Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: With CD-ROM

Trinity Journal, Spring 2005 by Rata, Tiberius

John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: With CD-ROM. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004. 613 pp. $49.00.

John J. Collins is the Holmes Professor of OT Criticism and Interpretation at Yale University. A prolific writer and esteemed professor and lecturer, Collins sets out to engage the reader both historically and ethically, while steering clear of explaining scholarly controversies.

The book is divided into four parts: The Torah/Pentateuch, the Deuteronomistic History, the Prophets, and the Writings. After introductory remarks regarding canon, text, chronology, and method, the first chapter gives a brief, clear, and readable early history of the Ancient Near East. The chronological charts and references to extra-biblical literature help the reader understand the context in which the OT was written. The first part covering the Torah deals with the primeval history, the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation at Sinai, priestly theology (Leviticus and Numbers), and Deuteronomy. Chapter 2 gives internal, external, and extrabiblical evidence for Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, and then goes on to state that the Documentary Hypothesis "enjoyed the status of orthodoxy for about a century" (p. 49). The main indication of multiple authorship is seen in the variation of divine names that "cannot be explained as stylistic variation" (p. 50). Collins sees two creation stories in Genesis and the biblical account of the flood as being indebted to the Epic of Gilgamesh. The treatment of the Exodus situation is puzzling. Collins suggests that "the final edition of the book of Exodus is no earlier than the Babylonian exile, some seven hundred years after the events it describes" (p. 109). It seems that the Exodus event is under fire because no ancient non-biblical source records it, and thus Collins concludes that "very little can be said about the exodus as history" (p. 119). The explanation of Hittite treaties and their parallels to biblical covenants is a definite strength (ch. 6). However, Collins's assertion that "the immediate prologue to the giving of the law is not a recitation of history but a description of a theophany (or manifestation of God) on Mount Sinai," is dubious (p. 124). Collins also sees Jerusalem scribes in Josiah's service as the primary authors of Deuteronomy. Thus, Collins concludes that "there is good reason to regard the finding of the book as a fiction, designed to ensure its ready acceptance by the people" (p. 169).

The second part of the book dealing with Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings is labeled as "Deuteronomistic History." Collins summarizes well the different views about the historicity of the conquest in Joshua and concludes that the biblical evidence is problematic. However, he doesn't find problematic the speculation-based models proposed by Alt and Noth. He also states that "the account of the conquest in Joshua is largely, if not entirely, fictitious" (p. 187). In dealing with the book of Samuel, Collins presents well the divergence between the LXX and the MT texts. In talking about the relationship between David and Jonathan he affirms that "if there is a sexual dimension in this relationship, it is never acknowledged explicitly" (p. 228), but he makes the outrageous statement that "homosexual attraction is certainly a factor in male bonding, especially in all-male institutions like the army (down to current times)" (p. 227). Collins presents well the skepticism of modern historians regarding Solomon's grandeur in 1 Kings and concludes that "Solomon's prayer at the consecration of the temple may have been written in the Babylonian exile or later" (p. 252). The ANET quote regarding Sennacherib and Hezekiah as it relates to 2 Kings is valuable, and Collins's use of extra-biblical material is outstanding and represents one of the strengths of his work.

The third part dealing with prophecy covers both the Major and Minor Prophets in chronological order, but interestingly enough, the book of Jonah appears in the Writings. When Jonah is mentioned, he "has nothing in common with the 2 Kings character" and "is certainly a fictional character" (p. 534). Also, Collins concludes that only a small part of the book of Isaiah can be associated with the eighth century prophet. He explains, "With the rise of critical scholarship in the late eighteenth century, scholars were unwilling to believe that a prophet who lived in the eighth century would have prophesied so specifically about the sixth" (p. 307-8). Collins goes so far as to treat Isaiah 40-66 in a separate chapter titled "The Additions to the Book of Isaiah." Although most Minor Prophets books end with a hopeful word of restoration, Collins affirms that "Zephaniah has been edited to end on a positive note" (p. 327). Collins's treatment of Jeremiah's confessions is solid, pointing to the unique reflective experiences of the prophet.

Part IV covers the Writings and a number of deuterocanonical books which were never part of the Hebrew Bible. However, Collins provides a good introduction for the uninitiated in the deuterocanonical books. The treatment of the Psalms in the same chapter with the Song of Songs is both innovative and welcome since they both contain material that was meant to be sung. Job is also correlated with Qoheleth since both contain Wisdom literature, even though the archaic Hebrew in Job is nothing like the Hebrew of Qoheleth that contains Aramaisms. More disconcerting is the treatment of 1-2 Maccabees in the same chapter with Daniel since Daniel presents historical data from the Babylonian captivity while 1-2 Maccabees cover historical events from the second and first centuries B.C. Maybe the author thought that their apocalyptic focus is a very strong correlating feature. Most troubling is Collins's statement that "it is unlikely that Daniel ever existed" (p. 554). He goes on to affirm that "the story of Daniel, then, is not historical" (p. 555).