Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Jun 2003 by Barrick, William D

Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus. By Alien P. Ross. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002, 496 pp., $29.99. Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. By Stephen K. Sherwood. Berit Olam. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2002, xviii 306 pp., $39.95.

Announcing an expository series or offering to teach a Sunday School class on the book of Leviticus is likely to produce a response like, "Are you crazy? We need something practical." Sherwood (p. 4) and Ross (p. 15) recognize the problem. The former's approach to the text of Leviticus, however, does little to improve the reader's image of Leviticus. Sherwood focuses entirely on the literary aspects of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (p. xiv). Explanations for seemingly trivial statistics are lacking. Of what significance is it that Leviticus employs 272 different verbs 2,515 times (p. 10)? His treatment often comes across as more of a data dump than a presentation of material pertinent to interpretation. In addition, the best Sherwood can offer regarding the structure of Leviticus is a tabulation of problem-solution sets (pp. 14-18). "19:9-10 (also 23:22) Problem: How are the poor to be fed? Solution: Leave gleanings" (p. 16) is an example of such a set. One will search the text of Lev 19:9-10 in vain for a statement of the problem. Such sets appear to be forced on the text.

Listing such things as theological passives (pp. 24-25; cf. pp. 103-5) is interesting to the specialist in syntax, but leaves the non-specialist wondering what in the world it is all about-no definition is offered and no explanation of the significance of the theological passive is provided. Numeruswechsel (switching grammatical number between singular and plural, especially in second-person addresses) is at least defined and briefly discussed (pp. 34-36).

Discussions of the language, time, plot, structure, characters, imagery, and reading positions (pp. 8-41) are followed by Sherwood's notes (pp. 45-87) and a select bibliography for further reading (pp. 89-94). The notes are nothing more than an outline with assorted observations relating to narrative art. Most of them boil down to identifications of inclusios, chiasms, and repetitions. There is almost a total lack of attention to interpretative problems (e.g. the identification of "unholy/strange fire" in 10:1 [p. 60], and the relationship of 26:1-45 to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants [pp. 83-87]).

Ross announces that his book is not intended to be an exhaustive commentary either (p. 9). It is but a guide to the study and exposition of Leviticus, as indicated by its title, similar to his earlier work on Genesis (Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis [1988]). Most chapters conclude with a select bibliography of books, essays, and journal articles focused on the major topic or theme of the passage under discussion. Chapter 1 is a detailed presentation of introductory matters concerning background, authorship, and theology (pp. 15-58). Ross also deals with one of his key concerns (p. 9), the "Interpretation and Application of the Law in the Church" (pp. 58-65).

Each of the five parts into which the exposition is divided commences with an introductory chapter (e.g. "Introduction to the Laws of the Sacrifices," pp. 73-84, for Leviticus 1-7 and "Introduction to the Instructions for Holiness," pp. 329-31, for Leviticus 17-26). All other chapters deal with the exposition of Leviticus. Ross provides a brief introduction, a discussion of theological ideas stemming from the passage, an analysis of its structure, a synthesis and outline of the passage, the development of the exposition, and concluding observations. Two pages of discussion handle the problem of the "strange/unauthorized fire" (pp. 233-34) and the chapter's select bibliography refers the reader to several journal articles for additional reading (p. 239; half of these are also cited in Sherwood's listing for all of Leviticus). Ross briefly relates Leviticus 26 to covenant forms and concepts with but passing references to the Sinaitic and Abrahamic covenants (pp. 469, 481).

Since exposition is the driving force behind his volume, Ross provides advice for the expositor. For example, he counsels against delivering a single message on the entirety of chap. 23 because "the discussion on each feast will be greatly limited in such a survey" (p. 410). He sounds a caution with regard to using material from parallel passages since "the expositor has to make sure that the main points come from the text being used" (ibid.).

Sherwood's 92 pages of material devoted to Leviticus hardly compares to Ross's 481 pages. The absence of indexes in the latter is consistent with his earlier volume on Genesis. The individual character of each volume, however, makes both worthy additions to the expositor's library. Obviously, literary issues should be observed in the process of exegesis. Sherwood provides at least some information in this regard, even if it might need to be evaluated with care. Ross, on the other hand, provides the greater and more consistent aid to expositors and teachers of the text of Leviticus. In his earlier volume on Genesis, he developed his exegetical procedure in some detail. Therefore, the reader is directed to that volume for a review of the methodology (p. 65).