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About Habakkuk and Zephaniah
An interview with Peter Ho
EV: What led you to put this book together? What problem or issue(s) are you seeking to address?
PH: The project began with an invitation from the General Editor of the Asia Bible Commentary Series, who was also a faculty member at the institution where I was teaching. But it was also a project I thought would be helpful for me to extend the work I did in the Psalms and in Hebrew poetry. I readily agreed. One of the goals I had entering this project was to see if I could demystify these books of the minor prophets a little and bring out the poetic beauty and coherent theological messages that relate to the contextual space and time where I am situated.
EV: What’s the thesis of your book?
PH: These books are situated at the lowest points of Israel’s history. And the people were reeling from lawlessness, impending war, and ruinous faith. The struggle for the faithful to keep faith is real. In many ways, these books show us how we ought to live in such times—that “faith without faithfulness [in God] is infantile fantasy.” Yet behind these struggles of God’s people is a God who is determined to be their righteousness. There is so much we can learn from these books.
EV: Who’s your target audience, and what are you most hoping they hear from it?
PH: The Series’ audiences are pastors, teachers, and the church in the context of Asia. However, I have written in a way that brings out academic rigour and the beauty of Hebrew poetry in a way that is still accessible to these audiences. I believe it will also be useful to academic scholarship in some ways.
EV: Did you have any “aha” moments while editing the book?
PH: Two areas. First, the project requires me to explore what the text says in the Asian contexts. So, the fusing of biblical studies and contextual theology needs more work. Second, by diving deep into the structure of the texts, I was quite amazed at the macrostructure features and connections between Habakkuk and Zephaniah. It tells me there is so much more to macro-Hebrew poetics we can still plumb.
EV: What was the most challenging part of the book project?
PH: Noted above, I think making sense of what the texts mean in our time and space is an area that really requires more thinking. Writing in comfortable Singapore, admittedly, it was also difficult for me to relate to the suffering of Christians in many parts of the world. But I am glad this is an area (Contextual Theology) that is gaining traction in the seminary I am working at.
EV: If your book was made into a movie, what actor/actress would play the lead role?
PH: Sorry, I am not sure! But biblical prophets, by nature, do not draw much attention to themselves. Habakkuk and Zephaniah spoke for God and served their generation, and little is known about them.
EV: What kind of seminary/church classes should assign your book?
PH: This is a commentary on Habakkuk and Zephaniah, so I think those working on the Minor Prophets could consider this book. What I have done, distinct from other commentaries on these biblical books, is to deepen the study of macrostructural poetics and contextual applications. I have also tried to include pictures and visuals to aid in the understanding of background information.
About the Author
Peter C. W. Ho (PhD, University of Gloucestershire, UK) is Associate Professor of Old Testament at the School of Theology (English) at Singapore Bible College.