Book Notice: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

Last updated on: August 26, 2015 at 7:46 pm by Michael F. Bird

Book Notice: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi 2015-08-26T19:46:23-04:00 Michael F. Bird

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Anthony R. Petterson

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
(Apollos Old Testament Commentary; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2015)
Available at Amazon.com

By Len Firth

Anthony R Petterson’s Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi is a gem. It forms part of the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series which seeks to meet the needs of those who preach from the Old Testament. The series also aims to be of use to those who engage in serious study of the OT. This commentary is fit for this purpose in relation to these three prophets.

Petterson teaches at Morling College (Sydney Baptist) in Old Testament and Hebrew. He has served as a pastor in Baptist Churches in Dublin, Ireland, and Sydney, Australia. He completed his PhD through Queen’s University Belfast.

As Petterson obverses, the post-exilic prophets have often been considered as part of a ‘dark age’ in Israel’s history. These post-exilic prophets do not fit neatly into some Biblical theological schemas. The post-exilic period is no Biblical backwater. Zechariah for example, is quoted extensively by the NT writers.

Each of these three prophetic books has a brief but scholarly introduction. The usual topics of setting, author and date, genre and structure, outline and text are covered. Key themes are also explored. The commentary addresses each section of text. Petterson’s own translation is followed by notes on the text. His comments on the Hebrew text are accurate and insightful. Transliterations of Hebrew words are used rather than Hebrew text which I found distracting. I am not sure non-Hebrew readers would follow the comments based on the original language, but it probably makes this part of the commentary more accessible to this group.

A section on form and structure deftly draws the scholarly alternatives before making articulate and intelligent suggestions for a particular view. Petterson does not simply repeat other well canvassed views, often proposing new, helpful, ways to make sense of the text.

The Comments section contains most of the ‘meat’ which will be of interest to preachers. Here Petterson is at his best. He addresses complex interpretive issues with a clarity of language which unerringly hones in on the heart of the matter. The scholarship is solid and rigorous. Interpretation is articulately argued with a crisp logic.

The final section for each pericope is Explanation. Here the passage is unpacked in non-technical language which will be easily understood by readers. He uses a hermeneutic which relates the passage to its own context and to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He interacts with the passage as it connects with the NT, and often suggests possible relevance for today.

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are not often preached, yet they are clearly endorsed as Christian Scripture. The Revised Common Lectionary for Sundays and major festivals, over a three year period features only one reading from Zechariah (Zech. 9 read on Palm Sunday Year A), one small reading from Malachi 3:1–4 (Advent 2 Year C) and one reading from Haggai (Sunday between 6 and 12 November Year C). This illustrates the serious neglect of this section of Scripture. A few years ago, when I preached Zechariah, it was received very positively. This was in part because the well-educated and Biblically literate congregation at Moreland Anglican had not heard it all before. I wish Petterson’s commentary had been available at the time.

These prophetic books come from a season of adversity for the people of the Land. God marvelously restores the people of Judah to the land of God’s promise, but they find themselves a small and not very significant people within the extensive Persian Empire. The promise of a glorious restoration for Jerusalem and Judea don not match their current experience. As such their context is comparable with the post-Christendom of the church in Western nations.

A noteworthy strength is that Petterson seeks to place the books in their Biblical theological context. In my own area of research interest (exploring the book of Zechariah from the perspective of a missional hermeneutic), however, Petterson does not have much to say. The strong role and significance of ‘the nations’ in these books is referred to in passing as various passages are exegeted, but is not elucidated as a major theme.

If you have never done any serious study of the last three books of the OT grab a copy of this book. If you want to study or preach the post-exilic prophets in a way which brings their message to life, this Apollos commentary will be a great aid to your endeavour. Its message is fresh, relevant and Christ focussed. It is a pleasure to read. In a neglected area of the OT preaching and teaching, Dr Petterson’s commentary is a great addition.

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