed the working of this material was at one time to function as political propaganda for the ascendancy of David over Saul. Although the preexilic edition of the Deuteronomistic History may have employed the period of the judges to legitimize the monarchy, however, the exilic or postexilic edition clearly maintains that the monarchy, like the office of judge/establisher of justice, was ultimately a failure. In this edition idolatry and disobedience will also lead to the destruction of God's people.

While admitting the complexity of the composition of Judges, the author chooses to focus on the final edition of the book. The double introduction (1:1-2:5; 2:6-3:6) may be seen as parallel and complementary, the former presenting the work from Israel's perspective, the latter from God's perspective. The theological framework for the cycle of stories (2:6-3:6) becomes distorted as one moves from Othniel to Samson. "The progression from Othniel to Samson suggests diminishing faithfulness on the part of the judges upon whom the spirit comes" (p. 82). Othniel, for example, accomplishes more in a few verses than Samson achieves in four chapters. The two lists of minor judges (10:1-5; 12:8-15) that frame Jephthah's story are refreshing pauses in an otherwise escalating account of infidelity. The extensive families of Jair (10:4) and Abdon (12:14) contrast sharply with the sole daughter of Jephthah. Finally, chapters 17-21 constitute the pinnacle of deterioration in Judges, where Israelites now fight Israelites, not foreign enemies.

McCann has done a good job of handling the popular appeal of these earthy stories. This may be seen in the names given to several of the characters, e.g., Eglon the fat cat, Ehud the lone ranger, Gideon the hacker, and Mr. Barley Corn. The author also capably depicts the bathroom humor in the Ehud story and the sexual innuendoes in Jael's dispatching of Sisera and Samson's riddle to the wedding guests.

The author deftly underlines the roles of women in Judges. He points out at least twenty-two individuals or groups of women and notes that the major roles played by women may very likely reflect the origin of these stories in premonarchic Israel, a highly egalitarian era. The presence of Achsah in 1:11-15 functions as a proleptic announcement of the leading roles that women will subsequently play in Judges. At the same time one must observe the pattern of progressive deterioration here as well. "They became not leaders like Achsah, Deborah, and Jael, but rather the victims of abuse" (p. 33). McCann uses to great advantage the studies on Judges from feminist perspectives, e.g., P. Trible's "Texts of Terror."

The purpose of the Interpretation series is to be faithful to the text and useful to the church. Here McCann succeeds admirably. His commentary is well researched, the writing is clear, the conclusions are balanced, and the relevance of the biblical text to the modern world is pastorally sensitive. With regard to the last point, the author points out, for example, that God's opposition to the Canaanites is fundamentally divine rejection of a way of life rooted in injustice and unrighteousness. For McCann the treatment of Jephthah's daughter in 11:29-40 becomes a misguided theology of the cross if one counsels battered women to accept ongoing pain and abuse. Also " ... a central message of the prevalent trickster [Samson] involves the struggle of the weak and marginalized against oppressive superior forces" (p. 110).

On occasion (C. Westermann, p. 77; D. Marcus, p. 85) the author fails to provide the necessary citations in his bibliography. To be sure, this is a very minor consideration. McCann is eminently successful in making Judges accessible to a wider audience from both a biblical and a pastoral point of view.

John F. Craghan

Darboy, WI 54915