I spent most of yesterday evening reading and browsing all over the place in the 800 pages, and as with all Allison's writing it was like sitting at the feet of Gamaliel.
Each small section is preceded by a section History of Interpretation and Reception, tracing the way the verses have been understood, preached and practised in the 2,000 years since it was written. These are superbly done.
The main exegetical sections are jam-packed with details of grammar, syntax, semantic analysis, social context, theological reflection. Last night I read the whole treatment of James 1.19-21 as a sample – 22 pages on three verses, and I'm not sure any of it could be edited out without real loss of insight. Over the years I've preached on this passage "Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger". Allison's' treatment is thorough, discerning, and emerges from deep textual reading that is intertextual and intra-textual. It's interpretive gold.
The wide ranging Bibliography includes the latest academic and technical studies, a rich harvest of periodic literature much of it distilled into Allison's exegesis and interpretive moves. He is a master of the history of exegesis of James, ranging from Augustine to Calvin, Luther to liberation theologians, John of the Cross to Thomas Manton the Puritan, sermons from social gospel exponents to evangelical preachers and the Scottish Congregationalist Ralph Wardlaw.
T&T Clark are to be commended for producing such a valuable scholarly volume at a more than fair paperback price. It's a brilliant commentary – it won't displace other important volumes such as Scott McKnight, Dan McCartney, or Luke T Johnson, but to use a word often overused, it is indispensable for serious study of the Letter of James.
I have one major complaint – the book has no indices which significantly limits the user friendly quality of an 800 page book bursting with technical detail. This isn't a one off either. The most recent volume in the series, on Galatians is also missing indices. I confess myself perplexed that such a prestigious publication has no detailed roadmap to where the treasure lies. I'm going to email the publisher to suggest a rethink if this is the approach going forward.
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