The collected essays were written by and for members of the SBL/AAR group on Character Ethics. In the introduction, Brueggemann defines character ethics as a “practice of being (not doing) that is derived from and referred back to the character of God . . . who invites challenge and engagement, and who authorizes and empowers covenant partners to bold and courageous freedom” (ix). Bruggemann distinguishes between this “dynamic interactionism” and the conventional focus on obedience to static commands. Character Ethics involves the intentional formation of community identity (xvii). Contributors to this volume share a desire to aid the church in forming such an identity, but they approach it from a variety of perspectives and social locations. While the first twelve essays start with biblical studies and move toward the modern context, the final four work in the reverse direction.
Theodore Hiebert, “Beyond Heilsgeschichte” (3–10)
William P. Brown, “The Moral Cosmologies of Creation” (11–26)
Thomas B. Dozeman, “Creation and Environment in the character Development of Moses” (27–36)
Cheryl B. Anderson, “Biblical Laws: Challenging the Principles of Old Testament Ethics” (37–50)
Dennis T. Olson, “Between Humility and Authority: The Interplay of the Judge-Prophet Laws (Deuteronomy 16:18–17:13) and the Judge-Prophet Narratives of Moses” (51–62)
Samuel E. Balentine, “Inside the ‘Sanctuary of Silence’: The Moral-Ethical Demands of Suffering” (63–80)
Kathleen M. O’Connor, “The Book of Jeremiah: Reconstructing Community after Disaster” (81–92)
Jacqueline E. Lapsley, “A Feeling for God: Emotions and Moral Formation in Ezekiel 24:15–27” (93–102)
M. Daniel Carroll R., “’He Has Told You What Is Good’: Moral Formation in Micah” (103-18)
J. J. M. Roberts, “The End of War in the Zion Tradition: The Imperialistic Background of an Old Testament Vision of Worldwide Peace” (119–28)
Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, “The Quiet Words of the Wise: Biblical Developments toward Nonviolence as a Diaspora Ethic” (129–52)
J. David Pleins, “Wine, Women, and Song (of Songs): Gender Politics and Identity Construction in Postexilic Israel” (153–68)
Luis R. Rivera-Rodriquez, “Toward a Diaspora Hermeneutics (Hispanic North America)” (169–90)
Denise M. Ackermann, “Tamar’s Cry: Rereading an Ancient Text in the Midst of an HIV/AIDS Pandemic (South Africa)” (191–220)
Bob Ekblad, “Resisting Rejection by the ‘Elect’ in Genesis 25–27 (Migrant Workers and Prisoners, Northwest USA)” (221–36)
J. Rafael Escobar R., “Toward a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence in Postwar Guatemala” (237–47)
Taken as a whole, these essays exhibit a remarkable consistency of penetrating insight. The editors are to be commended for compiling such a valuable collection. Each author stimulated my thinking in profound ways by helping me look at Scripture from new angles. Some essays offered insight culled from study of the ancient Near East or from reading the Bible through a particular set of lenses (diaspora, exile, gender, creation, or wisdom). Others simply read the Bible itself more closely and asked probing questions at key junctures. Still others viewed the Bible through the eyes of the oppressed and modeled fruitful modes of discovery. I think it is fair to say that these authors have handled Scripture responsibly, even while reading from self-consciously identified communities. The true achievement of their work is that they have not only read the Bible in life-giving ways for their own communities (or communities of service), but have managed to bring readers along sympathetically, empowering us to see things through the eyes of the “other.”
In the end I doubt I will ever be able to look at the text in quite the same way. None of these authors were satisfied with easy answers and they sought to overcome common misunderstandings about Scripture. While I did not find myself in full agreement with every author, each one pushed me to think more deeply. A number of these essays made it on my short list: O’Connor, Lapsley, Roberts, Smith-Christopher, and especially Ackermann and Eckblad. I expect to refer to them many times in years to come as I guide students through the Scriptures and help them consider its potential for ethical reflection.
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2012
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