Ruth

by André LaCocque

This volume provides a readable introduction to the narrative Book of Ruth appropriate for the student, pastor, and scholar. LaCocque combines historical, literary, feminist, and liberationist approaches in an engaging synthesis. He argues that the book was written in the post-exilic period and that the author was a woman. Countering the fears and xenophobia of many in Jerusalem, the biblical author employed the notion of hesed (kindness, fidelity, steadfast love), which transcends any national boundaries.LaCocque focuses on redemption and levirate marriage as the two legal issues that recur throughout the text of Ruth. Ruth comes from the despised people of Moab, but becomes a model for Israel. Boaz, converted to the model of steadfast love, becomes both redeemer and levir for Ruth, and thus fulfills the Torah. In the conclusion to his study, the author sketches some parallels with Jesus' hermeneutics of the Law as well as post-modern problems and solutions.

Author Bio:André LaCocque is Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at the Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the author of Thinking Biblically: Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies (with Paul Ricoeur; Univ. of Chicago Press, 1998), Romance, She Wrote: A Hermeneutical Essay on Song of Songs (TPI, 1998), The Feminine Unconventional: Four Subversive Figures in Israel's Tradition (OBT; Fortress Press, 1990), Jonah: A Psycho-Religious Approach to the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1990), and Daniel in His Time (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1988). Translator: K. C. Hanson is Biblical Studies editor for Fortress Press and the co-author (with Douglas E. Oakman) of Palestine in the Time of Jesus with CD-ROM (Fortress Press, 2002). MARTIN LUTHER'S BASIC THEOLOGICAL WRITINGS, SECOND EDITION, WITH CD-ROM

Genres: Theology

Nook

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Fred Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned of this commentary through James McKeown's commentary on Ruth. That commentary was just so-so. Lacoque's commentary served my purposes much better. McKeown, to his credit, gave fair warning that his commentary was going to focus on theology and not investigating the scholarly issues investigated by other commentaries, such as the rules concerning levirate marriages. Lacocque's commentary does investigate those issues, but also gives the nod to theology. Lacocque is a Christian, so he couldn’t help but find parallels between Ruth and the teachings of Jesus. This, I think, did not detract from the commentary.

[Joshua Turpin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be four stars but this whole book ends by saying that actually you can’t understand Ruth without Jesus, but the author doesn’t reference Jesus until the conclusion. This is nonsense.
Other than that, an excellent and well-resourced commentary.

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, so helpful. A close reading of the Book of Ruth that points out and explains all the things you didn't know were there in a way that opens the text to become transformative. Through LaCocque's reading, it becomes clear that "Ruth rewrites the Torah."