Ruth.

Ruth. By Andre LaCocque (Fortress, $28). Although he served for many years in the United States, L. wrote this commentary in his native French, and the original has been ably translated by K. C. Hanson. L. situates the book in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah and understands it as a critique of the negative attitude in postexilic Judah toward foreigners and as a critique of an ultraconservative interpretation of "scripture" (especially the Pentateuch) in the service of power. The figure of Ruth is fictional, in L.'s judgment, and the author of the book is probably a woman. The book is doubly subversive as a "feminist" book and as a hermeneutical key to the Torah. While punctilious obedience to the law is meritorious, "steadfast love" surpasses personal merit and becomes contagious. Boaz responds to Ruth's steadfast love with his own, and God employs steadfast love in return. This is indeed a very insightful commentary, although the biblical book could also be read against the background of the Davidic era, turning David's problematic Moabite great-grandmother into a considerable political advantage. Ruth also celebrates family loyalty and sees the hand of God behind the "secular" happenings of the story. RWK