Alice Ogden BELLIS. Proverbs.Wisdom Commentary 23. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2018. Pp. 300+liv.$39.95 hb.ISBN 978-0-8146-8122-0.Reviewed by Nicholas R. WERSE, Baylor University, Waco, TX.

Part of the first commentary series on the entire Bible (Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and New Testament) from a feminist perspective, Alice Ogden Bellis supplies an insightful literary and theological analysis of Proverbs. Following the Forward and Editor's Introduction to the Wisdom Commentary series, Bellis introduces her approach and methodology in the present volume. While recognizing the merits of feminism, Bellis expresses discomfort with the label “feminist,” noting that “In practice those who are part of a dominant culture have tended to focus on women in that dominant culture and their issues, thus creating a situation where feminism and feminists were correctly perceived as mostly limited in the United States to white middle-class women” (xlii). Bellis prefers to speak of her approach as “a gender-sensitive reading” of Proverbs. She then briefly introduces Hebrew poetry and wisdom literature before presenting the anticipated historical context of Proverbs. Bellis sees the wisdom instruction of Proverbs as functioning in the context of a home education for young men. Far from seeing Proverbs as reflecting the conservative religious instructions of elite scribes, Bellis finds the construction of literary tensions and contradictions within the text as evidence that “Proverbs is a profoundly more subversive and interesting book than is generally believed” (p. l). These literary features lead Bellis to conclude that the scribes intended to provoke questioning and reflection rather than to encourage the memorization of officially endorsed teachings.

The commentary portion of the volume handles Proverbs in five sections. The first section addresses the longer poems of Prov 1:1-9:18, which along with Prov 31, were likely composed as a later editorial frame encompassing the shorter wisdom sayings of Prov 10-29. Bellis follows Gale Yee in seeing Lady Folly in Prov 1-9 as functioning on two levels, representing both the feminine personified antithesis to Lady Wisdom and as reflecting the postexilic distrust of “strange women” from outside the golah community. Sections two, three, and four (addressing Prov 10:1-22:16; 22:17-29:27; and 30:1-31:9 respectively), explore the core of the wisdom saying in Proverbs. In addition to noting the ways in which these wisdom sayings are grouped and work together, Bellis points out the diverse origins of these sayings as reflected in the text. She identifies Prov 22:17-24:22 as reflecting the influence of Egyptian wisdom as seen from a comparison with The Instruction of Amenemope, and also identifies Prov 30:1-14 as possibly reflecting a non-Judahite tradition. The final section addresses the concluding acrostic poem about the Strong Woman in Prov 31:10-31. Bellis reads this woman of strength as functioning on two levels. One the one hand, reading this Strong Woman as a personification of Wisdom functions with Prov 1-9 to form a frame around the book of Proverbs. Thus joining oneself to Wisdom ultimately leads to success and joy in life. On the other hand, Bellis recognizes that the seemingly “impossible superwoman” qualities of this Strong Woman reflect the reality of many mothers throughout the world who give of themselves at home and at work in order to care for their families. “She is real and her value is indeed out of sight (paraphrase of 31:10)” (p.268).

With care and precision, Bellis identifies both positive and problematic gender assumptions in Proverbs, balancing the historical function of these sayings with modern concerns. Bellis notes the value of reading Proverbs through the lens of its intended audience of young males, while noting that “we can find modern parallels and rewrite proverbs as advice to young women” (p. 272). This volume thus satisfies the series goal of explaining “the world behind the text” with a concern for “the world in front of the text.” Bellis’ volume, furthermore, reflects with Wisdom Commentary series value of constructing a “symphony of diverse voices” by incorporating sixteen additional scholars, who supply complementary discussions of topics and texts throughout the commentary. This volume will be of value to scholars, clergy, and interested laity concerned with the enduring voice of Proverbs in the modern world.