RBL 02/2014 Heath A. Thomas, Jeremy Evans, and Paul Copan, eds. Guenther ( Gene ) Haas Redeemer University College Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

Transcription

1 RBL 02/2014 Heath A. Thomas, Jeremy Evans, and Paul Copan, eds. Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and an Old Testament Problem Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, Pp Paper. $ ISBN Guenther ( Gene ) Haas Redeemer University College Ancaster, Ontario, Canada In the introductory chapter of this volume the authors note that The holy wars of the Old Testament stand in many ways as a theological crux in the goal of a right interpretation of Holy Scripture (1). The challenge for biblical interpreters is what to make of biblical texts that present a God who commands ruthless warfare that sometimes includes genocidal extermination of people groups and that seem to support coercion and even violence against the enemies of the Christian faith, whether these are nations or communities. One s understanding of these biblical texts of divine warfare shapes one s theological perspective on the salvific movement of God and the missional calling of the church. Chapter 1 introduces the volume as a whole. Geth Allison and Reid Powell rightly note that the issue demands an interdisciplinary approach. Thus this volume contains contributions by academics from a variety of perspectives: biblical, theological, ethical, philosophical, and historical. All problematic aspects of this matter are not resolved in this work, but the contributors do provide insights on the interpretation, ethical applications, and contextual applications on divine warfare in Scripture. This is especially helpful in the light of a history of misinterpretation and faulty appropriation by Christians and churches.

2 In chapter 2 Douglas Earl refutes the widely held belief that the holy war texts in Joshua were used to justify the Christian Crusades of the eleventh through the thirteenth centuries and subsequent colonialism and militarism of Christian nations. Through careful examination of the Bible Moralisée and Glossa Ordinaria, two influential medieval works of interpretation and application of biblical texts, Earl demonstrates that Joshua was primarily read in terms of a typology of the church (influenced by Origen s spiritual reading), not to support crusades. In addition, his investigation of the primary crusade texts, especially sermons, reveals that Joshua plays no role in promoting crusade. Rather, recurring appeal is made to the Maccabbeean revolt to support the call to sacrifice and even to martyrdom in the summons to liberate and reestablish what was captured by pagans. A survey of medieval texts also demonstrates that the book of Joshua is not used to support just-war theory. Part 2 of the book consists of two chapters dealing with Old Testament Perspectives. Stephen Chapman points out that the term holy war is not found anywhere in the Bible. He suggests that Yahweh war and divine war are more appropriate phrases to describe the ban (h ērem) and divinely sanctioned warfare. God is the ultimate warrior who commands Israel to destroy idolatrous peoples so that his people may live in undivided devotion to their God. The goal of this periodic and limited warfare is peace, which is the thrust of Israel s history and which reaches fulfillment in the redemptive work of Christ. In chapter 4 Heath Thomas briefly examines the response to the divine warrior as found in the Writings. Heath finds statements both of celebration that God fights on behalf of his people for justice and righteousness and of lament when God acts against his people for their injustice and idolatry. While both are prayerful expressions of faith in God s goodness and fidelity to his covenant, the latter allows for a spirituality that engages difficult issues and directs them to God. Part 3 deals with New Testament Perspectives. Each of the two chapters examines the use of warfare imagery in a New Testament book: Ephesians and Revelation. Through the detailed examination of such imagery, Timothy Gombis (Ephesians) and Alan Bandy (Revelation) show that these books portray God s warfare in the new covenant as directed against the spiritual powers opposed to, and even persecuting, Christ s church. The goal is to assure believers that they can find confidence and peace in the divine victory. To be part of the new humanity in Christ means participating in the rule and victory of God. Gombis unfolds the narrative emphasis in Ephesians that Christians have their participation in God s victory over the cosmic powers of evil through the death and resurrection of Christ. Bandy expounds the central theme of Revelation as God s vindication of persecuted Christians. God responds to their pleas for justice by promising

3 the future retributive justice of Christ, the divine warrior, against these enemies. Both chapters argue that neither book provides any justification for militant Christian social action nor for the use of political power to achieve the victory of God. Christians embody and participate in this victory through lives of love and discipleship according to the sacrificial pattern of Christ, while patiently enduring hardship and trusting in God s justice. Part 4, Biblical-Theological Perspectives, offers two chapters that use a comprehensive biblical theology to situate divine warfare in the biblical metanarrative of redemption. In chapter 7 David Lamb surveys biblical passages from Exodus to Acts to argue that the motivations for Yahweh s warfare are always presented as compassion and anger. Yahweh responds in compassion to the cries of his oppressed people (e.g., in Exodus, Judges, Psalms, Isaiah), and he wages war in anger against the oppressors. This makes God s warfare not only less problematic but even worthy of praise and thanksgiving. In chapter 8 Douglas Earl deals directly with the ethical and theological difficulties of the ban (h ērem) in Joshua. This poses a particular challenge for biblical theology in the light of the claim that the Old Testament biblical narrative of redemption finds it fulfillment in Christ s kingdom of love. Earl argues that the various occurrences of h ērem in the Old Testament need not be interpreted as reports of literal genocides. Rather, the three main contexts in which h ērem appears (Deuteronomic materials, Joshua, and the prophetic writings) suggest that it invokes separation from the idolatrous world and dedication to YHWH. Earl presents two other reasons for reading the h ērem texts as symbolic/ existential/rhetorical rather than as literal/ontological/historical: similar h ērem imagery is found in other ancient Near Eastern texts, and the eschatological purpose of the biblical texts indicates the ultimate fate of the nations. The application of these texts for believers is not a report of, or call to, warfare but rather exhortation to faithfulness before God by radical separation from idolatry, mission to those facing judgment, and worship in response to Christ s redemption. Part 5, Ethical and Philosophical Perspectives, contains four chapters that present various attempts to harmonize divine warfare in the Old Testament with Christian morality. Daniel Heimbach finds in the Old Testament Yahweh wars a crusade ethic with clear conditions, criteria, and practices that God alone can authorize and initiate. Thus, there could never be divinely sanctioned war enacted by human initiative. Chapter 10, by Paul Copan and Matthew Flannagan, is devoted to refuting the argument by Raymond Bradley that h ērem is inconsistent with Christian theism, especially the notion of a morally upright God. The authors respond with a hyperbolic interpretation of the h ērem texts rather than a literal one, refuting Bradley s claim that God (ever) commands the slaughter of innocent civilians. In his chapter on The Prophets Call for Peace-Making Practices Glen Stassen draws heavily from Norman Gottwald s All the Kingdoms of the

4 Earth to highlight two ethical imperatives from the prophetic writings, that war is a sign of God s judgment on the unjust practices by one or both of the participants and that God calls his people is to just peace-making. This chapter is a puzzling part of the book for two reasons: Stassen does not deal with h ērem in the Old Testament, and his material is focused on promoting his notion of the prophetic call to just peace-making. In chapter 12 Robert Stewart presents a philosophical response to the (implied) argument of the New Atheists against belief in a God who commands genocide. While he surveys other possible rejoinders, Stewart devotes most of the chapter to an inerrantist Christian response that takes the biblical accounts of h ērem as historical. He concludes by pointing out that the selective and caricatured use by the New Atheists of biblical and theological material does not undermine the Christian belief based on the whole of the Bible, that God is holy, trustworthy, and loving. Part 6, Theological Perspectives, contains two essays. In The Unholy Notion of Holy War, Murray Rae argues for Christian pacifism by appealing to early church fathers and councils and by refuting the just-war arguments of Reinhold Niebuhr, Karl Barth, and Oliver O Donovan. Rae concludes by appealing in a rather cursory manner to the traditional New Testament pacifist texts to reject any use of military action to oppose evil. It is also puzzling why this essay is included, since Stassen s essay is focused on endorsing pacifism, and his only treatment of h ērem is to summarily dismiss it as part of the inferior Old Testament ethic. In the final chapter, Holy War and the New Atheism, Stephen Williams argues that the New Atheists problem with holy war in the Bible is ultimately their problem with God. Thus, the only adequate response is to present and defend the comprehensive portrait of the character and actions of the biblical God. The volume ends with a chapter of concluding observations by two of the editors to the question, Where do we go from here? First, they note that philosophical/ethical considerations require careful distinctions: between descriptive and the prescriptive claims, and between historically specific, and normative absolute, values/obligations. Further work in this area requires not only a clear conception of different notions of justice but also a biblical account of divine justice resulting from God s self-disclosure through actions in the world. Concerning biblical and theological considerations, the editors note the importance of understanding the varieties of warfare within specific contexts as well as within the biblical metanarrative. Further biblical research should explore and relate the two biblical themes of God s judgment on rebellious people and the divine mercy toward and even suffering with those under divine judgment. This volume serves as a valuable resource for dealing with this difficult issue of h ērem in Scripture. First, some common misconceptions are corrected: there are no appeals to holy war in the crusades and later colonialism; the practice of h ērem in the biblical

5 narrative is limited; and divine warfare is sometimes practiced against idolatrous and corrupt Israel itself. Second, the fact that this issue is engaged by authors in various disciplines recognizes that it must be dealt with from various perspectives: biblical interpretation, narrative analysis, systematic theology, philosophy, apologetics, and ethics. It is not simply a matter of how the biblical narratives of h ērem are interpreted but also of how such divinely commanded acts fit with redemptive history culminating in Christ and of our understanding of a God who commands such acts. Divine warfare also bears upon our understanding of Christian ethics and the challenge of Christian apologetics today. Third, the contributions are not confined to the literalistic interpretations characteristic of the evangelical world. While some may find the range of contributions too narrow for their liking, there is some a clear attempt to broaden the conversation. While there are some weak points to this volume two chapters that do not directly engage the issue of hērem and the absence of a chapter in which divine warfare is discussed by a proponent of just-war theory the book serves as a valuable resource on this difficult issue. While the authors do not all agree on the interpretations and applications of the texts, and while this volume is not the final word on the matter, it has definitely advanced the discussion.