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Book Review: Between Hearing and Silence: A Study in Old Testament Theology by John Kessler

features of this book. Overall, it is a creative tour through the Bible, and Kessler’s ability to pull together various passages around the theme of silence will leave readers thinking in new ways about familiar texts (and some not so familiar). A weakness of this book, in my opinion, is its lack of application to the world today. In the introductory chapter, Kessler comments that he wrote the book “with the conviction that the spirituality reflected in these HB passages has ongoing meaning for the synagogue, for the church, and beyond” (9–10). Outside of the brief epilogue and a few remarks (54, 137, 157), however, there is little discussion of what this ongoing meaning might entail. At one point, after raising the theological problem of divine silence in contemporary examples of suffering, Kessler backs away and describes his task as “primarily exegetical” (111). Of course, good exegesis is an invaluable contribution to theology—and Kessler’s volume certainly is that—but after his promise of “contemporary relevance” (7) I was hoping for more analysis in front of the biblical text. The good news is that his book will leave readers with everything they need to undertake such a reflection on their own. By providing his audience with a thorough and insightful discussion of silence in the Hebrew Bible, Kessler will enable them to discern its meaning in their own lives.