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 PrintableVersion LeviticusOT orphan?LEVITICUS With Alec Motyer describing this book as being characterised by ‘huge scholarship wedded to patient, detailed explanation and exposition of the sacred text’ dare I write a negative review of this commentary? Fortunately Motyer’s assessment seems to sum up the quality of this work accurately. In his preface Vasholz states that one of the aims of his commentary is to challenge the caricature of Leviticus as being a dull and irrelevant book. He argues that it contains much that should be appealing to the Christian: pages which yield deep insights into how redeemed sinners can live in the presence of a holy God. Vasholz adopts a solid expository style as he works through the text. I personally found his content to be substantial and scholarly. His presentation was also accessible as well as clear. He avoided the cardinal sin of many popular level commentaries: shooting two feet above the average intellectual capabilities of ‘educated readers’. My only negative observation is that, for some, the author’s analysis of the text may not go deep enough. What could have lifted this commentary from being a very good work to an outstanding one would have been more detailed treatments of some of the theological themes raised during study. Heavyweight students may, therefore, find themselves reaching for a more in depth work, such as Nobuyoshi Kiuchi’s recent commentary (IVP), to supplement Vasholz’s offering. However, I still think this work would be a valuable addition to most Christian bookshelves. I would happily recommend this commentary to pastors, preachers and those who want to deepen their understanding of this important, often neglected Old Testament book. Steve Ridgeway, © Evangelicals Now - June 2008 |
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