Kuma, Hermann V.A.

English

Andrews University

BOOK REVIEWS 151 Stenger, Werner. Introduction to New Testament Exegesis. Translated by D. W. Stott. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdrnans Publishing Co., 1993. 240 pp. $15.99. Werner Stenger's book, Introduction to New Testament Exegesis, is an English translation and adaptation of the original German Biblische Methoden- lehre. Its introductory character is seen in that, despite its focus on NT exegesis, no references to the Greek text have been made. The book has an introduction and two main divisions. The introduction lays a hermeneutical foundation for the entire work and outlines the objectives and methods of exegesis. Stenger argues that the historical distance of the NT is best brought to the modern reader's attention through the historical-critical method. The first part of the book deals with the fundamentals of New Testament exegesis. Stenger subdivides this pan into three sections. In the first he discusses textual criticism and illustrates it from some NT passages. Next he considers textual structure, which involves the explanation of what constitutes narrative, prose, poetry, parallelism, and chiasm. Next, he explains "synchronism" and "diachronism" as exegetical methods. Subsection two takes up a detailed dscussion of the "synchronic" approach, which Stenger identifies with form criticism. He discusses the identification of texts and their segmentation for exegesis. Subsection three is dedicated to "diachronic" methods. This entails the explanation of tradition, source, redaction, and genre criticism. Stenger believes the goal of these exegetical methods is to enable the exegete to move about freely and to feel at home in the NT. The second main division of the book offers the reader some concrete examples of NT exegesis. The author focuses on 15 passages representing selected N T  genres to illustrate his methodology, and handles his material with great erudition. It is particularly interesting to observe the theological insights that redaction criticism affords. In dealing with the pericope involving the call of Levi (Mk 2:13-17; Matt 9:9-13; Luke 5:27-32), he provides an insight into the discipline of discipleship and the necessity of choosing to leave the past behind for the sake of forging the links of a new relationship with Christ. He identifies the story of the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath as a controversy-dialogue genre and uses its argument as a good example of a minore ad mujus case (Mk 2:23-28; Matt 12:l-8). He compares the Marcan and Matthean accounts of the storm on the sea (Mk 4:35-41; Matt 8:18-27) and argues that the position of this story in the Marcan account is a deliberate design to confirm Jesus' teaching authority with a demonstration of the power of his words, whereas in the Matthean version the focus is on the meaning of discipleship. He compares the Synoptic and Johannine accounts of the healing of the centurion's servant and brings out the theological concerns of each writer (Matt 8:5-13; Luke 7:l-10; John 4:46c-54). Matthew uplifts the centurion as an example of true faith. Luke shifts the story's accent to the centurion's personality as a Gentile who comes to faith. But John demonstrates that faith arises whenever a person believes the divine word. 152 SEMINARY STUDIES In his analysis of two Christological hymns (Phil 2:6-11 and 1 Tim 3:16) Stenger first discusses their Sitz im Leben and then focuses on theological insights. He draws attention to particular words in the hymn recorded in 1 Timothy to show how these terms point not to an antithetical relationship but rather to a polar relationship; i.e., the contrasthg elements are conceived as the two poles of a single reality. He asserts that Paul's purpose in quoting a hymn in Philippians is to ground the ethical imperative in the christological indicative. Stenger attributes the Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke to the Q source, since they are absent from Mark. He notes the differences between the two accounts and concludes that the Lucan version is closer to the original source. His remarkable exegetical analysis of Paul's letter to Philemon emphasizes his claim that Paul was a master of NT letter-writing. The salient features of this work are its orientation to the historical-critical method and its consistent "introductory" level of discourse (i.e., it does not presuppose any knowledge of Greek and is careful to explain all the technical terms it uses). For exegesis courses needing these characteristics, it will be a valuable textbook. Stenger completes the work by providing a very useful bibliography representing the whole range of NT exegesis. Berrien Springs, MI 49103 HERMANN V. A. KUMA Stern, Ephraim, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. 4 vols. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. xxii + 1552 pp. $355.00. One of the most helpful aids in archaeological library research has been the four-volume Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land published in 1975 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. The Prentice-Hall edition was an updated version of a two-volume Hebrew-language edition, with an additional 20 archaeological sites included. This first English edition has been out of print for some time, and with the many new projects started since its 1971 ending date for projects, a new edition was certainly needed. In this New Encyclopedia, Ephraim Stern has not merely updated the first edition but completely re- created it. While the first English edition was wellmade and helpful, Stern's new edition, published by Simon and Schuster, has brought this work to the standards of any encyclopedia. The 3 15 additional pages in the new edition, plus a smaller typeface that yields 50 percent more words per page, makes the four volumes of the new edition approximately 120 percent larger than the previous edition (based on the tabulations of the reviewer). The 365 sites treated in the new edition represent an increase of about 50 percent over the first English edition. The number of illustrations has significantly increased as well. For example, volume 1 of the first edition contained 350 black-and-white pictures, 95 drawings, and 10 color pictures; volume 1 of the new edition contains 635 

Introduction to New Testament Exegesis [review] / Werner Stenger.

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Introduction to New Testament Exegesis [review] / Werner Stenger.

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