Mark G. Brett and Rachelle Gilmour, eds. Political Theologies in the Hebrew Bible

This edited work is the thirty-fifth volume within Brill’s Journal of Ancient Judaism Supplements series, which focuses on “the history, texts, and religious formations that make up the rich cultural trace extending from the Babylonian Exile through the Babylonian Talmud” (Brill Website). Mark G. Brett and Rachelle Gilmour edited this volume, and both editors contributed a chapter. Contributors are recognized as rising scholars sharing an interest in “political theology and the Hebrew Bible [HB]” (p. ix). Most scholars presented their essays at the “International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Adelaide, Australia, in July 2020” (p. ix).The volume opens with a foreword, discussing the origins of the book and a bird’s-eye view of the chapters. The book has four parts: “Sovereignty” (chs. 2–6), “Nation, Migration and Cultural Politics” (chs. 7–12), “Leadership” (chs. 13–16), and “Response” (ch. 17). Aside from their titles, the sections do not contain cohesive elements, for example, introductions. Brett’s contribution sets the stage in chapter 1, “What Is Political Theology?,” by articulating an expanded understanding of political theology.Christine Mitchell opens Part I with the chapter “The Politics of Judahite Creation Theologies in the Persian Period” (p. 23). By taking a refined search into extrabiblical creation theologies, Mitchell claims that one “should expect to see political theology in the creation texts of the Bible” (p. 39).Chapter 3, “Much More than Pilgrimage: A Materialist Reading of Zion Prophecies,” by Petra Schmidtkunz, continues the discussion of sovereignty and political theology. The entry concludes that the “pilgrimage” motif is deficient, being too narrow, to capture the community’s desires (p. 54). “Rejecting the pax persica: The Political Vision of the Book of Zechariah,” chapter 4 by Jakob Wöhrle, asserts that Zechariah presents as anti-Persian, a view uncommon within the HB (p. 72). Gilmour’s chapter (5), “The Politics of Beauty in the Books of Samuel-Kings and Esther,” brings to light the relationship between one’s male and female physical attributes to a political role or influence.Concluding Part I is Samasoni Moleli Alama’s “Enlarging Borders and Territory: Contrasting Texts from the Pentateuch, Amos, and Chronicles.” Alama’s comparison of the three biblical books and their respective views of moving boundaries finds that tension exists between the texts, especially concerning the condemnation or acceptance of moving boundaries and their relation to God, his people, and foreigners.Part II begins with “The Hidden Politics of Possession and Hereditary Property in Some Hexateuchal Traditions” by Stephen C. Russell. The author brings the reader’s attention to how the terms “possession” and “hereditary property” are used to “disguise royal and priestly administrative interests in land” (p. 110).Dominik Markl contributes “Does Deuteronomy Promote a Proto-Nationalist Agenda?” (ch. 8). Markl proposes that the “intellectual elites” who created and disseminated Deuteronomy indeed fashioned what can be labeled a nationalist agenda for Israel (p. 144). Chapter 9, “Political Poles between Babylon-Persia in Ezekiel and Egypt in Jeremiah: Communicating Forced and Return Migrations,” proposes forced migration studies from the past twelve years become better integrated into broader scholarship and incorporate “the ‘other’ epicenter of the diaspora during the period of the exile, that is, Egypt” (p. 158). The author, John Ahn, concludes the entry with six observations of the forgotten community of Egypt and Babylon-Persia (pp. 161–63). Dalit Rom-Shiloni writes chapter 10, “Theopolitics in a Foreign Land: Approaches to Babylon(ia) in Ezekiel,” which suggests Ezekiel alters Theo-politics to reconstruct a “Judean-exilic ideology” (p. 179). In chapter 11, Louis C. Jonker’s “Holiness Theology in Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah: A Comparison of Their Political Implications” takes a diachronic look at the Holiness material alongside the Persian and early Hellenistic period (p. 194). Jonker finds that past theological customs are synthesized in the Holiness material, which helped form the “theocratic understanding of political power in Yehud” (p. 195).Last, in Part II, Katherine E. Southwood contributes “Job ‘Opened His Mouth and Cursed’: Job 3 as a Culturally Political Comedy Challenging Simplistic Attitudes to Retribution and Piety,” which situates Job 3 in a political culture found in a higher narrative of the book to challenge “Yahwistic ideas like retribution” (pp. 197–98). The result demonstrates a “political edge” to Job that cuts against the grain of firmly embedded cultural politics associated with the book at large (p. 210).Megan Warner opens Part III, “Leadership,” with the chapter “‘Are you Indeed to Reign over Us?’: The Politics of Genesis 37–50.” Warner examines the Joseph Story (Gen 37–50), considering “allusions to royal histories” to better understand the political elements of the narrative (p. 214).Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer’s “The Power of Revelation in 1–2 Samuel” (ch. 14) presents a study of the power constructs among priests and kings, specifically Eliade (p. 227). The article determines a priest’s power is nested in their role among military advisors (p. 240). Chapter 15, “The Political Theology of Ezra-Nehemia” by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, studies the novel political theology established in a new Judean context (p. 242).In the last entry of part III, Julia Rhyder submits the chapter titled “Politics and Theology in Second Maccabees: Epiphanies, Prayers, and Deaths of Martyrs Revisited.” Key themes discussed include God’s ability to intervene on behalf of his people and the relationship of pious leader actions to the political theology of 2 Maccabees.The final entry and single entry to Part IV is another by Russell: “What Has Political Theology Ever Done for Us?” Russell brings synthesis to the entries by connecting the chapters to political-theology themes, addressing how the volume benefits biblical studies.Quickly, readers learn the market for this book is the academy. Besides the editors choosing quality entries that should capture the interests of scholars, the volume brings a welcome return to the definition of politics, which encompasses far more than political office. With the expanded understanding of political theology, the book addresses diverse components of the topic without neglecting core issues.A minor criticism of the work relates to mentioning current political issues bordering on social issues. The critique is small because it appears impossible to separate one’s political environment from influencing reading the HB. However, some discussions bring a modern, politically charged topic before the reader. For example, Russell’s piece opens with a discussion about Australian land rights, promoting a view that non-Aboriginal Australians committed injustices against the indigenous people of the land (p. 109). Russell commits a page to set the stage for the chapter using the modern political climate. Russell presents an overall balanced view, but the first paragraph will likely have a negative impact on readers, for example, distraction. The remarks will negatively influence more people than Australians. For example, countries like the United States have similar political discussions concerning the historical interactions between the native people groups and later settlers. Further, Russell also mentions that the modern political environment formed the author’s thinking, conveying an indebtedness to ideas, not a minor prejudice (p. 110–11). Such a confession put into print a concern that arose while reading some entries, that is, the authors’ modern political environment introduces anachronistic errors.Several entries were exciting topics and prompted great thinking about the HB. This is the most significant contribution of the volume to the field of study. By expanding the definition of political theology, the editor could incorporate cutting-edge research, starting new conversations. However, an inherent drawback to beginning fresh studies is that short talks or articles cannot cover enough ground to provide definitive or persuasive conclusions. Despite limiting the research to a few books from the HB, the author was still forced to discuss several cultures, perspectives, and observations that would likely require a full-length monograph to unravel properly. Still, this detriment is closely knit to the benefits of the volume, that is, several entries have the potential to be further developed into monographs, flushed out in conferences, or refined in studies with scopes that are narrower.