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FLAME OF YAHWEH: SEXUALITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. By Richard M. Davidson. Pp. xxix + 844. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2007. Paper, $29.95.
Richard M. Davidson's work Flame of Yahweh presents a comprehensive, "wholistic" survey of human sexuality in the Hebrew Bible. Davidson examines not only sexual activity but also gender differentiation in the final form of the canonical biblical text. Although there are a few references to the collection of books commonly known as the Apocrypha (canonical for Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians), Davidson's canon is, primarily the Jewish and Protestant canon. He does occasionally use the term "Hebrew Bible," but he more frequently uses the term "Old Testament" because of his Christian evangelical confessional approach (p. 5).
Davidson does not presume "to have the final or exclusive word on sexual theology" in the Scriptures, but he does claim that a coherent and consistent theology emerges from the Scriptures (pp. 5-6). The heart of this unified theology is apparent in "the Edenic pattern for sexuality" (p. 3) found in Genesis 1-3. The first section of the book, then, examines Genesis 1-3 in depth and derives ten theological-ethical principles about human sexuality, including heterosexuality, monogamy, exclusivity, equality, permanence, and intimacy. The second section of the book traces these principles throughout the rest of the Scripture, focusing on but not limited to the remainder of the Pentateuch. The third section is devoted to the Song of Songs. Davidson sees the Song as the preeminent expression of human sexuality in the canon; in fact, his title "flame of Yahweh" is taken from his translation of Song 8:6. Whereas Eden is...