|
|
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another fun book from Kevin Conner, January 2, 2003
I first became acquainted with Kevin J. Conner's work through his book "Interpreting the Symbols and Types". Having admiration for what was written in that book, I decided to try "Tabernacle of Moses" and "Temple of Solomon" in his Divine Habitation Trilogy. Although very useful, these two books of the DH Trilogy do not measure up to the quality of "Interpreting the Symbols and Types." This is fine, as these books serve a different purpose and touch on different aspects of theology, however I think Conner's strength is plainly manifested in "IST".I recommend this book for its treatment of the tabernacle and some of the interpretations therein. I was happy to see a somewhat mild explanation of the Shekinah-Cloud mentioned in Exodus 40 (volume three offers somewhat the same pneumatological explanation for the dedication of Solomon's temple in 1 Kings 8). I also enjoyed the general pace of the book and the many scriptural references. Complaints: This book was written in outline format, not reading format, so if one purchases this book expecting to READ about the tabernacle of Moses, the individual might be let down. The outline format can be cumbersome for those not accustomed to reading outlines. Personally, I think it organizes the information better for those using this book as a quick reference or teaching tool, and it also "gets to the point" without a lot of circumlocution. Also, there is no scriptural index. My gravamen for this book would have to be the sometimes non-ecumenical theological interjections. For example, Conner caustically points out that the bird's-eye-view of the architecture of the interior of Moses' tabernacle is in the shape of the Holy Cross. This is a fine interpretation for Evangelical theologians, however I felt this treatment somewhat heterodoxical and flagrant from the non-Evangelical perspective. There is no canonical or non-canonical (pseudepigraphal or apocryphal) evidence that I know of which paints the bird's-eye-view of the tabernacle as a Holy Cross. This, and other pot-shots like this, may be helpful to certain teachers and students, but I found it to be distracting and mildly abrupt to those not versed in dispensational or evangelical theology. All in all, this book is a fair cop, and I do recommend it, but recommend it with only 3 stars.
|