Blue Cord

Review

Rating: 7

Making Wise the Simple is a reading of the Pentateuch within the Christian faith. It is not truly an introduction to the Torah, as it does not cover enough background material to fulfill that role. The book would, however, serve quite well as a secondary book in an introductory class on the Pentateuch or as a good second book to read after having taken such a class. Because she does not always follow the text in a sequential order, having a good understanding of the shape of the Pentateuch and some familiarity with the stories would be helpful in following her discussion.

Van Wijk-Bos structures her reading around the Torah’s concern for the stranger (Heb. ger), as well as widows, orphans, and any other disadvantaged group. She does an excellent job of tracing this thread through the text. She is very sensitive to listen to marginalized voices within the Torah. She is also careful to deconstruct the anti-Jewish attitudes with which Christians often approach the Pentateuch.

One of the strongest parts of the book is that she covers almost all aspects of the Pentateuch. While I do not mean to suggest that all texts are discussed, she at least manages to cover most of the topics. Whereas many Christian studies focus only on the narrative, she devotes sections to the law (the Covenant Code and Holiness Code are both given treatment) as well as to sections of Exodus where the construction of the tabernacle is detailed. If there is any one section that gets short shrift, it is Deuteronomy, although she does use it as a foil for other texts on occasion and she does deal with the question of genocide against the Canaanites.

The criticisms I have of the book are minor, although not insignificant. Van Wijk-Bos uses her own translation of the text, which at times can be quite idiosyncratic. She preserves Hebrew word order to show the rhythm of the text, but this comes out awkwardly at times. She also divides the texts into strophes, even in prose passages. In some cases, she also emends the text to support her reading. The most egregious case of this is when she changes Exodus 23:3 to read “You must not privilege the great” when the Hebrew reads “You must not privilege the poor” (Van Wijk-Bos, Making Wise, 189). There is no textual evidence for such an emendation, although she cites the same wording in Leviticus 19:15. While I agree with her that showing favoritism to the great is more likely than showing it to the poor, there is no a priori reason to rule out a prohibition of showing favoritism to the poor, since favoritism in either direction is problematic (cf. Jam.2:9). Van Wijk-Bos also overstates that extent to which love for the stranger and marginalized is the central them of the Torah. While I certainly agree it is a theme, it seems to me that there are other themes that are just as strong.

Despite these problems, Making Wise the Simple is an enjoyable reading of the Torah. The author manages to produce a reading that is sensitive to women’s issues in the text without coming off as anti-male. She places the Torah firmly within the context of the covenant, something that is far too often overlooked in Christian readings of the Pentateuch.