Jeremiah 48 as Christian Scripture

Synopsis: "All Scripture is God-breathed" and yet some parts seem rather less God-breathed than one might imagine, or even like. The prophecy concerning Moab in Jeremiah 48 is one such text, since it appears to equate the Lord's work with bloodshed and curses those who withhold their swords. How, if at all, might such a passage inform the Christian community of faith? In this sophisticated study Julie Woods identifies some salient features of Jeremiah's Moab oracle by means of a careful analysis and comparison of both the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text of Jeremiah 48. She also explores the implications of links between the Moab oracles in Jeremiah 48 and Isaiah 15-16. The focus then moves to theological hermeneutics via an examination of some recent Christian interpretations of the oracle (from Walter Brueggemann, Ronald Clements, Terence Fretheim, Douglas Jones, and Patrick Miller). Building on the observations of these scholars and the conclusions reached from her own textual analyses, Woods provides an innovative Christian reading of the oracle (including two imaginative film scripts to bring the text to life). Perhaps one of the more surprising proposals is that Easter is the ultimate horizon of Jeremiah 48. Endorsements: "Dr. Woods shows the modern reader of the Bible how apparently difficult and obscure parts of Scripture can convey messages of vital theological importance to our own times. While she unfolds and interprets the prophecies of Jeremiah 48 concerning ancient Moab, the reader is impressed by the prophet's insights and theological perceptions, and their continuing importance for Christian life in a hostile and uncomprehending environment." -Robert Hayward Durham University "Julie Woods has taken a messy and unpleasant text to pursue the interaction of careful critical work and a larger theological perspective in reading Scripture. The path is not an easy walk, substantively and theologically, but the result is well worth it. Not every academic book-and this is surely an academic book-reaches its climax in a non-academic but powerful and imaginative conclusion. Don't stop reading before you get to the codas. It is still Jeremiah 48, but in a brilliant, larger picture, literally." -Patrick D. Miller Princeton Theological Seminary Author Biography: Julie Woods earned her PhD at Durham University in 2009 working with Walter Moberly. Since then she has been lecturing in OT studies at seminaries in South-East Asia.