Minor Prophets II: New International Biblical Commentary

John Goldingay and Pamela J. Scalise have collaborated to provide an excellent addition to the New International Biblical Commentary series. Goldingay’s work covers Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai; Scalise authored the material on Zechariah and Malachi. In addition to an introduction and section-by-section commentary (which usually includes “Additional Notes” that deal with more technical issues and/or disputed interpretations) for each book, the volume includes a brief bibliography (“For Further Reading”), a subject index, and a Scripture index. The authors’ treatment of the material accords with what the series editors call “believing criticism,” which they distinguish from “precritical,” “anticritical,” or merely “critical” approaches to the biblical text. “Believing criticism” employs “the full range of critical methodologies and practices,” while simultaneously recognizing “the Bible’s full authority for Christians” and aiming “to bring the message of the biblical texts vividly to life so the minds of modern readers may be illumined and their faith deepened.” The hope is “to enrich the life of the academy as well as the life of the church” (xii). [Full Review]