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John Christopher Thomas (ed.),The Book of the Twelve: A Pentecostal Commen-
tary. Pentecostal Commentary Series (Leiden,nl: Brill, 2020). xiii. + 751 pp. $50.00
paperback.
The Book of the Twelve, edited by John Christopher Thomas (PhD, University of Sheffield), comprises scholarly rich, yet highly accessible and refreshingly prac- tical commentaries on the twelve Minor Prophets. Writing from distinctively Pentecostal perspectives for pastors, Bible students, and common believers, the nine contributors in this volume exhibit the best of Pentecostal scholarship, all while communicating the meaning of the biblical text without the distractions of technical disputes, academic language, and exhaustive footnotes.
Contributor Rickie D. Moore announces four important topics in the book’s introduction: the volume’s aim, the differences in canonical arrangement between the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the development in interpretive approaches, and the movement toward a Pentecostal approach to interpreting the Twelve. The aim is simple: to appreciate and better understand how twelve particular prophets of ancient Israel can still speak life to us today (1–2). To this end, Moore argues that rather than understanding the Twelve historically and individually, and thus viewing them as predictions of the gospel, Christians can learn from the Hebrew interpretive framework that boasts a greater respect to the unsettling past of exilic experience. Specifically, Christians can learn that their waiting for Messiah’s second coming is not totally separated from the continuing wait of the Jewish people in general and of the ancient Hebrew prophets in particular (4). Moore also notes that scholars in this volume fol- low the recent trend in biblical studies to move away from historical-critical study and toward literary and theological approaches, both of which appreciate and explore the unity of the twelve Minor Prophets (5). This introductory dis- cussion inevitably moves toward a Pentecostal approach, which, according to Moore, in its most basic form, attempts to bring together Pentecostal faith and academic study (17). Pentecostals, who know themselves as children of both the promise and the inheritance of the twelve Minor Prophets, and who have been claimed by the Spirit of the Lord, are now ready to leave words behind for themselves and their own children, even those who are far off (18).
Individual commentaries for each of the twelve Minor Prophets follow the introduction. Seeking to align with the ethos and spirituality of the Pentecostal tradition, the physical format of the commentary includes three sections: a contextualization section, an introduction proper, and a commentary proper. The initial section begins with a string of questions intended to draw out both individual and corporate issues addressed in the biblical book under analy- sis in an attempt to contextualize the commentary in the life of the church
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from the start and to show the reader how the biblical text can be applied to contemporary life. The introduction proper, contains the normal introductory elements of a commentary as well as topics of special interest to Pentecostals, a detailed discussion of genre and structure to frame the exposition that fol- lows, and a section dedicated to what the book has to say about the Holy Spirit. The commentary proper includes a running exposition of the text as well as elements unique to the commentary series—extended comments on passages of particular importance to Pentecostals, engages major options in interpreting individual passages, and sections for reflection upon and personal response to the biblical text.
The constraints of space prevent the proper engagement that each commen- tary deserves. Therefore, I will interact with two commentaries that caught my attention: Rickie D. Moore’s commentary on the book of Joel and Hannah Har- rington’s commentary on the book of Zechariah.
Moore contextualizes the book of Joel by posing both timeless questions— those that concern our inevitable end, whether individually, corporately, or nationally—andtimelyquestions—those that involve crises that arise at times in our human histories. One blunt question is foundational:The Day of the Lord has arrived, but who can handle it (124)? In the introduction proper, Moore suggests that the absence of a date in the book of Joel is intentional because Joel sees the Day of the Lord as eclipsing all of our days (and all of time) as to render them irrelevant (125–126). The canonical context of Joel offers liter- ary and theological links to its placement between Hosea and Amos, namely in catchwords, harvest-like language, locust imagery, and God’s eschatological judgment. In the commentary proper, Moore includes three sections of reflec- tions and responses, one section for each of the book’s units. Here the reader is confronted with the need to reflect on and respond to issues associated with the prior textual unit: the appropriateness corporate lament and the need of turning our faces to God (157–158); how the announcement of God’s salvation can be appropriated to us, specifically in our knowing the Lord and his life giving Spirit that is poured out on all flesh, and how this “knowing the Lord” causes us to adjust our own levels of inclusiveness toward others (168–169); and the seriousness of God’s judgment on all people (176–177). Moore closes with a comment on Joel and the future of Pentecostalism by echoing the comments of Larry McQueen: Pentecostals need to go beyond re-visioning (mere under- standing) of their spirituality and theology, they need to be seized again by the apocalyptic vision of the Day of the Lord (179–180).
Harrington contextualizes her commentary on Zechariah within the unset- tling questions of people returning from exile and the timeless issues that arise: God’s delayed promises, God’s unanticipated answers, clinging to faith during
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hardships, managing the tensions between good and evil, and the unknown future. Within this context, Zechariah brings God’s message of hope. The intro- duction proper tackles key issues of historical context but also discusses the Holy Spirit in Zechariah (584–585). Specifically, Harrington highlights several aspects of the Holy Spirit’s activity as well as the well-known symbols of the Spirit’s presence: the Spirit is powerful against obstacles, symbolized by oil (4.6); the Spirit is powerful against foreign enemies, symbolized by fire and glory; the Spirit is at rest after victory over enemies (6.8); the Spirit inspires of the words of the prophets so that they can be considered the Word of the Lord (7.12); the Spirit works to soften the hearts of people, making them receptive to the Word of the Lord (12.10); and the Spirit is the one who will draw Israel back to God (8.7–8, 12–15; 10.6–10). In the commentary proper, Harrington includes four sections of reflections and responses, two for each of the book’s major parts. These reflections and responses address the concept of God’s vision and how we can see this vision afresh, the repeating theme of “Be encouraged!” and how to deal with discouragement, the excitement of a coming king and the frequent criticism of leadership, and the move of the Spirit to bring people to repentance.
I applaud the volume’s dual commitments of not overtaxing the reader with technical literary features and focusing on the literary and theological unity of the Twelve, both of which make this commentary highly accessible and uniquely enjoyable. I also commend the scholars for their intentional focus on the Holy Spirit in the text, an element that seems to be too often over- looked in Old Testament scholarship. However, this strength could also be deemed a weakness, because the Holy Spirit is not directly mentioned in seven of the twelve books (Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Malachi). The lack of reference to the Spirit, in some cases, evinces speculative explanations that seem forced and at times unconvincing.
This commentary will prove to be an invaluable resource for pastors, Bible students, and common believers because it provides trajectories for individual and corporate application and because it teaches the reader how to ask ques- tions of the text. In short, readers will hear the twelve Minor Prophets speak life to us, today!
Brandon F. Babcock
Independent Scholar, Springfield, Oregon USA [email protected]
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