Euangelion
John Goldingay
Exodus and Leviticus for Everyone
London: SPCK, 2010
Available at Amazon.com
By Laura Paul
The very first line of the introduction to John Goldingay’s Exodus and Leviticus for Everyone begins by noting that, “as far as Jesus and the New Testament writers were concerned, the Jewish Scriptures that Christians call the “Old Testament” were the Scriptures,” and they were ‘for everyone’. He continues by quoting 2 Timothy 2:16-17, noting that for the NT writers the Old Testament, as Scripture, was “useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person who belongs to God can be proficient, equipped for every good work.” Unfortunately, somehow in the years between the first century and today, many in the church have lost a 2 Timothy 2:16-17 perspective on the books (or sections of) Exodus and Leviticus, making a guide like Goldingay’s invaluable.
So then, how does Goldingay guide us through Exodus and Leviticus as Scripture ‘for everyone’?
Firstly, he begins every chapter with a fresh translation of the text. These translations are somewhat wooden, but wonderfully close to the Hebrew, and thus a wonderful resource for any reader wanting a clearer understanding of the text in the original language without actually knowing Hebrew. Many idioms that are translated away in most English versions here remain in their idiomatic form. Additionally, this volume provides a few innovative translations for several key terms and themes, along with some helpful discussions thereof. For example, ‘hardening Pharaoh’s heart’, becomes ‘stiffening his resolve’; ‘unclean’ becomes ‘taboo’; ‘mercy seat’ becomes ‘expiation cover’, and ‘ark of the covenant’ becomes ‘declaration chest’.
Secondly, he uses thoughtful illustrations from Western 21st century life, ranging from TV and movies, to politics, history and his own personal anecdotes. These serve well to build bridges in his reader’s mind, bringing them from the stories of their world and plunging them into the story of the people of Israel.
Thirdly, this focus on narrative continues to form what is the strongest highlight of this work: Rather than forcing each section of the story to have a specific, even if forced, application, he instead draws his readers into the narrative, helping them understand how it is functioning on its own terms in its own culture. As he explains, it is “easy for us to pick and choose which bits of the Torah we like. We like to think we do that on the basis of being Christian but more likely we do it on the basis of the culture to which we belong. To do justice to the Torah, we need to get inside the way it talks when it seems odd and not just use it to affirm what appeals to us.” (p. 88).
This is primarily done through highlighting the overarching themes that build upon each other almost imperceptibly as the narrative progresses. Thus by the end of the volume the reader is impressed by a sense of God’s covenant faithfulness in redeeming his people that they might experience God’s presence in God’s land by covenant obedience as God’s holy set-apart people.
Within this big-picture framework, Goldingay serves his readers well by then unpacking some of the aforementioned things that ‘seem odd’, by giving his readers a gentle introduction to some massive theological and anthropological paradigms. This is sometimes done by contrasting situations to an assumed western reader’s worldview. For example, in introducing us to the sacrificial system of Leviticus, he notes the way in which, in contrast to a personal and subjective paradigm, “[the sacrificial system] first assumes that worship and prayer are naturally expressed in concrete external ways.” (p. 130). At other times this is done through drawing similarities to his reader’s world, as in relation to ‘taboo’ foods where we are reminded of the way in which, “Food is an expression of identity. God takes that fact and makes it contribute to the forming and articulating of Israel’s identity.” (p. 147). Finally, this is also achieved by introducing completely new categories to the reader, such as in the discussions on blood, and its relationship to life and death, which serves to interpret the laws regarding childbirth, menstruation, diseases, etc.
Overall, Goldingay’s work does indeed accomplish its goal of being ‘for everyone’, as it draws the reader into the story of God’s covenant faithfulness, allowing application to grow organically, while giving them an introduction to the worldview tools necessary for understanding the beauty therein.
Laura Paul is studying at Ridley College Melbourne.
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