Mary Chilton Callaway. <i>Jeremiah Through the Centuries</i>

The commentary Jeremiah Through the Centuries was written as part of the Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentary series. Callaway’s commentary, like others in the series, explores the reception history of the book of Jeremiah, whose central protagonist was purported to have lived in the sixth century BC. It also offers commentary on the extrabiblical and postbiblical texts and traditions that have emerged from the readings of the book of Jeremiah, and it elucidates how it has, in turn, impacted the cultures in which this prophetic book was read, understanding that how communities have interpreted and been influenced by the book is as important as its original intention and meaning.Written primarily for the scholarly community, Jeremiah Through the Centuries is nonetheless accessible for students, clergy, and laity. The series demonstrates that reception history and the influence of the Bible on Western culture in “literature, art, music, and film, role in the evolution of religious beliefs and practices, and its impact on social and political developments”—has been “for the most part neglected” and thus fills a vital vacuum in biblical scholarship (p. xix). This series deliberately considers premodern, patristic, rabbinic, and medieval exegesis (including Muslim interpretations in this commentary) as well as modern critiques, texturing and unveiling the many layers of reception history. Knowing too that the field is saturated with historical-critical and archaeological issues, Callaway references these various issues briefly while pointing readers in the “direction of accessible literature where [these references] can be followed up” (p.xx). The result is a rich conversation revolving around the biblical text.Callaway’s work is separated into the introduction, which covers reception history, and a commentary on the chapters of Jeremiah she has identified as having left their mark on Western culture. Callaway’s introduction sweeps both broadly and deeply through reception history. Understanding that the “abyss of history” is in reality “fertile ground in which our own history is rooted,” Callaway argues that the exploration of Wirkungsgeschichte illuminates the texturing of mentalité that informs present and future interpretations (p. 3–4). Callaway notes Jeremiah’s significance in the development of the self in Western intellectual history and interiority in Christian spiritual tradition, and thus the introduction presents specific “texts and traditions of Jeremiah that have most profoundly influenced readers down the centuries” (p. 4). Callaway explores not only formal written text but also introduces examples of political tracts, examines congregational worship, and writes fluently of the impact of artistic renderings of Jeremiah.Callaway notes that reception history has focused on three aspects of the biblical text: the words of the prophet, narratives about the prophet, and the figure and persona of the prophet (p. 4). The commentary selects key passages from each chapter, though not every chapter is given the same precise attention, as Callaway’s focus is on chapters in Jeremiah that have left “significant marks on Western culture” (p. 64). As such, the length of the commentary for each chapter also differs. Choosing to shape the commentary as a chronological narrative, Callaway pulls voices from different cultural and religious contexts (premodern to modern critiques, as well as Christian, Jewish, and Muslim interpretations) to contrast and highlight the different kinds of reception as well as to give contour to the conversations and debates through history. This method effectively portrays Jeremiah as a “bricolage” of Jeremiahs, each building and reconfiguring pieces of past Jeremiahs into contemporary shapes (p. 64). Of note is Callaway’s reticence to replace the prose of primary sources—often unfamiliar to modern ears—so to present sources in their own voices as much as possible. Callaway moves through different disciplines as well, demonstrating clear fluency in both biblical studies and theology, as well as art history and broader Western history and popular culture. Indeed, she makes clear that historical-critical methods ought to be seen as arising from reception history rather than in isolation, demonstrating that the tools borne out of Western rationalism arise from a long tradition stemming from Philo, who first suggests that Jeremiah ought to be seen in light of the self (p. 170). Callaway also does not shy away from the problem of differing interpretations; indeed, her chronological narratival retelling of reception history highlights the incongruity of communities developing constitutive or prophetic theological interpretations that justify their polemics and politics or convict them toward effecting change. Her interdisciplinary study of the book of Jeremiah demonstrates the outsized influence the book has had on Western society.This commentary has several items of note. First, the glossary and the brief biographies are immensely helpful for the uninitiated. Second, while Callaway already does an excellent job of positioning each interpretation within its social location in the commentary more generally, brief biographies serve to guide the reader in a more comprehensive manner. Third, Callaway’s clear expertise is demonstrated not only in her fluency in reception history but also in that she is comfortable in the biblical text in its multiple iterations, from picture Bibles to Latin (and indeed, she has translated portions of the Bible moralisée for this commentary). She also notes the places where the Septuagint diverges from the Hebrew text(s). Fourth, it was greatly appreciated that Callaway included women interpreters in her commentary (these include Sarah Trimmer, Virginia Milliken, Hannah More, and Julia Ward Howe). Lastly, the images selected to describe the commentary were most effective: Leonard Nathan’s poem “Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem” and Doug Johnson’s 1991 mural “Lamentation for the Ages” (pp. 63–64). Nathan’s poem describes “one Jeremiah slipping into another,” (p. 64) while Johnson’s displays Rembrandt’s interpretation refracted—these both illustrate Callaway’s understanding of reception history and that, indeed, it is to be received with humility and awe of both its beauty and horrors. An area of future research may be to expand the section on the American jeremiadic tradition and consider more than Martin Luther King Jr. in the Black jeremiadic discourse (including Black Women Jeremiahs).In sum, Callaway’s commentary is excellent and, indeed, groundbreaking. This perspective and her helpful notes invite her readers into deeper study. A must for seasoned Jeremiah scholars, while at the same time managing to be accessible, Jeremiah Through the Ages is essential for the collection of any scholar taking seriously the study of Jeremiah.

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