Review of Justo L. Gonzalez, Santa Biblia:The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes

Transcription

1 Digita Loyoa Maymount Univesity and Loyoa Law Schoo Theoogica Studies Facuty Woks Theoogica Studies Review of Justo L. Gonzaez, Santa Bibia:The Bibe Though Hispanic Eyes Danie L. Smith-Chistophe Loyoa Maymount Univesity, Repositoy Citation Smith-Chistophe, Danie L., "Review of Justo L. Gonzaez, Santa Bibia:The Bibe Though Hispanic Eyes" 1998). Theoogica Studies Facuty Woks Recommended Citation Smith-Chistophe, Danie. Review of Santa Bibia:The Bibe Though Hispanic Eyes by Justo L. Gonzaez. The Jouna of Hispanic/ Latino Theoogy, 5:3: This Book Review is bought to you fo fee and open access by the Theoogica Studies at Digita Loyoa Maymount Univesity and Loyoa Law Schoo. t has been accepted fo incusion in Theoogica Studies Facuty Woks by an authoized administato of Digita Commons@Loyoa Maymount Univesity and Loyoa Law Schoo. Fo moe infomation, pease contact digitacommons@mu.edu.

2 , 1 : ~' 1 : 52 Book Reviews now though the esuection of Chist. t aso ends with the impotance of Reveation fo the pesent, such as chaenging fundamentaistic apoca yp ticism, constucting a new vision of histoy, estabishing a pophetic anaysis of the pesent situation, undestanding the symbos and myths of Reveation, eeading the oigins of Chistianity, and finay, contibuting in econstuction of ibeation theoogies in the Thid Wod. n the ovea assessment of the com:inentay, a numbe of comments ae in ode. Fist, the ine of agumentation, a pesent eschatoogica eaity, is theaded and suppoted we thoughout the chaptes. n the cimate of fundamentaist apocayptic goups, the ecaptuing of Reveation's main thust pesent eschatoogy) is vey impotant in keeping an eye on pesent oppessive situations in the wod. Howeve, moe deveopment and discussion, especiay in the concusion, with egad to the impact of Reveation in eationship to the Thid Wod coud have been povided. Second, R's. use of histoica, socioogica, and iteay citicisms suey dispays his shap and ceative use of a thee appoaches, though, was disappointed that the eading stategy advanced a subte positivistic impuse at times. This is especiay visibe when R. fais to discose diecty his socia ocation in eationship to the text, a constant ovesight of the dominant exegetica paadigm. Nevetheess, R. ceay pays attention to the expeience of oppessed Chistians in Thid Wod counties. Finay, R. does a spendid job diaoguing with the histoy of schoaship concening Reveation, especiay in his econstuction of the oigins of Chistianity behind Reveation. Even though woud have enjoyed moe discussion in this aea, was not the pimay audience. n concusion, R. suey keeps in ine with the schoay pusuits of the seies. He not ony povides a cea view of the wod behind the text, he aso demonstates how this wod can be a mode fo the wod in font of the text, that is, the pesent wod. n shot, the commentay is an exceent exampe of how one intepets Reveation fom a ibeation pespective, poviding an atenative stoy fom the standpoint of the maginaized. Fancisco Lozada, J. Santa Bibia: The Bibe Though Hispanic Eyes. By Justo L. Gonzaez. Nashvie: Abingdon Pess, Pages, 123. Pape. One of the most impotant deveopments in ecent bibica study is the awaeness of the oe of the eade in competing a diaogue with a text-a diaogue that we now undestand to be absoutey necessay to Ț., { - ),- ;,' t L t :}.. J J,.L ', ;..:.

3 Book Reviews 53 any compehension, et aone intepetation. Concomitant with this deveopment is the eaization that diffeent eades bing diffeent backgounds, assumptions, and expeiences to the task of eadingiespective of whethe we ae eading a menu o a poem. n bibica studies, this awaeness of the oe of the eade has povided an impotant opening fo seious discussions of the oe of cutue and socia expeience in the compehension and intepetation of the Bibe both as a histoica document in citica anaysis, and aso as "Sciptue" fo vaious eigious taditions. Gonzaez's wok is an impotant contibution in this gowing fied, and a the moe wecome because we ae sti in the midst of the beginnings of this discussion among Hispanic theoogians. Santa Bibia is a distiation of issues that came out of an impotant discussion of these mattes which took pace at Pekins Schoo of Theoogy. The discussion was the Hispanic nstuctos' Pogam, convened by the Mexican Ameican Pogam at Pekins. Judging fom Gonzaez's wok, the discussion was extemey poductive. At the outset it is impotant to caify that Gonzaez, in his intoduction, states that he is acutey awae of the difficuties of his task He is awae that he speaks fom one kind of "Hispanic" community that is ony pat of a divese and mutifaceted seies of socia expeiences too often simpy umped togethe as "Hispanic" Mexican, and Mexican Ameican expeiences ae demonstaby as diffeent fom Pueto Rican expeiences as Chinese-Ameican fom Si Lankan-Ameican!). To his cedit, Gonzaez is not intimidated by this eaity. No does he hesitate, beyond mentioning it autobiogaphicay as a cetain eement of his pespective, to engage in his ceative anaysis despite the fact that he is Potestant and most Latinos ae Cathoic. His task is to identify in genea ways those expeientia aspects of an "Hispanic" expeience that wi infuence how one eads, compehends, and intepets the Bibe. His fist expeientia context fo eading the Bibe is "maginaity:': "No matte what ou backgound, most Latinos, when speaking of thei own expeience in-this society and in the chuch within this society, identify with the image of maginaity" 32). Fom such a pespective, Gonzaez is attentive to a eading of the New Testament that takes notice of the oe of "the peope," "the cowds" -the maginaized of fistcentuy Paestine-and thei oe as both suppotes, and opponents, of the new ideas intoduced in the peaching of the eay apostes. But maginaity can be a pespective fo intepetation and appication, as we as histoica anaysis. Gonzaez, fo exampe, expesses his impatience with eadings of the Bibe that seve to meey peseve powe and maintain the maginaity of the maginaized. n his comments on Jonah, fo exampe, he notes that Jonah's avesion to going to Nineveh

4 54 Book Reviews,, was not fea of evi, but athe fea of God's acceptance of those who ought to be kept magina fom the pomises of God! God, indeed, did exacty what the consevative, nationaist Jonah did not want-fogive the enemies and incude them in savation. Fom the view of maginaity, futhemoe, Gonzaez points out that Jesus' paabes of the ost ost sheep, coin, son) wee diected towad the cente that is, towad the powe-eite) and not towad the masses. ndeed, Jesus spoke fom the magin in this sense. Ceay, Gonzaez has identified a significant issue of intepetive pespective in consideing the issue of maginaity as a stategy of eading and intepetation, and compaes it to ate Chistian expeiences as Wesey's peaching to mines in Bisto, ony to be tansfomed by his contact with the "magina" of his ea. Whie such themes ae not new to hemeneutica discussion since Max and "eading fom the unde side," that thee can be a unique eement of this fom the pespective of "Latino" o "Hispanic expeience" is pat of Gonzaez's impotant agument. Chapte 2 addesses "povety" as an intepetive context. Refecting a majo ibeationist theme, Gonzaez agues that discussions about "the poo" must move beyond a simpe question, "What does the Bibe say about the poo?" o "What does the Bibe teach about what to do about the poo?" nstead, we must ecognize that "The question is athe, what do the poo find in the Bibe that is an impotant message to the entie chuch?" 58). This, of couse, adicay eveses the diection of discussion. When discussing Matthew 20:1-16, the paabe about the wokes being paid equay despite woking vaious engths of time, Gonzaez eads fom a pespective we known to the thousands who wait fo wok on the steet-cones of the city. Fom this pespective, paying a a day's wage is seen as edessing the injustice of an economic system that condemns thousands upon thousands of abe men and women to wait fo wok, despeatey attempting to find enough to keep going: "The andowne pays them what they justy need and what they justy deseve, not what society, with its twisted undestanding of justice, wgud pay them" 63). Chapte 3 takes up one of the most inteesting themes in a vaiety of Latino contexts, namey "Mestizaje and Muatez," the expeience of being "mestizos" and the unique pespectives that coss- and muticutua identities bing to the othewise mundane discussions of "peseving cutues." The eaity of iving in moe than one tadition, a sef-consciousness based on being composed of diffeent and ode expeiences, and the futhe eaity of being a ceative pat of foging the continued meaning of this, has obvious significance to discussions of, fo exampe, the natue of eay Chistian diaogue about Jewish and Gentie identities and definitions of Chistian faith, as we as,,.1 i'!

5 Book Reviews 55 "Diaspoa" identities geneay. This chapte eads natuay and powefuy into chapte 4, a discussion of the themes of "Exies and Aiens." Athough Exodus is powefuy meaningfu in ibeation stugges in many South Ameican societies, Gonzaez peceptivey cautions that "... fo many of us in the United States, that function beongs to the Babyonian Exie" 91). Gonzaez then suveys some of the impotant textua evidences in the Hebew Bibe that aude to the impotance of deveoping a "Diaspoa identity," incuding key texts ike Jeemiah 29, Danie, and Esthe. Again, focussing on exie as theoogicay paadigmatic is not an entiey new theme, but to eate this to "mestizo" expeience is a ceative contibution to that diaogue. Chapte 5 focuses on "Soidaity," paticuay the kind of famiy soidaity that has been a hepfu and inteesting pespective in the wok of C. Gibet Romeo, suey one of the most aticuate Od Testament schoas woking in a simia aea Cf. Hispanic Devotiona Piety: Tacing Bibica Roots, Obis: New Yok, 1991, and his "Tadition and Symbo as Bibica Keys fo a U.S. Hispanic Theoogy," pp , in A. Deck, ed., Fonties of Hispanic Theoogy in the United States, Obis: New Yok, 1992). Picking up on a theme of "home" as metapho fo faith-a theme that has been peviousy deveoped at ength by John H. Eiot A Home fo the Homeess: A Socioogica Exegesis of 1 Pete, Phiadephia: Fotess Pess, 1981), Gonzaez biefy synthesizes the Hispanic tadition of extended famiies, famiy soidaity, and mutua famiy esponsibiities as defined much moe widey than the so-caed "nucea famiy." ndeed, he athe stongy suggests that "the nucea famiy, fa fom being the idea, may aeady be pat of the pobem... " 106)! n such a pespective, Bibica metaphos of "famiy" and "home" become much moe powefu paadigms fo an affimation of community and faithfu soidaity. Reading Gonzaez's wok as a Euopean-Ameican, found the wok both povocative and pomissoy by offeing an insight into what a tuy muti-cutua, diaogic appoach to Bibica studies may yied in futue discussion. Whie thee may be many issues on which othe Latino/a schoas woud take issue, paticuay in evauating the fainess o accuacy of the seection of expeientia metaphos, Gonzaez ceay seves as an exceent intoduction to the discussion fo non-hispanic Ameican Chistians. One aso wondes whethe in the futue, attention to cetain denominationa distinctives woud contibute, athe than hinde, such diaogue. Whie the ecumenica tendency today is to downpay such "Euopean infected distinctives," it is inteesting to wonde what a Mexican-Ameican Mennonite woud conside impotant in a diaogue with Mexican-Ameican Cathoics, fo exampe_.:.and which of these points woud be equay impotant

6 i.; i..,.. i' t 56 Book Reviews eements of his/he theoogica identity? Cetainy such issues coud be incuded in the "mestizo" quit of contempoay theoogica sefundestanding, especiay in the Ameican, Austaian, and Canadian contexts. A futhe stength of Gonzaez's wok is that it is a modeatey popua wok that wi pove inteesting fo undegaduates as we as suggestive fo gaduate students. ndeed, pat of the success of Gonzaez's wok eads one to hope fo moe detaied and citica examination of exegetica issues that ae in diaogue with contempoay histoica citica schoaship in both Od and New Testament. That some of the intepetive issues aised by Gonzaez woud most cetainy have impications fo the histoica-citica examination of some of the texts he cites is cea, and we can ony be gatefu fo his povocation, and be hopefu about futue contibutions. Danie L. Smith-Chistophe jaabade! Hispanic Chistian Woship. Justo L. Gonzaez, ed. Nashvie: Abingdon Pess, Pages, 133. Pape. ntoduction, Appendix, Notes, and Gossay. The seies of atices contained in this book ae compied fom papes pesented at the 1994 Biennia Assemby of the Asociaci6n paa a Educaci6n Teo6gica Hispana AETH). Each of the essays pupots to pesent a diffeent pespective and expeience of woship in the Hispanic context of the United States. t is impotant to note that "woship" in Potestant cices nomay connotes the foma gatheing of the community assembed to veneate God; Cathoics use the wod "itugy" to descibe this gatheing. Fo puposes of this eview wi geneay use these tems intechangeaby since most of the authos of this voume efect on the expeience of the officia communa gatheings of Hispanic Chistians. The essays addess such divese topics as Hispanic vaues, popua eigion, and distinctive appoaches to woship as we as the bending of cutua and eigious vaues taking pace in itugy. One autho Pofesso Raque Gutieez-Ach6n), fo exampe, pesents an ecumenica anaysis of hymnody. The othe authos epesent vaious denominations incuding the Ameican Baptist D. Migue Ange Daino), Assembies of God D. Samue Soivan), Discipes of Chist D. Pabo A. Jimenez), Pesbyteian Rev. Teesa Chavez Sauceda), Roman Cathoic D. Aan Figueoa Deck, SJ), and United Methodist Rev. Mafa Luisa Santian Baet and D. Justo L. Gonzaez). 1 _ t,~. ~ C,::-,!.,.C