135 - Compromising Redemption: Relating Characters in the Book of Ruth.

Compromising Redemption: Relating Characters in the Book of Ruth.
Danna Nolan Fewell and David Miller Gunn
Louisville, Westminster/John Knox, 1991. 141 pp. $11.95.

In this volume in the Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation series, the authors retell, interpret, and annotate the text of Ruth. Their stated purpose is to arrive at "a leaner tougher story" of the book. The first part is a retelling of the story in a collage, taking into account the relevance of Judah and Tamar's story and of Laban, as the father of Leah and Rachel. The second part provides a reading of the main characters of the book of Ruth. The authors describe more complex, more human, characters than one ordinarily finds in the commentaries.

The book is well-written and a pleasure to read. Part I is useful and interesting, even though the retelling is here and there somewhat stilted. Part 11 provides a lively, informative, and generally convincing analysis of the characters in Ruth. This book presents, at the least, an alternative reading that is worth considering. The authors are successful in their purpose to present "the characters in Ruth as complex people, not merely built around a single primary trait, like loyalty, altruism or generosity." Part III, the text critical notes, are a welcome and readable contribution to text analysis of Ruth.

Johanna W.H. Bos,
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary,
Louisville, Ky.