ignatius of antioch and the second sophistic: a study of an early christian transformation of pagan...

Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 33 • NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 2007

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but weak on the overall religious worldview of biblicalbooks.

Marvin A. SweeneyClaremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate

University

BEROSSUS AND GENESIS, MANETHO ANDEXODUS. By Russell Gmirkin. New York: T & T Clark,2006. Pp. 332, appendices. $135.00, ISBN 0-567-02592-6.

Gmirkin proposes a new theory concerning the date ofthe composition of the Pentateuch that focuses upon theparallels between the Babylonian mythological materialspreserved by the priest Berossus (ca. 278 BCE) and theGenesis stories, and the Egyptian historical and mythologi-cal materials preserved by the priest Manetho (ca. 285–80BCE) and the accounts in Exodus. Because these materialsclosely accord with the earliest level of the biblicalaccounts, he proposes that the translation of the Pentateuchinto Greek, the Septuagint, in 273–72 BCE in Alexandriawas actually the first time that the text was written down asa whole. In presenting this hypothesis, Gmirkin summa-rizes archeological, epigraphic and literary evidence thatwould weaken the basis for the documentary hypothesis (orJEPD theory). He proposes that the biblical narrativesshould be seen in the light of the events of the third centuryBCE, primarily those of Alexander and his immediatesuccessors.

David CookRice University

ENCOUNTERS WITH BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. ByJohn J. Collins. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2005.Pp. vii + 243. Cloth, $40.00, ISBN 0-8006-3780-1; paper$22.00, ISBN 0-8006-3769-0.

Consisting of fifteen previously published essays, Col-lins’ landmark work unabashedly addresses the topic ofbiblical theology, a topic that Collins rightly observes is in“a state of decline.” Situating his discussion in the contextof historical criticism, which Collins defines broadly, heoffers a compelling case that biblical theology can be con-ceived of as an academic discipline, and as such, can be inthe service of the church. Collins’ argument that the studyof biblical theology needs to be done critically, with histori-cal and literary methods applied consistently, is not onlyrefreshing but also timely at this juncture in biblical inter-pretation whereby biblical theology is becoming increas-ingly confessionally biased and ideological, with littleengagement with the ancient contexts and beliefs thathelped to shape the biblical texts as we have them today.This seminal work needs to be read by scholars and studentsalike, as well as by communities of all faiths, and especiallyby those communities who take the biblical text as a foun-dation upon which to develop their faith.

Carol J. DempseyUniversity of Portland

Greece, Rome, Greco-RomanWOMEN’S LIFE IN GREECE AND ROME: ASOURCE BOOK IN TRANSLATION, THIRD EDI-TION. By Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant.Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.Pp. xxvii + 420; plates. Cloth, $59.95, ISBN 978-0-8018-8309-5; paper, $29.95, 978-0-8018-8310-1.

This volume, now in its third edition, contains a collec-tion of primary documents, in translation, about women inancient Greece and Rome. As in earlier editions, the authorsinclude short notes clarifying the context of various entries.While the authors make no claim of comprehensiveness, theentries cover a wide range of topics: from women’s voices tothe legal status of women, from women’s occupations tomedicine and anatomy, and from men’s opinions on womento religion. The materials new to the third edition comprisean appendix (thirty-one pages). Each entry is assigned anumber which corresponds to the organization of documentsin the main text. This numbering is helpful to readers’ inte-gration of these new materials into the larger body of work.The authors have added a table organizing the entries geo-graphically and chronologically in order to accommodatethose researchers with such a specific focus. The third edi-tion also announces a website, making available newly dis-covered and translated materials between the publication ofprint resources (http://www.maureenfant.com). This textwill continue to be of significant value to students and schol-ars alike who wish to research women in the ancient world.The availability of these documents in English translation isparticularly useful for those not working in the originallanguages.

Marian Osborne BerkyAnderson University

Christian OriginsTHE WESTMINSTER DICTIONARY OF NEW TES-TAMENT AND EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATUREAND RHETORIC. By David E. Aune. Louisville, KY: West-minster John Knox, 2003. Pp. xii + 595. $49.95, ISBN 0-664-21917-9.

Except for twenty-one articles, this dictionary is theproduct of Aune’s personal efforts. Its principal stress is onthe literary and rhetorical dimensions of early Christian lit-erature from approximately 50 to 150 CE. For Aune, earlyChristian literature cannot be understood in isolation fromits Jewish and Gentile matrix and milieu. As is to be expected,the manner of writing and speaking in the ancient world hasgreatly influenced the NT as well as other early Christianwritings. Aune emphasizes the literary and rhetorical theo-ries and practice of the ancients, without neglecting manyaspects of modern literary criticism. Random checks of arti-cles such as those on the individual books of the wearieddemonstrate the breadth of Aune’s research, and betoken thebibliographical aids that a careful reader can expect. On the

http://www.maureenfant.com

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other hand, most readers will stumble upon many subjectsonly by chance: thus, “Stobaeus, Joannes”; “Chreia”; “Quadra-tus”; and numerous others. All in all, the Dictionary providesa different vista from which to view familiar subjects thatmay have become blurred through mundane routine.

Casimir BernasHoly Trinity Abbey

“HAVE MERCY ON ME”: THE STORY OF THECANAANITE WOMAN IN MATTHEW 15.21–28. ByGlenna S. Jackson. Journal for the Study of the NewTestament Supplement Series, 228. Sheffield, UK: SheffieldAcademic Press, 2002. Pp. xiv + 197. $140.00, ISBN 0-8264-6148-4.

A revision of the author’s doctoral dissertation, thisvolume approaches the Matthean story of the Canaanitewoman with a view to raising questions about Matthew’sattitude toward proselytism. Employing source-, form-, andredaction-critical methodologies, Jackson’s discussion alsocrosses over into issues such as the historicity of OT narra-tives, the historical Jesus, the identity of Matthew’s commu-nity, and feminist-critical concerns. The book’s introductionconsists of an overview of the history of research on thepericope and its Markan parallel (Mark 7:24–30). Chapterone examines the presentation of Tyre and Sidon in NT, OT,Targumic, Rabbinic, Contemporary Hellenistic, and Ugaritictexts. This examination is followed by an analysis of thesignificance of Tyre and Sidon as the Matthean setting forthis story, with the conclusion that the cities represent anidolatrous “threat to the monotheism of Israel.” Chapter twoconsiders Matthew’s use of geographical titles as a designa-tion of religious outsiders. Chapter three looks at Matthew’ssource material and cultural concerns, arguing that Matthewexpanded the Markan episode to reinforce the role of theLaw in attaining membership in the Matthean community.The study concludes by arguing that Matthew has con-sciously reworked the Markan story of the Syro-Phoenicianwoman in order to emphasize the continuity of the inclusiveJewish tradition reflected in various OT texts. Because of itsnarrow focus this volume has a limited usefulness but willbenefit scholars working from source-, form-, and redaction-critical backgrounds, as well as those interested in the roleof the Synoptic evangelists as theologians.

Christopher W. SkinnerSt. Mary’s Seminary and University

CHRISTOLOGY AND DISCIPLESHIP IN THEGOSPEL OF MARK. By Suzanne Watts Henderson.Society for NT Studies Monograph Series, 135. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. xv + 287. $90.00,ISBN 0-521-85906-9.

Asserting that previous interpreters have focused tooexclusively on the disciples’ mistakes in Christology,Henderson claims the disciples fail because they do not par-ticipate in Jesus’ kingdom of God enterprise. They trust nei-ther the power of God unleashed in Jesus nor their own

authorization to implement this kingdom. Eschewing Mark8:27–10:45, the classical text for discussions of Markan dis-cipleship, she focuses on six earlier passages—1:16–20; 3:13–15; 4:1–34; 6:7–13; 6:32–44; 6:45–52—beginning with thefirst “call” of disciples and climaxing with the first mentionof the disciples’ incomprehension. In her analysis, disciple-ship entails presence with Jesus (1:16–20) and participation(3:13–15) in his kingdom enterprise. After kingdom training(4:1–34), initial success (6:7–13), and a scene where Jesusencourages the disciples, despite their doubts, to actualizethe kingdom (6:32–44), they fail in their second apostolicmission despite Jesus’ attempts to reinvigorate their partic-ipation in the kingdom with an epiphany (her interpretationof the enigmatic “pass by” in 6:48). Building on her mentorJoel Marcus’ apocalyptic understanding of Mark, she seesthe kingdom mission as a war on the forces of evil thatentails self-giving. Her interpretation nicely avoids a sharpdistinction between Jesus and his disciples and betweenmiracle and passion.

Richard WalshMethodist University

DAS MARKUS-EVANGELIUM IM RAHMENANTIKER HISTORIOGRAPHIE. By Eve-Marie Becker.Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament,194. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Pp. xvi + 516. €129,ISBN 3-16-148913-6.

Becker’s work, revising her Habilitationsschrift, placesMark in the context of ancient history, arguing that Markboth handles its sources historically and offers a historicalpresentation of Jesus’ words and deeds. Mark begins theChristian history-writing tradition and is the gospel proto-type. In her view, the fact that Mark is a narrated storyand that it contains mythic elements simply means that itbelongs to ancient history writing, a storied presentationof partly historical traditions. Part one reviews the historyof Markan interpretation and places her approach to Markas ancient historiography in context. Part two argues forMark’s priority and date (70 CE), offers a new look at thepolyvalent, opening words of Mark 1:1, and comparesMark as history to that of Luke. Part three, the meat of thework, compares Mark generally to several ancient histori-ans’ use of sources and historical presentation. Here, sheoffers detailed comparisons of pericopes in Mark (in theparentheses following the historians to be cited) to thehistories of Polybius (8:31–33; 15:22–26), Artapansus ofAlexandria (8:1–13), Sallust (1:2–4; 6:14–29; 16:6–8), Nico-laus of Damascus (2:23–28; 12:35–37), Josephus (13:1–2;15:33–39), and Tacitus (10:46–52; 14:1–2). Part four pro-vides her conclusions on Mark’s use of sources and itsgenre.

Richard WalshMethodist University

TEXTKRITIK DES MARKUSEVANGELIUMS. ByHeinrich Greeven. Edited by Eberhard Güting. Theologie:


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Forschung und Wissenschaft, 11. Münster, Ger.: LIT Verlag,2005. Pp. viii + 768. €99.90, ISBN 3-8258-6878-8.

For his 1981 revision of Huck’s Synopsis, Greeven, ratherthan using the “standard” Nestle text, prepared a new inde-pendent edition of the text of the synoptic Gospels, a featurewhich makes his synopsis an outstanding and importantresearch tool. This posthumous volume, carefully compiledand edited by Güting, provides at last what Greeven (d. 1990)had intended to publish from the beginning: the reasons andjustification for his textual decisions. This outstanding vol-ume presents an important alternative perspective to that ofthe editorial committee responsible for the almost univer-sally used UBS/Nestle-Aland text and the accompanyingTextual Commentary (Second edition 1994), from whichGreeven not infrequently dissents. For each of more than400 variation units in Mark one finds first a clear presenta-tion of the various readings (and supporting witnesses), thenan analysis by Greeven of the various arguments in favor ofeach (which often necessarily touches on the text of Matthewand Luke), followed by a summary of textual decisions orobservations of other NT scholars (the contribution ofGüting, who often adds his own observations). Very conve-nient is the list of results given at the beginning, whichindicates in summary form Greeven’s decisions for everyvariant discussed. One major surprise: no discussion of anyvariant after 16:4! Güting has earned our admiration andgratitude for making Greeven’s work available. This is amajor contribution to textual criticism, exegesis, and theinvestigation of the synoptic problem which anyone workingon the Synoptic gospels must consult.

Michael HolmesBethel University

THE CHRIST IS JESUS: METAMORPHOSIS,POSSESSION, AND JOHANNINE CHRISTOLOGY.By Pamela Kinlaw. Edited by Mark Allen Powell. AcademiaBiblica, 18. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005.Pp. vii + 206. $32.95, ISBN 1-58983-165-9.

In this doctoral thesis Kinlaw employs a history of reli-gions approach to compare Johannine Christology with Med-iterranean patterns of metamorphosis and possession, twotypes of divine interaction in the human realm. She con-structs models for these two modes by surveying a broadarray of Greco-Roman and Jewish literature. Applying themodels, she theorizes that 1 John’s conceptualization of theincarnation resonates with a type of possession character-ized by a permanent indwelling between Christ and Jesusand which takes place at Jesus’ baptism. Furthermore, thismodel is used by the epistle’s author to combat a Docetismdistinguished by an understanding that possession is onlytemporary. Kinlaw then discovers this same permanent pos-session in the Christology of the fourth Gospel. Although thestudy is innovative, Kinlaw’s methodology raises concerns.While sensitive to the context of the Johannine corpus, sheshows no similar sympathy for her Greco-Roman sources.For instance, in a single discussion she blithely cites

passages from Ovid and Hesoid without acknowledging theseven centuries that separate the two authors. This practicelends her models a sense of artificiality. She also, oddly, doesnot consider other canonical Christian texts in constructingher models. Further, her explanation of a “spatial andexistential” combination of Jesus’ two natures through pos-session is unconvincing. Does the evangelist avoid a Nesto-rian-like understanding of the incarnation if the indwellingpossession model does not involve “displacement of thehuman mind”? Nonetheless, her study is provocative and thesubject matter is worthy of further examination.

Beth M. SheppardSouthwestern College

LIFE IN ABUNDANCE: STUDIES OF JOHN’SGOSPEL IN TRIBUTE TO RAYMOND E. BROWN.Edited by John R Donahue. Collegeville, MN: LiturgicalPress, 2005. Pp. xvi + 313. $29.95, ISBN 978-0-8146-3011-2.

This volume presents the papers given at a conferencein 2003 to mark the fifth anniversary of R. E. Brown’s death.This brief review can only note the presenters and titles oftheir papers, but this will indicate the breadth of the biblical,theological and hermeneutical considerations raised atthis conference. The first part, titled Johannine Studies:Challenge and Prospects has chapters by F. J. Moloney andD. M. Smith. Moloney writes on “The Gospel of John: TheLegacy of Raymond E. Brown and Beyond,” highlighting hiswork on the historical development of the Johannine com-munity. A. Culpepper’s response to Moloney is included. Thechapter by M. Smith is titled, “Future Directions of Johan-nine Scholarship.” Part two, Historical Context of the Gospel,includes a chapter by R. Kysar, “The Whence and Whitherof the Johannine Community,” with a response by H.-J.Klauck, followed by a chapter by B. L. Visotzky, “Method-ological Considerations in the Study of John’s Interactionwith First-Century Judaism,” with a response by A. Rein-hartz. The third chapter in this section is by J. A. Fitzmyer,“Qumran Literature and the Johannine Writings,” with D. J.Harrington responding. Part three of this volume examinesJohannine theology. C. Koester contributes a chapter on “TheDeath of Jesus and the Human Condition: Exploring theTheology of John’s Gospel,” with a response by G. O’Day. S.Schneiders follows with a chapter, “The Resurrection (of theBody) in the Fourth Gospel: A Key to Johannine Spirituality,”with a response by D. Senior. The fourth part has the head-ing, Interpreting the Work of Raymond Brown, and two ofBrown’s confreres offer contributions. R. Leavitt writes on“Raymond Brown and Paul Ricoeur on the Surplus of Mean-ing,” with a response by F. S. Fiorenza, and R. Witherup hasthe final chapter, “The Incarnate Word Revealed: The Pasto-ral Writings of Raymond Brown”. The book begins with thekeynote address given at the conference by T. Prendergast,“The Church’s Great Challenge: Proclaiming God’s Word inthe New Millennium,” and concludes with a biography andbibliography of Brown’s publications, and two tributes givenin liturgical contexts by P. Trible and J. Donahue. As the

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titles indicate, this book is a feast of Johannine scholarshipfor pastors, scholars, and college students, as it raises all thecritical concerns in Johannine studies and presents an excel-lent overview of last century’s major trends. A must read.

Mary L. ColoeAustralian Catholic University

THE WRITTEN GOSPEL. Edited by Markus Bockmuehland Donald A. Hagner. Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 2005. Pp. xxvi + 360. Cloth, $75.00, ISBN 0-521-83285-3; paper, $29.99, ISBN 0-521-54040-2.

This volume (a Festschrift in honor of Graham Stanton)covers selected aspects of the context from which gospelsemerged, the formation of (canonical) gospel narratives,and their subsequent reception. Part one, “Before Writing,”includes “‘Gospel’ in Herodian Judaea” (W. Horbury), “Thegospel of Jesus” (K. Snodgrass), “Q1 as oral tradition” (J. D.G. Dunn), and “Eye-witness memory and the writing of theGospels” (M. Hengel). Part two, “Writing the Four Gospels,”covers “Who writes, why, and for whom?” (R. Burridge),“How Matthew writes” (R. Beaton), “How Mark writes”(C. Evans), “How Luke writes” (D. P. Moessner), “How Johnwrites” (J. Lieu), and “Beginnings and endings” (M. Hooker).Part three, “After Writing,” examines “The Four among Jews”(J. Carleton Paget), “The Four among pagans” (L. Alexander),“Forty other gospels” (C. Tuckett), “The One, the Four andthe many” (R. A. Piper), and “The making of gospel commen-taries” (M. Bockmuehl). An appendix gives Stanton’s biblio-graphy, and a bibliography and two indices complete thevolume. Some of the contributors summarize conclusions orperspectives already published elsewhere, while others offerfresh insights or contributions. The volume would be anadmirable text for seminary or graduate-level courses, par-ticularly in view of its broader than usual scope, and will bea worthwhile addition to libraries at all levels.


THE PARABLES OF JESUS. By Luise Schottroff.Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Minneapolis, MN: FortressPress, 2006. Pp. v + 288. $18.00, ISBN 0-8006-3699-6.

Schottroff begins her examination of the parables ofJesus by lamenting the pervasive influence of these narra-tives insofar as they have been tragically misunderstood.Her task is to offer a new perspective, drawing upon a social-historical methodology rooted in contextual theologies,particularly the Christian liberation movement and Jewish-Christian interreligious dialogue. The book is divided intothree parts: “Learning to See,” “In Search of a Non-DualisticParable Theory,” and “Jesus the Parable-Teller: The Parablesin the Literary Context of the Gospels.” In Part one Schottroffexamines six parables and the so-called parable theory inMark 4, including in her exposition of each parable the“ecclesiological” interpretation tradition and her alternative,“eschatological” interpretation. After demonstrating her her-meneutic through these examples, she turns to method in

Part two, paying particular attention to the influence of post-biblical Jewish parable culture. She continues her examina-tion of the parables in Part three, concluding with anappendix addressing the fundamental question posed in thisvolume, “How Should I Read a Jesus Parable?” With itsunique voice, this text offers a new and refreshing approachto the parables for a broad audience, students, pastors, andscholars alike.

Matthew R. HaugeAzusa Pacific University

THE GNOSTICS: IDENTIFYING AN EARLYCHRISTIAN CULT. By Alastair H. B. Logan. London, NewYork: T & T Clark, 2006. Pp. xvii + 150. $27.95, ISBN 978-0-567-04062-6.

In the preface to this book, the author proposes to “iden-tify the Gnostic movement as a recognizable entity with adistinctive character, united by its ‘classic’ myth and initia-tion rite, the ‘five seals.’ ” Logan’s new book takes up forfurther consideration issues arising from an earlier work,Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy (T & T Clark, 1996), butin this book he follows the lead of M. Williams (Rethinking“Gnosticism,” 1996) in applying theories developed by thesociologists R. Stark and W. S. Bainbridge, who delineate themarks of a “church,” a “sect,” and a “cult.” Logan argues thatthe Gnostic movement arose as “an innovatory cult move-ment originating within Christianity.” In the first chapter heconsiders the evidence of the church fathers, certain pagans,and the Nag Hammadi corpus, which he sees as an actualGnostic library (following Doresse). Chapter two deals withCelsus, Plotinus, and Porphyry. In Chapter three he dis-cusses the Gnostic and Christian views on authority andtradition, and in Chapter four their respective views on ritualand lifestyle. In the fifth and final chapter, “A Gnostic BurialSite? The Hypogaeum of the Aurelii in Rome.” he revivesJerome Carcopino’s interpretation of a hypogaeum discov-ered on the Viale Manzoni in 1919, a view that has beendisputed by such art historians as Corby Finney. Logan’sbook is a useful study of the social life of a distinct ChristianGnostic group (“cult”) known to Irenaeus and other churchfathers.

Birger A. PearsonUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

FROM JEWISH MAGIC TO GNOSTICISM. By AttilioMastrocinque. Studien und Texte zu Antike undChristentum, 24. Tübingen, Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2005.Pp. xv + 244. $115.00, ISBN 978-3-16-148555-8.

This book deals extensively with serpents of variouskinds as they appear in magical, astrological, and religiouscontexts. A thread running through the book is that therewas a pre-Christian Jewish Gnosticism that had developedas a result of influences from Chaldaean astrology andmagic, as well as Egyptian religious traditions. This Gnosti-cism featured the serpent in various mythological and culticcontexts. The book is a treasure trove of data: gemstones,


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magical papyri, astrological texts, Gnostic texts, earlyChristian testimonies, and Jewish traditions. It opens withan account in Theodoret of Cyrrhus’ Religious History (fifthc.) of a holy man’s vision of a fiery serpent gliding throughthe air with its tail in its mouth. The next day he and hisarmed followers found a bronze snake worshipped by agroup of “Marcionite” heretics and destroyed it. It is easy toquarrel with some of Mastrocinque’s interpretations of themassive evidence he has accumulated. For example, while itis probably true that the depiction of Yaldabaoth as a lion-faced serpent (Ap. John II 10,9–12) reflects the Egyptiandeity Chnoubis, it can hardly be believed that he was createdas a benign deity by the Jewish priests at the temple ofLeontopolis, and only became demonized in Gnostic tradi-tions as a result of Christian influence. The book is full ofsuch dubious interpretations; even so, it is an interestingwork that can be read (critically!) with profit.

Birger A. PearsonUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

A TEXTUAL GUIDE TO THE GREEK NEWTESTAMENT. AN ADAPTATION OF BRUCE M.METZGER’S TEXTUAL C OMMENTARY FOR THENEEDS OF TRANSLATORS. By Roger L. Omanson.Stuttgart, Ger.: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2006. Pp. 553.$38.00, ISBN 3-438-06044-2.

As the subtitle indicates, this volume is a very thoroughadaptation of Metzger’s well-known work, intended to“assist translators who have not received formal training intextual criticism to discover more easily for themselves thereasons that certain variant readings in the NT are morelikely to be original than others.” To that end, Metzger’sintroduction to the practice of NT textual criticism and noteson variation units, for which an apparatus is given in theUBS text have been expanded or simplified, all Greek wordsand phrases are translated, sometimes additional informa-tion is supplied, and in many instances considerations relat-ing to translation issues have been added. Bibliographies ofreference works consulted for each of the NT books aregenerally good (though occasionally thin; e.g., only fourentries for Hebrews, while 1 John has 12), with some entriesas recent as 2005 included (though Metzger’s Text of the NewTestament is cited according to the third edition [1992] ratherthan the fourth [2005]). Overall, the discussion of individualvariants is clear and informative (though occasionally deci-sions are less nuanced than Metzger’s). Omanson has pro-duced a careful and thoughtful adaptation that will be widelyused, by translators and students alike.


EARLY PATRISTIC READINGS OF ROMANS. Editedby Kathy L. Gaca and L. L. Welborn. New York: T & T Clark,2005. Pp. vi + 237. $39.95, ISBN 0-567-02931-X.

Most of the essays comprising this volume originated inthe Society of Biblical Literature’s 2000–2002 “Romans

Through History and Cultures” sessions. Although Paul’simpact on Western culture derives in large part from hisinfluence on Augustine, earlier writers make frequent refer-ence to Romans, albeit typically in ad hoc fashion. Patristicreadings thus present special challenges to scholars seekingto describe the earliest reception of this important letter. Theessays included here are by M. J. Brown, S. L. Graham, D. J.Bingham, R. Clements, S.-K. Wan, and one each by the edi-tors. Among the respondents are H. Moxnes, J. Bassler, C.Cosgrove, and D. Georgi. Text and topics receiving attentioninclude Paul’s construal of pagan religiosity in Rom 1:18–32;supersessionism and soteriology in Clement of Alexandria,Strom. 2; Irenaeus’ use of Rom 8 in anti-Gnostic polemic andhis theology of history as reflected in the exegesis of Rom9–11 in the Epideixis; and Origen’s use of Pauline proof-textsin De Principiis and the attitudes towards Judaism reflectedin his commentary on Romans. The harvest of patristic inter-pretation is indeed plentiful; specialists will applaud thiswork and hope for more in coming years.

Patrick GrayRhodes College

ROMANS. By Grant R. Osborne. The IVP New TestamentCommentary Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,2004. Pp. 447. $24.00, ISBN 0-8308-1806-5.

Osborne’s commentary on Romans fulfills the criteriaset out for the InterVarsity Press Series, which aims to com-bine “faithful exegesis and a deep concern for the church,”and demonstrate a “commitment to the authority of Scrip-ture for Christian faith and practice” for an audience of“pastors, students, Bible teachers and small-group leaders.”Osborne writes in a clear and organized manner and with asincere pastoral intent. He has read deeply in secondaryanalysis of Romans and shares that material, occasionallyincluding its diversity, with readers. At times his assess-ment of issues lands on a straightforward and conservativeChristian position rather than a more open-ended perspec-tive. Such is the case in the discussion on sexual relations(Rom 1:26–31) and the final salvation of Israel (Rom 11:25–32), issues which have been debated in Christian scholar-ship on Romans. Like all the commentaries in this series,there is a two-tiered discussion. The bulk of the textexpounds Romans in a linear fashion, while secondary anal-ysis is briefly provided on some background issues. A goodresource for its intended audience.

Steven MuirConcordia University College of Alberta

THE EDUCATED ELITE IN 1 CORINTHIANS:EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY CONFLICT INGRAECO-ROMAN CONTEXT. By Robert S. Dutch.New York: T & T Clark, 2005. Pp. v + 343. $125.00, ISBN978-0-8264-7088-1.

In this volume, Dutch extends NT scholarship that iden-tifies social-status issues and the educated elite as contrib-uting to the problems in the Corinthian community. Noting

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that current scholarship has not factored in the importanceof the Greek gymnasium in ancient education, and believingthat elite believers in the Corinthian church would havereceived a gymnasium education, Dutch uses social-scientific methodology to develop a model based on theGreek gymnasium and its relationship to family and society.He argues that the Greek gymnasium was an exclusive edu-cation center catering to elite Romans, Greeks, and Jews.They would have been trained in rhetoric and philosophy,and some of them eventually became elite members of Paul’scommunity in Corinth. Successive chapters in Part Threeextensively apply the ancient education model to Paul’sCorinthian household, ancient athletes (1 Cor 9:24–27),nurses, nutrition and nurture (1 Cor 3:14), agriculture andeducation (1 Cor 3:5–9), disciplining with a rod (1 Cor 4:21),the Grammateus (1 Cor 1:20), ancient writing (1 Cor 4:6), andcircumcision (1 Cor 7:17–24). Dutch provides an excellentexample of how to develop and apply a cross-cultural modelof education to problematic texts in 1 Corinthians with fruit-ful results.

Dietmar NeufeldUniversity of British Columbia

BAPTISM ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD (1 COR15:29): AN ACT OF FAITH IN THE RESURREC-TION. By Michael F. Hull. Academia Biblica, 22. Atlanta,GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005. Pp. xv + 327.$42.95, ISBN 1-58983-177-2.

This revised version of Hull’s dissertation at the Pontif-ical Gregorian University offers a new reading of this per-plexing verse. After criticizing previous interpretations ofthe verse as referring to vicarious or ordinary baptism, Hullfocuses on the pivotal role of v. 29–34 within 1 Cor 15 andgives a new translation of 15:29: “Otherwise what are theyto do, who have themselves baptized on account of the dead?If the dead are not really raised, why are they baptized onaccount of them?” Finding no hint of a practice of vicariousbaptism in the historical context, Hull concludes that thevicarious baptism reading of the verse is not viable. Hull’sthesis is that the verse lifts up the example of some believerswho receive ordinary baptism as a sign of their faith in theresurrection of the dead. Although Hull’s causal reading ofthe preposition is possible, his argument that “on accountof the dead” should be paraphrased as “on account of faithin the resurrection of the dead,” is not fully convincing.Nevertheless, this book is not to be overlooked in the studyof 1 Cor 15.

David W. KuckUnited Theological College of the West Indies

ANCIENT RHETORIC AND PAUL’S APOLOGY:THE COMPOSITIONAL UNITY OF 2CORINTHIANS. By Frederick J. Long. Society for NewTestament Studies Monograph Series, 131. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp. xix + 291. $80.00,ISBN 978-0-521-84233-4.

A long-standing assessment of 2 Corinthians is that it isa not a complete letter, written on a single occasion, reflect-ing one set of circumstances. Various theories suggest howsuch a composite letter came to be assembled, and how itsportions may reflect stages in the ongoing relationshipbetween Paul and the believers in Corinth. Such positionsassume that there is no overarching theme or cohesive unityin the letter as it stands. Long takes the opposite position,arguing that “Paul composed 2 Corinthians as a rhetoricallyunified apology drawing on the well-known Greco-Romanforensic tradition.” This unity exists on two levels. First,Long demonstrates that the text has substantial structural,technical, and idiomatic parallels to unitary texts in Greco-Roman oratory. Second, he finds that when closely con-sidered, the text reveals a “coherent core of related rhetoricalaims.” The intent of the letter is to defend Paul’s decision towrite rather than visit the Corinthians and to prepare afavorable reception for his imminent return. The book isclosely argued, well presented, and evidences a substantialknowledge of Greco-Roman rhetoric and the contextualissues faced by Paul at Corinth.

Steven MuirConcordia University College of Alberta

ETHIK ALS ANGEWANDTE EKKLESIOLOGIE:DER BRIEF AN DIE EPHESER. Edited by MichaelWolter. Monographische Reihe von “Benedictina,” Biblisch-Ökumenische Abteilung, 17. Rome: Benedictina Publishing,2005. Pp. 227. Paper, €30.00, ISBN n/a.

This volume collects eight essays presented in the XVIIIColloquium Oecumenicum Paulinum 2004 in Rome that dealwith the letter to the Ephesians. Reimund Bieringer exam-ines the semantic implications of the term anakephalaiosas-thai in Eph 1:10. In analysing Eph 2, Michel Quesnel tracesback the author and the addressees of Ephesians. ChristosKrakolis compares the two “prayer-reports” in Eph 3:14–21and 1:15–23, Samuel Byrskog treats the relevance of theparaenetical passage Eph 4:1–16 to the development of aChristian identity of the addressees, and in interpreting Eph4:17–5:20, Rudolf Hoppe discusses the relationship betweenparaenesis and ecclesiology in Ephesians. Morna D. Hookeranalyses Eph 5:21–6:9 with regard to the aspect of the“transformation of relationships in Christ,” Yann Redaliéinvestigates the importance of Ephesians pertaining to faithand theology in the twenty-first century. According toWolter’s summary of the essays, the author of Ephesiansattempts to induce his addressees to transform their spiri-tual unity into an ethical way and to present it demonstra-tively. The Christian ethical life, defined as a practicalecclesiology, has the function to make the ecclesia recognis-able and sensible for being the body of Christ.

Thomas WitulskiUniversity of Münster

COLOSSIANS AND PHILEMON. By Marianne MeyeThompson. The Two Horizon New Testament Commentary.


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Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005. Pp. x + 297. $20.00,ISBN 0-8028-2715-2.

The commentary of Thompson, professor of NT Inter-pretation at Fuller Theological Seminary, is one of the earli-est in the Two Horizon series that features “theologicalexegesis and theological reflection.” The volume is ade-quately balanced with 191 pages devoted to Colossians andseventy-three pages to Philemon. The theological observa-tions on Colossians (theology, in the context of Paul’s theol-ogy, constructive theology) comprise eighty pages, and onPhilemon (in the context of Biblical theology, constructivetheology) thirty-seven pages. Thompson is masterly at theo-logical reflection, and acceptable in respect to exegesis.Thompson discusses the standard exegetical disputes inColossians regarding the principalities and powers, the sto-icheia, worship of angels, and slavery in Philemon. Sheincorporates recent studies but makes few advances. She ismuch more concerned with Paul’s apostolic authority thanwith his rhetorical strategies. According to Thompson, thecrucial point in Colossians for constructive theology is that“the creative and redemptive purposes of God for the entirecosmos are expressed in and through the person and workof Christ.” In Philemon uniquely, reconciliation “comes toexpression in part in the language of mutuality, love, andkingship.”

Thomas H. OlbrichtPepperdine University

WOMEN IN THE CHURCH: AN ANALYSIS ANDAPPLICATION OF 1 TIMOTHY 2:9–15. SecondEdition. Edited by Andreas J. Köstenberger and Thomas R.Schreiner. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2005. Pp. 287. $21.99,ISBN 0-8010-2904-X.

Ten years later and some fifty pages shorter than theoriginal version, this second edition contains updated for-mats of the retained essays, while omitting two contributorsand adding one—the personal reflections of Dorothy KelleyPatterson, “What Should a Woman Do in the Church?” (therewere no women contributors in the first edition). Strictlyspeaking, there were no notes in the first edition; now theyoccupy sixty pages. The editors admit that political correct-ness and a changing worldview demand their reexaminationof the place of women in the church. The basic conclusionsof the treatise have not changed—scripture precludes womenfrom becoming teaching pastors, but this does not preventthem from fulfilling a multitude of other services in thechurch. Patterson as a woman is willing to humble herselfto the Word of God that mandates such an attitude; for her,it is not a question of oppression, but of freedom. All in all,the expository arguments found in this treatise will hardlysatisfy those who hold a contrary position. On the otherhand, the official doctrinal positions of Catholic and Ortho-dox churches will find herein much in common with theirevangelical brothers (and sisters!).


THE HISTORICAL JESUS AND THE FINAL JUDG-MENT SAYINGS IN Q. By Brian Han Gregg.Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament,2. Reihe, 207. Tübingen, Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2006.Pp. xiv + 346. €64.00, ISBN 978-3-16-148750-7.

This modified version of a Notre Dame dissertationdirected by David Aune argues for the authenticity of thefinal judgment sayings in Q. Gregg identifies twelve suchsayings, all of which come from what is often considered Q’ssecond stratum. In a very helpful context chapter, Greggsurveys the spectrum of beliefs about the final judgment inlate Second Temple Judaism: judgment is foreseen as immi-nent and about to fall on Gentile nations as well as thewicked within Israel, which is envisioned as mired in apos-tasy and lawbreaking. For each of the twelve final judgmentsayings in Q, Gregg provides a special bibliography, exege-ses of the Matthean and Lukan sayings, a reconstruction andexegesis of the Q text, a determination of the most primitiveversion of the saying, scholarly arguments for and againstits authenticity, and Gregg’s conclusions. Gregg finds ten ofthe twelve sayings to be authentic; the two remaining areuncertain, but are probably authentic because of their coher-ence with the other ten. These authentic sayings show thatthe historical Jesus “conceived of himself as the uniquelyauthoritative messenger of God” and warned that rejectinghim “would result in condemnation at the final judgment.”Interestingly, Jesus (according to Q) did not state or implythat the final judgment was imminent. Those convinced thatQ contains a mostly historically accurate portrait of Jesus asa sectarian eschatological preacher who put himself at thecenter of his message will find much to confirm their con-viction. Those not inclined to see Jesus as apocalypticallyoriented will have to take Gregg’s work seriously.

Robert J. MillerJuniata College

HOW ON EARTH DID JESUS BECOME A GOD?:HISTORICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT EARLIESTDEVOTION TO JESUS. By Larry W. Hurtado. GrandRapids, MI/Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2005. Pp. xii + 234.$20.00, ISBN 978-0-8028-2861-3.

The first four chapters of this study are revised versionsof lectures given in 2004 at Ben-Gurion University. Theremaining four essays, all of them relevant to the subject atissue, originally appeared as articles in various publications:first-century Jewish monotheism; homage and devotiontoward Jesus; Jewish opposition; NT religious experienceand innovation. For Hurtado, who has written extensivelyover a long period on the subject, the “devotion” of the sub-title is “the worship of Jesus as divine.” This should be keptin mind, because “devotion” in English can have a muchmore attenuated sense than the one intended by Hurtado. Toanswer the question posed in the title of his essay, Hurtadoreplies: some early Christians had “revelatory” experiencesor visions that they understood to be encounters with theglorified Jesus. Other Christians had visions in which the

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glorified Christ was “reverenced” by angelic beings in thesame way that God was described as reverenced in the OT.All of this led to a “mutation” in standard Jewish liturgicaland devotional practice, so that Jesus began to be includedin the sphere of divinity. There is much to agree with in this,and other Hurtado works, but the solution, in my opinion,lies less in “visions” or “experiences” (whatever theirnature) than in the simple fact that for early Christians (whoafter all were very ordinary Jews), everything happened“according to the Scriptures.” All the precedents were thereand still are. Divinity is closer than one is accustomed tobelieve.


HERODIAN JUDAISM AND NEW TESTAMENTSTUDY. By William Horbury. WissenschaftlicheUntersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 193. Tübingen,Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Pp. xii + 268. $159.50, ISBN 978-3-16-148877-1.

This volume contains seven recently published essays(2003–5; one was published in 1999), as well as one previ-ously unpublished. The collection is divided into two sec-tions. In the first section, Horbury maps out several featuresof Jewish piety during the Herodian age (40 BCE to mid-second century CE) and their importance for understandingthe world of early Christianity. Six essays treat aspects ofJewish monotheism, mysticism, notions of Moses and thetemple, as well as the Jewish background of the idea of“gospel” and the “Lord’s Supper.” These studies frameHorbury’s larger understanding of the way that Judaism inthe Herodian age developed in dialogue with its larger Greco-Roman world and its foundational character for emergingChristianity. Part two contains two essays, the first of whichis a thorough overview of British NT scholarship in the lastcentury. Horbury pays careful attention to attempts to locatethe NT in its Jewish and Hellenistic literary and theologicalsetting. The final chapter, published here for the first time,considers several methodological issues involving the use ofrabbinic material in NT studies. In particular, Horbury chal-lenges the notion that the late dating of rabbinic sourcesrenders them of lesser significance than earlier Second Tem-ple period material. As a collection, these eight articles fittogether nicely as a sustained analysis of the Jewish andHellenistic background of the NT and early Christianthought.

Alex JassenUniversity of Minnesota

EXPLORING JEWISH LITERATURE OF THESECOND TEMPLE PERIOD: A GUIDE FOR NEWTESTAMENT STUDENTS. By Larry R. Helyer. DownersGrove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Pp. 528. $30.00, ISBN0-8308-2678-5.

This volume is intended as a comprehensive introduc-tion to Jewish literature of the Second Temple period written

specifically from an evangelical perspective. Second Templeperiod Jewish literature is surveyed and placed in the widercontext of its historical, literary, and religious importancefor understanding the NT and early Christian thought. All ofthe major works of Second Temple Judaism (including Philoand Josephus) are discussed in chronological order. Literaryworks are grouped together in chapters based on presumedtime of composition, provenance, and genre. Unlike similarbooks, this work contains a chapter on the Mishnah andearly rabbinic Judaism. For each text, Helyer begins with ageneral overview of the text and its provenance and thenmoves to a survey of its salient features. The bulk of eachsection is devoted to discussing the literary features andtheological perspectives that this literature shares with theNT. There is very little that is groundbreaking in the presen-tation of the Second Temple period texts. This book’s signif-icant contribution is in the analysis of the shared world ofthe NT and Jewish literature of the Second Temple periodand the ability to locate the NT in its larger Jewish literaryand theological context.

Alex JassenUniversity of Minnesota

CHRISTIAN BEGINNINGS AND THE DEAD SEASCROLLS. Edited by John J. Collins and Craig A. Evans.Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology. Grand Rapids, MI:Baker Academic, 2006. Pp. v + 144. $16.99, ISBN 0-8010-2837-X.

This compact volume is part of the Acadia Studies inBible and Theology, a series dedicated to providing the stu-dent and nonspecialist with the latest in critical scholar-ship. In this particular study, each of the six contributorsassesses the value of the Dead Sea Scrolls for understand-ing the development of primitive Christianity. In the firsttwo essays, Collins evaluates two new publications, TheFirst Messiah by M. Wise and The Messiah before Jesus by I.Knohl, investigating the idea of a pre-Christian sufferingmessiah. Evans turns to typology, addressing the role of thewilderness, baptism, and the number twelve in Jewish res-toration movements in late antiquity. M. G. Abegg, Jr.explores Paul’s understanding of the “works of the law” inlight of the scrolls, while B. D. Smith surveys the use of the“spirit of holiness” in Second Temple Jewish texts. R. G.Wooden assesses the notion of divinely aided interpretationin both the scrolls and the NT. And finally, J. R. Wilsonconsiders the topic of apocalyptic theology followed with aconcluding response by Collins. While these essays are cer-tainly rewarding for academicians, they are ultimatelybeyond the introductory level of most students, laity, andpastors.


ANCIENT FICTION: THE MATRIX OF EARLYCHRISTIAN AND JEWISH NARRATIVE. Edited byJo-Ann Brant, Charles W. Hedrick, and Chris Shea. SBL


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Symposium Series, 32. Atlanta, GA: Society of BiblicalLiterature, 2005; Leiden: Brill, 2006. Pp. vii + 372. Paper,$39.95, ISBN 1-58983-166-7 (SBL); cloth, $170.00, ISBN90-04-13768-8 (Brill).

This rich collection of essays is the by-product of theSociety of Biblical Literature, Ancient Fiction and EarlyChristian and Jewish Narrative Section, which began in1992. From the beginning, the underlying purpose of thisgroup was to bridge the divide between classics and religion,and given the diversity of authors and texts surveyed in thisvolume, this purpose has been achieved. In the introduction,R. I. Pervo provides a brief summary of each essay andidentifies the overarching themes addressed in the volumeas a whole, most notably, the power of mimesis, the distinc-tion between history and fiction, and the use of history toexpress identity. These essays are divided into three sec-tions, “Ancient Greco-Roman Narrative,” “Jewish Narrative,”and “Early Christian Narrative,” including contributionsfrom R. F. Hock, C. Shea, R. I. Pervo, G. van den Heever,C. Milikowsky, J. A. Brant, T. L. Holm, N. Hacham, S. R.Johnson, J. W. Ludlow, J. B. Perkins, D. R. MacDonald, J. R.C. Cousland, R. R. Dupertuis, and A. Reimer. This volumeprovides an invaluable, erudite guide to the ongoing dia-logue between biblical scholarship and the Greco-Romanworld through the lens of ancient fiction.


JEWISH LAW IN GENTILE CHURCHES: HALA-KHAH AND THE BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANPUBLIC ETHICS. By Markus Bockmuehl. Grand Rapids,MI: Baker, 2000. Pp. xvii + 314. Paper, $29.99, ISBN 0-8010-2758-6.

The main divisions of Bockmuehl’s treatise detailquestions concerning Christian moral teaching in the landof Israel, the role of Jewish and Christian ethics for Gen-tiles, and the evolution of Christian morality from Luke–Acts to Aristides and the Letter to Diognetus. Bockmuehlpoints out that Jesus’ message was directed toward Jewsalone, but the Church’s preaching was targeted at bothJews and Gentiles; hence the grounds for moral decisionsof both groups must be taken into account when dealingwith the Church’s own attempts at moral preaching andteaching. Jesus had no family of his own and no place tolay his head; he was consistent therefore in putting thedemands of the Kingdom of God before his own needs andin promulgating a similar program for others. His moraldemands were often no different from that of other Jewishcontemporary groups. There was no “natural law” in theJudaism of the time, i.e., no moral injunctions in natureseparate from the demands of God himself. Jewish wisdomteaching and Stoic moral instruction found their echo inmuch of the ethical teaching of the early Church. In thisbook, Bockmuehl has provided an excellent discussion andsummary of important questions concerning early Chris-tian moral practice. His well-balanced conclusions and

unobstructed prose should prove helpful to novices andexperts alike.


IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH AND THE SECONDSOPHISTIC: A STUDY OF AN EARLY CHRISTIANTRANSFORMATION OF PAGAN CULTURE. By AllenBrent. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum/Studies and Texts in Antiquity and Christianity, 36.Tübingen, Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Pp. xvi + 377; 26 plates.€84.00, ISBN 3-16-148794-X.

A dense, well-argued, provocative, and ultimately per-suasive monograph about a truly enigmatic figure in earlyChristianity. Adopting a Wittgensteinian-influenced method,Brent seeks to recover Ignatius’ “discourse and its logic—his‘language game’ ”—in a way not possible with either tra-ditional historico-critical methods or a postmodern her-meneutic. He argues that Ignatius’ “construction of ecclesialorder”—namely, his characterization of Christian ministersas image bearers participating in a cult procession, and ofthose accompanying him to his martyrdom as divine ambas-sadors communicating concord ( µ νοια) between commu-nities on the basis of his “sacrifice” ( ντ ψυχον)—revealsthe use of a theology of mystery cult and its ritual whoseroots were ultimately pagan and sacramental, involving “atypology of deity, priesthood, and enacted mystery” in whichbishops are not successors of the apostles but rather “iconsof divine persons and events.” In short, Ignatius’s lettersreflect the “cultural and historical backcloth” of the socialdiscourse of the pagan Hellenistic world of Asia Minor dur-ing the Second Sophistic, a culture that Ignatius deeplyimbibed and which proved so enigmatic to Polycarp andIgnatius’s other “orthodox” successors that “only by distort-ing Ignatius’ original quite radical theological rapproche-ment” with his cultural context were later Christian writers,such as Irenaeus and Origen, able to co-opt Ignatius as an“orthodox” predecessor. Thus Brent concludes that theIgnatian letters are not interpolated or forged documentsreflective of a late second-century theological perspective,but genuine artifacts from an earlier time and social location.Must reading for anyone dealing with Ignatius.


NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK? CONSTRUCTINGEARLY CHRISTIANITY. By Judith Lieu. New York: T &T Clark, 2002. Pp. xiii + 263. $79.95, ISBN 0-567-08909-6.

Ten of the twelve essays in this collection were previ-ously published (from 1992) in various scholarly journals.The other two were given originally as lectures. They evinceLieu’s preoccupation with the continuities and discontinui-ties of early Christianity in its relations with both the Jewishand the Greco-Roman worlds. Christians lived in a world ofcontending cults and in a world that they constructed forthemselves through their sacred texts; the interaction

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between the two goes far in explaining their success. Chris-tianity and Judaism did not necessarily communicate towomen an announcement of liberation, but women sought asocial framework for the independence that was theirs as amatter of right. Rituals in religion are not merely tokens oftheological realities but must be seen in the circumstancesof their overall social environment; circumcision, for exam-ple, can be seen as both symbolizing and maintaining maledominance. Hence the repudiation of circumcision by theearly church had important consequences for the place ofwoman in Christian society. To conclude, the aforemen-tioned remarks are only a fragment of the many insights tobe found in these closely reasoned and well-researchedessays. NT scholars should find them helpful for the ongoingprocess of answering the question: what accounts for therise of early Christianity?


THE FORMATION OF THE EARLY CHURCH. Editedby Jostein Ådna. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zumNeuen Testament, 183. Tübingen, Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2005.Pp. xii + 451. €99.00, ISBN 3-16-148561-0.

The fourteen essays in this collection stem from a 2003Scandinavian conference. The essays are divided fairlyevenly among four different sections: “The Relationshipbetween Christians and Jews, ‘Parting of the Ways’ andDevelopment of New Identities,” “Developments of and Con-tacts between Early Communities and Authority and PowerStructures within them as Reflected in the New Testament,”“Issues relating to New Testament Canon,” and “Early Chris-tian Developments Beyond the New Testament.” Ådna sup-plies an excellent introductory essay that gives a thoroughoverview of each of the fourteen essays, recognizing theindividual contributions that each makes to ongoing schol-arly discourse. Indeed, the essays are, in and of themselves,interesting and important. The volume does not, however,hang together as a whole in providing a clear and concisepicture of the formation of the early church. The essays aretoo disparate and too focused to fulfill such a task, and someessays push the boundaries of what is meant by “early.”Ådna himself recognizes this “wide scope” but hopes thereare “sufficient links between the essays to make this selec-tion appear as a united whole.” He seems, however, unable,or unwilling, to make these links for the reader.

Richard S. AscoughQueen’s University

SOCIAL-SCIENCE COMMENTARY ON THELETTERS OF PAUL. By Bruce J. Malina and John J. Pilch.Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2006. Pp. x + 419. $27.00,ISBN 0-8006-3640-6.

This book marks a third installment in the popular“Social Science Commentaries,” a long-awaited treatmentof the undisputed letters of Paul. Like the other volumes,this one is rich in useful and enlightening explanations,

photographs, and the authors’ distinctive reading scenarios.The introduction attempts, importantly, to set the study ofPaul and his career into a social scientific context, but it ishighly nuanced and full of very idiosyncratic terminology: itwill prove baffling to many readers, even those familiar withthe method. Within the commentary itself, the contributionis characteristically strong, though at times the commentaryis not sufficiently “social scientific.” For instance, the com-mentary on 1 Cor 6:9, particularly on the terms malakos andarsenokoit6s, could have appeared in any other commentary;it would have benefited from J. H. Elliott’s “No Kingdom ofGod for Softies?” in Biblical Theology Bulletin 34 (2004): 17–40. Also, a word might have been said on the order of theletters presented in the book. Malina and Pilch treat Philip-pians and Philemon last, but accept an Ephesian provenanceand therefore a pre–Romans date of composition.

Zeba CrookCarleton University

PAUL AND THE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE OFRECONCILIATION: DIASPORIC COMMUNITYAND CREOLE CONSCIOUSNESS. By Gilbert I. Bond.Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2005. Pp. vii + 179.$39.95, ISBN 0-664-22271-4.

Augustinian and Lutheran readings of Paul have domi-nated studies that seek to understand the struggle of Paul,his so-called conversion, and subsequent mission to theGentiles. Bond sets himself apart from both the Augustiniantradition that sees in Paul the anguish of a divided soul tornby competing wills subsequently transformed by the graceof God, and the Lutheran one that sees in Paul a guilt-rackedconsciousness incapable of rescuing itself until it is sub-sequently transformed/justified by faith. These traditions donot take into account the complex intermixture of Hebraicand Greek social and religious elements—what Bond labelsas “diaspora cultural convergence”—that framed Paul’sreligious experience. Drawing on the phenomenological tra-dition of Husserl and the understanding of religious experi-ence described by W. James, Bond concludes that Paul’sexperience of mystical transformation through his encoun-ter with the risen Christ was mediated via language, thebody, and other cultural creations and constructions. It cre-ated in him a “creole consciousness” that reconfigured hisidentity from the exclusive otherness of the Pharisees to theinclusive otherness of the apostle of Christ. This, in turn, ledhim to create interethnic communities of reconciliation inwhich Greek Gentiles were included in covenantal relation-ship with Jews.

Dietmar NeufeldUniversity of British Columbia

PASTORAL MINISTRY ACCCORDING TO PAUL: ABIBLICAL VISION. By James W. Thompson. Grand Rap-ids, MI: Baker, 2006. Pp. 174. $17.99, ISBN 0-08010-3109-5.

The author, who works both in the area of NT studiesand practical ministry seeks to revive interaction between


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the two fields. It is presumed that somewhere along the linethe two disciplines became disconnected. In the first chapterthe dissolution is illustrated by the way the biblical text istreated superficially in major works on pastoral ministry.Thompson seeks to elevate the interchange between the twodisciplines. The bulk of the book (Chapters two to five)focuses on the major Pauline letters. Fundamentally, it isclaimed, Paul’s letters are exercises in pastoral theology.They capture Paul engaging early Christian communitiesintensely in a process of fostering their ethical transforma-tion. Paul’s burning desire is to prepare these communitiesto be “blameless” at the coming of Christ. Based on thismodel, one can conceivably move from Paul directly to thework of the modern pastor. Although this book is directedtoward those in pastoral ministry, NT scholars will profitfrom the concentration on the theme of communal transfor-mation in Paul. Thompson makes a strong case that therhetoric of Paul’s letters supports this underlying goal. Nota-bly, his concentration on the rhetorical features of Paul’swritings leads him to give short shrift to partition theoriesand various diachronic analyses of the text. This book willprovide balance through taking seriously Paul’s writings asa viable model in courses on pastoral ministry in seminaries.It will find more frequent usage in places where the biblicalvision is regarded as foundational for Christian communitiestoday.

Allan J. McNicolAustin Graduate School of Theology

THE CRUX OF ELECTION. By Sigurd Grindheim.Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2Reihe, 202. Tübingen, Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2005. Pp. 280.€49.00, ISBN 3-16-148690-0.

Having identified a lacuna among the many works stim-ulated by the New Perspective on Paul with respect to howthe theme of election fits into the configuration of Paul’s“pattern of religion,” Grindheim proposes that Paul’s doctrineof election is consistent with the scriptures of Israel, isgrounded in creation and redemption, and involves a reversalof values. Israel has status because the Creator elected totake her from slavery and make her a nation. Conversely,when Israel became proud and complacent, while still elect,her status is reversed by life under judgment. Similarly, inPaul’s thinking, election is manifest through conformity tothe abased way of life under the cross. Status emerges in theparadoxical reversal of discovering that this is the key toappropriating the power of the resurrection. For Paul, Israelhas temporarily missed the principle of election manifestedin the reversal of values symbolized by the cross of Christ.Despite Grindheim’s emphasis on 2 Cor. 11:16 to 12:10 andPhil 3:1–10 rather than Rom 9–11, the competent exegesisand strong engagement with the secondary literature onthese texts make this well-constructed monograph a welcomeand original contribution to a key area of Pauline studies.

Allan J. McNicolAustin Graduate School of Theology

COVENANT OF PEACE: THE MISSING PEACE INNEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY AND ETHICS. ByWillard M. Swartley. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006.Pp. xviii + 542. $34.00, ISBN 978-0-8028-2937-5.

Swartley proposes that the NT is the fulfillment of the“covenant of peace” envisioned in Ezek 34. The fifteen chap-ters of the volume are therefore centered around the themeof peace in the Gospels and various other NT writings, aswell as in the social world of the time. Swartley emphasizesthe image of Jesus as the prototype of the peacemaker,shown by his birth, his pattern of acting during the publicministry as the peaceful Messiah, and his self-emptying tothe point of death on a cross. The four Gospels, each in itsown way, make explicit this general notion of Jesus as peace-maker and lover of peace: the forsaking of rivalry among thedisciples; the refusal to offend one another; healing and exor-cisms as a means of introducing the future Kingdom of Godinto the present world of hatred and violence. The book ofActs shows that this prototypical image of Jesus the peace-maker has imbued the earliest disciples with the courage toact in a similar manner in their dealings with others. Paul,in turn, used the example of Jesus’ nonviolence to exhort hiscommunities to respect the institutions of the Roman state,as long as it was not in conflict with Christian moral values.In an appendix, Swartley furnishes a valuable summary andcritique of important scholarly contributions to NT theologyand ethics. All in all, this lengthy volume, though hardlyoriginal, should prove valuable by reason of its source mate-rial to NT scholars—and to preachers and homilists as well.


FRACTURE: THE CROSS AS IRRECONCILABLEIN THE LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT OF THEBIBLICAL WRITERS. By Roy A. Harrisville. GrandRapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. Pp. xi + 298. $20.00, ISBN0-8028-3308-X.

The “fracture” of the title refers to the break that occursin the thought of NT writers when they deal with the deathof Jesus: they are forced to interrupt the manner of thinkingand speaking inherited from their past in order to makesense of the new reality that has been brought about by thecross of Christ (itself shorthand for the event and con-sequences of his suffering and death). After an introductionthat places the reader squarely in the Jewish and Gentileworld of the time, references to the death of Jesus are exam-ined in each of the Gospels, as well as in Paul, Hebrews, and1 Peter. The death of Jesus for each author was an anomaly.These writers hark back to the OT in order to find a modelwhich will explain the necessity for the death of Jesus. TheChrist-event comes first, then the scriptures are searched.Jesus himself conceived of his person and mission in apoc-alyptic terms, which were the stock-in-trade of the Jewishmilieu in which he moved. Gnosticism, despite the threatthat it posed for nascent Christianity, ultimately proved tobe incommensurable with the message of the cross. Though

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there is nothing startlingly new in this treatise, it providesreaders with a workmanlike picture of the theology of thecross from what may appear to some as a novel point of view.


FAIR PLAY: DIVERSITY AND CONFLICTS INEARLY CHRISTIANITY. ESSAYS IN HONOUR OFHEIKKI RÄISÄNEN. Edited by Ismo Dunderberg,Christopher Tuckett, and Kari Syreeni. Supplements toNovum Testamentum, 103. Leiden, Neth.: Brill, 2002.Pp. xii + 592. $163.00, ISBN 90-04-12359-8.

The title and subtitle of this Festschrift are flexibleenough to bear the weight of twenty-two variegated essaystreating of conflicts regarding Jesus, the Gospels, Paul, otherNT writings, and hermeneutical issues in general. A fewexamples illustrate the importance of the questions treated.J. D. G. Dunn reexamines the relationship between faith andworks in Paul. M. D. Hooker concludes that Philippians isnot only a pastoral letter in the spirit of Paul’s final testi-mony, but is also a defense of his apostolic mission and anencouragement to his fellow Christians to share in it throughtheir own sufferings. Gerd Theissen analyses Rom 9–11 forsigns of a psychological explanation of the controversybetween Paul and Israel. Hanna Stenström avers that evenfeminist hermeneutics lie open to the charge of elitism inthe face of genuinely deprived portions of society. For E. P.Sanders, the Gospels give a reasonably accurate picture ofGalilee—its society, population, and governmental struc-tures. In conclusion, the stature of the scholars whose essaysare contained in this volume is prima facie evidence for theseriousness of their conclusions. Data-based bibliographieshopefully should list these articles for easy library access byinterested scholars.


RHETORICS AND HERMENEUTICS: WILHELMWUELLNER AND HIS INFLUENCE. Edited by JamesD. Hester and J. David Hester. Emory Studies in EarlyChristianity. New York: T & T Clark, 2004. Pp. xiii + 247.$59.95, ISBN 0-5670-2580-2.

This Festschrift in honor of Professor Wuellner containsnine essays centered on his fields of scholarly interdiscipli-nary specialization that are clearly indicated by the title.Professor Wuellner himself provides an apt introduction tothe subject in his essay on rhetoric as the power of thesublime; the mystery in religious texts must not beneglected; rhetorical critics are custodians of divine myster-ies. For J. W. McCant, 2 Corinthians is a long rhetoricalparody on the part of Paul in the service of an apologia forhis life and ministry. V. K. Robbins interprets Wuellner tomean that early Christian discourse, regardless of the milieuin which it developed, is neither Greco-Roman nor Jewish,but sui generis. W. Shiner accentuates the communal natureof rhetoric, depending as it does for its efficacy upon speaker

and hearers, upon provider and receptors; “applause lines”(as in Mark’s Gospel) mark out the emotional response ofthe audience. These few examples provide only a taste of themany insights to be discovered by a careful reading of theseessays whose subject matter is often arcane but whose impli-cations, both theoretical as well as practical, can have impor-tant repercussions for the study of the Bible.


CHRISTUSBEKENNTNIS UND JESUSÜBERLIEF-ERUNG BEI PAULUS. By Detlef Häußer. Wissenschaftli-che Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2. Reihe, 210.Tübingen, Ger.: Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Pp. 416. €74.00, ISBN3-16-148962-4.

In this revised dissertation, Häußer seeks for thetradition-historical and theological relation of Jesus andPaul. According to him, Paul knew “much of the Jesus-tradition, which is concerned with Christology.” Paul couldhave acquired this knowledge very early in Damascus andJerusalem. This result leads Häußer to the hypothesis thatthere is “a tradition-historical continuity and a real confor-mity” between Paul and Jesus concerning their Christologi-cal concepts as well as their concepts of paraenesis.According to Häußer, the development of the basic aspectsof Christology were finished in the fourth decade of the firstcentury CE, and “substantial elements of Pauline Christol-ogy can be traced back to Jesus himself respective to thetradition about him”. This means, in turn, that the differentconcepts of Christology, which were developed later in earlyChristianity, are reducible to a common basis of traditionsand do not trace back to contradictory formulas and confes-sions or “in a deep, unbridgeable cleft between differentgroups led by (different) apostles”. It is questionable, how-ever, whether this monocausal explanation can sufficientlyilluminate the development of differently accentuated Chris-tological concepts in early Christianity.

Thomas WitulskiUniversity of Münster

THE CONVERSION OF THE IMAGINATION: PAULAS INTERPRETER OF ISRAEL’S SCRIPTURE.By Richard B. Hays. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.Pp. xx + 213. $20.00, ISBN 0-8028-1262-7.

Hays follows up his influential Echoes of Scripture in theLetters of Paul (1989) with this collection of ten essays. Pre-viously published in a variety of sources, they have beenrevised and bibliographically updated. Hays argues thatPaul’s interpretation of scripture is at the heart of his theol-ogy, and that modern readers whose imaginations have beenconverted, as was Paul’s, will be more faithful readers ofIsrael’s scripture. Some essays are thematic (“Scripture andEschatology in 1 Corinthians,” “The Law in Romans 3–4”);some survey a corpus (“ ‘Who Has Believed Our Message?’Paul’s Reading of Isaiah,” “Christ Prays the Psalms: Israel’sPsalter as Matrix of Early Christology”); others focus on a


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single text (“Psalm 143 as Testimony to the Righteousnessof God”). Hays identifies five key elements in Paul’s inter-pretative practice: Paul reads Scripture pastorally,poetically, narratively, eschatologically, and trustingly.Highly recommended for seminary libraries and researchcollections.

Robert F. Hull, Jr.Emmanuel School of Religion

WOMEN AND MARRIAGE IN PAUL AND HISEARLY INTERPRETERS. By Gillian Beattie. Journal forthe Study of the NT Supplement Series, 296. New York: T &T Clark, 2005. Pp. xii + 181. $120, ISBN 0-567-03050-4.

The title of this revised Manchester dissertation is moreor less self-explanatory, but the range of texts examined isfairly narrow. Consideration of Paul’s teachings on womenand marriage is confined to 1 Corinthians. Three Deutero-pauline documents (Colossians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy) andfour Nag Hammadi texts (Gospel of Philip, Exegesis on theSoul, Hypostasis of the Archons, Gospel of Thomas) con-stitute the basis for Beattie’s study—heavily influenced byR. Rorty’s pragmatist approach to interpretation—of Paul’sreception among his “early interpreters.” In asserting con-trol over the Corinthians by gauging the authenticity of theirfaith in terms of their responses to his commands, accordingto Beattie, Paul unwittingly provides inspiration for theviews of the “orthodox” and the “heretics” that come later.Beattie’s analysis of the Nag Hammadi texts suggests thatthe view of Gnosticism as a protofeminist, antimarriagemovement is unsustainable. The strength of this study liesnot so much in any original reading of Paul or in its surveyof his influence—indeed, the section covering extracanonicalliterature identifies only a few citations of Pauline texts inthis corpus—but in the case it makes for dismantling thecategory of “Gnosticism.”

Patrick GrayRhodes College

A WOMAN’S PLACE: HOUSE CHURCHES INEARLIEST CHRISTIANITY. By Carolyn Osiek andMargaret Y. MacDonald with Janet Tulloch. Minneapolis,MN: Fortress Press, 2005. Pp. vi + 345. Cloth, $35.00, ISBN0-8006-3690-2; paper, $20.00, ISBN 0-8006-3777-1.

The past twenty years of scholarship has produced atremendous number of studies on women in early Christian-ity. To some extent, and given the androcentric, elite, andrhetorical nature of the majority of literary sources, a certainpessimism regarding what we can know about these ancientwomen has developed. Osiek, MacDonald and Tulloch com-bat this pessimism by engaging studies on the Roman family(especially B. Rawson’s work), material evidence as well asthe literary sources (with clear attentiveness to the risksinvolved in moving from text to social history) that recon-structs an ancient house church in which domestic womenplayed very important roles. The book also tackles some ofthe “polarities” that have arisen in the study of women and

Christian origins. For example, rather than taking the posi-tion that early Christianity was either patriarchal or con-sisted of a “discipleship of equals,” the authors join otherswho think that Christianity participated in a “movementtoward greater social freedom for women” but that it was notthe source of such freedom. The polarity of “ascetic versusdomestic lifestyle” also comes under scrutiny as the authorsshow that married or widowed women likely had significantroles in the early Christian movement, but that this realityhas been obscured by an emphasis upon virginity andfemale celibacy. The independently authored chapter byJanet Tulloch is a wonderful exploration of some banquetfrescoes in the catacombs of Marcellino and Pietro. In sum,this is an excellent book, recommended for a wide audienceincluding undergraduates and scholars of the ancient worldin general.

Alicia BattenPacific Lutheran University

JUNIA: THE FIRST WOMAN APOSTLE. By Eldon JayEpp. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2005. Pp. vii + 138.$16.00, ISBN 0-8006-3771-2.

The central thesis of this short book is that textual criti-cism and exegesis affect one another. Epp persuasivelydemonstrates this through his focus on Rom 16:7 (the refer-ence to Junia/Junias) and its history of interpretation fromthe early church to modern times. He works through a vari-ety of debates, including the accentuation of the name, thecontracted name theory, the presentation of the name inGreek NT and English Translations as well as the referenceto the figure as “outstanding among the Apostles.” Eppshows clearly that the name Junia is female, and that she isan apostle, who is indeed “outstanding among the apostles.”It is only in relatively recent history that some interpretershave either turned Junia into a man or demoted her to being“known to the apostles.” Epp scrutinizes these latter conclu-sions politely, but not without a poke here and there. Thebook might work with upper-level undergraduates. How-ever, this little gem should be required reading for semi-nary and graduate students as it provides evidence forwomen’s significant roles in the early church and for thecrucial importance of both textual criticism and the historyof interpretation/translation for any serious study of theBible.

Alicia BattenPacific Lutheran University

RESURRECTING JESUS: THE EARLIEST CHRIS-TIAN TRADITION AND ITS INTERPRETERS. ByDale C. Allison, Jr. London: T & T Clark, 2005. Pp. xi + 404.$100.00, ISBN 978-0-567-02900-3.

The six essays in the present volume have a variedhistory. “The Problem of Audience” has not been previouslypublished. The others, “Secularizing Jesus,” “The Problem ofGehenna,” “Apocalyptic, Polemic, Apologetics,” and “Resur-recting Jesus,” have appeared in print in one form or another.

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The last mentioned, on the resurrection, is by far the longest(177 pages) and could easily have formed a treatise by itself.In it, Allison provides a masterful overview and critique ofrecent studies on the resurrection. Included are massivebibliographical references to a vast amount of the relevantsecondary literature. Numerous are Allison’s insights andwell-fashioned phraseology: comments on folklore, objectiveand subjective visions, comparable visions of deceased per-sons, the mixture of the historical and the legendary in theresurrection accounts, the use of social psychology to ascer-tain the state of mind of the disciples, and so forth. Allison’snuanced conclusions will not satisfy everyone, but no onewho seriously studies the resurrection of Jesus can ignorethis treatise by reason of its scope, its methodology, and itsfairness to all sides in the debate.


LOOKING FOR LIFE: THE ROLE OF “THEO-ETHICAL REASONING” IN PAUL’S RELIGION. ByJohn G. Lewis. New York: T & T Clark, 2005. Pp. x + 297.$130.00, ISBN 978-0-567-04272-9.

In this revised edition of his Oxford PhD dissertation,supervised by R. Morgan, Lewis attempts to demonstratePaul’s consolidation of Christian belief and practice, doc-trine, and morality. Hence his coinage of the phrase “theo-ethical reasoning.” Lewis works with the usually acceptedseven authentic Pauline epistles. In them, Paul uses uniformreasoning to consolidate his moral strictures. The basis forthis process is the experience that he has had of the risenChrist. In order to experience the life of Christ, the Christianmust follow in Christ’s footsteps. To prove his points, Lewisdiscusses theology and ethics in Paul, identifies the theo-ethical reasoning exemplified in 1 Cor 1:1-4:21, shows howexperience and conduct interact in 1 Cor 5:1-16:24, and dem-onstrates Paul’s search for life in Christ and not in the Law(Galatians). Lewis concludes that Paul should be seen as apastoral theologian who uses apocalyptic perspectives tobring about the upbuilding of Christian communitiesthrough the power of God in conformance with the exampleof Christ. It is a question of conduct being the outcome ofbelief. Agap6, the self-giving love for others, is the touch-stone; all is to be done in the imitation of Christ. Althoughthe results of this treatise may appear banal, they do providedetailed exegetical foundations for truths that are taken forgranted by anyone with a modicum of knowledge aboutChristianity and the NT.


THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS: JOHN DOMINICCROSSAN AND N. T. WRIGHT IN DIALOGUE.Edited by Robert B. Stewart. Minneapolis, MN: FortressPress, 2006. Pp. xix + 220. $18.00, ISBN 978-0-8006-3785-9.

The volume begins with the transcripts of a face-to-faceencounter between the traditionalist Wright and the liberal

Crossan that took place on March 2005 at a forum held atthe New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Although thepositions of each protagonist concerning the resurrection ofJesus are already well-known from their voluminous writ-ings on the subject, the forum provided them an opportunityfor further clarification and at the same time permitted eightother scholars to make their own salient contributions to thedebate: C. A. Evans, R.t B. Stewart, G. R. Habermas, R. D.Geivett, C. L. Quarles, A. F. Segal, W. L. Craig, and T. Peters.Crossan himself brings up the rear with an appendix. Thefinely drawn distinctions that have accompanied recent dis-cussions of the resurrection are amply evident: historicity ofthe empty tomb; the nature of the appearances; the necessityof resurrection for Christian faith. It is hardly a surprise thatnone of the essayists agree completely with either Wright orCrossan, but their sympathies, as I read them, for the mostpart veer toward the position of Wright. In any case, this isa marvelous contribution to the subject. The oft-contentiousscholarly study of the resurrection of Jesus continues on itsmerry way, while the life of the church and of ordinarybelievers is (fortunately) nourished by other realitiesbesides that of academe.


History of Christianity (Early)THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO THE AGE OFJUSTINIAN. Edited by Michael Maas. Cambridge, MA:Cambridge University Press, 2005. Pp. xxxvi + 626. Cloth,$80.00, ISBN 978-0-521-81746-2; paper, $34.99, ISBN 978-0-521-52071-3.

A very useful collection of essays on some difficult orlittle synthesized subjects, such as Chalcedon and its leg-acy, Constantinople, administration and economy, law (witha welcome section on the rising importance of canon law),philosophy, gender and society, relations with the Papacy,and literary culture. Here, topics that have traditionallyreceived more attention, such as art and architecture, Jus-tinian’s wars, or piety, are approached in new ways. It willthus be useful to students and scholars in neighboring dis-ciplines (probably the series’ primary targets), and it defi-nitely fills a gap in the bibliography. Written by some of themost innovative scholars in the field, this Companion hasnevertheless missed the opportunity to present an innova-tive vision of the “Age of Justinian.” The focus is resolutelyByzantine in the narrowest sense. The last section, “Peoplesand Communities,” groups chapters on Eastern Christians,Jews, Barbarians, Arabs (“The Background to Islam.”). “Gen-der,”—neither a “community,” nor exactly a “people”—isincluded here. Conversely, Greeks are absent—evidentlydeemed neither a “people” nor a “community,” these termsbeing in fact used to describe “outsiders.” Rapp’s excellentchapter on literary culture includes new questions such asliteracy, libraries, the book trade, patronage and authorialstatus, making the topic of “literature” much more

ignatius of antioch and the second sophistic: a study of an early christian transformation of pagan...

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