Holman, Charles. Till Jesus comes: origins of Christian apocalyptic expectation. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1996

Buck, Erwin

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 25Issue 1 Contextual Perspectives in Pastoral Care andCounsellingArticle 175-1-1999Till Jesus comes: origins of Christian apocalypticexpectationErwin BuckFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationBuck, Erwin (1999) "Till Jesus comes: origins of Christian apocalyptic expectation," Consensus: Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 17.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol25/iss1/17128 ConsensusTill Jesus Comes: Origins of Christian Apocalyptic ExpectationCharles L. HolmanPeabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996222 pagesThe New Testament, when it speaks about the future hope, is repletewith seemingly contradictory statements such as the following: “Truly 1 tellyou, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place”(Mark 13:30), “And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations”(Mark 13:10). How is one to deal with such conflicting affirmations?Scholars may posit the use of various sources, or ascribe the unevennessto the hand of redactors. Holman has examined Old Testament,intertestamental, and New Testament literature and has found that this sortof tension between “near-end expectation” on the one hand, and “delayedfulfillment” on the other, can be traced all the way back to the bedrock ofbiblical tradition. It is rooted in the covenant promises and their partialfulfillment in the history of the people of God. The author shows that “the endexpectation of fulfillment and reckoning with a delay of that fulfillment aretwo sides of a coin” (82). In fact, it may be appropriate to regard affirmationsof imminence as a way of coping with the experience of a delay.It is remarkable that, in spite of the fact that the covenant promises toAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob were only partially fulfilled in the course ofhistory, Israel did not abandon their trust in God, but continued undauntedin hope. Along the way the people of God experienced incomplete fulfillmentof those promises: the return from the exile, the success of the Maccabees,the coming ofJesus and his resurrection. These events served to strengthenthat hope, and enabled the community to cope with still further delays of thateschatological future.As time went on, future expectation began to be expressed inapocalyptic categories. The old traditions (most impressively codified inDaniel) were handed on not unchanged, but adapted to meet the varyingneeds of each succeeding age. Sometimes (especially when the delay wasfelt most poignantly) imminence was stressed more than at other times.Sometimes the cause for the delay was ascribed to human sinfulness and theneed for repentance, but most often an explanation for the delay simplycould not be given at all. At those times believers were simply encouragedto cling to the confidence that in the mind of the sovereign God there is aclear picture of what will happen and when. Some apocalyptists (such as 1Enoch and 2 Baruch) present a clearly structured outline of world history,whereas the martyrs under the altar who cry “how long?” (Revelations 6:10)are given white robes, signs of God’s justice and care, and encouraged toBook Reviews 129“wait a little longer”. The effect in each case is the same.This is a fascinating book. It deals with what is central to biblicaltheology and the faith of the people of God. Read it! It will be an importantresource for preaching, teaching, and personal edification. Never has a(revised) doctoral dissertation been more readable and practical. The authorwill take you on a journey from the Blessing ofJacob (Genesis 49) to the endof the age (Revelations 22). He will explore with you the faith of the pre-exilicand the post-exilic prophets, the hope of the early and the later Jewishapocalypses, the exhortation of Paul and the Synoptic Gospels, and theeager longing of John of Patmos.But the author will do more. He will reflect with you on how essential itis for the Christian church to witness to that hope which is in us, and topersevere in that confidence precisely when we cry “Lord, how long?”Erwin BuckLutheran Theological SeminaryTo Set the Captives Free: Liberation Theology in CanadaOscar Cole ArnalToronto: Between the Lines Press, 1998230 pages, $21.95 SoftcoverOscar Cole Arnal, professor of the history of Christianity at WaterlooLutheran Seminary, provides a tantalizing glimpse into the history ofbackground and liberative theologies in Canada. This work includes anexcellent historical and social analysis of the Canadian context. It is a bookdirected to seminary students, social justice advocates, clergy, and all thosewho wrestle with Christianity and justice in the Canadian context.The first chapter sets the stage for his book, followed by a foundationalchapter on the liberation-oppression struggle in the Christian tradition. Hebegins with the Hebrew and Greek scriptures, and continues with a briefsurvey of liberation in the history of the church. Following Douglas JohnHall, Cole Arnal points a finger at the “Constantinian betrayal” of the church.He traces protest voices (echoing Hall’s “thin tradition”) from the earlychurch to the present. Revealed is a church with a poor record of caring forthe oppressed.The third and fourth chapters provide a social analysis of Canadiansociety. In chapter three. Cole Arnal names the economic elite as theoppressors in Canada, since they control the media, culture, and education

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