Hawk offers a refreshing examination of violence in the biblical texts that stems from both human and divine action. In an effort to address the theological challenges of an Old Testament God who seemingly promotes violence, Hawk seeks to bring the conversation back to the whole picture of violence as it is presented canonically in the light of God's salvific work. Rather than isolating a few particular verses (such as the most challenging passages from Deuteronomy or Joshua), Hawk offers a broad overview of the Bible to determine how individual narratives present acts of violence and to what extent God is implicitly or explicitly involved. In an effort to present a vision for how Yahweh works both within and outside of fallen humanity, Hawk presents an overarching picture of violence in the Bible which resists attempts to harmonise the scriptures and leaves space for the tension that exists between the various witnesses of the biblical narratives.
In the first chapter Hawk sets the scene for how different scholars have approached the problem of divine violence. Rather than searching for a single answer, Hawk presents a narrative approach that traces the forms and contexts of violence throughout the canon. He offers a critique of traditional Christian approaches from Origen's allegorical readings to contemporary historical-critical methods. This section might have been expanded to include approaches by Eryl Davies, Douglas Earl or a more in-depth treatment of Walter Brueggemann's work on divine violence. After surveying the scholarly literature, Hawk proposes that to understand divine violence in scripture we must comprehend the scope and nature of violence as it is given in narrated testimony.
In Chapters 2 and 3, Hawk gives an overview of fallen creation and God's intentions and methods for how he will bring about restoration. He examines the primeval history and notes that the destruction of creation after the expulsion from Eden is not the result of divine anger or punishment. Yet despite the new creation through Noah, Yahweh does not eliminate the presence of violence that has entered into the world. Instead, he accepts this as part of the human condition and binds himself to humanity in working towards restoration. The conclusion of the primeval history marks Yahweh's new approach through the promise to Abraham, his chosen agent for salvation. Hawk retells several of the biblical narratives in Genesis at length but does not offer a range of scholarly citations. This is true of the book as a whole and though Hawk does offer engagement with some scholarship at different points, each chapter is light on footnotes.
Following the narrative of the Pentateuch, Hawk explores the Exodus stories and the movement from God's use of Abraham as his vehicle of salvation to the covenant people of Israel. Chapters 4 and 5 highlight God's judgement on the violent and oppressive regimes of the world. Yahweh responds with violence to establish his sovereignty on earth. At Sinai we witness the first instance of divine anger in response to covenant disobedience, but here we find that anger emerges from Yahweh's love and devotion to Israel.
Hawk then traces the role of divine violence in the monarchy in chapter 6 before dedicating chapter 7 to Joshua and the conquest. These chapters offer a detailed and balanced interpretation of the texts where Hawk unfolds how a God who is so deeply committed to his people becomes entangled with systems of human violence. In a careful reading of the text Hawk sees the complex, and at times incongruous, presentation of violence in the conquest and the monarchy. He concludes that violence cannot be uncoupled from these narratives but when viewed through the lens of God's intention for his people we can understand the use of hyperbole and exaggerated language to underscore the imperative of creating a holy people and a holy land. The final chapters move into the New Testament and the incarnation as God's way of stepping outside the violence of humanity to reveal his fullest nature through the Son. Though God may still use violence as a means of dealing with human defiance, the way of love established by Christ becomes the primary means of transforming the world.
Hawk's work offers a challenging and insightful view on biblical violence. Without glossing over difficult texts, his careful reading and interpretation of the biblical narrative presents a compelling case for how we might reflect on God's work within and beyond the systems of fallen humanity.
