Barbara E. REID, OP and Shelly MATTHEWS. Wisdom Commentary. Volume I: 43A Luke 1-9; ISBN 970814681671 (hardcover); $49.95; ISBN 97808114681923 (epub). Wisdom Commentary. Volume 2 43B Luke 10-24; 9780814688151 (hardcover); ISBN 9780814688403 (epub); Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press (Michael Glazier Book), 2021.Vol 2 $49.95. Pp 713 (both volumes). Reviewed by James ZEITZ, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas 48207.

Another excellent feminist commentary in the Wisdom commentary series: The Gospel of Luke is in two volumes (cross references, pagination).

In this review I begin by noting notable features—in comparison to what I had already known about (and taught) in connection with Luke’s themes. First—in connection with Luke’s “Pro-Roman” theme: the authors call our attention to Luke’s supersessionism. E.g. in commenting on Lk 4:4:28 (rejection at Nazareth): “scholars are divided on whether this rift in Nazareth should be read as intra-Jewish (prophet scorned by his own people) or as a sign of Luke’s proto-supersessionism.“  For Lk 20:9-19 (the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner'), (p.598): “Read allegorically, the parable contains in nuce the doctrine of Christian supersessionism: the wicked Jews …always killed the prophets… Even if …Luke himself did not intend this reading, the fact that a supersessionist interpretation is deeply embedded…makes it imperative that interpreters address it…It is possible to trace a line from Luke’s harsh assessment of those who killed the beloved to the Christian churches of Europe…to the atrocities of the Holocaust, to the anti-Jewish readings of Christian Scripture that continue to lead to hatred of Jews in the twenty-first century”.

For this Wisdom commentary, I note a change (in relation to the Wisdom commentaries on Mark, on 2 Kings): Instead of “A Symphony of different Voices,” the Luke commentary has—in connection with themes—a series of Excurses: expansions of Lukan texts and themes. E.g.  In connection with Luke 4:18 (release of captives): Excursus Women Captives Today gives information on Boko Haram kidnapping of 276 girls in 2014…and Human trafficking another form of captivity today.” For Lk 9:7-17 (multiplication of loaves), the Excursus, “Women and Waiting at Table” after unpacking a “cyclic role in table stories (from guest to host, to food-and-drink”) the author, Ma.Marilou S. Ibita, asks: How do these insights matter today? …and cites a Filipino setting, which reflects what she sees in Luke. For Lk 10:25ff. “Who is my neighbor?” an Excursus refers to “asylum seekers today” for whom the journey is dangerous, especially when they travel by boat …

Some surprises (for me) regarding Luke’s special interest in Women. Because of Luke’s other interests (e.g. the importance of the Twelve who replace the twelve tribes), the authors show how Luke needs to be supplemented. For example (for Luke 3:1-38): the supplement is the Excursus “The Spirit from a Feminist Perspective” by Helen Bergin—who refers to Elizabeth Johnson, “She Who Is”; New Zealand Maori…Nancy Victorin-Vangerud. Their comments on Lk 6:12-16 (Choice of 12) adds an Excursus on leaders besides the twelve: Women Apostles in Early Christian Tradition. Finally, for Lk. 24:1-12 (Resurrection Appearances), they include two Readings of the significance of women witnesses of the resurrection (635f.): one of which claims that: “Placing the women’s names at the close of the account in 24:10—rather than at the beginning (as in Mk 16:1)—can be read not as diminishing them but as following a protocol whereby the names of witnesses are given at the conclusion of their testimony”…

A valuable aspect of this commentary is many “today” examples that update Lukan texts. For example, in connection with 2:21-40 (“Presentation in temple for circumcision”), Barbara notes: “Few Christians observe this ritual today. One of her students remembered participating …she found it very disturbing feeling it implied there was something ‘dirty’ about childbirth. Thus, she notes, contemporary Christian feminists have created rituals for welcoming and blessing that emphasize joy at the creation of new life…” Another example – in connection with the saying “Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered…” (in Lk. 12:2), the authors note “The merits depend on whose secrets…On the one hand, we value private life…On the other hand, the promise of exposure is hopeful when it pertains to the machinations of the powerful, who cloak their misdeeds in secrecy…and cannot be held to account unless they are under the spotlight…true for religious as for secular communities...whether the one who unmasks is a prophet, a journalist…e.g. tobacco companies…oil companies…clergy sex abuse scandals covered up by bishops” (!)

Some of the feminist commentary, however, are (to me) rather radical: e.g. the comments—in connection with John’s baptism (Lk. 3:1-20, p.107): “Feminists have critiqued baptism as an initiation into Christianized patriarchy (n.25 cites Mary Daly) and have denounced churches that baptize infants as desiring ‘to take control of people’s lives from infancy.” Another, in connection with Luke 7:1-10 (Centurion, 227): ”The declaration ‘Lord, I am not worthy’ (7:6) is troublesome from a feminist point of view….In many cultures, women are socialized in ways that undermine their sense of self-worth and emphasize their subordination to their fathers, brothers, and husbands. …For Roman Catholics, it is particularly difficult to sustain a hard-won sense of dignity and worth when at the eucharistic liturgy… the congregation prays the words, “Lord, I am not worthy…’

Overall, however, this two-volume Wisdom commentary on Luke contains excellent summaries of previous research, multiple important expansions of (non-feminist) issues, such as Luke’s supersessionism—in connection with his pro-Roman theme, the role of suffering and the poor. Especially valuable is a discussion (in connection with Lk. 8:1-3: women followers) of the role of Mary Magdalene as sinful prostitute (257-259), a summary of the gospel data (“Connecting the Dots”) and an Excursus “If Not for the Women --The Gift and Sisterhood of Women” (by Vanessa White)…stories within the Black tradition.