Heath

Many of us who trade in words share James Adams's childhood experience of a dinner table as apt to hold a dictionary as a butter dish or salt and pepper shakers. Like Adams, I credit the beginnings of my love of how words work and play to my father who fanned that flame in me. Of the stories Daddy told, my favorite is one about the delight he took in the mock boredom with which I asked, at about age seven or eight, "Why does everything hard come from two Greek words?" He was yet again decoding some word for my sisters and me. Knowing the origins of words and reveling in the complexity of how they are employed continue to thrill me.

Adams's latest book, From Literal to Literary: The Essential Reference Book of Biblical Metaphors, is a treat for anyone who is curious about language, specifically, of course, biblical language. Except for those with a complete mastery of Hebrew and Greek, this book offers an invaluable tool for any who would study the Bible.

Adams's thesis is this: people who share a delight in the power of metaphorical language and what he calls the extended metaphor (that is, art, drama, music, dance, and poetry) are blocked from full participation in worship by the insistence of those who require all talk about God be literal.

Adams contributes greatly to the recovery of an understanding of the place of metaphor in open biblical dialogue. His book takes many of the key words used to discuss God, faith, and theology and traces their etymology as well as their occurrence in Scripture. This exercise reveals how much of what some folks read as literal actually has a metaphor or figure of speech as its origin. The result is a book with potential to stimulate meaty conversation. Reflection on such conversation prompts response and action—hallmarks of the Christian life.

For those who struggle with belief or unbelief this work is a welcome tool. Adams draws from his years as a priest teaching and preaching among people who long to bring their minds as well as their hearts to worship and the practice of faith. The book incorporates the scholarship and the wisdom of his tenure. A close reading bears witness to the healthy dialogue of those grappling with belief that is behind this book.

Because I was a seminarian in the church Adams led years ago, I learned the back story on many crucial words like sin and Lord from him. Every baptism and confirmation class I teach benefits from my exposure to Jim Adams's word studies. (Look up these two yourself in his new book; you will be enlightened.)

The book explores numbers of other words with like importance to the understanding of who God is. Plumbing meanings and evolution, Adams brings a precision to the exploration of word study that informs the novice as well as the scholar. Best of all, his exercise calls others to precision and engagement in the ever important study of biblical texts. Those who make use of this resource will deepen their understanding of Scripture. More importantly, folks who make use of this resource will come away with a renewed or perhaps newfound love of Scripture. Adams has written a book that underscores the essential place of metaphor in biblical language. His insights offer vitality to any serious student of God's word.