Jeffrey J. Niehaus

Studying under Dr. Jeff Niehaus at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in the early 90s, I was required to read this book. I have since read it three or four times, as has my wife and my father. In every case, we found it to deliver what is best about biblical theology in the tradition of Gerhardas Vos: impecabble scholarship that opens up the text in its world and in our own. The subject here is a study of divine theophany: appearances of God, and primarily Old Testament appearances. The compare and contrast between the OT and surrounding ANE mythologies--Egyptian, Hittite, Mesopotamian, and Canaanite--is fascinating. The way that works out in terms of the psalms and proverbs is near devotional. Of note especially is Dr. Neihaus's claim that the Genesis description of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, a translation Neihaus describes as a "guess interpreters have made throughout the centuries," he translates--based on ANE textual study--as "'in the wind of the storm.' The storm wind is the advancing presence of Yahweh. He advances in terrible theophany, in judgment . . . the man and woman hear . . . the 'thunder' of his stormy presence." No wonder they hid in the trees! A marvelous book, were it not that some of the investigation into Akkadian texts are a bit slow in the beginning, we'd give it five stars. As it is, we give it four-and-a-half.… (més)