Ref BS 491.3 .A47 2006The
Africa Bible Commentary, edited by Tokunboh Adeyemo (Zondervan, 2006) is new to our reference collection. It provides access to African biblical interpretations, intentionally from a conservative theological perspective. As the following review makes clear, this can be viewed as a strength or a limitation, depending on your perspective.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Reviewed by Chad Pollock, reference librarian at the
JKM Library, serving the schools of
McCormick Theological Seminary and
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
The Africa Bible Commentary (ABC) is a one-volume commentary of the Christian Bible written by African scholars primarily for an African audience. As such, the ABC is unique in the corpus of one-volume Bible commentaries. The ABC is the brain-child of the Association of Evangelicals of Africa (AEA), and members of the AEA chose the authors and served as the editorial board.
In the general introduction to the commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, the General Editor of the ABC, describes the contents in the following way:
"The ABC is not a critical, academic, verse-by-verse commentary. Rather, it contains section-by-section exegesis and explanation of the whole Bible as seen through the eyes of African scholars who respect the integrity of the text and use African proverbs, metaphors and stories to make it speak to African believers in villages and cities across the entire continent."
This quote highlights both the uniqueness of the ABC as well as one of its major limitations. The ABC's uniqueness lies in its embrace of what Justin Ukpong calls the "ordinary reader," the common African reader as opposed to a religious or academic elite. The goal of the commentary is to provide a devotional, rather than critical, reading of the text, one that resonates with the African situation, utilizes African language and cultural markers, and one that has practical consequence. This goal is commendable.
However, in choosing those scholars who "respect the integrity of the text," the editorial board excluded many African scholars who perhaps could have added more depth to the commentary. Most notably, there are no scholars from the Catholic tradition, nor are there any from the Ubuntu school of Desmond Tutu or from a tradition of liberation. The contributors to the ABC were required by the editorial board to accept the AEA Statement of Faith with its corresponding emphasis on the "infallible and entirely trustworthy" nature of the Christian bible. Nowhere is this commitment more palpable than in the various introductions to the biblical books.
The authors, for example, embrace the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, Davidic authorship of the Psalms, and, in general take an unquestionably traditionalist approach to the matters of critical introduction that Western scholars have haggled over for the last two centuries. This is not necessarily bad. A reading of scripture that skews the historical-critical method can provide a refreshing look at the text, and one could easily forgive the lack of critical introduction if the section-by-section exegesis provided such a refreshing reading. This type of reading seems to be what the authors intended. Throughout the forward and in the ABC's promotional literature, the editorial board-and others-praise the commentary for its uniquely African reading. "In interpreting the biblical text, the authors have also been able to bring together Christian spirituality and the depth of their understanding of African culture and religion," says Dr. Robert K. Aboagye. "Its foundation is Biblical, its perspective African," says John Stott. The vision statement for the ABC similarly says, "the general aim of the commentary is to make the word of God speak relevantly to African realities today."
At times the ABC achieves this goal admirably. In the commentary on Mathew 5:9, for example, the author highlights the need for peacemakers:
"Sudan, and especially the Darfur region, is just the latest part of Africa desperately needing peacemakers...[peacemaking] involves actively working for reconciliation between hostile factions (1119)."
At other times, the authors descend into a simplistic and almost patronizing interpretation of the text, such as in the exegesis of Genesis 24, the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah:
Rebekah had an important role to play in the whole affair. Here is a reminder for parents and guardians that when it comes to the matter of marriage, the wishes of the future wife or husband are of first importance...Parents should listen very carefully to their children when arranging marriages...forced marriage is a sin before God (46).
In approaching this review, I should state plainly that I am a white American male, trained in the historical-critical method at predominantly white protestant universities. Although I attempt to embrace what Daniel Patte calls a multi-dimensional andro-critical perspective, I struggle with a bias against what I would deem a non-critical reading. Nevertheless, when I signed on for this review, I was excited about reading a commentary from a distinctly African perspective. My disappointment in the ABC is rooted mostly in the fact that the polyvalence of African voices is not represented. Instead, the commentary offers a one-sided African reading, even as it asserts a more universal tone.
The various topical articles sprinkled throughout the ABC are the most succinct attempt to bring together topics of interest to African Christians and the biblical text. There are a total of eighty of these articles, and the topics range from "Angels, Demons, and Powers" to "Yahweh and Other Gods." These articles come close to fulfilling the ABC's self-described goal. The articles on "HIV/AIDS in Africa" and "Christians and the Environment" are particularly noteworthy. However, the over-simplification that plagues much of the rest of the commentary is not absent from the articles. The article "War," for example, concludes with the admonishment that sometimes war is necessary because, "Jesus Christ himself...had to wage the ultimate war against sin on Calvary in order that we might live (968)."
The only work comparable to the ABC is the African Bible published by the Catholic Paulines Press. Although the African Bible is a study Bible and the ABC is a commentary, the two works are similar in scope. Both provide introductions to the books of the Bible and both give a running commentary on the text. The difference between the two is one of perspective. Whereas the ABC is written from the vantage of African Evangelicals with a strong sense of Biblical inerrancy, the African Bible is written from the standpoint of African Catholic Bishops with an emphasis on applying church teaching to the African situation. The two books complement one another and would function nicely as bookends to a broader African reading.
The ABC certainly deserves a place in any theological library. Does it, however, belong on the reference shelf? Ultimately, this decision rests with each individual library. Its focus on a narrow devotional reading of the bible inclines this reviewer toward the stacks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This review will be published in the forthcoming
American Theological Library Association Newsletter.
