Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 84:2 (Fall 2022)
Article: Reviews Of Books
Author: Anonymous

WTJ 84:2 (Fall 2022) p. 287

Reviews Of Books

Gary Edward Schnittjer, Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2021. Pp. li + 874. $74.99, cloth.

Gary Edward Schnittjer’s Old Testament Use of Old Testament sets out to examine every book of the OT from the lens of inner-biblical exegesis. On its theological axis, the project considers the developments of canonical exegesis as “an engine of progressive revelation” (p. xvii). A sustained focus on exegetically significant literary allusions to earlier OT writings will provide a window into the incremental nature of progressive revelation. At the same time, additional indexes with “non-exegetical” parallels may offer additional avenues for linguistic and traditio-historical studies. Although the nature of the case does not permit an exhaustive examination of all possible allusions, Schnittjer proposes “to evaluate leading uses of Scripture in every book of the Hebrew Bible” (p. xlvi). He defines quotations, allusions, and paraphrases as intentional literary acts, whereas literary echoes may be accidental, if not overly subtle (p. xx). The project therefore aims to examine the conscious literary activity shared between OT writers to evaluate its significance for inner-biblical exegesis.

Each chapter contains an analysis of a particular book of the Hebrew Bible for its potential contributions as a donor text, receptor text, or both. The first index in each chapter lists the book’s most important inner-biblical allusions to other OT writings. The second index outlines how presumably later OT writings may allude to the book in question. For example, the first index on Zephaniah’s use of the OT lists two potential allusions to Genesis (see Zeph 1:2–3; 2:11). The second index lists two potential allusions to Zephaniah by other OT writers (Ezek 7:19; cf. Zeph 1:18; Ezek 22:26; cf. Zeph 3:4). The study is carefully qualified with respect to the dating and viability of each allusion. For these potential allusions to Zephaniah, Schnittjer assigns a “Grade C” classification to the potential allusion to Zeph 3:4 within Ezek 22:26 and a “Grade B” to the potential allusion to Zeph 1:18 within Ezek 7:19 (see grading criteria below). The study does not assume a default direction of dependence, which requires Schnittjer to review the...