Customer Reviews

Five Festal Garments: Christian Reflections on the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther (New Studies in Biblical Theology)

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Five Festal Garments examines five Old Testament Books that are often neglected (or handled badly) by preachers today. The books that Webb gives consideration to are Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther.

Webb's approach with this book is clearly spelt out in the introduction. He wants to examine the books from a biblical theology farmework. (The following is a quote from the book.)

"What is necessary here is for me to make clear the kind of biblical theology to which I am personally committed and will practise in the following chapters...Its focus is on the unity of Scripture, while doing full justice to its diversity. The key to this unity in diversity is found in the gospel preached by Jesus and his apostles, to which the New Testament bears witness. This gospel is everywhere anchored in the Old Testament, of which it is seen to be the fulfilment. In short, the kind of biblical theology that will be practised here is an evangelical one, not just in the sense that (some) evangelicals practise it, but in that it derives its rationale from the evangel (the gospel) itself." (p.15)

The examination of each of the Old Testament books is divided into 3 sections: I. The first section is an attempt to let the book speak for itself. II. The second step is to examine the book within the wider Old Testament framework. III. Finally the book is examined in light of the "New Testament gospel with its basic `promise and fulfilment' structure" (p.16).

Webb offers some great insights into the text of each of the books while at the same time engaging contemporary scholarship. While demonstrating a great sensitivity to the text, Webb provides us with some wonderful insights - allowing the text to speak for itself, and allowing us to clearly hear what the text is saying. This book had me opening my Bible and reading with a greater clarity these five books.

Surprisingly helpful. Don't be put off by the size of the book; Webb packs a lot into a small space. In his reflections on Lamentations he states that he is constrained by the terms of reference he has set himself. One wishes he hadn't set such terms. And yet, this is what makes this small volume most valuable. Where many commentaries can tend to fill pages with irrelevancies, Webb is forced by brevity to be focused, and he states only what is necessary.

Well worth getting.

This has become one of my favourites. Webb gave a reflection each on the Garment of Love (The Song of Songs), the Garment of Kindness (Ruth), the Garment of Suffering (Lamentations), the Garment of Vexation (Ecclesiastes) and the Garment of Deliverance (Esther), which are excellent. In each section, he gave a summary of the structure of the book, reflected on its contribution to the Old Testament, its place in the Jewish liturgy, and its importance to the Christian canon, reflecting on its place in the New Testament. I have learnt and discovered so much from these "lesser" books of the bible through his short commentaries.