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Book Review: Bennema, Cornelis. A Theory of Character in New Testament Narrative

A major contribution of this volume is that it is a scholarly work with implications for the life of the church. The conclusion bridges the collection of essays to the act of the spoken word of God’s Word from the pulpit. The contributors are a mix of both junior and senior authors; however, all fourteen authors are white males, limiting the scope and possible viewpoints of such a method. The gender and ethnicity of the collection may reflect the target audience. Unfortunately, the usage of the terms “oriental” and “mankind” and the heavy usage of God as fully masculine do nothing to dispel the sense that the collection reflects its conservative, masculine authorship and audience. Without using the terminology, the work reads closely akin to redemptive theological criticism and, as such, feels like an apology for conservative scholars who desire to be viewed as “scholars” and as Christians. Certainly a strength of the book is that it is heavily footnoted and well researched. Yet, the interpretation of the research and the biblical text is one in which the authors “affirm the right of different groups to develop their own readings of the Old Testament” (p. xvi) but claim that only a Trinitarian hermeneutic can determine truth, even if the Trinitarian reading trumps authorial intent and original reading. What may possibly be the most fascinating is the claim that Trinitarian readings are truthful, although, in many places, there is nothing Trinitarian about the author’s interpretation or hermeneutic in action.