Grabbe, Lester L. Priests, prophets, diviners, sages: a socio-historical study of religious specialists in ancient Israel. Valley Forge, Pa: TPI, 1995

Uitti, Roger W.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 25Issue 1 Contextual Perspectives in Pastoral Care andCounsellingArticle 135-1-1999Priests, prophets, diviners, sages: a socio-historicalstudy of religious specialists in ancient IsraelRoger W. UittiFollow 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 CitationUitti, Roger W. (1999) "Priests, prophets, diviners, sages: a socio-historical study of religious specialists in ancient Israel," Consensus:Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 13.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol25/iss1/13Book Reviews 121power for newness is at work in such displacements. Brueggemann is, ineither case, careful not to mold the text to fit any particular contemporarysituation. Instead, he insists, “our situation needs to be submitted\.o the textfor a fresh discernment. In every generation this text subverts all our oldreadings of reality and forces us to a new, dangerous, obedient reading.”Brueggemann divides the 52 chapters of Jeremiah into 15 sections,each of which is accorded a summarizing title (e.g., “The Baruch document”36: 1 -45:5; “Oracles against the Nations” 46: 1-51 :64, “Judgment and Hope”21:1-25:38, etc.). The format lends itself well to research on specificpericopes not always defined by the traditional versing. Moreover, much ofwhat Brueggemann has to say is repeated in many of the sections. One neednot read the entire volume in order to retrieve critical elements ofBrueggemann’s theology. Each of the sections is subdivided intomanageable pericopes that usually move inductively from word studies,examination of grammatical nuances, images, and metaphors, togeneralizing comments and conclusions, which tie in with the largertheological themes Brueggemann weaves throughout his commentary.This edition lacks a subject index, and is not edited for post- 1990European political reality. Brueggemann refers often to the Soviet Union asan example of “Empire”. In his illustration of the prophet calling Israel tosubmit to Babylon, he cites as an example the Cold War rhetoric: “Better redthan dead.” Moreover, Brueggemann does not cite any works publishedlater than the early 1990s. Despite these drawbacks, Brueggemann’s workis a refreshing contribution to biblical interpretation, one that frees thebiblical text to speak for itself and embraces the ambiguity and incongruitycontained within.Martin E. MalinaSt. Peter’s Lutheran Church,Brodhagen, OntarioPriests, Prophets, Diviners, Sages: A Socio-Historical Study ofReligious Specialists in Ancient IsraelLester L. GrabbeValley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995xviii + 261 pages, $20.00 (AS PaperbackThis book by Lester L. Grabbe, Head of the Department of Theology andProfessor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull in GreatBritain, is an example of the kind of sociology of ancient Israel being written122 Consensustoday. For this author it is not a question of whether or not certain religiousspecialists existed but to what extent their character and work can bedetermined from the sources available to us. Grabbe’s approach is to focuson the present final Old Testament text and not get involved in the vagariesof source-, form- or traditio-critical analysis. His method is thus synchronicrather than diachronic. For each of five religious specialists Grabbe sets forthfirst the textual data, then draws upon cross-cultural parallels, sometimesfrom the ancient Near East alone but other times from broaderanthropological studies. The end goal is to formulate a Weberian “idealtype” for each of these offices. Not surprisingly the most space is devoted tothe prophet (51 pages). The prophet turns out to be a mediator who claimsto have received messages direct from God, by a variety of means. Whilecontemporary interests might urge us to see the prophets as “socialreformers”, Grabbe contends, judging from the contents of both the writingand the written-about prophets, the designation “political and religiouscritics” would be more accurate. On the other hand the space (33 pages)given over to the diviner/healer/shaman is arresting, as Grabbe holds up theimportance of divination, concluding that many forms of divination wereavailable to the common Israelite, including some consultation with the deadand probable involvement with a cult of the dead. Next in turn and length butequally rewarding are Grabbe’s treatments of the sage (29 pages), the priest(25 pages), and the king (21 pages). One thing the author makes clearthroughout the monograph is that the lines of demarcation between thesereligious “specialists” are not to be drawn too sharply. The neat, watertightcategories we seek to find exist best in the mind, not in real society, as realsociety is a messy, inconsistent affair.As 1 read this book 1 found myself occasionally resisting what 1 thoughtwas a statement of overconfidence or a plain manipulation of the data todiscover something less familiar or traditional. For example, 1 am not socertain that one can or should homogenize institutional functions across theancient Near East to arrive at something different, such as the strong culticrole Grabbe gives to normative Israelite kingship. Incidentally, as the authordoes present five different religious specialists, 1 wonder why this very one,the king was left out of the book title. Furthermore, 1 am not disposed toaccept the author’s recurrent, confident identification of “the prophetess” ofIsaiah 8:3, “with whom Isaiah had sex and produced several children”, asdefinitely not the prophet Isaiah’s wife, but most likely the same womandesignated as “the young woman” in Isaiah 7:14 [74, 83, 101, 114, 202]. 1liked the author’s use of the Tetragrammaton to refer respectfully to thenational God of Israel, but 1 would have preferred the use of “YHWH” ratherthan “Yhwh”. As usual, this book by Trinity Press International is presentedin concise numerical point form. By contrast with the other book reviewednearby, 1 noted only one typographical error: “They are said to prophecyouX.Book Reviews 123of their own hearts” (78). The book concludes with a full bibliography (22pages) and a document citation list (13 pages).The real value of this paperback is its rich collection of texts and datapertaining to five religious figures in ancient Israel: the king, the priest, theprophet, the diviner, and the sage. Besides the potential herein for preachinga series of sermons on religious professionals (leader, mediator, critic,healer, and teacher), the pastor might find here the impetus for a five sessionstudy/discussion of the Old Testament’s foundational institutional functionsand the presence or absence of their equivalents in contemporary religioussociety.Roger W. GttiLutheran Theological SeminaryAn Introduction to the History of Israel and JudahJ. Alberto SogginValley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1993 (2nd edition)xxii + 474 pages, $30.00 CIS PaperbackThe pastor who wishes to be in the know on what is and what is not an“assured chapter” in Israel’s history should find this work serviceable andinformative. Personally I would not hesitate to use this book as a requiredtextbook for a “history of Israel” course.First, as Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at the Universityof Rome and Visiting Lecturer at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, J. AlbertoSoggin is eminently qualified to write this book. He is the author of amonograph on kingship in Israel (BZAW 104, 1967), two commentaries onJoshua (1972) and Judges (1981) in the Old Testament LibrarySenes, andan Old Testament introduction now in its 3rd edition (1989). As an Italianscholar he brings to the subject the best and latest of European scholarship.Second, this book is a completely rewritten update of his earlierIntroduczione alia Storia disraeie e di Giuda (1983). Virtually every page ofthe earlier text has had to be changed as a result of ten intervening years ofscholarship. Ideologically, the book is more minimalist than maximalist in itsapproach.Third, 1 like the structure, bibliographies, and appendices of thispaperback. Its four parts are presented in numerical point style with clear,succinct paragraphing and titling. Part One deals with introductoryproblems, including methodological and historiographical questions. As to

Priests, prophets, diviners, sages: a socio-historical study of religious specialists in ancient Israel

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 25
Issue 1 Contextual Perspectives in Pastoral Care and
Counselling
Article 13
5-1-1999
Priests, prophets, diviners, sages: a socio-historical
study of religious specialists in ancient Israel
Roger W. Uitti
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Uitti, Roger W. (1999) "Priests, prophets, diviners, sages: a socio-historical study of religious specialists in ancient Israel," Consensus:
Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 13.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol25/iss1/13
Book Reviews 121
power for newness is at work in such displacements. Brueggemann is, in
either case, careful not to mold the text to fit any particular contemporary
situation. Instead, he insists, “our situation needs to be submitted\.o the text
for a fresh discernment. In every generation this text subverts all our old
readings of reality and forces us to a new, dangerous, obedient reading.”
Brueggemann divides the 52 chapters of Jeremiah into 15 sections,
each of which is accorded a summarizing title (e.g., “The Baruch document”
36: 1 -45:5; “Oracles against the Nations” 46: 1-51 :64, “Judgment and Hope”
21:1-25:38, etc.). The format lends itself well to research on specific
pericopes not always defined by the traditional versing. Moreover, much of
what Brueggemann has to say is repeated in many of the sections. One need
not read the entire volume in order to retrieve critical elements of
Brueggemann’s theology. Each of the sections is subdivided into
manageable pericopes that usually move inductively from word studies,
examination of grammatical nuances, images, and metaphors, to
generalizing comments and conclusions, which tie in with the larger
theological themes Brueggemann weaves throughout his commentary.
This edition lacks a subject index, and is not edited for post- 1990
European political reality. Brueggemann refers often to the Soviet Union as
an example of “Empire”. In his illustration of the prophet calling Israel to
submit to Babylon, he cites as an example the Cold War rhetoric: “Better red
than dead.” Moreover, Brueggemann does not cite any works published
later than the early 1990s. Despite these drawbacks, Brueggemann’s work
is a refreshing contribution to biblical interpretation, one that frees the
biblical text to speak for itself and embraces the ambiguity and incongruity
contained within.
Martin E. Malina
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church,
Brodhagen, Ontario
Priests, Prophets, Diviners, Sages: A Socio-Historical Study of
Religious Specialists in Ancient Israel
Lester L. Grabbe
Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995
xviii + 261 pages, $20.00 (AS Paperback
This book by Lester L. Grabbe, Head of the Department of Theology and
Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull in Great
Britain, is an example of the kind of sociology of ancient Israel being written
122 Consensus
today. For this author it is not a question of whether or not certain religious
specialists existed but to what extent their character and work can be
determined from the sources available to us. Grabbe’s approach is to focus
on the present final Old Testament text and not get involved in the vagaries
of source-, form- or traditio-critical analysis. His method is thus synchronic
rather than diachronic. For each of five religious specialists Grabbe sets forth
first the textual data, then draws upon cross-cultural parallels, sometimes
from the ancient Near East alone but other times from broader
anthropological studies. The end goal is to formulate a Weberian “ideal
type” for each of these offices. Not surprisingly the most space is devoted to
the prophet (51 pages). The prophet turns out to be a mediator who claims
to have received messages direct from God, by a variety of means. While
contemporary interests might urge us to see the prophets as “social
reformers”, Grabbe contends, judging from the contents of both the writing
and the written-about prophets, the designation “political and religious
critics” would be more accurate. On the other hand the space (33 pages)
given over to the diviner/healer/shaman is arresting, as Grabbe holds up the
importance of divination, concluding that many forms of divination were
available to the common Israelite, including some consultation with the dead
and probable involvement with a cult of the dead. Next in turn and length but
equally rewarding are Grabbe’s treatments of the sage (29 pages), the priest
(25 pages), and the king (21 pages). One thing the author makes clear
throughout the monograph is that the lines of demarcation between these
religious “specialists” are not to be drawn too sharply. The neat, watertight
categories we seek to find exist best in the mind, not in real society, as real
society is a messy, inconsistent affair.
As 1 read this book 1 found myself occasionally resisting what 1 thought
was a statement of overconfidence or a plain manipulation of the data to
discover something less familiar or traditional. For example, 1 am not so
certain that one can or should homogenize institutional functions across the
ancient Near East to arrive at something different, such as the strong cultic
role Grabbe gives to normative Israelite kingship. Incidentally, as the author
does present five different religious specialists, 1 wonder why this very one,
the king was left out of the book title. Furthermore, 1 am not disposed to
accept the author’s recurrent, confident identification of “the prophetess” of
Isaiah 8:3, “with whom Isaiah had sex and produced several children”, as
definitely not the prophet Isaiah’s wife, but most likely the same woman
designated as “the young woman” in Isaiah 7:14 [74, 83, 101, 114, 202]. 1
liked the author’s use of the Tetragrammaton to refer respectfully to the
national God of Israel, but 1 would have preferred the use of “YHWH” rather
than “Yhwh”. As usual, this book by Trinity Press International is presented
in concise numerical point form. By contrast with the other book reviewed
nearby, 1 noted only one typographical error: “They are said to prophecyouX.
Book Reviews 123
of their own hearts” (78). The book concludes with a full bibliography (22
pages) and a document citation list (13 pages).
The real value of this paperback is its rich collection of texts and data
pertaining to five religious figures in ancient Israel: the king, the priest, the
prophet, the diviner, and the sage. Besides the potential herein for preaching
a series of sermons on religious professionals (leader, mediator, critic,
healer, and teacher), the pastor might find here the impetus for a five session
study/discussion of the Old Testament’s foundational institutional functions
and the presence or absence of their equivalents in contemporary religious
society.
Roger W. Gtti
Lutheran Theological Seminary
An Introduction to the History of Israel and Judah
J. Alberto Soggin
Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1993 (2nd edition)
xxii + 474 pages, $30.00 CIS Paperback
The pastor who wishes to be in the know on what is and what is not an
“assured chapter” in Israel’s history should find this work serviceable and
informative. Personally I would not hesitate to use this book as a required
textbook for a “history of Israel” course.
First, as Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at the University
of Rome and Visiting Lecturer at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, J. Alberto
Soggin is eminently qualified to write this book. He is the author of a
monograph on kingship in Israel (BZAW 104, 1967), two commentaries on
Joshua (1972) and Judges (1981) in the Old Testament LibrarySenes, and
an Old Testament introduction now in its 3rd edition (1989). As an Italian
scholar he brings to the subject the best and latest of European scholarship.
Second, this book is a completely rewritten update of his earlier
Introduczione alia Storia disraeie e di Giuda (1983). Virtually every page of
the earlier text has had to be changed as a result of ten intervening years of
scholarship. Ideologically, the book is more minimalist than maximalist in its
approach.
Third, 1 like the structure, bibliographies, and appendices of this
paperback. Its four parts are presented in numerical point style with clear,
succinct paragraphing and titling. Part One deals with introductory
problems, including methodological and historiographical questions. As to


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