Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Book Review

2018; Eisenbrauns; Volume: 28; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5325/bullbiblrese.28.2.0296

2576-0998

Joshua E. Stewart,

Kit Barker is Lecturer in OT at Sydney Missionary and Bible College. He has published multiple articles on speech act theory, divine illocutions, theological interpretation, and the Psalter. The work under review is based on his 2014 doctoral dissertation.The book contains an introduction, two parts (consisting of seven chapters), a conclusion, bibliography, and two indexes. Part one of the book consists of three chapters, which lay out Barker’s pursuit of theological interpretation. Part two consists of four chapters, which address the author’s approach to theological interpretation of the Psalter. The final two chapters of the second part address the interpretation of two imprecatory psalms (Pss 137 and 69) via Barker’s application of a speech act theory–based hermeneutic. His aim, following that of Wolterstorff and Vanhoozer, is that “the goal of theological interpretation should be the clarification of how the text functions as divine discourse” (p. 3).The first part of the book (chs. 1–3) takes the reader through the theoretical links leading to Barker’s theological interpretation approach. The first chapter introduces the reader to the theory and history of scholarship related to speech act theory. This chapter would be a good introduction for anyone seeking to understand that approach. Chapter two brings the concept of dual authorship into the mix. The main interest of Barker in this chapter is to work through the notion of sensusplenior as an attempt to account for the dual authorship of Scripture (pp. 36–37). Barker points out what he sees as the unfortunate reductionistic conversations concerning sensus plenior by both its proponents and opponents. Barker suggests that the theory has been limited to “its application to either Old Testament prophetic texts or to cases of New Testament interpretation of Old Testament texts” (p. 65). Barker’s approach seeks to show how sensus plenior plays a much larger role in hermeneutics than it has traditionally been given credit for, especially when understood alongside speech act theory.Barker outlines the heart of his hermeneutic in chapter three. The chapter is divided into two sections. The first outlines Barker’s application of speech act theory for general hermeneutics along with his understanding of meaning. His definition of meaning is an adjustment of Vanhoozer’s definition of meaning (cf. p. 70). He defines meaning as “the sum total of the illocutionary acts performed through” a text (p. 90). The sum total requires recognition of various literary levels and the relationship between illocutions, which leads to a “thick” description of the associated meaning(s). The second part of the chapter elaborates on the first, by showing how the “illocutions performed through the text by the human authors are related to any divine illocutions performed through the same text” (p. 90). He suggests that, because of the necessity of sensus plenior, his hermeneutic shows why a text has continued relevance “by accounting for how its divine illocutions remain in play” (p. 90). Barker further discusses the distinctions and relationships between synchronic, diachronic, and canonical illocutions.Part two of the book demonstrates the usefulness of Barker’s hermeneutic and provides an example of the exegetical detail of his approach to the Psalter and to a couple of imprecatory psalms. In chapter four, Barker aims to show how the Psalter should be counted as divine discourse in its OT context. His concern is how the Psalter performs primary illocutions via its inclusion, shaping, and particular literary devices. The way the Psalter presents itself moves the reader to approach it as the word of God. Barker argues, “God affirms the illocutionary stances of the psalmist within the psalm” (p. 126).In chapter five, Barker shifts his attention to the theological interpretation of the imprecatory psalms. These psalms present unique difficulties, especially in how they are understood to function as the word of God (p. 127). These difficulties are the reasons Barker desires to offer an explanation of how they function as divine discourse. In relation to the difficulties of these types of psalms, Barker examines how they fit within the Psalter and how they fit with the NT. His position is that the imprecatory psalms are a righteous response in certain situations (p. 131). He raises the issue of whether or not the central illocutions of the NT “change the conditions in such a way that the previous illocutions of the Psalter can no longer be performed” (pp. 136–37). The bulk of the chapter is a defense of his position.Chapters six and seven apply Barker’s his hermeneutic to Pss 137 and 69. For each psalm he provides a translation, discussion of the literary and historical context, exposition, and consideration of illocutionary acts at different levels (i.e., human, divine, the context of OT, the context of Christian canon). Barker provides more detail and discussion on Ps 69, considering its use in the NT. Thus, chapter seven contains a section on a Christological interpretation of Ps 69, and NT illocutions regarding Ps 69. These two chapters present a detailed demonstration of his hermeneutic. For both of these psalms, Barker concludes that the central illocutions of the NT support and expand the illocutionary stance of the Psalter (pp. 178–79, 210).In my mind, the question he seeks to answer is how the Psalter as the voice of God given through the voices of humans to God coincide (p. 125). That is to say, in the Psalter (and maybe some of the Wisdom Literature) we have words written to God, yet we see these as also the word of God. This is something unique to these portions of Scripture. Thus, Barker attempts to offer a hermeneutic, which aids the interpreter to determine the ways in which the Psalter, particularly the imprecatory psalms, function as divine discourse. His theological interpretation takes into account the role of canonical and central illocutions to show how these psalms continue to function as divine discourse.Considering the difficulty of the imprecatory psalms, Barker’s use of speech act theory provides another means by which Christians may better understand the purpose and use of these psalms as divine discourse. I highly recommend this work for those interested in hermeneutics and the role of the Psalter in the Christian canon.