Incarnate Word, Inscribed Flesh: John's Prologue and the Postmodern - By Ela Nutu

ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN THOUGHTS AND THEOLD TESTAMENT: INTRODUCING THE CONCEP-TUAL WORLD OF THE HEBREW BIBLE. By John H.Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006. Pp. 680.$24.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-2750-5.

The author of this volume correctly suggests in hispostscript, “Many of the specialists in the field of ancientNear Eastern studies have steadfastly eschewed the sort ofsynthesis that has been presented in this book,” and forunderstandable reasons: it is difficult. Trying to introduceand assess what constitutes ancient Near Eastern thought(and the author includes in ancient Near Eastern: Canaan,Egypt, Hittite sometimes, and Mesopotamia) is a difficulttask multiplied by trying to connect it with the Old Testa-ment in a way that does not offend overly critical or con-fessional scholars. Despite the difficulty of the task, thisvolume is well worth the endeavor despite some of the com-plications. The book is divided into five main parts: Com-parative Studies, Literature of the Ancient Near East,Religion, Cosmos, and People. The writer’s style is invitingfor students, because an effort is made to clarify conceptswithout overly simplifying them. This is done through sum-marizing some issues, such as the main goals of the com-parative endeavor to bullet points, and the inclusion ofsidebars entitled “comparative exploration.” While the bookis designed for students and nonspecialists, the attempt tosynthesize the material in such a thorough fashion shouldintrigue scholars.

Tammi J. SchneiderClaremont Graduate University

Christian OriginsREDEMPTION AND RESISTANCE: THE MESSI-ANIC HOPES OF JEWS AND CHRISTIANS INANTIQUITY. Edited by Markus Bockmuehl and James Car-leton Paget. New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Pp. xxvii + 381.$160, ISBN 978-0-567-03043-6.

Twenty-two contributors to this Festschrift in honor ofProfessor W. Horbury present essays devoted to ancientJewish and Christian beliefs about redemption in the contextof resistance to political oppression, starting from the OT andending with the rise of Islam—topics that interested Horburybeginning with his 1970 Cambridge University doctoral dis-sertation on the Toledoth Yeshu. Among the contributors, S.Freyne, in his treatment of the Herodian period, explains thecontinuance of militant, nationalistic messianic aspirationsdespite the failure of the Jewish Revolt, with significance forthe life history of Jesus of Nazareth. H. D. Betz comparesPlutarch’s Life of Numa to the biographical narratives of thefour Gospels, where Jesus the Messiah appears as a contrast-ing personage to those of deified Roman emperors. Accord-ing to P. S. Alexander, the rabbis at first relegatedmessianism to a marginal position for three reasons: 1)

because of their desire to avoid offending the occupyingpolitical powers; 2) because of messianism’s connectionwith their opponents the priests; and finally 3) because ofthe rise of primitive Christianity. In subsequent periods, therabbis did cultivate messianism, but on their own terms. Insum, all the essays in this outstanding volume should proveof interest to scholars whose fields of endeavor concern theperiods and topics in question.

Casimir BernasHoly Trinity Abbey

PARADISE NOW: ESSAYS ON EARLY JEWISH ANDCHRISTIAN MYSTICISM. Edited by April D. DeConick.Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series. Atlanta, GA:Society of Biblical Literature, 2006. Pp. xxiii + 455. $49.95,ISBN 978-1-58983-257-2.

Eighteen contributors from the Society of Biblical Litera-ture’s Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism Group presentessays on the subject divided into five main categories:hermeneutics and experience; communal identities; cosmol-ogy; apocalypticism; and, practices. DeConick’s own intro-ductory composition sets the tone for the rest of the volume,which presents under various guises the complementaryinterplay or at times opposition between exegesis and expe-rience. When speaking of what is today called “mysticism,”Jews and early Christians tended to use the word “apoca-lypse” or “revelation.” They believed that God could be expe-rienced not only in a postmortem existence, but already inthis present life. Apocalypticism should not be confusedwith eschatology. Visionary resources were not the onlyways of mystical change. Ritual actions such as washings,sacred meals, and unctions democratized the mysticalprocess, thereby making it available to more than a limitednumber of privileged initiates. Taken as a whole, this is anoutstanding collection, filled with fascinating insights intoan arcane world that deserves to be better known by schol-ars, and through them, by the general public.


THE NEW TESTAMENT WITH IMAGINATION: AFRESH APPROACH TO ITS WRITINGS ANDTHEMES. By William Loader. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007. Pp. v + 206. $16,ISBN 978-0-8028-2746-3.

In the acknowledgments, Loader dedicates his bookto the countless people beyond the university setting whohave “enjoyed camping in the New Testament.” For thesecampers, Loader advocates an emphasis upon the human-ness of the text, bringing to life key passages through imagi-nation guided by the boundaries of scholarship. The book isstructured in four parts: focusing on Jesus, Paul, the Synop-tic Gospels, and John. In part one, Loader imagines life inCapernaum and Jerusalem, exploring the themes of hope,change, death, and resurrection. In part two, twenty years

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have passed and the cultural setting of the Christian move-ment has shifted from rural Palestine to a cosmopolitan envi-ronment, raising new challenges for Paul and the emergingchurch. In part three, Loader explores the life of a Christianscribe, highlighting the challenges of early Christian compo-sition, especially writing a “gospel.” In the final part of thebook, an aging follower of Christ in the late first centuryreflects upon the past and ponders the future, realizing thatabove all one truth remains constant, “God is love.” In thisrefreshing, albeit uneven project, Loader strives to remindall of us that the NT was written by real people for realpeople; we would be wise to listen.

Matthew R. HaugeClaremont Graduate University

NOT BY PAUL ALONE: THE FORMATION OF THECATHOLIC EPISTLE COLLECTION AND THECHRISTIAN CANON. By David R. Nienhuis. Waco, TX:Baylor University Press, 2007. Pp. xviii + 264. $39.95, ISBN978-1-932792-71-3.

Nienhuis proposes that “the final form of the C[atholic]E[pistle] collection was the result of intentional design onthe part of the canonizing community in the hopes that itmight perform a particular canonical function, one quiteclose to that which was promoted by Augustine . . . one ofthe letters in the collection—the letter of James—was actuallycomposed with this particular canonical function inmind . . . in order that it might forge together a discrete col-lection of non-Pauline letters, one shaped according to aparticular logic of apostolic authority (that is, ‘not by Paulalone’) in order to perform a particular function in the largerChristian canon (the correction of Paulinist misreadings ofthe whole apostolic message).” To make room for the claimthat James was written in the late second century, he arguesin chapter one (using a sophisticated application of the argu-ment from silence) that there is no external evidence at allfor the letter of James prior to Origen. This chapter alsooffers a comprehensive survey of the history of the CE col-lection that is of substantial value quite apart from the mainthesis, as is the survey in chapter two, first of arguments proet contra the authenticity of the letter, and second of “Jamesof Jerusalem in History and Tradition.” Having thus pre-pared the way, he offers in chapter three a coherent readingof the letter as “a canon-conscious pseudepigraph.” In all, aprovocative, plausible (yet ultimately unprovable) read.

Michael W. HolmesBethel University

PHILIPPIANS: A GREEK STUDENT’S INTERMEDI-ATE READER. By Jerry L. Sumney. Peabody, MA: Hen-drickson, 2007. Pp. xxiv + 161. $14.95, ISBN 978-1-56563-991-1.

This volume is designed to help students who havecompleted a year’s study of Greek grammar read the NT. Itcontains the UBS4 Greek text of Philippians (divided into

sections), Sumney’s own original translation, lucid com-ments on the morphology and syntax of each phrase, andaccessible discussion of the options available where inter-preters disagree on how best to construe the Greek. Eachsection also includes a short bibliography for further studyof the pericope under consideration. The eighteen-page over-view of Greek syntax, glossary of grammatical terms, topicindex, and annotated list of Greek language resources makethis a especially useful text. Highly recommended for easingthe transition from textbook Greek to “the real thing” and forillustrating the significance of translation for exegesis.

Patrick GrayRhodes College

SOCIAL DISTINCTIVES OF THE CHRISTIANS INTHE FIRST CENTURY: PIVOTAL ESSAYS BY E. A.JUDGE. Edited by David M. Scholer. Peabody, MA: Hen-drickson, 2008. Pp. xx + 227. $24.95, ISBN 978-1-56563-880-8.

E. A. Judge is undoubtedly a seminal figure in the devel-opment of the social-scientific study of the NT and this volumecollects into one place eight of his most influential works,including the full text of his booklet on The Social Pattern ofthe Christian Groups in the First Century. Judge was one of thefirst among modern biblical scholars to advocate giving atten-tion to the social world of the early Christians. In 1960, heindicated a need to know more about the external appear-ances and social function of early Jesus groups. Some twentyyears later, he still had need to write that “[U]ntil the work ofmapping out their social identity and behaviour has beendeveloped much further in juxtaposition with the conven-tions and practices of contemporary society, we are in noposition to say who or what the first Christians were.” Despiteanother quarter-century of work, the need continues, andJudge’s essays remain as fresh and provocative as when firstpublished. Scholer has provided a great service in producingan easily accessible and affordable repository of some of themost important essays among Judge’s extensive publications.

Richard S. AscoughQueen’s University

COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT USEOF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Edited by G. K. Beale and D.A. Carson. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007. Pp. xxviii + 1239.$54.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-2693-5.

This single volume provides a useful resource for track-ing down references and allusions to the OT in the NT. Iteven recounts numerous intertextual connections with DSSliterature, Pseudepigrapha, Targumim, and even RabbinicMidrashim and Talmudim. Also included on occasion areaccounts of significant debates by some of the major players.While a clear and standardized intrachapter format is appar-ent, only half the contributors follow it. Occasionally thereare factual errors, as on page 548, “‘Sons of the prophets’is not OT language,” which simply overlooks LXX references,


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including six occurrences in 2 Kings and one in Tobit. Onother occasions, various significant and commonly notedintertexts, OT and otherwise, are absent, as in the section onLuke 23:39-43 (e.g., Gen. 40:14, 1 Sam. 28:19, b. Av.Zar.17-18, Ruth.Rab. 3.3, etc.). The end-of-chapter bibliographiesare helpful, but appear a bit out of date. In sum, it is avaluable intertextual primer and guide, but not a self-standing resource. Even so, it should find a welcome homeon the reference shelf of many biblical scholars.

Mark Glen BilbyPoint Loma Nazarene University

THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO THE BIBLE.Second edition. Edited by Bruce Chilton, et al. New York/Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Pp. x +724; plates, maps. $34.99, ISBN 978-0-521-69140-6.

This second edition reconsiders and refreshes thechronological records and exegetical topics of the acclaimed1997 first edition. E. M. Meyers, and J. Rogerson introduceimportant spheres of interest in the Hebrew Bible. A. J. Sal-darini’s previous submission on Jewish responses to Greekand Roman cultures has been reworked by A.-J. Levine; thesection, in effect, is a treatment of the period betweenthe two Testaments. H. C. Kee provides an introduction tothe entire volume and afterward delineates the background,origins, and establishment of the early Christian communi-ties. The contributors do not directly address the question ofthe origin of the religion of Israel or of the primitive church,but rather accent the social background behind the docu-ments of these respective communities of faith. They alsoupdate the use of archaeology and the internet in biblicalscience. Noteworthy are the numerous informative asidesscattered in boxes throughout the volume (e.g., “HermannGunkel and Folklore Research” and “The Origin of Writing”).Extensive bibliographies and indexes make the treatise suit-able as a reference work or as a textbook that can be read insequence from cover to cover. All in all, this revised editionis a magnificent teaching and learning tool, one of the bestintroductory companions to the Bible on the market.


GRECO-ROMAN CULTURE AND THE GALILEE OFJESUS. By Mark Chancey. Society for New TestamentStudies Monograph Series, 134. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2006. Pp. xvii + 283. $90, ISBN 978-0-521-84647-9.

Chancey begins his book with M. Hengel’s dictum that“[B]y the time of Jesus, all Judaism was Hellenistic Judaism,”and he concludes with “[T]he extent of that Greco-Romanculture in Galilee during the lifetime of Jesus has often beengreatly exaggerated.” Chancey’s argument, then, is thatGalilee during the time of Jesus was not as Hellenized or asinfluenced by Roman culture as Hengel and others have

argued. Hellenization did come to Galilee, but that was a laterdevelopment in the second and third centuries. Chancey usesprimarily archaeological arguments to support his thesis,namely, that when archaeological evidence from Galilee inthe time of Jesus is compared with what is known from thelarger region, Galilee shows little evidence of Hellenizationuntil the second century CE. He then applies other layers ofargument to the archaeological base: 1) that, particularly inlight of epigraphical evidence, Greek was not used as widelyin Jesus’ Galilee as is usually thought; and, 2) that numismaticevidence suggests an adoption of Roman coinage, primarily ofAntipas, only in the second and third centuries. Chancey hasput forth as cogent an argument against his rhetorical oppo-nent (Martin Hengel) as can be made. In the debate “HowMuch Hellenism in Jewish Palestine?” Chancey clearly sideswith L. H. Feldman and he provides an excellent analysis ofthe points for that viewpoint.

Fred W. BurnettAnderson University

WASHING IN THE WATER: TRAJECTORIES OFRITUAL BATHING IN THE HEBREW BIBLE ANDSECOND TEMPLE LITERATURE. By Jonathan DavidLawrence. Academia Biblica, 23. Atlanta, GA/Leiden, theNetherlands: Society of Biblical Literature/Brill, 2006.Pp. xix + 294, tables, illustrations, maps, photos. $129,ISBN 978-90-04-14670-9.

This is a lovely book which came out of Lawrence’sdissertation. It successfully integrates archaeological andliterary evidence in order to explain Jewish immersionrituals in the Second Temple Period. It represents the back-ground for a bigger project that Lawrence is undertakingto examine Jewish ritual bathing and Christian baptism.Lawrence concentrates on three categories of washing:ritual, metaphorical, and initiatory. He further discusses thecultic goals of each category (i.e., washing or purity) andother uses (i.e., priestly washing or washing before theopha-nies). He conveniently works this information into tables inthe appendices. Lawrence finds that the uses of washingmentioned in the Hebrew Bible are carried on in the SecondTemple literature, where explanations of washing are dis-cussed when they may not have been in the scripture. Therewas a simplification and standardization of washings as wellas the expansion of washing to new uses. Lawrence attemptsto sort out which structures are miqva’ot and which are othertypes of pools, why they are found in certain locations, andwhat are the chronological stages of development of ritualbathing. The book would be even better if Lawrence hadinteracted with literature beyond that published in English.Standard studies like Thomas’s Le mouvement baptiste enPalestine et Syrie (1935) are missing. Nevertheless, this bookshould provide a solid basis for future studies of baptismalpractices among Jews, Christians, and Gnostics.

April D. DeConickRice University


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RESURRECTION, IMMORTALITY, AND ETERNALLIFE IN INTERTESTAMENTAL JUDAISM ANDEARLY CHRISTIANITY. By George W. E. Nickelsburg.Expanded Edition. Harvard Theological Studies, 56. Cam-bridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006. Pp. vii + 366.$27.95, ISBN 978-0-674-02378-9.

In this two-part expanded edition, Nickelsburg repro-duces his doctoral dissertation originally published in 1972along with three later studies. In part one he examines theproblem of religious persecution and the oppression of therighteous poor, the hope of resurrection, and the two-waytheology of the Qumran Scrolls. Part two explores the rel-evance of his dissertation for interpreting a number of NTtexts, focusing on three topics: resurrection in early Chris-tianity, the genre and function of the Markan passion narra-tive, and the enigmatic “Son of Man” tradition. He alsoincludes several reflections on the first edition after reread-ing his dissertation thirty years later; his insights are par-ticularly helpful for scholars and doctoral students seekingimmortality through wisdom.

Matthew R. HaugeClaremont Graduate University

THE NEW TESTAMENT AND EARLY CHRISTIANLITERATURE IN GRECO-ROMAN CONTEXT:STUDIES IN HONOR OF DAVID E. AUNE. Edited byJohn Fotopoulos. Supplements to Novum Testamentum, 122.Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2006. Pp. xv + 468. $179,ISBN 90-04-14304-1.

This collection of twenty-one essays is divided into threeparts. In Part one (“Pauline Studies”) there are seven essays:C. J. Roetzel (“Ioudaioi and Paul”); Pauline perspectives onthe crucifixion (P. Borgen); the idol and food issue in 1 Cor8:1-11:1 (Fotopoulos); Paul and Seneca on incest (P. Hartog);a rhetorical study of 2 Cor 11:22 (D. C. Duling); the hymn inPhil 2:6-11 (T. H. Tobin, S. J.); and an analysis of “Paul’sPneumatological Statements and Ancient Medical Texts”(T. W. Martin). Part two (“Gospels/Acts”) consists of fiveessays: on narrative in Polybius and Luke-Acts (D. P. Moess-ner); an analysis of Paul’s itinerary (L. Alexander); John17:12 and the fulfillment of scripture (U. C. von Wahlde);perjury in both ancient and modern law (J. T. Fitzgerald); and“The Kingdom of the Father in the Gospel of Thomas”(H. Kvalbein). Part three deals with one of Aune’s favoriteareas, the “Revelation to John,” with four essays: on therelevance of the Imperial Cult for reading Revelation (J.Frey); “Ruler or God? The Demolition of Herod’s Eagle” (J.Willem van Henten); the woman in Rev 12: 1, 4 (D. L. Balch);and, reflections on iconography and symbolism (J. H. Char-lesworth). Part four (“Hellenistic Judaism”) consists of onlyone article on Philo’s interpretation of the story of Balaam(T. Seland). Part five (“Early Christian Literature”) is a pot-pourri of topics on the rhetorical handbooks (M. M. Mitchell);views of mental illness in the early Christian world (R. M.Grant); “The Traditio Legis-Motif in Early Christian Art andLiterature” (R. Hvalvik); and early Christian ascetic prac-

tices (J. A. Kelhoffer). The volume concludes with a bibliog-raphy of Aune’s major publications. All of the essays arevery well done, although, other than the thematic divisionsof the book, the individual topics are extremely diverse.Recommended for research libraries.


MEMORY IN THE BIBLE AND ANTIQUITY. Edited byLoren T. Stuckenbruck, Stephen C. Barton, and Benjamin G.Wold. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum NeuenTestament, 212. Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2007.Pp. 394. $197.50, ISBN 978-3-16-149251-8.

This volume contains the proceedings of the FifthDurham-Tübingen Research Symposium (Durham, Septem-ber 2004). Contributing scholars are: Schaper, Blum, Wold,Stuckenbruck, Lichtenberger, Horbury, Barclay, Mendels, LeDonne, Dunn, Hengel, Mittmann-Richert, Schwemer, Eck-stein, Barton, and Bockmuehl. The articles are in English andGerman. Given that the application of social memory theoryto biblical studies is in its infancy, this book wisely containsarticles written to cover very basic but essential topics,including memory and historiography, memory and remem-brance, memory politics, societies of memory, memory dis-tortion, memory and orality, living memory and eyewitnesstestimony, remembering and ritual, and counter-memories.Although the topics are basic, the studies themselves arerich detailed text applications from the bible and the intert-estamental literature, immersing the reader in primary andsecondary sources. The book is surprisingly coherent givenits edited nature. Most of the contributors struggle with thequestion of how memory relates to history, i.e., in what waysthe biblical and intertestamental texts are “historical” giventhe fact that they emerge as records of collective memory.Another issue threading through the majority of articles isthe challenge to understand how memory serves the self-identity of communities. Along with Memory, Tradition, andText (edited by A. Kirk and T. Thatcher, 2005), it is a timelyand requisite publication for anyone curious about howhuman memory affects the identity and character of reli-gious groups in antiquity—how they remembered and whatwas remembered.

April D. DeConickRice University

IDENTITY, ETHICS, AND ETHOS IN THE NEW TES-TAMENT. Edited by Jan G. van der Watt. Beihefte ZurZeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und dieKunde der älteren Kirche, 141. Berlin/New York: Walter deGruyter, 2006. Pp. ix + 645. $237, ISBN 978-3-11-018973-5.

The twenty-three essays in this collection focus, first,upon “ethics,” that is, the way in which directives, command-ments, and guidelines in NT writings provide frameworksfor the intended readers’ behavior. Second, and in a broader


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sense than ethics, the ancient understanding of ethos ashabitual (innate?) behavior is used to deduce the socioethicalidentity and behavior of diverse Christian communities. Thewriters’ conclusions issue in something akin to a socioethical-identity “map” of the communities of NT readers. At times,brilliant attempts are made to relate literature and literaryforms and devices to socioethical realities. The essays aredivided into five parts: The Gospels and Acts (H. J. B. Com-brink; C. Breytenbach; E. Scheffler; van der Watt; and G. J.Steyn); Pauline Letters (A. B. du Toit; M. Wolter; J. A. Loubser;D. F. Tolmie; F. S. Malan; P. J. Gräbe; B. Witherington III; G. F.Wessels; P. G. R. de Villiers; and, I. J. du Plessis); GeneralEpistles, Hebrews and Revelation (H. Klauck; P. J. Hartin; FikaJ. van Rensburg; F. P. Viljoen; D. G. van der Merwe; and, J. A.du Rand); and, exceeding the boundaries of the NT, one essayon 2 Clement (W. Pratscher). An important collection in NTEthics for all research libraries.


JESUS AND THE MIRACLE TRADITION. By Paul J.Achtemeier. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2008. Pp. 255. Paperback,$30, ISBN 978-1-59752-364-6.

Achtemeier, professor emeritus of biblical interpretationat Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, is wellknown to NT scholars for his work on both Paul’s letters andMark’s Gospel. This collection of essays reflects the scholarlywork which he conducted throughout the 1970s. Each of thefirst eight chapters has been previously published in variousscholarly journals and will be familiar to seasoned scholars.The final essay on the miracle tradition in the NT and thebroader Greco-Roman world was newly penned for thisvolume and offers as fine an introduction to the topic as thelimitations of space will allow. In spite of the independentorigin of the various articles in this collection, two recurringthemes persist: 1) the question of literary function shouldtake precedence over questions of historicity, and 2) theliterary function of the miracles is best discerned in dialoguewith Greco-Roman (rather than OT) miracle traditions.Although some of the essays have been lightly retouched,most show evidence of their age. The volume will prove mostbeneficial to those who either are new to miracle study orwho have no access to the scholarly journals.

Thomas E. PhillipsPoint Loma Nazarene University

THE FOURTH GOSPEL AND THE QUEST FORJESUS: MODERN FOUNDATIONS RECONSIDERED.By Paul N. Anderson. Library of Historical Jesus Studies;Library of New Testament Studies, 321. London: T&T Clark,2006. Pp. xx + 226. Cloth, $120, ISBN 978-0-567-04394-8;paper, $49.95, ISBN 978-0-567-03330-7.

Anderson argues that the Fourth Gospel’s value for his-torical reconstruction, especially of the historical Jesus, has

been underrated, causing the “de-historicization of John”and the “de-Johannification of Jesus.” His targets are notJohannine scholars (among whom his views on Johanninehistoricity are unexceptionable) but gospel generalists andhistorical Jesus scholars. He observes that while John istheologically influenced, so are the Synoptics, and a bal-anced quest for the historical Jesus should take a bi-opticperspective (John and Synoptics). John developed autono-mously from Mark, Q, Matthew, and Luke, but not in isola-tion from them. Its relations with these traditions werevariously “interfluential,” formative, and dialectical. Forinstance, the Fourth Gospel’s first edition (lacking 1:1–18and chaps. 6, 15–17, 21) augmented, complemented, andcorrected Mark, without being dependent on written Mark;and Luke received formative influence from Johannine oraltradition. Anderson’s proposals about oral and written con-tacts among Jesus traditions are worthy of further attention.He has laid the groundwork with detailed analyses of manypassages and a notable hypothesis about the origins ofthe Johannine corpus. The wide coverage comes at a cost,however; the book is underfootnoted, depriving the reader ofpointers to further details and of reasons why alternativeviews should be rejected. During the exegetical sections, itsinteractions are largely within Johannine studies, neglectingmuch historical Jesus research, including scholars who dosee historical value in John (e.g., Fredriksen, Meier, Wright).Ironically, this weakens the author’s rhetorical appeal not toexclude John from the “quest.”

Catherine PlayoustJesuit Theological College (Melbourne, Australia)

JOHN, JESUS, AND HISTORY VOLUME ONE: CRITI-CAL APPRAISALS OF CRITICAL VIEWS. Edited byPaul N. Anderson, Felix Just, and Tom Thatcher. SBL Sym-posium Series, 44. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature,2007. Pp. viii + 346. $37.95, ISBN 978-158983-293-0.

Traditionally, scholars on the quest for the historicalJesus have dismissed the Gospel of John as “spiritual” andthus an invalid historical source. But in 2002, a group of Johnand historical Jesus scholars met to challenge this assump-tion. As expected, their first volume sets forth the questionand lays methodological foundations. Anderson claims thatprevalent assumptions—the Gospel of John is “dehistori-cized” and the historical Jesus is “de-Johannified”—distortJesus research. A series of renowned scholars review the“quest” literature and its use of John. Five others offer meth-odological approaches that respect John as a historicalsource; two case studies follow. While any claim for oragainst John’s historicity is problematic, the inclusion of theGospel of John in Jesus studies is necessary and may bepotentially transformative. This volume’s value lies in itscogent argument to include the Gospel of John in historicalJesus research and should be required reading for all college-level gospel studies.

Jane S. WebsterBarton College


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JESUS THE VILLAGE PSYCHIATRIST. By DonaldCapps. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.Pp. xxv + 145. $19.95, ISBN 978-0-664-23240-5.

It remains an intriguing possibility that certain gospelhealing tales preserve experiences (whether of Jesus or ofearly Christian healers) with psychogenic ailments and theiralleviation (permanent or temporary, for all we know).Capps, a Professor of Pastoral Theology, is the first to arguethe case from a thorough background in psychiatry. Thebook is fascinating but circular, as it perforce substitutesspeculation for evidence, and virtually novelistic inferenceat that. Thus, it ends where it began: with tantalizing possi-bility and little if anything more, although we find ourselvesbetter educated. Does Capps offer much pastoral advice?Jesus, he says, must have had a load of personal magnetism,and, presumably, we may repeat his feats if we do, too.Overall, the tendency is to revive eighteenth-century Protes-tant Rationalism: the “miracles” happened, but within thelimits of reason alone. Not a necessary dweller on your shelf.

Robert M. PriceJohnnie Coleman Theological Seminary

JESUS AND ARCHAEOLOGY. Edited by James H. Char-lesworth. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2006.Pp. xxv + 740. $50, ISBN 0-8028-4880-X.

This scholarly work contains the essays of leadingarchaeologists and biblical scholars that center on howarchaeological discoveries shed light on the life, thought,and times of Jesus in the gospels. Complete with many black-and-white pictures, the authors deal with a wide range ofsubjects, including what it meant for Jesus to be called abastard (Mamzerut) child who taught in the synagogues. In itare revealed some recent findings from Qumran, Nazareth,Cana, Bethsaida, Jerusalem, and how such findings are rel-evant to theology. Charlesworth briefly summarizes some ofthe results. Nazareth, Cana, and Bethsaida have been iden-tified as existing in the time of Jesus, along with some syna-gogues: “it would be foolish to continue to foster the illusionthat the Gospels are merely fictional stories like the legendsof Hercules and Asclepius.” This work will be of great inter-est to scholars working in this area as well as anyone inter-ested in current archaeological findings related to the fourgospels.

John W. LoftusAngola, Indiana

THE HISTORICAL JESUS: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE.By James H. Charlesworth. Essential Guides, 12. Nashville,TN: Abingdon Press, 2008. Pp. xx + 131. $18, ISBN 978-0-687-02167-3.

Charlesworth serves as cheerleader for neoconservativeretrenchment in Jesus research. He pontificates that Germanexistentialist theology like Bultmann’s “duped” a whole gen-eration of scholars, and that scholars “must” avoid the skep-ticism of those who think we can know little or nothing ofthe historical Jesus. Why? Seemingly, on general principles,

especially religious ones. Like many today, Charlesworthposits an ecumenically tailored Christology (for that is all itis) of Jesus as a devout, Torah-loving Jew. The methodologyhere seems to be a simple prior decision to regard Jesus as afunction, a kind of “split-the-difference” distillation, of themany interesting things we happen to know about SecondTemple Judaism. And since Germans have persecuted Jews,German scholarship is not politically correct, so it must notbe historically correct either. D. F. Strauss is absurdlywritten off for allowing Hegelianism to dictate the resultsof his research in The Life of Jesus Critically Examined.Has Charlesworth read this great book? Wellhausen, too, issomehow to be sneered at because of his liberal theology.Anyone who thinks this either never bothered reading Well-hausen’s detailed argumentation or does not think detailedargumentation matters, only party loyalty. I suspect thelatter in this case. The present book amounts to catechismfor a new generation of mainstream preachers who willemerge having little upsetting to say.


JESUS RECONSIDERED: SCHOLARSHIP IN THEPUBLIC EYE. Edited by Bernard Brandon Scott. JesusSeminar Guides, 1. Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2007.Pp. x + 104. $18, ISBN 978-1-59815-002-5.

This collection of explanations and historical retrospec-tives by Fellows of the Jesus Seminar should put to rest mostof the hysteria and heresy charges leveled at the scholarlythink tank. The short essays by B. B. Scott, M. Borg, R. Funk,P. V. Kea, R. J. Miller, and R. S. Mordecai are helpful summa-ries of methodology and results as published in The FiveGospels, The Acts of Jesus, and so forth. The two papers by R.W. Hoover, models of lucidity, are by themselves worth morethan the price of the book. The volume is irenic and self-critical, tactfully suggesting that the vitriol directed at thework of the Seminar is a matter of apologetics for religiousinstitutions defending dogmatic views of scripture with nointerest in real historical research. The contributors go someway in defending controversial positions while explainingthey are not merely bizarre opinions of some fringe grouptrying to debunk the gospels, Jesus, or apple pie. The goalappears to be to clear the air and to refocus debate on theserious scholarly issues. No critic of the Jesus Seminar can betaken seriously until he or she takes this book into account.


THE POST-MORTEM VINDICATION OF JESUS INTHE SAYINGS GOSPEL Q. Library of NT Studies, 338. ByDaniel A. Smith. New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Pp. xiii + 206.$120, ISBN 0-567-04474-2.

This remarkably fresh and interesting study investi-gates the understanding of Jesus’ postmortem in Q, particu-larly in Q 13:34-35, and suggests that Q likely presumed atheology of Jesus’ bodily assumption to heaven and not a


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theology of resurrection. Although Smith acknowledges thatbodily assumption was unusually associated with a livingbeing just before, or even at the time of, that one’s death, heargues that Jesus’ bodily assumption in Q serves as his post-mortem vindication for being God’s righteous and perse-cuted prophet. Smith also reflects on the broad-reachingimplications of having two very different understandingsof Jesus’ postmortem existence in early Christiantraditions—one tradition of postmortem assumption toheaven and another tradition of postmortem resurrection toa renewed living presence on earth. According to Smith, Paulemphasizes resurrection very strongly and Q emphasizesassumption; the other NT writers often blend these twotraditions. This volume is innovative and provocative. It ishighly recommended for scholars investigating the Christol-ogy of Q or early Christianity, resurrection theologies in theNT, and formation of the gospels.


STORIES WITH INTENT: A COMPREHENSIVEGUIDE TO THE PARABLES OF JESUS. By KlyneR. Snodgrass. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008.Pp. xviii + 846. $50, ISBN 978-0-8028-4241-1.

With this volume, Snodgrass, professor of NT at NorthPark Seminary, has provided a significant service for inter-preters of the parables. However, the significance of thisvolume is not as an introduction to the parables (it is muchtoo long for that purpose), nor as a unique or innovativeapproach to parable study (Snodgrass makes few originalclaims in this volume). This volume should be primarilyviewed as a pedagogical tool and as a treasure chest of rawdata. After a brief introduction to parable study, an introduc-tion which understands the parables as growing out of theJewish heritage of the historical Jesus, Snodgrass divides theparables into nine categories (e.g., “grace and responsibility”[Mt 18:23-25 and Luke 7:41-43]). A standard set of questionsis addressed to each parable within each category.Snodgrass labels these interpretative questions: parabletype (essentially the structure of the parable), issues requir-ing attention (key points of scholarly debate), helpfulprimary source materials (ancient literary parallels), com-parison of the accounts (from the Synoptics and the Gospel ofThomas), textual features worth noting, cultural information(mainly in the context of Jesus, not of the evangelists or theearly church), explanation of the parable, adopting theparable, and a list for further reading. The volume coversmost key interpretative issues, and does so fairly and accu-rately. However, seasoned interpreters will sometimes findthe book’s sustained focus on pedagogy a bit pedantic. Manymuch shorter volumes offer more succinct and coherentinterpretations of the parables. Still, the volume is a notableachievement and deserves a place on the shelf of everyserious interpreter of the parables.


THE HISTORICAL RELIABILITY OF THE GOSPELS.Second edition. By Craig L. Blomberg. Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press Academic, 2007. Pp. 416. $24, ISBN 978-0-8308-2807-4.

Blomberg, distinguished professor of NT at DenverSeminary, has updated his widely used defense of the his-torical accuracy of the four canonical gospels. Blombergclaims both that his task in this volume is strictlyhistorical—to discern the degree of historical reliability thatone should afford to the gospels—and that he laid aside hisadmittedly conservative theological convictions. Blombergframes his argument by considering C. S. Lewis’s assertionthat Jesus was either a liar (who intentionally representedhimself as something that he was not), a lunatic (whobelieved himself to be something that he was not), or theLord (exactly who Lewis believed the gospels claimed Jesusto be). Blomberg first criticizes Lewis by offering a fourthoption, that the gospel writers misrepresented Jesus, andby suggesting that many contemporary biblical scholarsoperate on the basis of this fourth option. To address thisfourth perspective, Blomberg first analyzes the role of theevangelists in the formation of the gospel and finds that theevangelists were reliable conveyors of the traditions aboutJesus. Many more skeptically minded scholars will findBlomberg’s analysis of the precanonical history of the Jesustraditions to be cursory (redaction criticism is described inone page and critiqued over the span of eight pages).Blomberg then reaffirms Lewis’s original three options byarguing for the historicity of the miracle stories, for thehistorical reliability of the Johannine traditions, and for aharmonizing approach to synoptic study. This volume,although cutting against the grain of the dominant trends ingospel study, offers the most complete, accurate and up-to-date defense of a maximalist approach to the Jesus tradition.Still, many readers will wonder if Blomberg really haslaid aside his “conservative” and “evangelical” (two ofBlomberg’s favorite and often repeated words) theology andtruly applied himself to an open-ended historical project.


FROM JESUS TO THE GOSPELS: INTERPRETINGTHE NEW TESTAMENT IN CONTEXT. By HelmutKoester. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2007. Pp. xiii + 311.$39, ISBN 978-0-8006-2093-6.

This volume draws together much of Koester’s workon the gospels since the 1990 publication of his landmarkbook, Ancient Christian Gospels. The articles collected in thisvolume have all been previously published and are onlylightly edited (often abridged to avoid duplication) for thisvolume. Given the book’s origin as a series of freestandingarticles, the volume exhibits no central thesis or sustainedargument from chapter to chapter. However, the articlesare loosely organized under three broad categories: articlesabout the relationship between the canonical and apocryphal


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gospels; articles related to the Gospel of John; and articlesabout the sayings of Jesus. Those familiar with Koester’swork will find no additional research in this volume beyondthat found in the original articles. As Koester’s brief prefacenotes, the volume will disappoint some readers because itdoes not deliver the historical survey of the Jesus traditionthat the title seems to promise. In fact, Koester regards anyattempt to discover the historical Jesus as “a dead-end road.”Still, the volume is fully indexed and that feature will makethis collection ideal for those seeking convenient access tothis seminal scholar’s most important recent work.


THE GOSPELS TODAY: CHALLENGING READINGSOF JOHN, MARK, LUKE AND MATTHEW. By StephenW. Need. Essential Inquiries, Volume 2. Lanham, MD:Cowley Publications, 2007. Pp. viii + 134. $15.95, ISBN 978-1-56101-297-8.

Challenging views of Gospel passages are presentedhere in concise fashion for the benefit of introductory stu-dents. Need provides a mainstream understanding of theJohannine prologue in the course of his exposition of theLogos and associated themes. For Need, in the NT, Son of Godand Son of Man did not refer to divinity and humanity inreference to Jesus. The “messianic secret” in Mark is betterdescribed as the “messianic mystery” because of the ambiva-lence of Jesus in his words and actions. The bread of life inJohn 6 is first and foremost a metaphor for Jesus himself (aswith good shepherd, true vine, living water), rather than areference to the Eucharist. The protagonist in Luke 16:1-13should be called not the unjust steward but the prudentsteward because he is simply renouncing his own commis-sion on what he has earned (laws against usury were easilyscorned or ignored at the time). The quieting of the storm inMark 4:35-41 is not a “nature miracle” but is rather anexample of the divine battle against chaos and the reintegra-tion of proper functioning in the universe. The Transfigura-tion story is a theophany based on Exodus 24: 33-34, whereGod makes himself present and manifests his glory. Overall,beginning readers will profit from the insights of this clearand concise treatise.


MATTHEW 1-7: A COMMENTARY. By Ulrich Luz.Translated by James Crouch. Hermeneia. Pp. xxxvii + 432.Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2007. $75, ISBN 978-0-8006-6099-4.

This is the first of three volumes in this series onMatthew, but it is the last to be published. Fortress publisheda previous edition of this volume in 1989, but the currentvolume supersedes it with a revised bibliography, althoughonly through 2000 in most sections, a translation from alater edition (the fifth) of Luz’s original commentary in

German, additional material (particularly in the excurses),and revisions. As one would expect, this volume continuesLuz’s views that have already been explicated in the volumeson Matt 8-20 (2001; reviewed in RSR 28: 76) and on Matt21-28 (2005; reviewed in RSR 32: 258). Taken together,the three volumes are a model of how Luz’s method of layingout the history of interpretation (Auslegungsgeschichte) ofMatthew as well as the history of its “influence(s)”(Wirkungsgeschichte) extends the hermeneutical trajectoryof Matthew beyond what historical-critical commentariescan do with their emphasis upon only the “original” life-situation of the Gospel. Not only is volume one recom-mended over its 1989 edition, but the set of three volumesconstitutes a definitive and masterly approach to the Gospelof Matthew.


SPIRIT AND KINGDOM IN THE WRITINGS OFLUKE AND PAUL: AN ATTEMPT TO RECONCILETHESE CONCEPTS. By Youngmo Cho. Paternoster Bibli-cal Monographs. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2005. Pp. 227.$27, ISBN 978-1-59752-798-9.

Cho wrote this comparison of the concepts of kingdomand Spirit in Paul and Luke as his PhD dissertation at theUniversity of Aberdeen under the supervision of A. Clarke.After a brief review of Spirit language in intertestamentalJewish literature, Cho claims that Paul’s pneumatology wasnovel in its understanding of the Spirit’s presence as simul-taneously the presence of the kingdom. Cho also argues thatPaul’s pneumataology was likewise more developed thanLuke’s pneumatology, which understood the Spirit only asthe source, and not the presence, of the kingdom. Althoughthe exegesis attempts to be disciplined, many readers willsuspect that the volume finds points of contact betweenconcepts and writers that are less amenable to comparisonthan this volume acknowledges. Sadly, the opening review ofscholarship is limited to the work of just three scholars(J. Dunn, R. Menzies, and M. Turner) and will, therefore, alsobe disappointing to many readers. The volume will be mostuseful to those who share Cho’s conservative evangelicalpresuppositions and charismatic theological concerns.


THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL: ISRAEL’SRE-GATHERING AND THE FATE OF THE NATIONSIN EARLY JEWISH LITERATURE AND LUKE-ACTS.By Michael E. Fuller. Beihefte Zur Zeitschrift Fur Die Neut-estamentliche Wissenschaft, 138. New York: Walter deGruyter, 2006. Pp. 332. $132, ISBN 978-3-11-018896-7.

This volume, Fuller’s revised PhD dissertation (submit-ted at the University of Durham under the supervision ofL. T. Stuckenbruck), surveys Jewish literature from 200 BCEto 100 CE. Fuller wishes to discern how Jews of this era


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conceived of the restoration of Israel. He finds three promi-nent themes in this Jewish literature: 1) the future regather-ing of exiled Israel; 2) the fate of the nations and Israel’senemies; and 3) the creation of a new temple. Fuller arguesthat the first two of these themes are also prominent inLuke-Acts. Fuller emphasizes the role of twelve as a sym-bolic core of Jews who participate in a regathering of Israeland who witness a global mission to the nations. In mostways, Fuller’s argument reflects contemporary scholarlytrends which emphasize the role of Israel in Lukan eschatol-ogy. Although Fuller focuses most directly upon the Gospelof Luke, some readers will be left wondering why the twelveappear only in the first half of Acts if they are so importantto Lukan eschatology. Other readers will find Fuller’s thesisto be a helpful explanation for Paul’s frequent visits toJerusalem in Acts. In any case, this book will be most sig-nificant only for those who specialize in Lukan studies.


PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM: JESUS AND THEUSE OF PARABLES IN THE SYNOPTIC TRADITION.By Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan. Collegeville, MN: LiturgicalPress, 2007. Pp. 191. $9.95, ISBN 978-0-8146-2993-2.

Getty-Sullivan, retired professor of NT at the CatholicUniversity of Louvain in Belgium, provides a well-conceivedand well-written introduction to the parables as preserved inthe synoptic tradition. The parables’ preliterary history,including their role in the ministry of the historical Jesus, isnot addressed. The six chapters assume Markan priority andtherefore introduce the parables under the rubrics of theparables in Mark, the Markan parables as redacted byMatthew and Luke, and the unique parables in Matthew andLuke. Although the volume is lightly documented and pro-vides only a limited (and exclusively English) bibliography,Getty-Sullivan demonstrates a mature grasp of most signifi-cant parables’ scholarship. The volume offers plausible read-ings of the parables in their various canonical contexts, butit demonstrates little interest in explaining the methodsused to produce those readings. This book will serve well asan entry-level introduction to the content of the parables, butit lacks the sustained scholarly dialogue required for moreadvanced parable study. The volume has a helpful glossaryof key terms, but no indices.


JESUS ALS GAST: STUDIEN ZU EINEM CHRIS-TOLOGISCHEN LEITMOTIV IM LUKASEVANGE-LIUM. By Gerhard Hotze. Forschung zur Bibel, 111.Würzburg, Germany: Echter Verlag, 2007. Pp. 339. €30.90,ISBN 978-3-429-02872-5.

Several recent studies have explored the theme of hos-pitality in Luke’s Gospel. Hotze takes up this theme, butmoves in a new direction by exploring the theme of Jesus as

a guest. The volume is composed of three parts: a statisticalanalysis of the key words associated with the language ofhospitality in Luke’s Gospel; a detailed exegesis of the rel-evant passages (Luke 5:27-32; 19:1-10; 10:38-42; 24:28-32;7:36-50; 11:37-54; and 14:1-24); and reflections upon theChristological implications of the study. Within Luke’sGospel, Hotze argues that the theme of Jesus as guest isrelated to Jesus’ status as a prophet and as the DavidicMessiah. Hotze finds parallels to the Lukan guest theme inMark and even more strongly in John within the NT and inseveral OT narratives, particularly Gen 18. According toHotze, the theme of Jesus as a guest also appears throughoutthe history of interpretation and should be taken more seri-ously by contemporary interpreters. This study breaks newground and deserves the attention of all future interpretersof Luke.


THE AFTERLIFE IMAGERY IN LUKE’S STORY OFTHE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. By Outi Lehtipuu.Supplements to Novum Testamentum, 123. Boston: Brill,2007. Pp. xiv + 362. $170, ISBN 978-90-04-15301-1.

This slightly revised PhD dissertation was written at theUniversity of Helsinki under the direction of H. Räisänenand A. Y. Collins. In an early-career work, Lehtipuu offers anextraordinarily mature, careful and well-read treatment ofthe topic at hand. He treats thoroughly traditions of afterlifeimagery in Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Jewish (Pseude-pigraphal, Apocryphal, and Dead Sea Sectarian), and earlyChristian literature, whereas early Rabbinic traditions aremostly unexplored. Lehtipuu argues that the uniquely Lukanmaterials and stories fit within a broader intertextualnetwork, rather than depending literarily on any texts inparticular. With others, he offers a corrective to the view ofConzelmann and others of a coherent Lukan eschatology andliterary aim (e.g., answering the delayed parousia), seeinginstead an eschatological plurality quite common in thebroader literary world. The variety of views serves severalrhetorical and paraenetic ends, often geared around provok-ing repentance as preparation for a blessed afterlife.The book is a highly recommended contribution to Luke-Actsscholarship, biblical studies in general, and afterlife specu-lation in Late Antiquity.

Mark Glen BilbyPoint Loma Nazarene University

D’ISRAËL AUX NATIONS: L’HORIZON DE LA REN-CONTRE AVEC LE SAUVEUR DANS L’ŒUVRE DELUC. By Étienne L. Mbilizi. Europäische Hochs-chulschriften, Reihe 23, Bd. 831. Frankfurt am Main,Germany: Peter Lang, 2006. Pp. 386. €55.80, ISBN 978-3-631-55091-5.

In this volume, Mbilizi offers his doctoral thesis fromthe Gregorianum to a broader readership. In it, he explores


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the various passages in Luke-Acts dealing with the conver-sion of non-Jews (Luke 7:1-10, 11:29-36, 17:11-19, 23:44-48, Acts 8:26-40, 10:1-11, 14:8-20, 15:1-35, and 17:16-34),focusing especially on their manifold implications for a the-ology of conversion. This includes the overcoming of social-religious-political distinctions, a personal quest for Jesus,the building of narrative suspense, a climax consisting in adivine encounter, an internal shift in faith, and externalexpressions in confession and/or journeying toward newlyopened horizons. Mbilizi transitions easily betweenGerman, French, Italian and English sources, works profi-ciently with the Greek text and variants, thoroughlyexplores intertexts within Luke-Acts, and writes smoothlywithin a well-plotted structure. Less evident are interac-tions with broader ancient sources, Greco-Roman or Jewish,a history of scholarship on the issue, and how the authorenvisions his work furthering the scholarly discussion. Thevolume contains an index of modern authors, but not ofscriptures or other ancient sources. Its appeal wouldmainly be to scholars doing specialized work on one ofthe passages mentioned earlier, or on Luke’s theology ofconversion.

Mark BilbyPoint Loma Nazarene University

CONSUMPTION AND WEALTH IN LUKE’S TRAVELNARRATIVE. By James A. Metzger. Biblical InterpretationSeries, 88. Boston: Brill, 2007. Pp. x + 218. $155, ISBN 978-90-04-16261-7.

This volume, Metzger’s revised PhD dissertation atVanderbilt University under F. Segovia, uses a form ofreader-response criticism to investigate four uniquelyLukan parables (12:16-21; 15:11-32; 16:1-13; and 16:19-31).The goal is discern how these parables, and by extension,the uniquely Lukan materials in Luke’s travel narrative(9:51-19:10) seek to shape Christian conduct in regard tomaterial possessions. Iser, Fish, and the other leading theo-rists of reader-response criticism are discussed, but Bar-thes’s work provides the primary theoretic orientation. Theresulting reading argues that these materials—but not theentirety of Luke’s Gospel—advocate for divesture from mate-rial possessions and regard the wealthy as guilty of self-indulgence and excess consumption. The thesis is clear andplausible, but many readers will suspect that Metzger hasmerely updated the conclusions reached decades ago by R. J.Cassidy, an author whose work appears in the bibliography,but not the index. The author’s engagement with scholar-ship is sometimes lax with significant gaps in the coverageof English scholarship (e.g., Cassidy and his many follow-ers). French scholarship is well represented, but even keyGerman works are frequently ignored (only three Germanworks appear in the bibliography). In spite of its relevanceto the topic, Spanish scholarship is unrepresented. Special-ists in Lukan studies, in the formation of the gospels,in the historical Jesus, and in the socioeconomic concerns

of early Christianity will be particularly interested in thisvolume.


DAVID IN LUKE-ACTS: HIS PORTRAYAL IN THELIGHT OF EARLY JUDAISM. By Yuzuru Miura. Wissen-schaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 232.Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2007. Pp. 305. $115,ISBN 978-3-16-149253-2.

This revised PhD dissertation (the University of Aber-deen under the direction of A. Clarke) provides a reading ofimages of David in Luke-Acts. As background to David inLuke-Acts, the first part of the volume (six chapters) surveysthe images of David in the OT, in the OT Apocrypha andPseudepigrapha, in the Qumran documents, in the writingsof Philo and Josephus, and in early rabbinic thought. Miurafinds nine themes in this literature: David as sinner, as idealking, as prophet, as religious authority, as parallel to Mosesand to Solomon, as Psalmist, as model for Jews, and as indi-cator of the Messiah. According to Miura, Luke-Acts containsall of these themes except David as sinner and Luke-Acts,therefore, portrays Jesus as a Davidic Messiah. The breadthof the investigation has required rapid surveys of diversetexts. Some sections are laden with extensive lists of relevanttexts with only thin interpretation where many readerswould have liked to see more meticulous exegesis. Two par-ticular concerns are whether the themes which Miura asso-ciates with Davidic messiahship are distinctively Davidic orwhether most of these themes could be associated with anynumber of Jewish figures (e.g., Moses, Elijah, Enoch), andwhether the violence associated with a Davidic concept ofmessiahship finds any parallel in Luke-Acts. Still the volumeis an impressive achievement and is highly recommended forresearch libraries, specialists in Lukan studies, and thoseconcerned with the history of OT interpretation.


LUCAS. By Alvin Padilla. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg For-tress, 2007. Pp. 190. $15, ISBN 978-0-8066-5337-2.

Padilla, an ordained Presbyterian who serves on thefaculty at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Boston, has provideda helpful entry-level commentary for Spanish readers. Thisbrief volume comments on Luke’s Gospel by pericopeand demonstrates a mature grasp of critical scholarship,although it provides no footnotes or other documentation.The exegesis presumes that the gospel was written by Luke,the traveling companion of the Apostle Paul. The volumefocuses upon exegesis and demonstrates little interest in thereception of the text (in the past or the present). The volumewill be useful for people wishing to provide Spanish readerswith a conservative introduction to the study of Luke, but itoffers little for advanced students of Luke.



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DAS HEIL GOTTES: STUDIEN ZUR SOTERIOLOGIEDES LUKANISCHEN DOPPELWERKS. By Hans JörgSellner. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentlicheWissenschaft, 152. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2007.Pp. xiii + 591. €128, ISBN 978-3-11-019699-3.

While acknowledging the abundant foregoing work onthe topic, Sellner finds room for a fresh and thoroughgoingexegetical investigation of Lukan soteriology. The bookfollows a narrative structure, identifying each section by aspecific topic. Areas covered include: the Lukan birth narra-tives (esp. 1:46b-55, 1:68-79, 2:11), the fulfillment of theages in the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry (4:18-21, 7:18-23),seeking and saving the lost (5:27-32, 15:11-32, 19:1-10),salvation and healing (5:17-26, 17:11-19), the time of transi-tion (Luke 24—Acts 1), the new mode of salvation (Acts 2:27-40), salvation in the name of the Risen One (3:16, 10:43,26:18), the future of salvation (parousia and personal after-life, Luke 23:42-43), and the saving significance of Jesus’death (Luke 22:19-20, Acts 20:28). The author conscien-tiously attempts to avoid facile literary syntheses or homog-enization, which he documents as characteristic of many ofthe preeminent Luke-Acts scholars of recent generations.Instead, he highlights significant differences and shifts evenacross the Luke-Acts narrative. Governed by a literaryapproach, he everywhere notes intertextual connections, butthese are almost entirely confined to canonical texts or apoc-ryphal texts of the first century and earlier, thus ignoringhistorical and textual questions about the ongoing redactionof Luke-Acts in the second century.

Mark BilbyPoint Loma Nazarene University

KINSHIP RELATIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. ByJoan Cecelia Campbell. The Catholic Biblical QuarterlyMonograph Series, 42. Washington, DC: The Catholic Bibli-cal Association of America, 2007. Pp. xiv + 246. $12, ISBN0-915170-41-8.

Campbell utilizes an anthropological approach toexamine three Fourth Gospel passages: 2.1-12, 7.1-10, and19.25-27. She combines various social-scientific familialmodels to form a filter for reading these passages. The firstfour chapters explain the basis for her research and provideinsight into Jesus’ familial relationships. Chapters five andsix provide what Campbell calls “reasonable speculation”regarding implications of her findings for the Johannine com-munity and its opponents. After describing the cultural impli-cations of familial relationships in the Circum-Mediterraneanworld, Campbell applies yet another model to the largerissues of Johannine provenance. Her provisional journeytakes one through a reconstruction of the limited Johannineaudience in or near Ephesus. Utilizing the linguistic modelsof B. Malina and M. Halliday, Campbell concludes that theantilanguage of the Fourth Gospel demonstrates the exist-ence of a Johannine antisociety that is in dialogue with oppo-nents dominated by Palestinian emigrants in the post-70 erawho are themselves influenced by family members of Jesus.

While Campbell’s monograph provides alternative views forunderstanding the passages selected, her findings are oftenlost by the introduction of multiple models of analysis.

Stan HarstineFriends University

IMAGERY IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN: TERMS,FORMS, THEMES, AND THEOLOGY OF JOHAN-NINE FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. Edited by Jörg Frey,Jan G. van der Watt, and Ruben Zimmermann in collabora-tion with Gabi Kern. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungenzum Neuen Testament, 200. Tübingen, Germany: MohrSiebeck, 2006. Pp. xi + 485. $169, ISBN 978-3-16-149116-0.

This collection of essays explores figurative language inthe Fourth Gospel from both a technical and practical per-spective. The volume begins with a historical and introduc-tory essay on imagery by Zimmermann that is followed bytwo sections with eight essays each. The first section focuseson the technical elements of language while the secondexplores images utilized by the Fourth Evangelist. Althoughadvanced linguistic skills are recommended (six essays arein German and the Greek is rarely translated), this book ishelpful for anyone studying the literary elements of John’sGospel. Three indices of references, authors, and subjectscomplement the volume’s usefulness. The book emergedfrom a 2005 conference in Eisenach and its contributors areinternationally diverse; scholars from Australia, Belgium,Denmark, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland, and the U.S.contribute essays. This multivalent perspective strengthensthe volume as the essays frequently reinforce each other.A representative essay is “Witness and Friend” by MaryL. Coloe who examines the symbolism associated with theBaptist imagery with regard to marriage. “John, as witnessand friend of the bridegroom, reveals the identity of Jesus asthe incarnation of God’s nuptial love of Israel, a love thatdesires espousal and fecundity.” Her essay prepares the wayfor further research on “household” imagery in the FourthGospel. Images are essential elements of communication forthe Fourth Gospel; this volume is beneficial for understand-ing both image and message.

Stan HarstineFriends University

THE JEWS AND THE WORLD IN THE FOURTHGOSPEL: PARALLELISM, FUNCTION ANDCONTEXT. By Lars Kierspel. Wissenschaftliche Untersu-chungen zum Neuen Testament, 2/220. Tübingen, Germany:Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Pp. xii + 283. $96.03, ISBN 978-3-161-49069-9.

This work represents the author’s revised doctoral thesisand seeks to examine the relationship between the terms “theJews” and “the world” in the Fourth Gospel. Kierspel beginshis study with a review of previous studies both diachronicand synchronic. In the second chapter, he focuses on neutralor positive connotations of “the Jews.” In the next threechapters, Kierspel presents the heart of his thesis—the paral-


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lelism between “the Jews” and “the world,” first by exploringcompositional and narratological parallelism. In this section,Kierspel finds that the use of “the Jews” tends to be limited tothe narrator and to the first section of the Gospel, whereas“the world” is used more often by Jesus and is more commonin the second half of the Gospel. Then in chapter four, Kierspelexplores the universal function of the term “world” and, in thesubsequent chapter, that “the Jews” represent a subset of“the world.” As such, the use of both terms must be seenwithin the context of “Reading John in the Roman Empire,”which, Kierspel argues, undermines the anti-Semitic force ofthe use of “the Jews.” Kierspel’s scholarship is obvious andthis is an important work with which future scholars of theGospel will have to interact. The review of scholarship of theterm “the Jews” is both comprehensive and illuminating, notleast in its detail of German and Nazi (re-)interpretation of theGospel, and the methodology followed through meticulously.Moreover, the central argument concerning the parallelismbetween “the Jews” and “the world” is convincing. However,questions remain about what this parallelism actually shows.If Kierspel has hit upon the answer, then it has not been a veryobvious answer over the centuries.

Peter PhillipsCliff College (Derbyshire)

NEW CURRENTS THROUGH JOHN: A GLOBALPERSPECTIVE. Edited by Francisco Lozada, Jr. and TomThatcher. Resources for Biblical Study, 54. Atlanta, GA:Society of Biblical Literature, 2006. Pp. vii + 248. $29.95,ISBN 1-58983-201-9.

The essays in this collection are connected by threemajor concerns. First, ten authors were charged with thetask of interacting with J. A. T. Robinson’s 1957 paperentitled “The New Look on the Fourth Gospel.” Robinson’sessay both outlined the demise of previous trends inresearch, as well as forecasted future trends based on pat-terns that were emerging as he wrote. Likewise, thesecollected essays either trace developments since Robinson,and/or forecast new trends. Second, the authors wereselected because they are emerging Johannine scholars whoprovide fresh avenues for research. Third, the authors werechosen because of their diverse perspectives, nationalities orgeography, as the subtitle of the collection indicates. Follow-ing the introduction by T. Thatcher, there are essays inpart one: New Currents Through History and Theology byJ. Clark-Soles, C. Claussen, M. L. Coloe, B. D. Johnson,M. Kraus, B. M. Sheppard and, in part two: The New Currentof Readers and Readings, by A. Barus, M. Kraus, and Y. Tan.Two essays in part three: Reflection and Forecast by F.Lozada, Jr. and R. A. Culpepper (the lone senior scholar inthe collection) close the volume. Each essay provides usefulinsight into the state of Johannine studies, and the collectionas a whole is a helpful marker for both the state of currentresearch and of what to expect from research to come.

George L. ParseniosPrinceton Theological Seminary

INCARNATE WORD, INSCRIBED FLESH: JOHN’SPROLOGUE AND THE POSTMODERN. By Ela Nutu.The Bible in the Modern World, 6. Sheffield: SheffieldPhoenix Press, 2007. Pp. xii + 199. $85, ISBN 978-1-905048-25-0.

A refreshing and provocative exploration of postmodernreadings inspired/incited by John’s Prologue, Nutu openswith an exploration of identity focussing on postmodern-ism’s “decentred, fragmented” subject. In the secondchapter, she continues with an imaginary dialogue betweenMadonna, R. Brown and Derrrida, that preludes a briefexamination of Derrida’s legacy and the postmodern frag-mentation of the self. In this spirit of jouissance, the thirdchapter interweaves the themes of incarnation and identitythrough the Prologue and the film The Pillow Book, beforemorphing into a discussion about the nuances of Lacanianpsychoanalysis. Chapter four provides an exploration of“post-Lacanian Continental Feminisms” and some reflec-tions on écriture feminine/parler-femme. The penultimatechapter explores themes arising out of this discussion, thegender issues of the Prologue, and the film The Fifth Element.Two final chapters offer an autobiographical reading explor-ing the influence of the biblical text on the author’s ownidentity and how this then relates to themes of Neo’s (frag-mented?) identity within The Matrix, before a “not quite aconclusion” sums up some of the major themes of the work.Nutu has assembled an intriguing mix of postmodern reflec-tions on self and identity, shot through with perceptiveanalysis of feminisms and films, all set against the back-ground of Derrida and late twentieth-century (European)psychoanalytical speculation. Within this rich and some-times overly fluid setting, the Prologue becomes the catalystfor a much larger project and eventually seems to bereplaced as the identity of the author becomes more andmore focused through the work. This book is not so much astudy of the Prologue but of the inscription of the self and apastiche on postmodern (feminine) identities.

Peter PhillipsCliff College (Derbyshire)

STEPHEN: PAUL AND THE HELLENIST ISRAEL-ITES. By John J. Pilch. Paul’s Social Network: Brothers &Sisters in Faith. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008.Pp. xxiii + 87. $9.95, ISBN 978-0-8146-5229-9.

A brief introduction to what is known about Stephenfrom biblical texts and later traditions concludes with adescription of what is at the core of this and other books inthe same series: “Social scientists try to provide some of thecontext that is necessary for readers who don’t share thelanguage, culture, or perspectives to interpret the texts.”The following four chapters then explicate central aspectsnot only of Stephen, but of other first-century circum-Mediterranean persons. Stephen was a “Hellenist”—an Isra-elite enculturated into the values, language, and customsof the Greek world (the contrast being devout, Aramaic-speaking Jews). Stephen was a “collectivist” insofar as his


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self-perception was embedded in his primary in-groups(family, coworkers, and fellow-believers); charts comparingcollectivists and individualists help explicate this concept.Stephen was a “minister” in that he was called to teachingand preaching and did not bear the service title “deacon.”Finally, Stephen was a “holy man,” since he gained access tothe spirit realm and brokered this to other persons. Givenits stated purpose (noted earlier), this little book succeedsin introducing social-scientific concepts while concretelybringing to life a key biblical character.


NAVIGATING PAUL: AN INTRODUCTION TO KEYTHEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS. By Jouette M. Bassler.Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.Pp. xii + 139. Paper, $19.95, ISBN 0-664-22741-4.

This book discusses key Pauline theological conceptswhile assuming (soundly) that Paul did not have a theology,but rather that he practiced theology. Bassler looks at Paul’sideas about grace, Jewish law, faith, “in Christ” mysticism,the righteousness of God, the identity of Israel, andparousia/resurrection. In an introduction of this brevity, Icannot think of more fitting categories than these. Thechapter on grace, which was slightly revised from a 2003publication, could have benefited from a major revision, con-sidering several works on grace that appeared around thattime. Other chapters suffer similarly. In the end, therefore,the book has the feel of a status quaestionis that is, for themost part, a decade out of date and therefore omits muchcutting-edge research. This by no means negates the book’svalue, but it does, in my eyes, limit it.

Zeba CrookCarleton University, Ottawa

ANDRIE DU TOIT: FOCUSING ON PAUL: PERSUA-SION AND THEOLOGICAL DESIGN IN ROMANSAND GALATIANS. Edited by Cilliers Breytenbach andDavid S. du Toit. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutesta-mentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche,151. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2007. Pp. xiv + 443. $157,ISBN 978-3-11-019512-5.

This book consists of published essays of Du Toit’s,edited by two former students. Eight essays focus on Paul’slife, style and theology, two on Galatians, and eleven onRomans. The majority of the essays were published in SouthAfrican journals but also in European and American as wellas in Festschriften. Du Toit’s bibliography is included, as areindices of Biblical and ancient texts, modern authors, andsubjects. Some of the better essays are on the historical Paul.Du Toit argued that Paul grew up in Tarsus, learned Greekand philosophy, and a modicum of rhetoric. He thinks Paul,in order to further his education, then departed for Jerusa-lem. Du Toit is especially insightful in analyzing suchrhetorical devices as hyperbole, vilification, and forensicmetaphors. He offered succinct and cogent word studies on

faith, obedience, “in Christ,” and grace. He argues for theepistolary characteristics of Paul’s letters while at the sametime recognizing the rhetorical features. His dependenceupon Lausberg for a synoptic ancient rhetoric is question-able. This book should be assigned for courses on Paul if forno other reason than that these essays furnish a superiormodel for student papers.

Thomas H. OlbrichtSouth Berwick, ME 03908

REDISCOVERING PAUL: AN INTRODUCTION TOHIS WORLD, LETTERS, AND THEOLOGY. By David B.Capes, Rodney Reeves, and E. Randolph Richards. DownersGrove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. Pp. 350. $27, ISBN0-8308-2598-3.

I had great hopes that I had found a new textbook for myupper-level course on Paul. Indeed, this is precisely the aspi-ration of this book. A glance at the table of contents reflectsthe same topics and structure that I use in my own course onPaul. It did not take long, however, to realize that this bookwould not work in an academic setting, but was ratherdirected exclusively at a conservative theological setting.There is material here of value in any setting, particularlyfrom chapters on Paul’s Greco-Roman environment, onancient letter writing, and Paul’s conversion. Unfortunately,there is one feature (with implications that touch every page)that makes it an inappropriate book for an academic courseon Paul: the only scholarly works that are allowed to shapethis book are those that uphold or supplement (but neverthreaten) a traditional view of Paul, of Acts, and of Paulineauthorship. To add to this, it was extraordinarily difficult toget past opening claims that Jesus was crucified by “Jewishauthorities” and that the Jews are a “race.”


REMEMBER THE FUTURE: THE PASTORAL THE-OLOGY OF PAUL THE APOSTLE. By Jacob W. Elias.Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2006. Pp. 539. $15.99, ISBN0-8361-9323-7.

This book is clearly a labor of love by an experiencedtheological educator and pastor who aims to give a fullaccount of the pastoral theology of Paul. Deeply conversantwith recent scholarship on Pauline theology, Elias takes anarrative approach to Paul’s letters, attempting to bringtogether the story of the people in the churches and Paul’saccount of God’s work in the past, present, and future. Thisfuture dimension is given particular emphasis. Elias high-lights the story of the people by beginning most chapterswith an imaginative portrait of a person from the featuredcongregation. The basic organizing principle of the book isthematic and the individual letters are discussed within thisframework. This structure tends to privilege the coherenceof Paul’s theology over the distinctiveness of each letter.Elias recognizes that letters such as Ephesians and the Pas-torals are probably not by Paul, yet he includes them in his


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account of Paul’s theology, again tending to downplay whatis distinctive about these letters. Although this is not agroundbreaking work of scholarship, it is a competent andhighly readable account of Paul suitable for a wide range ofpersons looking for a reliable and up-to-date guide.

David W. KuckUnited Theological College of the West Indies

READING PAUL. By Michael J. Gorman. Cascade Compan-ions. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2008. Pp. x + 196. Paper,$22, ISBN 978-1-55635-195-2.

Gorman’s opening comparison of Paul to M. L. King, Jr.,sets the tone for this accessible volume, which seeks to helphis audience “read Paul as our contemporary, and as Scrip-ture.” While he regards Paul as “more or less” responsiblefor all of the disputed letters except 1 Tim and Titus, Gormanbases his exposition of the apostle’s ideas—organized aroundeight signature themes—by and large on the seven undis-puted letters. In an attempt to capture elements of the “newperspective” and more traditional interpretations, justifica-tion is understood as “co-crucifixion and co-resurrectionwith Christ.” Holiness, peaceableness, inclusion, crucifor-mity, and justice are identified as key marks of Paul’s gospel,which is thoroughly “theopolitical” in character. Paul thus“speaks powerfully to the life-threatening, violent imperial-ism and tribalism of this century and of any century.” Thediscussion questions at the end of each chapter will proveuseful for the lay audience at which this book is aimed.


ARGUMENTIERT PAULUS LOGISCH? EINEANALYSE VOR DEM HINTERGRUND ANTIKERLOGIK. By Moisés Mayordomo. Wissenschaftliche Untersu-chungen zum Neuen Testament, 188. Tübingen, Germany:Mohr Siebeck, 2005. Pp. xiii + 302. $142.50, ISBN 3-16-148793-1.

Mayordomo asks whether Paul’s argumentation satis-fies the requirements of ancient logic. He analyzes threeextended passages by 1) determining which sentences arelogically relevant; 2) rephrasing these sentences as formal-ized propositions; and 3) evaluating the resulting syllo-gisms. Mayordomo finds that 1 Cor 15:12-19 can easily bereframed as a chain of valid Stoic syllogisms. The same istrue, in part, of Gal 3:6-14 and Rom 1:18-3:20. In these cases,though, one is forced to reconstruct a large number ofunstated premises and Paul’s logic is obscured by his shift-ing terminology. At times Paul also relies on premises whichwould hardly have been accepted by all involved. Some sec-tions (e.g., the rhetorical questions in Gal 3:1-5) resist for-malization altogether. Mayordomo suggests that Paul’ssubject matter in passages like this may not allow the kind ofprecision necessary for formal logic, or that his persuasionmay legitimately shift to emphasize ethos or pathos insteadof logos. Mayordomo emphasizes that this kind of logicalanalysis is no interpretive panacea and always depends

on prior exegesis. His analyses illustrate well, however, thepotential of logical formalization to enrich that exegesis andsharpen our understanding of Paul’s persuasive strategies.

Ian W. ScottTyndale Seminary (Toronto)

THE WRITINGS OF ST. PAUL. Edited by Wayne A.Meeks and John T. Fitzgerald. Norton Critical Editions. NewYork: W. W. Norton, 2007. Pp. xxxv + 710. $18.25, ISBN978-0-393-97280-1.

Since this anthology first appeared in 1972, it has beena standard text in courses on Paul. This revised edition,which features the annotated text of the Pauline letters in theTNIV translation, is over 50 percent longer. Ancient writingsand scholarly essays demonstrating Paul’s historical, theo-logical, and cultural influence comprise the bulk of thevolume. Some of the material from the first edition has beencut, including essays by Schweitzer, Buber, and Kierkeg-aard, but much more has been added. In addition to anintroductory overview of the man and his letters, new mate-rial includes a section devoted to Romans 13 (“Paul’s Influ-ence on Political Theory”), a different selection of essayson “Pauline Christianity and Judaism” (e.g., B. Visotzky,D. Boyarin, and A. Segal), and a “sampler of modernapproaches” (including articles by E. Schüssler Fiorenza, A.Malherbe, G. Theissen, D. Martin, and others). The mostsignificant change is the inclusion of several writings byOrigen, Theodoret, Pelagius, Ambrosiaster, and others fromthe patristic era, organized under such headings as “Paul’sPagan Critics,” “The Apocryphal Paul,” and “Claiming Paulfor ‘Orthodoxy.’ ” No serious student (or teacher) of Paulshould be without this volume.


JUDGMENT AND JUSTIFICATION IN EARLYJUDAISM AND THE APOSTLE PAUL. By Chris Van-Landingham. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2006. Pp. 384.$29.95, ISBN 978-1-56563-398-8.

This revision of the author’s dissertation advances thebold thesis that in Paul’s writings, as in much of the SecondTemple Jewish literature, a person’s individual eternaldestiny is determined by his or her behavior rather than bydivine grace. VanLandingham begins by claiming that E. P.Sanders wrongly presupposes a link between divine graceand election of the Jewish people. The first two chaptersmarshal evidence from Jewish sources to demonstrate thatdivine election of Abraham and his descendants was consis-tently viewed as a reward for obedience and that humanactions were the ultimate criteria for salvation. The final twochapters focus on Paul, whom VanLandingham views asbeing in substantial agreement with his Jewish contempo-raries regarding judgment according to deeds. Selectedpassages from Paul’s undisputed letters warn believers thatpersistent disobedience may, in fact, result in eternal pun-ishment. Traditional forensic understandings of “justifica-


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tion by faith” are rejected in favor of the notion that believersare “made righteous” and freed from sin’s power but notassured of acquittal at the Last Judgment. Although mostreaders will not be convinced by his conclusions, VanLand-ingham succeeds in providing a coherent, focused challengeto a central tenet of Pauline theology.

David Charles AuneAshland University

THE SAVING RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD: STUDIESON PAUL, JUSTIFICATION AND THE NEW PER-SPECTIVE. By Michael F. Bird. Paternoster Biblical Mono-graphs. Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2007. Pp. xiii + 230.$29.99, ISBN 978-1-84227-465-1.

Within this work, Bird demonstrates an extraordinarygrasp of the major issues within the so-called New Perspec-tive on Paul movement (NPP). Engaging thinkers rangingfrom D. A. Carson, D. Moo, and S. Westerholm to N. T.Wright, J. Dunn, and E. P. Sanders, Bird interacts with con-tributors from across the theological spectrum. The NPP isan inherently complex subject. Superficial treatmentsand simplistic responses laced with vitriolic language havebecome fairly commonplace. By way of contrast, Bird’s even-handed and refreshingly irenic treatment of the subjectbrings the essential issues into sharper focus. Bird chartssome new territory by proposing a synthesis between the“traditional” reformed view and the NPP. He agrees thatjustification is a vertical category dealing with a person’sstatus and standing before God, yet he also embraces justi-fication as “Paul’s primary weapon to argue for the inclusionof the Gentiles as Gentiles into Christian fellowship.”Another helpful aspect of this book is Bird’s exegetical inter-action with the relevant texts (especially within Romans andGalatians), highlighting areas of dispute or controversy. Heworks through some of the exegetical specifics and articu-lates reasons for adopting or rejecting particular conclu-sions. For those interested in the NPP, Bird’s work should beincluded.

Jeffrey AndersonRegent University School of Divinity

PAUL AND ANCIENT VIEWS OF SEXUAL DESIRE:PAUL’S SEXUAL ETHICS IN 1 THESSALONIANS 4,1 CORINTHIANS 7, AND ROMANS 1. By J. EdwardEllis. Library of NT Studies, 354. London: T&T Clark Interna-tional, 2007. Pp. xiii + 191. $130, ISBN 978-0-567-04538-6.

In this grossly overpriced book, Ellis responds to twoauthors—D. Fredrickson and D. B. Martin—who have arguedthat Paul prescribed passionless marriages. Looking at thesame ancient evidence but purporting to read it in its propercontext, Ellis (like many others before him) concludes thatPaul only opposed excess passion and loss of self-control.Unfortunately, the subtitle misrepresents the contents ofthe book. Only 1 Thess 4 is treated with any depth (buriedbut present in chapter three); 1 Cor 7 receives twelve pages(chapter four), and Rom 1 a mere eight pages of much special

pleading and what strikes me as theological apology (savingPaul from being discredited or irrelevant on the topic ofhomosexuality). Chapters two to three therefore are valu-able, the chapter on 1 Cor 7 represents the start of an inter-esting study, but the comments on Rom 1 represent littlemore than an inadequately researched status quaestionis.


PAULINE CHRISTOLOGY: AN EXEGETICAL-THEOLOGICAL STUDY. By Gordon D. Fee. Peabody, MA:Hendrickson Publishing, 2007. Pp. xxv + 707. $39.95, ISBN978-1-59856-035-0.

Fee’s benchmark study on Pauline Christology isimpressive for its breadth and specificity. Fee begins bydiscussing current perspectives on Pauline Christology. Inpart one he scrutinizes all the Pauline letters in chronologi-cal order with sections involving descriptions and titles:eternal Son of God, kurios, God, Christ, the Spirit, messiah,second Adam, wisdom, preexistence, incarnate savior, andredeemer. On each letter, he discusses backgrounds, struc-ture, and purpose. At the end of each chapter he supplies anappendix of the texts in Greek and “An Analysis of Usage.”Part two, designated “synthesis,” consists of systematicobservations on each of the previously mentioned topics. Thebook concludes with an appendix on wisdom. Fee ends withan extended bibliography, and indices of modern authors,subjects, and ancient sources. Fee dialogues with an impres-sive range of international authors. He concludes that themanner in which Paul employs kurios and his references topreexistence clearly identify Jesus as an Eternal divine Son.He argues that Paul “neither knew nor articulated anythingthat might resemble a Wisdom Christology.” This book ishighly recommended for seminary courses in Christologyand for graduate seminars in Pauline theology.

Thomas H. OlbrichtSouth Berwick, ME 03908

PAUL TODAY: CHALLENGING READINGS OFACTS AND THE EPISTLES. By Stephen W. Need. Essen-tial Inquiries, Volume 1. Lanham, MD: Cowley Publications,2007. Pp. viii + 151. $15.95, ISBN 978-1-56101-296-1.

Without attempting to be comprehensive, Need presentsin this beginners’ introduction many of the chief Paulinemotifs. According to Need, Acts must be used with circum-spection in constructing an overall picture of the Apostle.Paul may not have known Jesus, but he was acquainted withaspects of the Jesus tradition. Ephesus was the most signifi-cant locale in the ministry of Paul. Both marriage and celi-bacy, even including slavery, find their place in the socialcontext of the first century while Christians await the Parou-sia of the Lord. Divorce among Christians is prohibited. “Dis-cerning the body” of 1 Corinthians means to prefer the needsof the community to one’s own interests. Phil 2:6-11 maycompare Christ with Adam as the image of God. Colossians


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(possibly Pauline) is unclear concerning the preexistence ofChrist (Adam was not preexistent). Adam is the type, not thecause of human sinfulness (original sin). The “new look” onPaul in the writings of K. Stendahl, E. P. Sanders, and J. D. G.Dunn is presented with appreciative sympathy. For Need,Paul’s obvious condemnation of homosexual acts did nottake into account the case of “respectful, committed, lovingrelationships between males.” Such an interpretation,however, will satisfy neither those who today condemn allhomosexual acts, nor those who condone any and all suchacts. All in all, this brief treatise ably fulfills its purpose—topresent in a brief compass the essential points of Paulinedoctrine.


IMPLICIT EPISTEMOLOGY IN THE LETTERS OFPAUL. By Ian W. Scott. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungenzum Neuen Testament, II/205. Tübingen, Germany: MohrSiebeck, 2006. Pp. xvii + 341. $119, ISBN 3-16-148779-6.

An initial exegetical study of Rom 1:18-32 and 1 Cor1:17-2:16 is followed by a selective survey of Paul’s cross-centered hermeneutic in modern scholarship. Given theintended focus on implicit epistemology, Scott surprisinglybegins texts using verbs or nouns of “knowing.” Whileperhaps a questionable hermeneutical position, Scott’s nextmove is to differentiate between theological and ethicalknowledge. In the process, he displays a significant interestin Paul’s narrative epistemology. His main interest is toanchor his reconstruction of Paul’s governing understandingof the divine–human story in the undisputed letters. This isone of at least two strong points of this study, the other beingthe author’s focus on Galatians to demonstrate how Paul’snarrative assumptions drive his epistemology. Scott con-cludes that Paul’s narrative logic includes mundane knowl-edge as well as a spiritual knowledge. Paul allows that partsof the assumed narrative can and will be reshaped by addi-tional, novel or clarifying knowledge. His own reconfiguringof the story of Israel in light of the Christ event proves to bethe primary example. And yet, Scott argues convincinglythat Paul assumed that no further reconfiguring of the gov-erning story on such a large scale would be needed or evenappropriate.

Thorsten MoritzBethel University

JESUS AND PAUL RECONNECTED: FRESH PATH-WAYS INTO AN OLD DEBATE. Edited by Todd D. Still.Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. 182. $22, ISBN 978-0-8028-3149-1.

This is a collection of essays that seek continuitybetween Jesus and Paul. J. M. G. Barclay argues from theparable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), Gal 1, and Rom9-11 that there is congruity between Jesus and Paul on thejuxtaposition of divine judgment and mercy. S. Westerholmsuggests that the Matthean Jesus and Paul agree on devalu-

ing the ritual aspects of the law. B. W. Longenecker presentsthe thesis that Paul shared with Jesus an overriding concernwith the destitute. M. Bockmuehl presents Peter as a valu-able bridge figure between Jesus and Paul. F. Watson claimsthat Paul’s knowledge about the Lord’s Supper came notfrom oral tradition but directly in a revelation from the risenJesus, and that, no less, Luke’s source for the same traditionis Paul and not Mark. B. Roberts Gaventa argues that accord-ing to Rom 8:32, God was responsible for the death of Jesus.The difficulty in comparing Paul and Jesus is establishingwhat Jesus said or thought, and not enough of that work wasdone in this book.


PAUL: IN FRESH PERSPECTIVE. By N. T. Wright. Min-neapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2005. Pp. xii + 195. $25, ISBN0-8006-3766-6.

In the first half of this broadly accessible book, Wrightsurveys the central “themes” of Paul’s theology. Here Wrightargues that “creation” and “covenant,” “messianism” and“apocalyptic,” are for Paul complementary aspects of onegreat narrative. Wright then outlines the “structures” ofPaul’s theology based on the main concerns of Jewishthought: God, God’s people, and eschatology. Paul redefinesthe monotheistic God as including Jesus and the Spirit, whilestill maintaining his Jewish opposition to Gentile idolatryand polytheism. Israel is redefined around faith in theMessiah and the Spirit’s transforming activity. God’s escha-tological triumph is inaugurated by the Messiah’s cross,experienced now by the Spirit, and consummated at Jesus’parousia. Much here is familiar from Wright’s earlier work.He devotes fresh attention, though, to the political implica-tions of Paul’s thought and he offers well-nuanced closingreflections on the emergence of Paul’s mission from Jesus’own activity. One can also detect an attempt to answer hismore traditional critics, especially in the prominent discus-sion of “justification by faith.” Wright delivers all of this withhis usual clarity and panache, providing a book well suitedfor the classroom as well as the specialist’s study.

Ian W. ScottTyndale Seminary (Toronto)

GENDER, TRADITION AND ROMANS: SHAREDGROUND, UNCERTAIN BORDERS. Edited by CristinaGrenholm and Daniel Patte. New York and London: T&TClark, 2005. Pp. 297. $44.95, ISBN 0-567-02911-5.

In this collection of essays, a variety of authors analyzethe Epistle to the Romans from a gender perspective. Theeditors state that a “plurality of divergent interpretations” ofscripture can be legitimate (appropriately grounded in thetext), plausible (framed by theological and ethical consider-ations that are meaningful for a particular group), and valid(offering a teaching that has the potential to positively affectpeople). Thus, the fact that different authors in this collec-tion come to different conclusions about whether Romans


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promotes universalism or advocates gender disparity is notseen as problematic. There is a marvelous range of gender-related topics and issues covered here, including creation-ism, community, Jesus’ genealogy, justification, genderroles, and patriarchal authority. A variety of hermeneuticalperspectives is brought to bear; particularly interesting aretwo chapters in which the authors place Romans in dialoguewith Asian traditions. Religious thought and action is alwaysembedded in and shaped by cultural contexts, as this book soclearly affirms.

Steven MuirConcordia University College of Alberta

ROMANS: A COMMENTARY. By Robert Jewett Herme-neia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007. Pp. lxx + 1140.$90, ISBN 978-0-8006-6084-0.

Jewett’s already distinguished career as a biblicalscholar has been capped by this crowning achievement: thepublication of this richly detailed commentary on the letterto the Romans, one that sets a new standard for the field.Alongside the copious textual notes and the actual exegeticalcomponent, Jewett has provided numerous shorter essays oncritical aspects of interpretation. Some of these are perhapsshorter than one might hope (cf. “The Rhetorical ‘I’ in 7:7-25,” where Stowers, among others, receives only a briefmention), but at over 1,000 pages, it is hard to imagine howthese could have been expanded. Also noteworthy is therhetorical analysis that Jewett provides, as the entire letter isbroken down in order to demonstrate its logical argumenta-tive structure. This highlights what is perhaps the majorcontribution of this commentary over its predecessors.Rather than explicating a general “Pauline theology,” Jewetthas taken the approach of reading the letter from a particular(albeit contestable) socio-historical standpoint: an attemptby Paul to demonstrate to the diverse house churches inRome that he is a reliable partner for a mission to Spain.As this proposed socio-historical context shapes Jewett’sreading throughout, it will also become a significant point ofcontention with respect to specific interpretive decisions hemakes. Still, regardless of whether one will agree with Jewettat all junctures, the immense learning compiled in this tomeis a testament in and of itself to a man who has dedicated hislife to demonstrating (successfully!) his own trustworthinesswhen it comes to interpreting Paul.

Todd PennerAustin College

RECHENSCHAFT VOM EVANGELIUM. EXEGET-ISCHE STUDIEN ZUM RÖMERBRIEF. By EduardLohse. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2007.Pp. 224. €78, ISBN 978-3-11-019358-9.

In 2003, Lohse, the author of the essays collected in thisvolume (some previously unpublished) presented a com-mentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans in the German com-mentary series “Kritisch-Exegetischer Kommentar zum NeuenTestament” (KEK). The essays in this new volume are devel-

oped as a result of the preparation of his commentaryand complete and deepen the explanations in that earliervolume. Lohse discusses in detail the correspondence of theDivine Choice of Grace and the destiny of Israel, the questionof a double predestination in Paul’s theology, the problem oftheological ethics in the letter to the Romans, and the begin-nings of Roman Christianity after Paul’s letter. Supplemen-tary to his exegetical studies, Lohse examines the researchhistory and analyzes the interpretation of Romans presentedby important German-speaking exegetes such as Luther, H.Schlier, and O. Kuss. Finally, Lohse reviews some recentlypublished books concerned with the history, letters, andtheology of Paul. In his statements, which are characterizedby an impressive clearness and distinctness, Lohse iswithout peer in describing and thinking through the criticalproblems. He uses brilliant diction, which demonstrates hismastery of NT exegesis.

Thomas WitulskiUniversity of Münster

THE CORINTHIAN DISSENTERS AND THE STOICS.By Albert V. Garcilazo. Studies in Biblical Literature, 106.New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Pp. xiv + 251. $71.95, ISBN978-0-8204-9521-7.

Possible Stoic influence on Paul has been the subject ofdebate since the patristic period. In this monograph, a revi-sion of a dissertation completed at Fuller Theological Semi-nary, the author suggests that it is Paul’s opponents in 1 Cor15 who display telltale signs of adherence to Stoic teachings.Specifically, he argues that the Corinthians who deny theresurrection of the dead do so in accordance with a dualisticcosmology and anthropology—prominent in the Middle Stoaand especially in the philosophy of Seneca—wherein terres-trial bodies are unable to ascend to the celestial realm.Ethical issues in the letter, such as sex and marriage, foodoffered to idols, and spiritual gifts, are also explained againstthe background of the Roman Stoics in order to demonstratethat 1 Cor 15 is not a self-contained treatise on the resurrec-tion. The volume concludes, somewhat oddly given thefocus of the preceding chapters, with a lengthy appendix(183-228) surveying “the Jewish concept of resurrection.”Although the forschungsberichte is far from comprehensiveand the treatment of the philosophical literature sometimesaims at a general audience, this study will provoke discus-sion among scholars seeking to reconstruct the Corinthiancontext that prompted Paul’s letter.


PAUL AND ISAIAH’S SERVANTS: PAUL’S THEO-LOGICAL READING OF ISAIAH 40-66 IN 2 CORIN-THIANS 5.14-6.10. By Mark Gignilliat. Library of NewTestament Studies. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2007. Pp. 198.$129.25, ISBN 978-0-567-04483-9.

Gignilliat joins the chorus of those who argue that Paulappeals to Scripture not only as support for conclusions


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already drawn, but as the source that shapes his argumentas he follows the narrative logic of the text. Engaging inconversation with predecessors who have maintained that 2Cor 5:14-6:2 echoes 2 Isa (Beale, Hofius, Webb), Gignilliatargues that 2 Cor 5:14-6:10 follows the movement of Isa40-66. As Paul defends his role as diakonos, he sees himselfnot in the role of the servant but as a servant of the servant,taking on the task delineated in Isa 40-66 of those whoextend the servant’s mission. Paul is living out this redemp-tive drama as herald (cf. Isa 61:1-4) and participant in thesufferings (2 Cor 6:3-10) of the servant. Paul’s own readingof Scripture provides insight for the contemporary reading ofChristian Scripture. This study is an important contributionto the study of Pauline hermeneutics.

James W. ThompsonAbilene Christian University

RECOVERING PAUL’S MOTHER TONGUE. LAN-GUAGE AND THEOLOGY IN GALATIANS. By SusanG. Eastman. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. 206.$25, ISBN 978-0-8028-3165-1.

In this revised dissertation, Eastman examines twoimportant passages in Paul’s letter to the Galatians–4:12-20and 4:21–5:1. Based upon the philological research pre-sented by U. Le Guin and the exegetical examinationscarried out by B. Gaventa, she develops a double thesis. First,she shows that in 4:21–5:1 Paul “communicates to his con-verts the motivation and power necessary to move them . . .to a faith that ‘stands fast’ in its allegiance to Christ alone asthe source of their unity and life together.” Second, shedemonstrates that because the message and the mode oftongue are mutually dependent, the apostle tries to mediatethis motivation and this power by using a form of speechcalled “mother tongue,” which Eastman characterizes as a“language of emotions and of personal experience, in whichsubjective, shared self-disclosure is the medium that unitesconversation partners.” As a result, the Galatian readerswould be newly interwoven in a “relational matrix” boundedby the poles of “Christ,” “Paul,” and themselves. This rela-tional matrix nurtures the necessary “motivation andpower” for staying in Christ. This book offers creative newinsights that will be of interest to NT scholars, pastors, andstudents.

Thomas WitulskiUniversity of Münster

PAUL, THE FOOL OF CHRIST: A STUDY OF 1CORINTHIANS 1-4 IN THE COMIC-PHILOSOPHICTRADITION. By L. L. Welborn. Journal for the Study ofthe NT Supplement Series, 293. London: T&T Clark, 2006.Pp. 322. Cloth, $140, ISBN 0-5670-3041-5; paper, $60,ISBN 0-5670-3042-3.

What occasioned Paul’s description of the cross as “fool-ishness” and his acceptance of the role of a “fool” in hisproclamation of this scandalous message? Welborn providesa complex but compelling argument that Paul’s language of

foolishness is best understood in light of what he describesas a “comic-philosophic” cultural tradition connectingSocrates, satire, and theatrical mime. After defining “folly”(moria) as the behavior and attitude of a “lower classbuffoon” and the “fool” (moros) as a theatrical characterwho embodies comic weakness and deficiency of intellect,Welborn finds remarkable correspondences between Paul’sself-description in 1 Cor 4:9-13 and popular references to themimic fool of popular theater. Not only would Paul’s appear-ance and public presentation have seemed foolish to the elitemembers of the Corinthian church, but the disgracefulmessage of Jesus’ crucifixion required an indirect and ironicapproach. By accepting the role of a fool, Paul identifies withthe lowest members of society and challenges those whowould rely on wealth or knowledge. Although some of Wel-born’s suggestions are highly unlikely (e.g., Paul’s occupa-tion as a maker of theatrical stage properties), many of hisclaims merit serious consideration.

David Charles AuneAshland University

PHILIPPIANS. By Stephen E. Fowl. The Two Horizons NTCommentary. Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, UK: Eerd-mans, 2005. Pp. x + 254. $20, ISBN 0-8028-2551-6.

Refreshing in its refusal to rigidly separate exegesis andtheological concerns as do many commentaries, Fowl’s workundertakes exegetical commentary while often addressingspecific issues within contemporary culture and church life.Fowl gives relatively brief attention to literary and historicalissues in order to focus on key themes within the letter andtheir implications for theology and praxis. A concluding theo-logical essay draws together many of the letter’s themesdiscussed in the commentary proper. Conversant with recentresearch on Philippians and appropriately minimalist in hisapproach to many debated questions, Fowl shows himself askilled exegete and reliable guide to the interpretive issueswithin the letter. This is a stimulating work, marked bysound exegetical judgment and theological insight. Fowl’sfrequent interaction with Aquinas’s commentary on Philip-pians adds to the work’s appeal. The concluding theologicalreflections on Christian friendship are illuminating and sug-gestive. This commentary by a Pauline scholar and theolo-gian of the first rank offers an excellent model of effectivetheological interpretation of scripture, and is an idealresource for pastors, students, and church leaders.

James WareUniversity of Evansville

FRÜHCHRISTLICHES THESSALONIKI. Edited by Cil-liers Breytenbachwith Igrid Behrmann. Studien und Textezu Antike und Christentum, 44. Tubingen, Germany: MohrSiebeck, 2007. Pp. xv + 186. €99, ISBN 978-3-16-147858-1.

The seven essays collected here use inscriptions andfunerary decorations to demonstrate that Christianity flour-ished in Thessalonike during the first few centuries. HelmutKoester’s opening essay surveys the current state of


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archaeological finds from the time of Paul. In the followingtwo essays, E. Marki provides an overview of the history ofa late fourth-century cross-shaped martyrion built uponearlier Christian graves; it developed into a cloister in thesixth century, only to be abandoned in the seventh. Twomore essays by Marki, another by G. Gounaris, and one byChr. Mavropoulou-Tsioumi examine Christian motifs foundin graveside wall paintings, the latter author noting the mixbetween Roman fashion and the artist’s own vision (well-illustrated with the only color plate in the volume). All ofthe essays have been published previously (1981–2000),Koester’s in German, the remainder in modern Greek. Theiraccessibility to modern scholars is greatly enhanced throughtheir translation into German in this volume. The inclusionof six site plans and 107 illustrations (photographic ordrawn) provides important visual data that supplement theessays and greatly increases the usefulness of the volume,which is of interest primarily for specialists.


1 THESSALONIANS, 2 THESSALONIANS. By VictorPaul Furnish. Abingdon New Testament Commentaries.Nashville, MN: Abingdon, 2007. Pp. 204. $20, ISBN 978-0-687-05743-6.

In this compact commentary, Furnish combines sub-stantive exposition with economy of expression. Such criticalissues as authorship and literary integrity (he rejects variouspartition theories for both letters, including the suggestionthat 1 Thess 2:14-16 is a later interpolation) receive brief butlucid attention. He regards 1 Thess as the earliest of Paul’ssurviving letters, which “exhibits a coherent theologicalpoint of view” even if “it does not yield a systematic theologyor a comprehensive ethic.” He treats 2 Thess as an example ofdeliberative or advisory rhetoric, from the hand of an anony-mous Paulinist writing from a Hellenistic-Jewish perspectiveseveral decades after the apostle’s death. An important dis-tinction between the two letters is that the “indicative”underlying the doctrinal and moral imperatives in 2 Thess “isnot God’s saving act in Christ . . . but the tradition as such.”The annotated bibliography is very helpful in situating Fur-nish’s approach vis-à-vis that of other commentaries on theThessalonian correspondence. Recommended for upper-level undergraduates, seminary students, and pastors.


GREED AS IDOLATRY: THE ORIGIN ANDMEANING OF A PAULINE METAPHOR. By Brian S.Rosner. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. xxiv + 214.$22, ISBN 978-0-8028-3374-7.

Rosner explores the origin and significance of thephrase, “greed is idolatry” in Col 3:5 and the related phrase“the greedy person is an idolater” in Eph 5:5, comparing histask to that of a mountain climber attempting to reach thepeak: the discovery of the nature of the metaphor implied

in the equation of the two vices. After surveying the workof previous climbers and analyzing the metaphor, Rosnerexamines biblical and extra-biblical literature on both greedand idolatry, concluding that the comparison of greed andidolatry was anticipated in the comprehensive scope of thefirst commandment, the characterization of idolatry in termsof evil desire, and the association of wealth with apostasy.Because of the abhorrence of both greed and apostasy inJewish literature, a natural consequence was the equation ofthe two vices. A concluding chapter challenges readers toconsider the destructive consequences of materialism inmodern western society. The book is a significant contribu-tion to the literature on the NT and on theological ethics.

James W. ThompsonAbilene Christian University

TIMOTHY: PAUL’S CLOSEST ASSOCIATE. By BruceJ. Malina. Paul’s Social Network: Brothers and Sisters inFaith. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008. Pp. xvi + 156.Paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-8146-5180-3.

This inaugural volume of a new series on colleagues ofPaul, aimed at college students and ministers, hits the mark.With his typical acumen, Malina draws attention to aspects ofthe ancient social world that converge with and, much morefrequently, differ from that of modern western contexts.Drawing on his considerable expertise in applying social-scientific models to the exegesis of biblical texts, Malinabrings to life the somewhat enigmatic person of Timothy,Paul’s coworker and frequent cowriter. The first three chap-ters locate Timothy within his first-century Mediterraneancontext—a collectivist person, concerned more with groupintegrity than with individual interests, fully committed toPaul’s project of founding and sustaining Jesus groups. Thenext four chapters examine Timothy as conveyed in Paul’sgenuine letters and in the developing traditions of the subse-quent generations, including the Pastoral Epistles and Luke-Acts. The book provides a brief yet profound introduction notonly to Timothy and the traditions concerning him, but alsoto the social-scientific method and how it guards againstreading modern customs into ancient texts.


2 PETER AND JUDE. By Ruth Anne Reese. The TwoHorizons New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids,MI/Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. x + 234. $20, ISBN978-0-8028-2570-4.

Exegesis and theology are closely allied in this commen-tary which makes an appeal not only to the intellect but alsoto the emotions and to one’s own experience—a process thatReese believes should be true of the study of all Scripture, notmerely of these two small books of the Bible. Equally soshould be the relevance that Bible study should have for thecommunity of believers. The authors of 2 Pet and Jude pro-vided an implicit theology for their original audiences, but itwas a theology that had immediate value in everyday life.


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Reese provides the usual introductory questions. For Jude,the author is unknown, the date between 70-90, the audienceunspecified. Regarding 2 Pet, it would not have been impos-sible for Peter to have been the author (in some sense), inwhich case the date would have to have been early. Reese usesthe customary array of exegetical tools: grammar, history,literature, anthropology, sociology, and narrative studies. Butthe spotlight is always on theological meaning. Accordingto Reese, history is our constructed stories; theology is themanner in which we perceive these stories, all with the aim ofbetter understanding who God is, who we are, and how werelate to him. In short, Reese not only provides factual infor-mation about these letters, but also supplies valuable insightsinto their ongoing theological importance.


FOUR TIMES PETER: PORTRAYALS OF PETER INTHE FOUR GOSPELS AND AT PHILIPPI. By Richard J.Cassidy. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007. Pp. 154.Paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-0-8146-5178-0.

Cassidy, a seasoned Catholic NT scholar, employs anarrative-critical strategy for reading the portrayals of Peterin the four canonical gospels. As a narrative critic, Cassidyrelies upon no particular theory regarding literary depen-dence between the gospels and he is particularly concernedwith how characterization, time, plot, and setting contributeto Peter’s portrayal in each gospel. Cassidy’s major thesis isthat each of the canonical evangelists presents Peter in anessentially positive light; his minor thesis is that the gospels’portrayal of Jesus would also have been received by firstcentury readers as essentially positive. Cassidy defendshis minor thesis in the final chapter of the book where heengages in “informed speculation” about how a typicalChristian reader in the Roman colony of Philippi would haveread the gospels’ portrayal of Peter. The volume is fullyindexed and supplies a brief English bibliography; it is rec-ommended for anyone interested in narrative criticism ofthe gospels or in Peter’s role within early Christianity.


THE LORD’S SUPPER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. ByAlbert Eichhorn. With an introductory essay by Hugo Gress-mann, “Albert Eichhorn and the History of Religion School.”Translated by Jeffrey E. Cayzer. History of Biblical Studies, 1.Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2007. Pp. x + 105.$14.95, ISBN 978-1-58983-274-9.

Eichhorn’s famous composition was first published in1898, and Gressmann’s introductory essay on the life andwork of Eichhorn appeared in 1914. Together, at first sight,they seem to be remnants from a bygone epoch that is tingedwith the nostalgia of a forgotten past. In reality, they areartifacts of a period that had very much to do with forming thepresent situation in NT scholarship. Both writings issue fromthe time just prior to the arrival of the Formgeschichte revolu-

tion. Indeed, they helped lay the ground for it. On the onehand, in treating the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, Eichhornprovides a theoretical and practical lesson in the rationaleand methods of the “history of religions” school (Religionsge-schichtliche Schule), which as Gressmann ably points out,does not mean what many people, including scholars, think itmeans. On the other hand, Gressmann furnishes an incisiveoverview not only of the work of Eichhorn himself but of thescholarly ferment in general that characterized German aca-demic study of the NT in the second half of the nineteenthcentury. Despite the brevity of both contributions and despitebeing time-conditioned in many respects, they are crammedwith fine insights that have perennial relevance for under-standing the NT and religious issues in general. Regretfully,the translation is often so literal and lacking in idiomaticEnglish style that even scholars will have to read and rereadpassages in order to make sense of them. Overall, however,the effort is well worthwhile.


STUDIEN ZUR CHRISTOLOGIE: KLEINESCHRIFTEN IV. By Martin Hengel. Edited by Claus-JürgenThornton. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum NeuenTestament, 201. Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2006.Pp. x + 650. $269, 978-3-16-149196-2.

Thirteen essays of Hengel’s, published between 1967and 2004, on the subject of Christology. They cover: thetopics of Paul’s understanding of the cross of Jesus as thesalvific act; that early Christians developed a high Christol-ogy very quickly in terms of both Jesus’ preexistence anddivinity (especially with the term “Son of God”), and thisbecause of the fact that Jesus himself at least implied suchnotions (the term “Messiah” was used as a title by Jesushimself in his messianic ministry); following JoachimJeremias, Hengel argues that Jesus used the term “abba” in amessianic sense, and that the “Last Supper” was likelyunderstood by Jesus as the “delivering over” of the Passoversacrifice (Paul certainly understands it this way, and theApocalypse presents a high view of Jesus as the Passoversacrifice); the resurrection was a historical “event” thatcannot be reduced to any psychological explanation (Paul’sallusion to the fact that Jesus “was buried” implies that Paulbelieved in a real empty tomb and a unique event in Jewishhistory); “Easter faith,” then, resulted from the historicalreality of Jesus’ resurrection appearances; the earliest Chris-tians understood Jesus’ death as a representative and uni-versal atonement for sins; and, the Christological hymns inthe NT were confessional and are built structurally aroundthe idea that Jesus’ death led to his exaltation and enthrone-ment (Ps 110:1 was most influential here). Taken togetherwith Hengel’s Studies in Early Christology (see RSR 23:412),these essays are of crucial importance for NT theology andthe history of early Christian thought.



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DEUTERONOMY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: THENEW TESTAMENT AND THE SCRIPTURES OFISRAEL. Edited by Steve Moyise and Maarten J. J. Menken.Library of NT Studies, 358. New York: T&T Clark, 2007.Pp. 195. $130, ISBN 978-0-567-04549-2.

This collection of ten essays by different scholars pro-vides an introductory chapter to the use of Deuteronomy inSecond Temple Judaism generally (Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo,and Josephus). It then dedicates one chapter to the use ofDeuteronomy in each of the NT books of Mark, Matthew,Luke-Acts, John, Galatians and Romans, 1 and 2 Corin-thians, the Pastoral Epistles, Hebrews, and Deuteronomy.The chapters vary in what they identify as use of Deuter-onomy, ranging from explicit citations to vague allusions.Although the contributors exhibit unavoidable method-ological diversity, each chapter employs a defensibleapproach for detecting and interpreting intertextualitybetween Deuteronomy and the various NT writings. Thebook is well documented and indexed. The book wouldhave been enhanced by an additional chapter reflectingupon criteria for detecting intertextuality, but the presentvolume is a significant contribution to this important areaof NT scholarship. The book is recommended for specialistsin the Christian reception of LXX traditions and forresearch libraries.


DISCOVERING THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEWTESTAMENT. By Keith Warrington. Peabody, MA: Hen-drickson, 2005. Pp. x + 230. $16.95, ISBN 1-56563-871-9.

Each chapter of this Pentecostalist-inspired treatisefollows the same pattern: the text of a book of the NT thatcontains a mention of the Holy Spirit is briefly placed in itsoriginal setting (Matthew and Mark are treated together);its principal topics are discussed; meaning and purpose arenarrated; finally, its significance for the original readers iselaborated. Each chapter concludes with a brief bibliographyand a series of study questions. For Warrington, Paul is thepresumed author of the deutero-Pauline letters. He makes anumber of other questionable assertions. “Spirit” is continu-ally referred to as “he,” despite the neuter gender of theGreek word. In Matt 28:18, the Spirit is “a member of theGodhead.” “He [Jesus] functioned as God.” The Jews in Pal-estine at the time of Jesus were afflicted not only by Romandomination but by the danger of mystery cults and “syncre-tistic religions.” The Jews were “. . . blinded by their ownreligion.” The religious life proposed by their religiousleaders “. . . meant the degeneration of public and privatemorals.” Warrington’s coreligionists may receive comfortfrom such assertions (as well as from other less controver-sial ones), but the majority of knowledgeable readers of adifferent persuasion must dutifully demur.


THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS: REWRITING EARLYCHRISTIANITY. By Simon Gathercole. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 2007. Pp. vii + 199; illustrations. $34,ISBN 978-0-19-922584-2.

In this book, intended for a general readership, theauthor discusses the history of the find and publication ofCodex Tchacos, and then discusses how Judas is portrayed inthe NT (chapter two) and in other Christian literature in thesecond century (chapter three). The main part of the book(chapter four) is a translation of the Gospel of Judas, withcommentary on each section. The translation reads well, buthas a number of problems. For example, Gathercole followsMeyer in translating “thirteenth demon” as “thirteenthspirit,” and in his commentary to that passage, dealing withJudas’ vision (44, 15-46, 4), there is no discussion at all of themeaning of Greek daimon. As a result, Gathercole follows theearlier interpreters in seeing Judas as a positive figure inthe Gospel of Judas. In chapter five, Gathercole discusses theearly patristic testimonies to the Gospel of Judas, beginningwith St. Irenaeus. In chapter six, he rightly calls into ques-tion current attempts to use the Gospel of Judas to “rewrite”early Christian history. In the final chapter, he takes issuewith the positive theological assessment of the gospel foundamong certain scholars. There is much in this book tocommend it, but its major flaw is in its interpretation of thefigure of Judas Iscariot as presented in the Gospel of Judas.

Birger A. PearsonUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

JUDAS: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION OFGOSPELS AND LEGENDS ABOUT THE INFAMOUSAPOSTLE OF JESUS. By Marvin Meyer. New York:HarperOne, 2007. Pp. 181. $22.95, ISBN 978-0-06-134830-3.

Following upon a chapter dealing with the portrayalsof Judas Iscariot in the NT, Meyer presents an introductionto, and a new translation of, the Gospel of Judas. The trans-lation has problems, e.g., persisting in translating “thir-teenth demon” as “thirteenth spirit” (Greek daimon alwaysmeans “demon” in Gnostic contexts). His translationchoices lead him to view Judas as “a Gnostic paradigm ofdiscipleship,” instead of the villain he really is in theGospel of Judas. The following two chapters present trans-lations of two Nag Hammadi tractates, the Dialogue of theSavior (NHC III, 5) and the Concept of Our Great Power(NHC VI, 4). Chapter five is devoted to the “Round Dance ofthe Cross” in the apocryphal Acts of John. Ten other Chris-tian texts are treated in chapter six. The final chapter con-tains passages about “traitors before Judas”: Judah and theother brothers of Joseph in Genesis 37, the anonymousbetrayer in Psalm 41, and Melanthius the goatherd in Book22 of the Odyssey, texts that arguably could have influ-enced the NT depiction of Judas. A major problem in thebook is the inclusion of the Dialogue of the Savior. TheJudas who appears in dialogue with Jesus in that text isprobably Judas Thomas and certainly not Judas Iscariot. In


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short, there is not a single ancient Christian text, Gnosticor non-Gnostic, that presents Judas Iscariot in a positivelight.

Birger A. PearsonUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

THE LOST GOSPEL OF JUDAS: SEPARATING FACTFROM FICTION. By Stanley E. Porter and Gordon L.Heath. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2007.Pp. viii + 127. $16, ISBN 978-0-8028-2456-1.

The authors begin with an overview of the brouhaha inthe scholarly world and the popular news media occa-sioned by the recent discovery of the Gospel of Judas. Infollowing chapters, the authors then expound, among othertopics, the position of Judas in Scripture and Churchhistory; the meaning of Gnosticism; the discovery, content,and authenticity of this new “Gospel.” The conclusions ofboth Porter and Heath are largely negative regarding thevalue of the Gospel of Judas for NT scholarship. At themost, the document is a copy of a second-century original,although it may actually originate several centuries later. Itdoes however present us with another window into theGnostic world of the time of its composition, in a mannersimilar to that of the Nag Hammadi documents. Porteraptly refers to it as a piece of “rehabilitation literature.” Inthis regard, the authors’ conclusions reflect the views ofthe majority of scholars who have studied the document.The present treatise, in sum, is valuable not only for itsevaluation of the Gospel of Judas, but also for its expositionof the conflictual interplay between orthodoxy and heresyin the ancient Church.


History of ChristianityINTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN-ITY. By George Herring. New York: New York UniversityPress, 2006. Pp. 350. $22, ISBN 978-0-8147-3699-9.

Packed with historical knowledge, arranged with animpressive capacity for theological explication, and writtenin a flowing manner that belies its textbook quality, G.Herring has produced a volume that will be useful to a largeaudience with various degrees of exposure to its topic. Inaddition to providing the broad strokes of a comprehensiveintroduction by zooming in on three two hundred yearperiods, the author efficiently incorporates a series of the-matic explorations into perennial theological issues thatreappear through the ages. The three parts—c. 300-500Christ and Caesar, c. 1050-1250 Expansion and Order,c. 1450-1650 Grace and Authority—are able to bear theweight of providing a coherent story of Christianity throughtime, at least with respect to a progressively narrowing focusupon the Reformation in the Western church, despite speed-ing by distinct, and substantial periods of time. At the end of

each chapter, Herring includes an annotated reading list forfurther study that adds to the volume’s usefulness, althoughthe lists are likely to be received with more gratitude byinstructors than the undergraduate students for whom thebook is primarily intended. The light touch of Herring’s penmakes it likely that the volume will find its way into manyintroductory courses on the history of Christianity, at uni-versity and seminary alike.

Jason M. DonnellyBoston College

THE SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING OF THESICK. By Lizette Larson-Miller. Edited by John D. Laurance.Lex Orandi Series. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press,2005. Pp. xviii + 143. $14.95, ISBN 0-8146-2523-1.

This contribution to the Liturgical Press’s fine new LexOrandi Series on the seven Sacraments of the CatholicChurch provides an excellent commentary, rooted in Scrip-ture and in the historical development of the rites of anoint-ing, on Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing andViaticum. It is written from the perspective of contemporarytheological and cultural issues surrounding the care of thesick and the dying, especially within a North Americancontext. In particular, Larson-Miller discusses the threeprimary sacramental actions within the rite: the prayer offaith, the laying on of hands, and the anointing with oil. Longthought to be rites only for the dying, she stresses thechanges that have developed in the celebration and interpre-tation of these rites as sacrament of healing rather thanpreparation for death. Especially helpful is her study of themeaning of oil in the biblical tradition and in the earlychurches, including its relationship to the martyrs. Clearlywritten and easily readable, this well-documented study willbe of great use in classes on sacramental theology andliturgy, at the seminary and university levels. At the sametime, those directly involved in health-care ministries in avariety of diverse settings–and from a variety of faithtraditions–will find this a very helpful guide not only inunderstanding how liturgical churches minister in suchsettings but in making connections between ritual andculture, sacrament and healing, liturgy and life. Highlyrecommended.

Maxwell E. JohnsonUniversity of Notre Dame

READING THE BIBLE WITH THE DEAD: WHATYOU CAN LEARN FROM THE HISTORY OF EXEGE-SIS THAT YOU CAN’T LEARN FROM EXEGESISALONE. By John L. Thompson. Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. 336. $20, ISBN 978-0-8028-0753-3.

This popular history of scripture exegesis is simulta-neously apologetic for taking counsel from past interpreterswhen reading the Bible. Thompson writes on Hagar, Jeph-thah’s daughter, imprecatory psalms, patriarchs’ sins, Hoseaand Gomer, silent prophetesses in 1 Corinthians, divorce,Paul’s arguments from Gen 2-3 on women, and sex and


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