The First World War and the Mobilization of Biblical Scholarship ed. by Andrew Mein, Nathan Macdonald, and Matthew A. Collins

Abstract

Reviewed by: The First World War and the Mobilization of Biblical Scholarship ed. by Andrew Mein, Nathan Macdonald, and Matthew A. Collins Philip Jenkins andrew mein, nathan macdonald, and matthew a. collins (eds.), The First World War and the Mobilization of Biblical Scholarship (LHBOTS 691; Scriptural Traces 15; London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2019). Pp. x + 307. $91.80. When the First World War broke out, clergy and religious intellectuals in the main combatant nations were enthusiastically involved in patriotic propaganda, to a degree that attracted the scorn of later generations. That fact is very familiar in the historical literature, which commonly draws illustrations from sermons and pamphlets from the genre mockingly characterized as "Hurrah and Hallelujah!" Far less studied is the role of such sentiment in shaping the world of biblical scholarship, which was then in such a flourishing state across much of Europe. The present book makes a well-conceived and indeed groundbreaking contribution that tells us as much about the history of biblical scholarship as it does about political religion. The result is multiply interesting and rewarding. [End Page 344] Except in passing, the book makes no attempt to discuss the use of the Bible, or of particular biblical books, among ordinary believers, whether soldiers or civilians seeking consolation in a time of catastrophe. Other writings dealing with that theme would, for instance, highlight such texts as the Gospel of John, and the ubiquitous protective psalms—above all, Psalm 91. Rather, the book explicitly focuses on academic and intellectual approaches, on how ivory tower scholars allowed themselves to be so comprehensively "mobilized." The present book is a collection of fourteen essays by academics chiefly drawn from Great Britain and the United States, and the level of contributions is uniformly high. Following the introduction by Andrew Mein ("Biblical Scholarship at War 1914–1918"), a section entitled "Individuals and Institutions" offers the following studies: "Maintaining the Light of Truth? The Mobilization of University Academics, 1914–1918," by Tomás Irish; "For Christ and Kaiser: Caspar René Gregory and the First World War," by Timothy J. Demy; "Between Prophetic Critique and Raison d'État: Rudolf Kittel on German Jews during the Great War and on Old Testament Hebrews in Biblical Wars," by Lukas Bormann; "William Sanday, Modernism and the First World War," by Mark D. Chapman; and "SOTS, SBL, and WWI: Anglo-American Scholarly Societies and the Great War," by Matthew A. Collins. These studies address the issue of mobilization, showing how groups and institutions responded to the global crisis. As we quickly learn, few scholars needed much prodding to join the patriotic cause wholeheartedly, and that was true of liberal and modernist thinkers as well as the more conservative. Most influential was Adolf von Harnack, who played a critical role in galvanizing German intellectual support for the Kaiser's cause, and indeed formulating imperial propaganda. The following essays constitute a section entitled "Biblical Texts and Themes": "Thou Shalt Not Kill, Unless …: The Decalogue in a Kaiserreich at War," by Paul Michael Kurtz; "Holy War and the Great War in German Protestant Scholarship on the Old Testament," by Nathan MacDonald; "Psalms, Patriotism and Propaganda: A Favourite Book in Wartime Biblical Scholarship," by Andrew Mein; "Ecstasy versus Ethics: The Impact of the First World War on German Biblical Scholarship on the Hebrew Prophets," by Susannah Heschel; "Martyr: Title and First World War Context," by Jan Willem van Henten; "The First World War, the Russian Revolution and the Fate of Social-Scientific Approaches to the New Testament and Christian Origins," by James Crossley; and "A Disconnected Dialogue: Adolf von Harnack, C. J. Cadoux and the Biblical Case for Peace at the Outbreak of the First World War," by Hugh S. Pyper. These studies address such topics as the concept of holy war in German scholarship of the time; German thought on the Hebrew prophets; the role of the Psalms in wartime scholarship; and the application of the idea of martyrdom to the modern-day struggle. After the barrage of sentiments justifying war and slaughter, we are almost startled to find scholars excavating biblical texts to justify peace and reconciliation, but such did occur. Although the subject matter is so rich and varied...