Choice-Rezension

This study focuses on the religious specialists of ancient Israel. A curious omission from the listing of these specialists in the title is the king, to which the author (Univ. of Hull) also devotes a chapter. Treating each of these as an ideal type, Grabbe first summarizes the biblical presentations and then surveys the relevant materials from other cultures around the world. He describes this work as a sociohistorical study, combining the task and methods of the historian with those of the social and cultural anthropologist. This is a daunting task, given how little certainty is possible in reconstructing a history of ancient Israel. The result is a useful work, which draws together a wide range of materials on the key religious figures within ancient Israel. Its ambitious breadth, however, is mirrored by an inevitable lack of depth. A 22-page bibliography is a significant strength of the book. This study will be primarily useful to students. Scholars will continue to rely on more specialized treatments of each of these types of religious functionary in ancient Israel, such as Robert R. Wilson's Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel (CH, Sep'80). Undergraduate; graduate; faculty; general. H. O. Forshey Miami University