Book Review
Lane, William L. Hebrews: A Call to Commitment. Vancouver, B.C.: Regent College Pub, 2004.
Introduction
Summary
The commentary by Lane is an exegetical and technical works that is based on the original text of the Hebrew. The author interacts with latest literature to make commentaries about the book of Hebrews. This makes the book fit for seminary students, scholars and people with an understanding of the original text. It has been argued that Hebrews is a difficult book. Hebrews is considered as a very difficult book, many people perceive it to be very difficult and this is what motivated Lane to work out on a documentary of the book. People hold a strong conviction that the book of Hebrews is very hard to interpret and due to the fact that Lane had limited exposure of the book and that the book was much neglected during preaching, motivated him to work on the documentary. This was to enable people to have an understanding of the book. In the seminaries, it is very rare that the book of Hebrews is up for study. Furthermore during bible study, the book of Hebrews seldom comes out for study; the book of Hebrews is often omitted from devotional and personal reading of the bible .
Although the book is very difficult to study, Lane is convinced that it is a special gift from God to the church; it is book worth appreciation particularly, when the people of God find themselves prone to distraction and discouragement from any cause. The author, in the book, seeks to unearth that gift while exhibiting its worth and splendor. The book can serve as a teaching manual for groups and individuals. The book of Hebrew captures a preacher ministering to a congregation. Lane therefore exposes the content of the book and breaks down the lessons; this is aimed at making the book easy and dispelling the notion that Hebrew is the difficult book in the bible. The debate on the superiority between the angels and Jesus is solved in the book “There is a widespread conviction that Hebrews is particularly difficult book”.
The commentary by William Lane surpasses traditional commentaries. Lane unveils the book of Hebrews as a sermon that is rendered by a concerned preacher to the Roman church. The church is under persecution and people are dangerously close and reluctant to accept faith. The author presents the Book of Hebrews as an exposition of exhortation and encouragement and which addresses the key concerns of the contemporary church as well as the tension between spiritual maturity and secular conformity, climate of insecurity and uncertainty, the felt absence of God and the threat of materialism and societal pervasion to Christian commitment. “There is no prayer for peace or grace in Hebrews.
In the book, Lane talks of the need for Christians to express and uphold their faith rooted in the future; he advises Christians to continue in life of pilgrimage but, with view of reality that is founded on sure confidence in God’s intervention in their lives. The author traces the development of the writer thought by thought as opposed to verse by verse; the book also places a careful attention to historical and cultural background. “Other factors may have encouraged the neglect of Hebrews. It displays a heavy dependence upon the Old testament”. The book, can, therefore, be a critical instrument to be used as a study guide for both individuals and groups and also for any willing reader wishing to have an insight into the understanding of the book of Hebrews. Lane takes the readers through the lessons offered by the book and encouraging them to learn from the words of Hebrews. He substantiates the lessons by quoting biblical verses from other books of the bible in order to enable the Christians to an insight into the book of Hebrews. Contrary to the notion that the book of Hebrews is a difficult one, Lane makes it simple by breaking it verse by verse and theme by theme, using a simple language.
The book is considered as a critical accompaniment in biblical scholarships; it shares commitment to scripture as a divine revelation from contemporary leading scholars. The book provides a thorough analysis of linguistic, textual, theological and structural evidence. Lane captures a balanced and a judicious insight into the textual meanings in the context of biblical theology like students, seminary students, church ministers and any individual interested with developing theological understanding of the bible.
In the commentary, the book of Hebrew was prepared as summon to the congregation; its literary structure also is typical of summon. Lane is eager to communicate to his audience, the readers about the book. This is achieved by alternating between theme exposition and the practical application of the message proclaimed in the book. Lane also puts into rest the debate as to who is superior between Jesus and the angels; to him Jesus is superior. According to Lane, the book of Hebrews is a very powerful and insightful one, with strong message of salvation. The message in the book can only be meaningful if the preacher interprets and espouses is wisely. The author provides an insight into how people should approach the book of Hebrews and how they should interpret the words. To him, the book of Hebrews was tailored towards certain congregation, a congregation that was falling apart. Lane makes it clear that that from the writings in the end of the book of Hebrews, the people being addressed are in Rome, Italy. The author of the book of Hebrews was in a territory outside Italy but the target audience is in Rome. Lane demonstrates this by citing excerpts from the book to demonstrate that the intended audience was in Rome, Italy. He summarizes the experience of men and women who were faithful to God on how they are persecuted for their faith. The writer presents Hebrews as a book of hope for committed Christians, he also breaks down what the book of Hebrews is all about and the moral lessons that Christians can learn from the book and provides advice to Christians that despite their challenges, they should remain strong; he provides quotations of people who experienced several challenges from the book in order to encourage Christians. Through the commentary, the writer encourages Christians to be strong in the lord even in times of crisis and reminding them on the resilience and the character of the lord and depicting Jesus as a champion that Christians should emulate. Lane backs most of his commentaries by quoting relevant versus from other books of the bible. The book is a must read for students, scholars and preachers because of its insightful, simple to understand and informative nature.
Conclusion
Lane expresses various themes that are captured in the book of Hebrews: patience, true love, perseverance and resilience. He also explains the symbolism behind the death of Jesus Christ and the lessons that Christians should learn from it. According to the author, Christians, minsters and preachers should learn how to interpret the book of Hebrews in order to avoid distorting the intended message. Lane simplifies all the contents of the book, the lessons, themes, text and meanings, hence, making it easy for people to understand. Hebrew is a book providing insight information about faith threatened by crisis, the story of men and women who have resorted to pastoral lessons to strengthen their faith; to him this is real in the modern world and Christians are advised not to allow their faith to wane. Lane clarifies most of the things that people have often misperceived about the book of Hebrews; he exposes people to the real meaning of the book; by breaking down the book, he dispels the notion that the book is very difficult.
Bibliography
Lane, William L. Hebrews: A Call to Commitment. Vancouver, B.C.: Regent College Pub, 2004.
