This volume is a welcome addition to the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series. This series lies somewhere between exegesis and exposition. As the title suggests the theological issues are to the fore and this provides a fresh approach.

Samuel Wells, rector of St Martins-in-the-Field, London, takes a narrative view of Esther. Some commentaries concentrate on the leaves of a tree, Wells focuses on the forest. This is no atomistic approach. In his opening chapter he uses the terms farce, burlesques-style, a study in improvisation to describe it. This is no dry and dusty tome. He brilliantly opens up Esther and shows the book to be both far fetched and existentially urgent.

Wells is author of Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics and he also sees elements of improvisation within Esther. Intriguingly, he sees the key question of Esther as "How to navigate the dangerous waters of exile, between the two extremes of spineless assimilation and fruitless resistance?"

George Sumner is professor of World Mission at Wycliffe College, Toronto, and so inevitably and intriguingly the missional elements of Daniel are highlighted. As he writes in the introduction: "There is no missiology without Christology (and vice versa), even as there is no Christology without staurology." He, as does Wells, provides a Christological perspective on the text. He sees Daniel as a single coherent work - despite its redactional history. He takes a "circulatory system" approach, where a major artery runs directly from Daniel to Revelation and he rightly interprets the two books in relation.

Sumner does not suffer from chronological snobbery and he freely uses Calvin, Jerome, Melanchthon and others to help make sense of the text.

There is a subject index and a useful scripture index.

Of the making of commentaries there seems so end. So what fresh insights does this volume offer? The strength is that Wells provides a drama-tic setting to Esther and Sumner brings missional insights to the understanding of dabble. Both authors take seriously the Christological and canonical settings of the books. The weakness is that there is no common format. But then, perhaps that is a strength - each author is free to do what they would like and thus play to their strengths. ( )

This volume is a welcome addition to the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series. This series lies somewhere between exegesis and exposition. As the title suggests the theological issues are to the fore and this provides a fresh approach.

Samuel Wells, rector of St Martins-in-the-Field, London, takes a narrative view of Esther. Some commentaries concentrate on the leaves of a tree, Wells focuses on the forest. This is no atomistic approach. In his opening chapter he uses the terms farce, burlesques-style, a study in improvisation to describe it. This is no dry and dusty tome. He brilliantly opens up Esther and shows the book to be both far fetched and existentially urgent.

Wells is author of Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics and he also sees elements of improvisation within Esther. Intriguingly, he sees the key question of Esther as "How to navigate the dangerous waters of exile, between the two extremes of spineless assimilation and fruitless resistance?"

George Sumner is professor of World Mission at Wycliffe College, Toronto, and so inevitably and intriguingly the missional elements of Daniel are highlighted. As he writes in the introduction: "There is no missiology without Christology (and vice versa), even as there is no Christology without staurology." He, as does Wells, provides a Christological perspective on the text. He sees Daniel as a single coherent work - despite its redactional history. He takes a "circulatory system" approach, where a major artery runs directly from Daniel to Revelation and he rightly interprets the two books in relation.

Sumner does not suffer from chronological snobbery and he freely uses Calvin, Jerome, Melanchthon and others to help make sense of the text.

There is a subject index and a useful scripture index.

Of the making of commentaries there seems so end. So what fresh insights does this volume offer? The strength is that Wells provides a drama-tic setting to Esther and Sumner brings missional insights to the understanding of dabble. Both authors take seriously the Christological and canonical settings of the books. The weakness is that there is no common format. But then, perhaps that is a strength - each author is free to do what they would like and thus play to their strengths. ( )

A volume in the Brazos Theological Commentary series placing two books that feature Jews adjusting to the situation of exile: Esther and Daniel.

The Brazos Theological Commentary series is a welcome concept: a commentary series focused less on the questions which scholarship generally finds most pressing (who wrote what, when, where, why) and more on making sense of the role of the texts in theology with a view to the history of interpretation of the text, especially within the Christian tradition.

The quality of this particular volume in the commentary was a bit uneven between the two authors, especially as to how they approached the endeavor. Part of the challenge involves the distinctiveness of the two books: sure, they are both set in the exile, but otherwise have very little else in common.

Esther: the author of the Esther commentary is in conversation with a lot of recent studies in Esther and uses them in many ways that can help understand the text.. The author sees the main story of Esther mostly in contrast with much of the rest of the presentation of God and Israel in its history: using realpolitik to eke out existence, deftly manipulating situations, confident in God's providence but not in direct acts as before, and sees the whole story as a grotesque exaggeration of exilic challenges and realities. Many of the thoughts are suggestive and prompt thinking but do not necessarily show a way forward of seeing how the book of Esther fits within the canon and the greater Judeo-Christian tradition and understanding.

Daniel: the author of the Daniel commentary does extremely well at setting aside all of the questions about authorship and setting and does a great job of understanding Daniel in its supposed context, as used in Judaism and early Christianity, and the history of interpretation, mostly Christian but Jewish as well, of the text and its applications. The author considers Daniel 7 as the means by which to understand the rest of the work and does well at expressing the power of God over and despite the nations and their activities. One idiosyncrasy of the work is the author's continual attempt at associating Daniel and its themes with missiology and a missiological focus, which no doubt can be found at some level but leaves one wondering whether it is the best lens through which to read Daniel.

Nevertheless, a fruitful resource through which to become more aware of the interpretations of Esther and Daniel and means by which to understand these texts in our own day.

**--book received as part of early review program, and galley reading was especially hindered by the absence of "ff," "th," and other letter clusters. ( )