Job Commentaries: Ancient Christian Texts and ESV Expository Commentary

Julian of Eclanum. Translated and Edited by Thomas P. Scheck. Commentaries on Job, Hosea, Joel, and Amos (Ancient Christian Texts). Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2021. 344 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. https://www.ivpress.com/commentaries-on-job-hosea-joel-and-amos

Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. Contributions by W. Brian Aucker, Eric Ortlund, and Douglas Sean O'Donnell. ESV Expository Commentary (Volume IV, Ezra-Job). Wheaton: Crossway, 2020. 576 Pages. Cloth. $45.00. https://www.crossway.org/books/esv-expository-commentary-premiumhc/

Job.

That's what these two commentaries have in common. 

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind . . . "

Julian of Eclanum (c. 386–455) was the bishop of Eclanum, located in modern-day Italy. In this volume in IVP's Ancient Christian Texts series, Thomas Scheck provides a new translation of Julian's commentaries on the biblical books of Job and those of three Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, and Amos. Here, readers will gain insight into how early Christians read texts such as God's speech to Job, Hosea's symbolic representation of God's unending love for a faithless Israel, Joel's anticipation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and Amos's call for social justice.

While Julian was a well-known leader among the Pelagians, whose theology was famously opposed by Augustine of Hippo and ultimately determined to be outside the bounds of the church's orthodoxy, the Pelagian movement was a significant element within the early church. And although Julian's Pelagianism does not fundamentally affect the commentaries presented in this volume, Christians can gain insight into the truths of Scripture by reading the text alongside others, even when—or perhaps especially when—we might disagree with other aspects of their beliefs.

Thomas P. Scheck (PhD, University of Iowa) is associate professor of theology at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida. He is the author of Origen and the History of Justification and Erasmus's Life of Origen. He is also the editor of two volumes of Jerome's Commentaries on the Twelve Prophets and the translator for Origen's Homilies on Numbers in IVP's Ancient Christian Texts series as well as the translator of Origen: Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans and St. Jerome: Commentary on Matthew in the Fathers of the Church series and Jerome's Commentaries on Isaiah and Ezekiel in the Ancient Christian Writers series.

(Publisher's Website)

So, how does a Lutheran view the Pelagian, Julian? 

A Lutheran reviewer always intends to speak truthfully, with a definite confessional perspective, yet with the Scriptures foremost.

The Church Fathers are at their best when they echo what the Bible says. They are at their worst when they contradict the clear Word of God.

I have to react to the copy provided by the publisher assessing Amos as a call to social justice. This is dangerously close to eisegesis, if not unacceptable eisegesis. We are given to draw the message from the text, not read our notions or faddish keywords into the text. Please refrain from compromising IVP's best series (ACCS/ACD/ACT and RCS) with too much 21st Century social commentary. Keep them timeless. You'll thank me and your customers later because your financial bottom line will not be "cancelled," to borrow a trendy term.

Let's talk about Hosea, Joel, and Amos first.

Julian's treatment of Hosea ends on a high Christological note (14:10; 193-194).

But those who confess with their whole heart that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God strive to become one spirit with him by their prayers and pursuits.

Julian appears to comment more per verse in Joel than in the other books he treats. My attention was drawn to Joel 2, due to the Feast of Pentecost, celebrated recently. 2:12-14ff (207ff) is good reading for calling Christians to repentance and comforting them with the work of the Spirit within them, culminating in 2:32 (214-15), with language similar to that at the end of Hosea, quoted above.

I'm uncomfortable with the Pelagian Julian extolling the merits of Amos (Preface; 221). He was set apart as a prophet, yet we dare not read too much into what his personal righteousness allegedly contributes to his salvation. Amos is a call to repentance, to justice, divine justice, not merely human interpretations of justice. The standard is the Ten Commandments, not the whims and pontifications of pundits and politicians. 

Before we turn to Julian on Job, let's consider Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther in the ESV Expository Commentary.

ESV Expository Commentary: Ezra–Job

Volume 4

Series edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., Jay Sklar, 
Contributions by W. Brian Aucker, Eric Ortlund, Douglas Sean O'Donnell

Designed to help the church understand and apply the overarching storyline of the Bible, the ESV Expository Commentary is broadly accessible, theologically enriching, and pastorally wise. It features clear, crisp, and Christ-centered exposition and application from a team of respected pastor-theologians. With exegetically sound, broadly reformed, biblical-theological, passage-by-passage commentary, this volume was written to help pastors and Bible readers around the world understand the riches of God’s Word.

Contributors:

W. Brian Aucker (Ezra, Nehemiah)
Eric Ortlund (Esther)
Douglas Sean O’Donnell (Job)

(Publisher's Website)

Ezra and Nehemiah are treated as one document by Aucker. He is worth reading on the identity of Sheshbazzar (26), the term "associates" (64, footnote), his timeline insights including Darius and Jeremiah and the term khanukkah (75), the struggles of the church in our time (141), his table of Nehemiah's progress and the responses of the adversaries (152), the context of the reading of the book of law (185), and chiasm (195).

Ortlund gives good insight for preachers into Esther, a challenging book that does not directly reference God. A chiastic structure is made obvious (242). His commentary on Esther's relationship to the rest of the Bible and to Christ (245ff) and guidance on interpretive challenges (246ff) is strong. The final pages of the commentary on Esther serve as a good bookend/recapitulation of her witness according to our vocations and our own call to faithfulness according to our vocations.

Let's talk about Job in both commentaries.

I wish to be fair and clear. Any theology that does not give all glory to God in Christ for salvation does not proclaim what Scripture gives us to proclaim. Jesus plus ANYTHING is unacceptable theological mathematics. Julian speaks of deeds of holy people on page one. That biases my approach to his biased approach. Honestly, I should have read his text before the interpretation of his text (e.g., xix, xlii-xliii).

Julian's explanation of 2:13 (9) and 19:23-24 and 25 (51) are worth your time, as are his comments on 38:4ff (95ff) and 40:10 and 20 (101ff) on Behemoth and Leviathan. The reference to the Indian Ocean and 3:8/Psalm 104 fascinated me. Julian on these land and sea creatures allow for ambiguity and options other than the ridiculous modern suggestions of the hippopotamus and crocodile. Julian is notable for his literal translations of the Greek of Job. In just these passages noted alone, he is called to repentance by his Redeemer from Pelagianism.

Douglas Sean O'Donnell helps us preachers grapple with Job, to borrow a word (296ff). He points us to the necessity of understanding both poetic structures and imagery (298). The introduction gives an extensive preview of Elihu (302ff), the young "jerk" (my word) whose contributions to the discussion are unique and unlike the 80s Televangelist theology of the others in the center of the book.

Job's three friends are comforters until they open their mouths (325ff, 457) in response to Job's initial speech. 

O'Donnell gives proper space and importance to the prophecy of Christ in Chapter 19 (411ff). 

O'Donnell shows that Job 38 should be an illustrative text for a sermon on Genesis 1 and vice versa (512). I recoiled at the inadequacy of modern speculation about a hippo or a croc having anything to do with Behemoth and Leviathan (520). The final page (533) appropriately points ahead to our Savior, Christ. 

Of the two, the ESV Expository Commentary is most approachable and practical for preaching parish pastors. I recommend it. Julian's commentary is an important window into the thought, theology, and worldview of an influential Pelagian. I consider the latter an optional purchase, yet valuable to those who know the Scriptures confidently enough to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy, a member of the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education, First Vice-President of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, Rhetoric Teacher for Wittenberg Academy, and Editor of Lutheran Book Review.   He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman, District Evangelism Chairman, District Education Chairman/NLSA Commissioner, and District Secretary. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Rev. Cain is a contributor to Lutheran Service Book, Lutheranism 101, the Hymnal Companion hymn and liturgy volumes, and is the author of 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music.