Warren Carter, The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide

Abstract

these problems. First, readers must acknowledge their ignorance. We do not understand the Lord’s purposes; sometimes hardships remain to teach character or to allow sinners to change paths. Second, readers must check their hearts’ motives, ensuring that they seek justice rather than vengeance. Finally, readers should read Proverbs in its broader Scriptural context. Overall, this book does an excellent job of unpacking the message of the book of Proverbs. Hernández’s engaging stories and lively style, as well as the relative brevity of the book, make the work accessible to a range of readers. At certain points, Hernández could have provided greater clarity. For instance, the use throughout the book of two dominant metaphors (puzzle and pathway) causes some confusion. Overall, however, the book is quite readable. Hernández admits he has “almost exclusively focused on the Book of Proverbs” (p. 138). As mentioned above, in the afterword, Hernández commends reading Proverbs in its wider literary context; yet, readers may not feel well equipped to do so. Furthermore, Christian readers may want more discussion of how the message of Proverbs relates to the wisdom as found in the New Testament. Nevertheless, the book serves as an excellent introduction to the book of Proverbs itself, grounded by Hernández’s insightful scholarly and pastoral observations.