Review of Gregory Mobley, The Return of the Chaos Monster

Last updated on: July 21, 2012 at 12:07 am by James F. McGrath

Review of Gregory Mobley, The Return of the Chaos Monster 2012-07-21T00:07:18-04:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I am grateful to Eerdmans for sending me a complimentary review copy of Gregory Mobley’s book The Return of the Chaos Monsters: and Other Backstories of the Bible.

Since the book has an overarching focus on stories I thought it might be appropriate to begin this review with a story, a personal anecdote. It is a testimony to the book’s intriguing approach and delightful prose that, having taken the book along with me to read on a church trip to King’s Island amusement park, I found myself talking with another church member and parent about what I was reading, even though I was at that point just starting the book. It grabs you from the outset, and leads to conversations – and in this case, on the basis of the little I had read and shared with my friend, to him purchasing a copy of the Kindle edition there on the spot!

The book has chapters devoted to the major sections or genres of the Hebrew Bible, and can serve as an excellent introduction to those different types of literature, giving an overview of literary forms in a more creative manner than many other introductions I’ve read which attempt to do likewise.

The author begins the book with a set of seven stories, and the statement that “This book is about the stories in the Bible and the stories behind the Bible and how the Bible is essentially, relentlessly story” (p.1). The author is passionate about stories and storytelling, and his delightful way of expressing things reflects this. Human storytelling is related to the backstory to creation, the ordering of chaos, and our human attempts to make sense of our lives. He describes the Bible as one body of literature that is like Noah’s ark, into which he colorfully envisages the stories of pre-literate humanity making their way two by two (p.2). His prose is delightfully creative and colorful, especially in the early chapters, and while some of his images are strikingly clear from the outset, others are more like enigmatic, evocative riddles, such as when he writes that the Bible’s “parallels to the literature of other cultures are not Jungian; they are Dickensian” (p.3). Mobley notes the Biblical literature’s “narrative alchemy” which tended to turn everything into story, so that even literature that was not originally, such as Lamentations, was connected with known figures and stories, transforming its poetry into part of the story in the process (p.4). Echoing Krister Stendahl, Mobley suggests that readers of the Bible have sometimes parsed every word and sentence in search of deeper meanings that may not be there, and in the process have obscured the clarity and simplicity of the narratives themselves (pp.7-8).

One reason for thinking in terms of “backstory” is that every piece of literature in the Bible is composed in a genre and thus represents a variation on a theme or standard plot type that already existed. When we watch a romantic comedy or read a mystery novel, we have expectations shaped by prior knowledge of the genres. And yet since many are presented the Bible’s stories before they learn of the wider literary context that frames them, such information can indeed appear on the scene as background, as prelude, as “backstory.” What’s more, even the story that claims to take us back to “in the beginning” is picking up at an arbitrary point, but it is always possible with stories to back up and tell a story that is set prior to the first one. Mobley nicely uses Tolkien’s novels and Star Wars as examples (p.9).

This is not the only point at which reference is made by way of analogy to sci-fi and fantasy. The X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are mentioned early in chapter one, about the backstory of creation, to provide an analogy to the Eleven, Team Tiamat in the Enuma Elish (p. 18). Other of today’s familiar genres are likewise mentioned, sometimes to illustrate the character of the Bible’s stories, and sometimes to illustrate the fact that we are still telling stories of a similar sort today. A great example is when, to illustrate the idea at work in Biblical literature that sin risks unleashing chaos, which has been subdued but not eliminated, Mobley makes reference to more recent works as different as Psycho and The Cat in the Hat (p.22).

Chapter two focuses on Torah, which is seen through the lens of human beings understood to partner with God in managing chaos. Chapter three turns to the former prophets with their sense of poetic justice – rather like the working of karma, people are said to meet ends which are appropriate to their own crimes. Here too there are some gems of expression, such as when Mobley imagines that “the Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce lobbied hard and successfully to spin most of the Biblical story its way” (p.48). This chapter also provides many examples of inner-Biblical intertextuality, as stories resonate among one another across the span of the Deuteronomistic History.

Chapter 4 focuses on prophetic literature, and begins by emphasizing that the prophets were oral poets, and thus what we have in this corpus is based on and a record of performances, rather than sermons that were typed up before being read to a congregation. A major focal point in the chapter is the notion of divine anger, which Mobley emphasizes “is a projection of emotional qualities onto the blank screen of Ultimate Reality” (p.73), but nevertheless remains a presupposition of this literature that must be in view for it to make sense. Indeed, the prophet is largely understood in terms of two roles, namely that of proclaiming God’s anger to the people, and that of interceding to seek to turn God’s wrath away from the people. And, as Mobley writes only slightly later, whatever we may think about their truth value, “This type of storytelling and these types of personalizing characterizations about Ultimate Reality – that God loves and hates, remembers and forgets, hardens and softens, caresses and strikes – have a kind of energy, the power to inspire courage, tenderness, justice, and hope, that cosmological and philosophical abstractions cannot match” (p.75).

Chapter 5 looks at the Psalms, which seem to not only critique in places, but also reflect in many places, the idea that God depends on us for sacrifice and praise. Chapter 6 turns to Wisdom literature. Here too Mobley’s penchant for striking and helpful analogies does not waver, as for instance when he compares the “you get what you deserve” theology of other literature as Newtonian in character, and then suggests that in the Book of Job a glimpse is given behind the quantum curtain to see that chaos is still present (p.124). Chapter 7 looks at apocalyptic under the heading of “conspiracy theory,” suggesting that all subsequent conspiracy theories are variations on this prototypical apocalyptic one, in which things that are wrong with the world are blamed on malevolent forces that are at work behind the scenes. Once again Mobley waxes eloquent as he comments on the plot, cast of characters, staging, and other aspects of this type of literature (p.133).

In the final concluding section, entitled “Windows,” Mobley ties some threads together, and at the very end, asks about faith and living within the framework of these stories. Mobley also provides in passing a useful example that is worth considering in relation to the topic of mythicism. He notes the parallels that one could draw, from a purely literary perspective, between Paul’s escape from Damascus by being let down from a window, and the earlier stories of Israelite spies escaping Jericho with Rahab’s help and David escaping Saul with Michal’s help, both times through windows. If it were not for the fact that Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:33 mentions this story and Acts seems to confirm it independently, one might well have assumed that it was a mere literary concoction based on earlier stories. And so this instance, even though Mobley does not highlight it, provides a warning that one simply cannot determine historical authenticity on the basis of whether or not it is possible to see in a story echoes of a different earlier one.

The author writes as a Christian, and so the fact that he writes of “the Bible” when his focus is largely (although by no means entirely) on the Jewish Bible, which is a subset of the Christian Bible, might seem puzzling to some readers. But on the whole, Mobley’s book is not merely clear but engaging, striking, evocative, provocative, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It takes the reader through the ups and downs that are the contours of the Scripture of Judaism and Christianity, and the ride is genuinely thrilling. I recommend this book for anyone interested in getting familiar with the Bible’s literary genres or approaching the Bible as literature, and even those well-seasoned in these fields with find it a rewarding read.

Previous Post

July 20, 2012

Review of Tim Stafford's Miracles

Next Post

July 21, 2012 Blaming Evolution for Tragedy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz