Download - The “Mithras Liturgy”– Edited by Hans Dieter Betz

with an interest in Greek religion or choral poetry will haveto consult this study. Its richness lies in its cumulative detailand its bringing together of literary, historical, anthropologi-cal, and archeological evidence to contextualize the dynam-ics of cultic performance throughout the Greek world.

Jenny Strauss ClayUniversity of Virginia

THE ROMAN SELF IN LATE ANTIQUITY: PRUDEN-TIUS AND THE POETICS OF THE SOUL. By MarcMastrangelo. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins UniversityPress, 2008. Pp. xii + 259. $65.00.

Prudentius, a Roman Christian writer and poet (308-ca.405), was certainly influenced by Christian writers such asSt. Ambrose and Tertullian. Mastrangelo does not disagreewith this generally accepted view, but he argues that paganwriters influenced Prudentius just as strongly. Nowhere isthis more evident than in Psychomachia. In that work,Prudentius systematically reworks Aeneid 6 in order totransform Vergil’s grand narrative of the Greco-Roman liter-ary tradition into a “ ‘meta-narrative’ of Roman Christianidentity in all its cultural, ideological, and intellectualexpression” (ch. 1). With this thesis, Mastrangelo lays thefoundation of his larger argument. In subsequent chapters,he shows that Prudentius used contemporary poets, as wellas biblical, Platonist, Epicurean, and patristic writings toweave an ingenious intertextual structure. Basically, Pru-dentius’ reader is encouraged to identify with a new literaryhero who is encouraged to convert to Christianity, and thusto the way of virtue, in order to help build the new identity ofa “Christian Rome.” Prudentius wrote at a crucial time in thehistory of the West, and he has not been given enough creditfor his synthesis that allowed “radical” Christian traditionsto blend with imperial Roman (and pagan) ones to produce anew identity for the Greco-Roman-Christian self. Not onlywas Prudentius himself more important than has beengenerally believed, but his work shows that poetry perhapsplayed a more important role than did patristic prose indeveloping a Christian Roman identity during the fourthcentury. A provocative and important work that every histo-rian and literary critic of Late Antiquity will need to engage.

Fred W. BurnettAnderson University

A COMPANION TO ROMAN RELIGION. Edited byJörg Rüpke. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007.Pp. vii + 542. $185.95.

As C. R. Phillips points out in his essay, “ApproachingRoman Religion: The Case for Wissenschaftsgeschichte,” acomprehensive history of Roman religion does not exist. Thisambitious volume seeks to fill this void, drawing from a broadrange of traditions of research, including Northern and South-ern America, Italy, Greece, Britain, France, Germany, andSwitzerland. In the opening essay, “Roman Religion—Religions of Rome,” Rüpke defines Roman religion as anabbreviation for “religious signs, practices, and traditions in

the city of Rome.” As a whole, the volume emphasizes thislocal perspective and is structured accordingly in six parts:“Changes,” “Media,” “Symbols and Practices,” “Actors andActions,” “Different Religious Identities,” and “Roman Reli-gion Outside and Seen from Outside.” Each essay concludeswith a brief discussion of further reading for those interestedin pursuing a particular aspect of Roman religion. This dense,erudite tome will undoubtedly prove to be a significant con-tribution to the study of Roman religion for years to come.

Matthew R. HaugeClaremont Graduate University

ROMAN RELIGION. By Valerie M. Warrior. CambridgeIntroduction to Roman Civilization. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2006. Pp. vii + 165. $19.99.

The Cambridge Introduction to Roman Civilization is aseries designed for students with no background in Romanantiquity, focusing on key topics and primary texts closelylinked to the Cambridge Latin Course. Warrior has written abrief treatment of traditional Roman religion with this inmind, arranging the survey around the following chapters:“The Gods and their Worship,” “Divination, Prayer, andSacrifice,” “Religion and the Family,” “Religion and theState,” “Religion and War,” “The Calendar, Festivals, andGames,” “Official Attitudes toward Foreign Cults,” “Magicand the Occult,” “Becoming a God,” and “The Jews and Chris-tianity.” At times, the discussion can be uneven and dis-jointed, but the generous use of primary texts, illustrations,and maps is commendable.

Matthew R. HaugeClaremont Graduate University

Christian OriginsTHE BIBLICAL CANON: ITS ORIGIN, TRANSMIS-SION, AND AUTHORITY. By Lee Martin McDonald.Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007; 3rd corrected printing,March 2008. Pp. xlii + 549. $29.95.

In this expanded (from 340 to 549 pages) third edition(formerly The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon),McDonald updates and develops his basic theses: e.g., whilefor some Jews the canon was “largely settled” at the end ofthe first century CE, it was not settled for most until thethird-fourth c.; Christianity did not inherit a closed canonfrom Judaism; Jesus did not leave his followers either theidea of a “closed canon” or a listing of books belonging to it;for most of Christendom, the process of forming a secondtestament was not completed until the fourth-fifth c. CE. Ingeneral, the new edition presents a stronger case for theseviews than the previous one. Regrettably, however—apartfrom nonsense statements inflicted upon the author by aneditor, some of which were silently corrected in the thirdprinting (cf. pp. 39-40, 80, 170)—it also perpetuates misin-formation: e.g., the confusion of a Latin canon list found inCodex Claromontanus with the manuscript itself; the mis-

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construal of Melito’s comments about the canon (claiming itreflects the MT, e.g., when the order and titles of the booksare Septuagintal); the attribution of the colophon at the endof the Nag Hammadi copy of the Gospel of Thomas to theauthor (proposing that it could be “the first known documentcalled a gospel”); confusing and/or misleading summaries ofthe work of earlier scholars. In short, the new edition hassubstantial strengths in general but too often is unreliablewith regard to detail.

Michael W. HolmesBethel University

DAS GESETZ IM FRÜHEN JUDENTUM UND IMNEUEN TESTAMENT: FESTSCHRIFT FÜR CHRIS-TOPH BURCHARD ZUM 75. GEBURTSTAG. Edited byDieter Sänger and Matthias Konradt. Novum Testamentumet Orbis Antiquus/Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testa-ments, 57. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2006.Pp. 344. €99.00.

J. Becker opens this disparate collection of seventeenessays with a study of the relationship of the temple of Godand the Torah by focusing upon the temple rhetoric in 1 Cor3:16-17. He concludes that the early Christian communityunderstood itself as God’s temple, thus implying a breakfrom the Jerusalem temple and its rituals of atonementbecause it experienced the spirit of God. Other essays alsodeal with some aspect of the Law. R. Bergmeier deals withRom 2:12-16, 25-29 and argues that the “law written on theirhearts” refers to Gentile Christians, not just to Gentiles gen-erally (cf. 2:14). P. von Gemünden studies the relation of theLaw to passion and desire in 4 Maccabees and comparesthose views with passages from Romans, particularlyRomans 7. The author of 4 Maccabees is more optimisticabout the law’s power to control desire than is Paul. O.Hofius deals with the Law and “reconciliation” in 2 Cor5:18-21; H. Kuhn deals with the understanding of the Law atQumran and in Paul; G. Nebe focuses upon the “law ofnature” and the “Torah-Law” in 1 Thess 1:9-10; D. Sängerdeals with the Law and paidagogos in Gal 3:24; G. Theißenanalyzes the Law and the rhetorical “I” throughout Romans;M. Klinghardt focuses upon “law” in Mark and Luke; and M.Konradt analyzes the fulfillment of the Law and the conflictwith the Pharisees in the Gospel of Matthew.

Two essays deal with methodological issues: J. H. Char-lesworth on how to clarify the literary dependence of a textupon one that predates it, and P. Lampe deals with the rhe-torical analysis of Pauline texts. Other essays include R.Kirchhoff’s study of the “servant” language in Rom 12:1-2; G.W. E. Nickelsburg’s “Torah and the Deuteronomic Scheme inthe Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha”; B. Schaller on thetheme of “hope” in Rom 15:7-13; H. Thyen on the mystery ofIsrael in Rom 11:25-32; and O. Wischmeyer on the genre ofthe letter of James. This is an important collection forresearch libraries.


JEWISH BELIEVERS IN JESUS: THE EARLY CENTU-RIES. Edited by Oskar Skarsaune and Reidar Hvalvik.Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2006. Pp. xxx + 930. $49.95.

The twenty-three chapters in this book explore all of thefundamental questions about Jewish followers of Jesus: Howdoes one define a “Jewish Christian”? What were the inter-actions between Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Jesus inantiquity? How numerous were Jewish followers of Jesus?And many more. The emphasis of the book is upon analyzingtexts from the first five centuries of Christianity, texts thatwere believed to have been produced by persons and groupsthat were ethnically Jewish but who confessed Jesus as theMessiah. Of course, NT texts are presented, but also OTpseudepigraphal writings that were edited by Jewish Chris-tians, the Pseudo-Clementine writings, quotations of JewishChristian fragments and sources in the Greek, Latin, andSyriac Church Fathers, texts of “church orders” and liturgy(such as the Didache and The Apostolic Constitutions), andJewish Christians as presented in rabbinic literature. JewishChristian groups are also presented (such as the Ebionitesand the Nazoreans), as well as individuals such as Cerin-thus. The overwhelming emphasis of the volume is upontexts, but the discussion of Jewish Christian groups and achapter on the archeological evidence for Jewish Christiansopen the way to further sociological work on the issues.Along with the editors, the writers constitute an interna-tional team of scholars (J. C. Paget, R. Bauckham, D. A.Hagner, P. Hirschberg, C. A. Evans, T. Elgvin, G. Stanton, W.Kinzig, S. Hidal, G. af Hällström, L. Lahey, A. Ekenberg, P. S.Alexander, and J. F. Strange). With extensive bibliographies,indices, and an affordable price, this volume should becomethe new starting point for any study of Jewish followers ofJesus in antiquity. Highly recommended.


CONFLICTED BOUNDARIES IN WISDOM ANDAPOCALYPTICISM. Edited by Benjamin G. Wright andLawrence M. Wills. Symposium Series, 35. Atlanta/Leiden:Society of Biblical Literature/E. J. Brill, 2005. Pp. viii + 240.$32.95.

In modern scholarship, at least since G. von Rad arguedthat apocalyptic thought derived from wisdom circles(1972), the relationship of the categories of wisdom andapocalyptic have been greatly debated. The twelve essayscollected here give an important taste of the debate from theWisdom and Apocalyptic Group of the SBL. These essayswere judiciously chosen from those presented in the groupfrom 1994 to 2004 (a complete listing of all papers that werepresented is included). The volume is arranged in threeparts: “Issues and Outlook” (a major essay by G. W. E.Nickelsburg, a response by S. J. Tanzer, and a response byNickelsburg); “Wisdom and Apocalypticism in EarlyJudaism” (five essays by M. J. Goff, R. A. Werline, B. G.Wright III, P. A. Tiller, and R. A. Horsley); and, “Wisdom andApocalypticism in Early Christianity” (four essays by P. J.


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Hartin, Tiller, B. R. Rossing, and E. B. Aitken). Essays dealwith texts (form, genre, and so forth) but also with sociallocations and politics. The papers are too diverse to summa-rize, but there are important and provocative conclusionsthroughout the collection (e.g., Rossing’s thesis that theso-called “two ways” tradition should include, if not berenamed, the “two-women” tradition, which she finds iscommonly used in sapiential and apocalyptic traditions, aswell as in secular Greek writings). This is an importantcollection that is recommended for every research library.


THE MESSIAH IN EARLY JUDAISM AND CHRIS-TIANITY. Edited by Magnus Zetterholm. Minneapolis:Fortress, 2007. Pp. 163. $18.00.

This volume provides a diachronic introduction to mes-sianism within Judaism and Christianity from the fall ofJerusalem in the sixth century BCE through the destructionof the Second Temple and the rise of rabbinic Judaism. Thevolume emphasizes that messianism was and is a highlydiverse phenomenon that must be investigated in its diver-sity. J. J. Collins writes the first chapter on the pre-Christianorigins of messianism, particularly as found in the LXX andDead Sea Scrolls. A. Y. Collins and M. Zetterholm discussmessianism among early Jewish Christians, particularly asfound in the Synoptic Gospels and Paul’s letters. K. Hedner-Zetterholm explores messianism within rabbinic Judaismand J. Steppa discusses how messianic ideas were adaptedby Christians as Christianity became a non-Jewish religion.The volume provides a splendid introduction to the history ofmessianism and will be required reading for all futureresearchers on the topic; it is recommended for libraries atall levels. The volume is accessible to undergraduates butstill useful for graduate students.

Thomas E. PhillipsPoint Loma Nazarene University

MORE THAN A PASSOVER: INCULTURATION INTHE SUPPER NARRATIVES OF THE NEW TESTA-MENT. By Fergus J. King. NT Studies in Contextual Exege-sis, 3. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Pp. 395. $103.95.

This slightly condensed version of King’s Ph.D. disser-tation under P. Grabbe and E. Botha at the University ofSouth Africa works at the interface of missiology and NTstudies. King proceeds from the initial observation that thethemes of Eucharist and mission tend to be sharply sepa-rated within NT studies, with nearly all investigations pre-suming that the Lord’s Supper was the ultimate insiderevent and entirely separate from mission concerns. Thisobservation has motivated King to consider the historicalorigins of the Supper traditions in the NT; in the course ofthis investigation, he finds that various Jewish, Greco-Roman, and distinctively Christian traditions are merged inthe NT Supper traditions. King labels this merger of tradi-tions “enculturation” and argues that the NT writers prac-

ticed this enculturation for the sake of evangelism. Hefurther suggests that this ancient enculturation of theSupper traditions can serve as a model for contemporaryChristian mission. This study reflects more significantengagement with NT scholarship than most missiologicalbooks but will still leave many NT scholars underwhelmed.Nonetheless, no serious student of either the Supper tradi-tions or the mission theme in the NT can afford to overlookthis volume.


THE STUDIA PHILONICA ANNUAL. Edited by David T.Runia and Gregory E. Sterling. Studies in HellenisticJudaism, XVIII. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006.Pp. viii + 245. $39.95.

The lead articles in this annual publication are: “Moses’Physiologia and the Meaning and Use of Physikôs in Philo ofAlexandria’s Exegetical Method” (S. Di Mattei); “Conscienceand Free Speech in Philo” (P. R. Bosman); and “Two ShortNotes on Philo” (P. W. van der Horst), which are hisresponses to articles by F. Shaw and A. Kerkeslager involume XVII on Caligula’s use of the name of the God of theJews and on the influence of Dionysios, Lampo, and Isidorusduring the violence of 38 CE in Alexandria. A “SpecialSection” (50 pages) focuses upon Philo’s De Virtutibus witharticles by both editors, D. Konstan, and J. R. Royse. A reviewarticle (J. Annas) reviews five books and works on Plato’sTimaeus, and this is followed by a bibliography on Philothrough 2003, with a provisional supplement through 2006.The final sections consist of nine book reviews, and newsnotes on the “Philo of Alexandria Group” of the SBL, a newresearch project on Philo and Plutarch, and an in memoriamfor R. Arnaldez. The introduction to the volume also notesthe passing of D. Hay who worked for many years with boththis volume and with the accompanying monograph series.This is a helpful and necessary acquisition for anyone inter-ested in Philo’s role in Hellenistic Judaism, and in ideas thatare crucial for understanding Hellenistic Judaism and theworld of early Christianity.


WHO DO MY OPPONENTS SAY THAT I AM? ANINVESTIGATION OF THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINSTTHE HISTORICAL JESUS. Edited by Scot McKnight andJoseph B. Modica. Library of NT Studies, 358. New York: T &T Clark, 2008. Pp. 175. $130.00.

The seven essays in this volume each examine oneof the seven accusations leveled against Jesus in thegospels—accusations that Jesus was demon-possessed, alaw-breaker, a glutton and drunkard, a blasphemer, a falseprophet, an illegitimate son, and that Jesus falsely claimedto be king of the Jews. The volume was conceived as anexpansion of McKnight’s splendid article in the Journal forthe Study of the Historical Jesus (1.1 [2003]: 73-103) in


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which McKnight sought to develop further B. Malina’s andJ. Neyrey’s idea of investigating “Christology from theside,” that is, considering what Jesus’ detractors said abouthim. McKnight’s contribution in the present volume,clearly the strongest chapter in the book, retains thatagenda. However, some of the other essays lack clear focusand methodological rigor (everything in the gospels seemsto pass the authenticity test for some of the contributors tothis volume). The generative idea behind the volume isinteresting and potentially illuminating but with only ascant introduction and no conclusion, the volume lackscohesion and the quality of the essays is quite uneven. Thevolume will find its primary audience among specialistsin historical Jesus studies, particularly those who aremaximalists.


FEINDES- UND BRUDERLIEBE IM WIDERSTREIT?EINE VERGLEICHENDE STUDIE ZUR SYNOPTIS-CHEN UND JOHANNEISCHEN AUSPRÄGUNG DESLIEBESGEBOTS. By Martin Hochholzer. EuropäischeHochschulschriften. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Pp. 363.$86.95.

This exceptional volume is Hochholzer’s dissertation(completed in 2005 under Otto Schwankl at the University ofPassau—where Hochholzer now teaches). Hochholzer’sproject is to investigate the synoptic tradition of love forenemy (Matt 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-36) and the Johannine tra-dition of brotherly love (John 13:34; 15:9-17; 1 John 2:7-11;3:10-24). He pursues his project in three stages. First, heexamines love in Greco-Roman and ancient Jewish texts,emphasizing the OT theme of love for neighbor as the originof both the synoptic and Johannine traditions. Second, hecarefully compares the synoptic and Johannine instructions.Although he argues that the synoptic call for love of enemyoriginated with the historical Jesus, he also suggests thatboth the Johannine and synoptic instructions took theirpresent form in dialogue with the specific situation of therespective evangelist’s community (he accepts that the syn-optic call entered the gospels through the Q document).Finally, he considers the significance of his findings forChristian ethics. This volume represents the best in disser-tation writing and should be required reading for scholars inthe many fields with which it interacts (particularly gospelstudies, historical Jesus, and Christian ethics).


THE THREE GOSPELS: NEW TESTAMENTHISTORY INTRODUCED BY THE SYNOPTICPROBLEM. By Martin Mosse. Paternoster Biblical Mono-graphs. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2007. Pp. 364. $50.00.

In this ambitious volume, Mosse seeks to reestablish thetraditional dates and authorship of nearly all NT writings.The book’s agenda is therefore better revealed by the subtitle

than by the main title. Mosse, who has a background in bothscience and mathematics, wishes to engage in a “scientificinvestigation of the past,” by which he primarily meansapplying Occam’s razor to the study of early Christianity. Heinsists that scholarly theories must “not be multipliedbeyond what is necessary.” According to Mosse, the theoriesof Q and of the pseudonymous authorship of various NTletters are unnecessary theoretical constructs. Mosseaccepts the traditional authorship of Mark and Markan pri-ority, but he dates Mark Gospel in 45 CE. According to Mosse,Matthew then wrote his gospel in the late 40s or early 50s,using Mark and an Aramaic source; Luke wrote his gospel in61 CE, using Mark and Matthew as sources (Acts followed in62 CE). Many readers will dismiss this work as uncritical orfundamentalist, but that assessment would be inaccurate(e.g., Mosse regards 2 Corinthians as a composite document).This volume is a thorough and well-conceived summary ofconservative scholarship (although admittedly mostlyolder—and often seriously dated—scholarship). More seriouscritics of the work will wonder if Mosse has employedOccam’s razor as consistently as he believes he has. On theone hand, even a quick perusal of any one of his ubiquitouscharts will leave many readers wondering what ever becameof the simplicity of explanation that Mosse demands fromother scholars. On the other hand, Occam’s razor does allowfor theories which were necessary to explain the evidence(e.g., just because Pauline authorship of 1 Timothy is simplerdoes not mean that it is correct). In any case, a sustainedreexamination of widely held assumptions is usually a goodthing—and by that criterion, this is a worthwhile book, even ifmost readers will remain unconvinced.


THE TESTING OF JESUS IN Q. By C. Michael Robbins.Studies in Biblical Literature, 108. New York: Peter Lang,2007. Pp. 203. $68.95.

This volume, Robbins’s revised dissertation (completedin 2000 at Claremont Graduate University under the direc-tion of J. M. Robinson), argues that the first temptation in theQ narrative is typological and is modeled after the wanderingof Israel and the Exodus themes of wilderness, hunger, andbread. According to Robbins, the first temptation in Q ismore closely related to the temptation narrative in Markthan are the second and third temptations, temptationstories which Robbins characterizes as more mythologicaland christologically charged. Robbins suggests the secondand third temptations quite possibly are post-Eastertheological cogitations about Jesus’ death, resurrection andvictorious enthronement. Robbins suspects that the tempta-tions in Q were concentric and had their original theologicalcenter in the second temptation. Luke, therefore, probablypreserves the original order of Q more accurately than doesMatthew. As with most dissertations, the appeal of thisvolume will be largely limited to experts in the particularsubfields directly addressed in the volume (Q studies, his-


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torical Jesus, pre-canonical Christology). The historical judg-ments that are prerequisites to the explorations in this bookwill appear speculative to many readers.


PSALM 22 UND DIE PASSIONSGESCHICHTEN DEREVANGELIEN. Edited by Dieter Sänger. Biblisch-theologische Studien, 88. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener,2007. Pp. 159. $45.00.

This volume provides a disciplined attempt to explorethe issue of Biblical intertextuality through the careful analy-sis of a single psalm and its afterlife in other texts. Psalm 22,the text under consideration, is one of the most frequentlycited OT texts in the NT. This investigation into the psalm isdivided into five chapters: one on the Hebrew text on thepsalm (by H. Strauß), one on the Greek LXX version of thepsalm (by E. Bons), one of the reception of the psalm inSecond Temple Judaism (by H. Omerzu), one on the use of thepsalm in Luke’s Gospel (by D. Rusam), and one on the psalm’sinfluence on John’s Gospel (by M. Labahn). The volume’s useof multiple authors ensures that each essay reflects the latestscholarship in each author’s subdiscipline, but this concernfor individual expertise comes at the price of both someredundancy and unresolved loose ends. In spite of the weak-nesses inherent to any multiple-authored volume, this workis stimulating and provocative. It will prove useful for thoseworking on a broad range of issues, including intertextuality,reception of the biblical texts, formation of the gospels, andthe theology of the passion narratives.


FELLOWSHIP AND FOOD IN THE KINGDOM. ByPeter-Ben Smit. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zumNeuen Testament, 234. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008.Pp. 496. €79.00.

This revised dissertation (completed at the University ofBern under the direction of U. von Arx and U. Luz) examinesthe themes of eschatological meals and utopian abundancein the NT, particularly the gospels and Revelation. Smit com-plains that most treatments of these themes presume anoverly simplified development moving directly from Isaiah25 to the NT writers. In this volume, he proposes to remedythat situation by looking at the relevant texts in detail. Hecertainly makes good on his intention to provide detailedanalysis (he invests over 140 pages to defend his negativeconclusion that John’s Gospel does not, and Mark’s probablydoes not, contain these themes). His most important conclu-sions are that these themes had a rich and diverse historicaldevelopment in both biblical and non-biblical texts; that thethemes probably made their way into Luke (where they aremore common than in any other NT book) and Matthewthrough the influence of Q; and that these themes are alsoimportant in Revelation where the revelator added a twist to

the interpretive tradition by including images of a destruc-tive eschatological meal. According to Smit, the overall effectof these themes in the NT is to reaffirm the image of the justworld to come. This book offers many original observationsand useful analyses, but more than a few readers willsuspect that Smit could benefit from a skilled editor with agift for the mechanics and economy of language. The bookwill reward patient scholarly readers.


DID JESUS TEACH SALVATION BY WORKS? THEROLE OF WORKS IN SALVATION IN THE SYNOP-TIC GOSPELS. By Alan P. Stanley. Evangelical TheologicalSociety Monograph Series. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2006.Pp. 415. $42.00.

The primary foci of this study are Matthew 5:20-26,45-48; 7:21-23; 10:22; 18:21-35; 19:17-21; 24:13; 25:34-46;and, Luke 10:27-28, and the relevant parallels. In its exami-nation of these passages, this volume, a revised Ph.D. dis-sertation completed under D. Bock at Dallas TheologicalSeminary, answers the question of its title with a decisive“no” and an equally decisive “yes.” According to Stanley,Jesus (whose voice is indistinguishable from the voice ofthe Synoptic Gospels in this book) taught that one entersthe Christian life entirely by faith apart from works but thatone maintains one’s salvation by works. According toStanley, salvation is contingent upon works but not uponsinlessness. The volume is coherently argued and aware ofmost of the scholarship that directly addresses the questionunder consideration. Still, many readers will doubt whetherStanley has correctly formulated the question or adequatelyinterpreted some of his sources, particularly E. P. Sanders’sclassic Paul and Palestinian Judaism. Many readers will alsosuspect that the volume is a thinly veiled piece of system-atic theology masquerading as biblical studies—althoughStanley would probably reject any major dichotomybetween the two disciplines. The appeal of this volume willlargely be confined to those who share Stanley’s DallasTheological Seminary-derived hermeneutics and theologicalinterests.


MATTHEW’S GOSPEL AND JUDAISM IN THE LATEFIRST CENTURY C.E.: THE EVIDENCE FROM MAT-THEW’S CHAPTER ON PARABLES (MATTHEW13:1-52). By Anthony O. Ewherido. Studies in Biblical Lit-erature, 91. New York: Peter Lang, 2006. Pp. xv + 277.$74.95.

This revised dissertation (Fordham University, guidedby R. J. Dillon and D. Béchard) deals with the general issueof the social location and identity of the post-70 CEMatthean community. Ewherido primarily uses redaction-criticism on Matthew 13:1-52 as the entrée by which to


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draw sociological conclusions about Matthew’s community.He finds that throughout the Matthean narrative, and par-ticularly in Matt 13, there is a growing alienation betweenJesus and “Israel,” which represents for Ewherido thegrowing alienation of the Matthean community from thelarger Jewish community. For Ewherido, the alienation hasreached the stage of an irreconcilable rift with Judaism asMatthew’s community continues to allow the influx of Gen-tiles. Matthew 13, as well as the larger themes of theMatthean narrative, “represents a separation that alreadyexisted in the time of the evangelist between disciples andoutsiders (i.e., between the Matthean community and thesynagogue or parent group).” This is a model redaction-critical study that amplifies both the literary and sociologi-cal aspects of the method. It is a welcome addition toMatthean scholarship.


THE TORN VEIL: MATTHEW’S EXPOSITION OFTHE DEATH OF JESUS. By Daniel M. Gurtner. Society forNT Studies Monograph Series, 139. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2007. Pp. xxii + 297; diagram; 3 appendi-ces. $90.00.

This revised Ph.D. dissertation (directed by Professor R.J. Bauckham, the University of St. Andrews) examines theMatthean meaning of the torn veil in relationship to Jesus’death. Gurtner first conducts a tradition-historical study ofsacred veils and their counterparts in the Hebrew Bible, theSecond Temple, and in rabbinic Judaism. He then has acomposition-critical study of Matt 20:50, 51a, and 51b-53that places these verses within the whole Matthean narra-tive, and particularly the Passion Narrative. Gurtner has animpressive and detailed overview of the diversity of mean-ings for the symbol of the veil and its counterparts, and of thehistory of interpretation of the velum scissum. Even in Mat-thew’s time, there were diverse interpretations of the tornveil in relation to Jesus’ death, but Gurtner argues thatMatthew introduces apocalyptic themes into the torn veilin order to clarify that Jesus’ death provided direct access tothe divine by removing the veil—and any other culticimpediment—to God. Using primarily Ezekiel 37 and thedwelling of the returned exiles in God’s presence, Matthewunderstands the torn veil as the fulfillment of eschatologicalhopes when God’s presence will dwell among the people.This salvific theme is foreshadowed in Matthew’s narrativein several places, most notably in what Matthew presents asthe “opening” (avnoígw) of the heavens at Jesus’ baptism asthe eschatological revelatory time (Matt 3:16 cf. scízw inMark 1:10). Overall, the life and death of Jesus is thefulfillment of the Emmanuel theme that Jesus is somehowGod’s presence with the people (Matt 1:23). Highly recom-mended for Matthean scholars and students of the passionnarratives.


BUILT UPON THE ROCK: STUDIES IN THE GOSPELOF MATTHEW. Edited by Daniel M. Gurtner and JohnNolland. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008. Pp. 347. $34.00.

This collection of 13 essays from the 2005 Tyndale Fel-lowship NT Study Group (Cambridge) is both a scholarlyassessment of major issues in the Gospel of Matthew and aconfessional effort. As the editors say, “. . . to each of us apersonal commitment to Jesus Christ remains the foundationof our scholarly endeavors,” but equally, “. . . the papers herepresented should also make a contribution to scholarship inits broadest sense.” Indeed they do. Topics cover these issues:Matthew’s sources, both oral and written (A. D. Baum); alinguistic analysis of how Matthew’s story is presented (S. L.Black); the relationship of Law and righteousness in Matthew(R. Deines); Matthew’s understanding of salvation-history(M. Eloff); the literary and theological function of “Jerusalem”in Matthew (R. T. France); the relation of the Matthean com-munity to Judaism (Gurtner); “Matthew and Anti-Semitism”(Nolland); holiness and Matthew’s community (D. A. Hagner);Pauline ideas and the Sermon on the Mount (D. Wenham);quotations of the OT in Matt 2 (D. Instone-Brewer); “‘TheVirgin Will Conceive’: Typological Fulfillment in Matthew1:18-23” (J. M. Hamilton Jr.); “The Use of the Isaianic HearingMotif in Matthew 11:2-16:20” (J. K. Brown); and “Reflectionson the Writing of a Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew”(France and Nolland). This is a strong and welcome collectionof essays by a good mixture of senior and younger evangelicalscholars from a diversity of international locations.


ISRAEL, KIRCHE UND DIE VÖLKER IM MAT-THÄUSEVANGELIUM. By Matthias Konradt. Wissen-schaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 215.Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007. Pp. xi + 493. €99.00.

According to Konradt, the central theological problem inMatthew’s gospel is that the Matthean community is tryingto make the transition from the pre-Easter ministry of Jesus,which was restricted to Israel, to its post-Easter identity as acommunity that now has a universal mission. Matthew’sgospel tries to educate its readers on how they as the“church” should now behave in their role as the followers ofthe Messiah and as the “people of God.” In order to show this,Konradt has a meticulous yet sweeping study of Matthew’snarrative: the ministry of Jesus and his disciples to Israel(ch. 1); Israel’s reaction to the Jesus’ ministry (ch. 2), espe-cially the reaction that culminated in the Passion (ch. 3);Matthew’s view of the consequences of Israel’s negativereaction to Jesus (ch. 4); Matthew’s presentation of Israel’sgeneral relation to the “nations” in comparison with theparticular understanding about the universal mission, or the“Great Commission” (Matt 28:18-20), by Matthew’s group(ch. 5); and the Matthean community’s understanding of therelationship between Israel and the church (ch. 6). Konradtdoes not believe that a decisive break has occurred betweenthe Matthean community and Judaism, and that the commu-


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nity does not see itself as the “new” or the “true” Israel.Instead, Matthew’s gospel presents Jesus’ identity, even inhis own ministry, as both the obedient son of God and theson of David. This twin Christological concept provides thebridge and the theological unity between Matthew’s commu-nity and Israel, as well as between Jesus’ pre-Easter ministryand messianic understanding to the Matthean community’spost-Easter identity as the people of God. A very importantbook for Matthean scholars to engage.


DIE FRÜHESTE ÜBERLIEFERUNG DES MAT-THÄUSEVANGELIUMS (BIS ZUM 3./4. JH.):EDITION UND UNTERSUCHUNG. By Kyoung Shik Min.Arbeiten zur neutestamentlichen Textforschung, 34. Berlinand New York: De Gruyter, 2005. Pp. x + 357. $127.00.

This slightly revised dissertation presents the text(which nearly always follows the editio princeps) of fourteenearly papyri of Matthew (1, 35, 37, 45, 53, 64 + 67, 70, 77,101, 102, 103, 104 and 110) and one majuscule, 0171. Eachis accompanied by an apparatus and analysis of the frag-ment’s scribal character (7 are “frei,” 1 “sehr frei,” 3“normal,” and 4 “fest”) and textual quality (3 are “normal”and 11 “fest,” in comparison with the Ausgangstext [whichhere = NA27]). An introduction (focusing on “text types” andmethodological questions) and a summary assessment ofimplications (for the transmission of the NT text in generaland Matthew in particular) round out the volume (whichincludes a bibliography and indices). As the use of the “frei”/“normal”/“fest” terminology suggests, the influence of theAlands’ Der Text des Neuen Testaments is evident throughoutthe dissertation. Min argues that the text of Matthew aspreserved in these early fragments is very close to that foundin the major uncials (=Aleph and B) of the mid-fourth c. Thus,these fragmentary papyri do for Matthew what P66 and P75 dofor Luke and John: they push back the documentary evidencefor the existence of this textual tradition to the late second/early third c. This is a significant result. But the really inter-esting question remains: to what extent do these witnessesreflect the text as it existed at the close of the first century (acentury earlier, i.e., rather than a century and a half later)?


THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. By R. T. France. The NewInternational Commentary on the New Testament. GrandRapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. lxiv + 1169. $60.00.MATTHEW. By Ben Witherington III. Smyth and HelwysBible Commentary. Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 2006.Pp. xxii + 568. $60.00.MATTHEW. By David L. Turner. Baker Exegetical Com-mentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker,2008. Pp. xix + 828. $49.99.

The last three years have seen the publication of threefull-scale exegetical commentaries on Matthew’s Gospel. All

three commentaries are written from a broadly evangelicalperspective. They are reviewed here according to the orderin which they appeared. The first commentary is R. T.France’s volume in the NICNT series. France is a well-knownMatthean scholar who has already written a shorter, lesstechnical commentary on the First Gospel (Matthew [TNTC 1;Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1987]) and a volume onMatthean issues (Matthew: Evangelist and Interpreter[Exeter: Paternoster, 1989]). In his introductory remarks, hestates that this commentary is not a rehashed version of hisprevious work on Matthew. Rather, he provides fresh exege-sis and offers his “mature reflections” on Matthew’s narra-tive. The commentary begins with a brief overview oftraditional introductory concerns. France refers readers tohis previous two publications on Matthew for a fuller treat-ment. In keeping with the aims of the series, this volumeprovides technical analysis in a traditional verse-by-verseformat that attempts to relate the smaller units to the largerwhole. France does not outline a specific methodology, but itis clear that his approach is stridently historical-criticalthroughout. His exegesis consistently references the Greektext and he interacts with a broad range of scholarship inEnglish as well as the modern research languages. France’sexegesis does a helpful job of locating Jesus in his first-century Jewish setting and shows a concern for intertextualissues and OT themes. This volume is sure to become one ofthe standard authorities among those focusing on Mattheanstudies. B. Witherington’s commentary in the Smyth andHelwys series aims to reach a wide array of Bible readers byproviding features that are intended to facilitate ease ofinterpretation. Witherington attempts a “sapiential reading”of the First Gospel, that is, he sees Matthew standing in thetradition of Hebrew wisdom literature. Rejecting thecommon idea that one of Matthew’s dominant themes isJesus as the “new Moses,” Witherington argues that theevangelist has crafted his material “to produce a compellingportrait of Jesus as both sage and Wisdom, as both therevealer of God and as Immanuel, as well as drawing onother major images of Christ as Son of God, Son of Man, andChrist.” Witherington’s scholarship is of the high quality onewould expect from him, but this commentary is somewhatfrustrating. There are interruptions (maps, artwork,explanatory notes, etc.) on nearly every page. For thoseaccustomed to using traditional commentaries, these extrafeatures make using the commentary quite distracting.However, Bible readers outside of academia will likelyappreciate these features. The book also comes with a fullysearchable CD-ROM containing the entire text of the com-mentary. Given the aims of the series, this commentary willlikely be successful in helping many different Bible readersunderstand and appreciate the text. In his commentary,Turner outlines his intended contributions under five head-ings: 1) his approach is narrative-critical, showing a concernfor both the final form of the text and the theological contri-butions Matthew makes as an autonomous gospel; 2) hereads Matthew against the backdrop of Second Temple for-


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mative Judaism(s); 3) he seeks to provide a combination ofanalysis and synthesis; 4) he examines the text through thetheological grid of progressive dispensationalism (a categorythat will likely be unfamiliar to many non-evangelicalreaders); and, 5) his translation philosophy throughout thecommentary is dynamic equivalence. Of the three commen-taries reviewed here, the BECNT is the most overtly evan-gelical and the volumes in this series that focus on biblicalnarrative have a tendency to get mired in establishing anddefending the historical minutiae of the text. However,Turner is not overly concerned to demonstrate the historicityof every jot and tittle. Instead, he shows concern for theliterary and theological coherence of the narrative. While heaffirms the historical accuracy of the text, he is more con-cerned to trace the logic of the narrative. This approachmakes his work unique among many evangelical commen-taries on the First Gospel and it allows a unified reading ofthe text to emerge. Each of these commentaries will servethe needs of different readers. All three volumes providesome benefit to those with advanced knowledge, butFrance’s commentary in particular will serve scholars, semi-narians, and other students looking for in-depth analysis ofthe text. Witherington’s commentary will help lay readers,clergy, and students, especially where background issuesare concerned. Turner’s commentary seems ideal for thepastor or teacher looking for an informed and accessibletreatment of Matthew’s Gospel. Keeping these consider-ations in mind, all three commentaries will find a nicheamong readers and interpreters of the First Gospel.

Christopher W. SkinnerSt. Mary’s Seminary and University

THE SINNER IN LUKE. By Dwayne H. Adams. Evangeli-cal Theological Society Monograph Series. Eugene, OR: Wipfand Stock, 2008. Pp. 204. $25.00.

Although this study never identifies itself as such, itreads very much like an unpublished dissertation. It con-tains a brief history of scholarship, a discourse on the pro-posed methodology, a survey of how the topic is discussed inGreco-Roman literature, and a reading of the relevant Lukantexts. Regardless of its origin, the volume employs a form of“canonical literary criticism” largely derived from the workon NT scholars who wrote in the late 80s and early 90s (thebibliography ends in 1998 and no secular theorists are con-sidered). Adams relies almost exclusively upon English lan-guage scholarship and shows no awareness of contemporaryGerman, French, or Spanish scholarship (those versed incontemporary Lukan scholarship will find nothing new hereand, indeed, will often find serious omissions). Adamsargues that “sinner” is primarily a moral and legal categoryin Luke. According to Adams, the sinners in Luke are peoplewith moral failings and who fall under the wrath of God onaccount of those failings. Although the volume appears inthe monograph series of the Evangelical Theological Society,the volume does not represent the best of Evangelical schol-

arship. Those seeking to engage either Luke’s Gospel orEvangelical scholarship will be better served by othervolumes.


GOD AS FATHER IN LUKE-ACTS. By Diane G. Chen.Studies in Biblical Literature, 92. New York: Peter Lang,2006. Pp. 294. $73.95.

This revised dissertation (completed at Fuller Theologi-cal Seminary under the direction of M. M. Thompson) pushesback against what is becoming a dominant concern withincontemporary NT studies, that is, the concern to regard earlyChristianity as an anti-imperial movement. Although Chen’sbasic project is to examine how the concept of father func-tions in Luke-Acts, she is not satisfied to stop with merelyachieving that limited goal. Chen extends her inquiry to theimplications of Luke’s view of the fatherhood of God. Chenrejects both the facile stereotype of Greco-Roman fathers asstrict disciplinarians and disinterested parents and also theuncritical assumption that Christian depictions of father-hood were based upon a supposedly more compassionateHebrew and Jewish conception of fatherhood. According toChen, Luke-Acts adopts aspects of both Jewish and Greco-Roman understandings of fatherhood—particularly theJewish conception of God as a faithful Father to Israel and theGreco-Roman conception of the Roman emperor as the gen-erous and merciful pater patriae. This crisply written inves-tigation has broad ranging implications for both Lukanstudies and studies of the Christian relations to the RomanEmpire; it is highly recommended for theological libraries.


SIGHT AND BLINDNESS IN LUKE-ACTS: THE USEOF PHYSICAL FEATURES IN CHARACTERIZA-TION. By Chad Hartsock. Biblical Interpretation Series, 94.Leiden: Brill, 2008. Pp. 226. $148.00.

This volume is an audience-oriented reading of thetheme of blindness in Luke-Acts. Because Hartsock hasLuke’s ancient audience in mind, he begins by investigatingcultural assumptions about physiognomy (the relationshipbetween external physical characteristics and internalmoral character), as exhibited in Greco-Roman and HebrewBible sources. The work is heavily indebted to M. Parsons’srecent work (Body and Character in Luke and Acts, 2006) butseeks to move beyond it by focusing more narrowly upon thetheme of blindness. Hartsock notes both that Luke’s Gospelemphasizes Jesus’ mission of restoring sight to the blind inthe programmatic opening sermon at Nazareth (4:16-30; cf.Isaiah 61) and also that Acts closes with Paul returning tothe same theme in his final discourse (Acts 28:25-28). Hart-sock suggests that the opening of eyes is therefore a majorrecurring theme in Luke-Acts and is worthy of more atten-tion from scholars. This volume is a helpful introduction tothe study of physiognomy and provides some provocative


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insights into Luke-Acts, but many readers will be leftwanting more interpretation of Luke-Acts than the fortypages or so that Hartsock provides. Research libraries willwant a copy of this volume.


UMSTRITTENER MONOTHEISMUS: WAHRE UNDFALSCHE APOTHEOSE IM LUKANISCHEN DOP-PELWERK. By Ilze Kezbere. Novum Testamentum et OrbisAntiquus/Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments, 60.Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 2007. Pp. 229.€39.90.

This revised Ph.D. dissertation (written under the direc-tion of G. Theissen) argues that the theme of deification playsa central role in the theology of Luke-Acts. After a briefintroduction to the theme of deification in the first centuryand among the Christian apologists, Kezbere argues thatLuke-Acts reflects the interaction of two cultures with differ-ent traditions. On the one hand, Luke-Acts assumes the valid-ity of the Jewish commitment to monotheism. On the otherhand, Luke-Acts draws upon Roman imperial traditions ofhuman deification in order to explain the person of Christ.According to Kezbere, Luke-Acts contains several storieswhere God originates and testifies to Jesus’ deification. Thesenarratives of true deification (Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21;Jesus’ transfiguration in 9:28-35; and Jesus’ ascension in24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11) are central to Lukan Christology.However, Luke-Acts also contains several stories where dei-fication finds its origin and testimony in human sources.These narratives of false deification (Satan in Luke 4:5-8;Herod Agrippa in Acts 12:21-23; Paul and Barnabas in Acts14:8-20; Peter in Acts 10:25f; Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25-34;and Paul in Acts 28:1-6) serve as rebukes of the claims of theimperial cult. The work is significant, and deserves the directattention of those working in Lukan studies or in early Chris-tian interactions with the empire.


LUKE: STORYTELLER, INTERPRETER, EVANGE-LIST. By Mikeal C. Parsons. Peabody, MA: HendricksonPublishers, 2007. Pp. xxii + 230. $19.95.

A companion to three other volumes on the canonicalgospels, Parsons’s book combines previously published workwith new material, centered on Luke as storyteller, inter-preter, and evangelist. He argues that because Luke’s story-telling reflects the progymnasmata, knowledge of ancientrhetoric yields insight into Luke and Acts. For example,rhetorical ideals related to narrative (diegesis) illuminate theGospel’s prologue. As interpreter, Luke adapted ancient cul-tural values, exhorting his readers (through the topos offriendship) and challenging conventional beliefs (aboutphysiognomy). Interpreting Jewish tradition, Luke modifiedthe traditional view of Jerusalem’s eschatological role, and hedepicted scripture (Isaiah 53 in Acts 8) as signifying the

reversal of social status achieved by Jesus’ death and exalta-tion. Interpreting Christian tradition, Luke transformed acollection of “L” parables and incorporated Paul’s epistolaryself-description and theology. Luke the evangelist depictedconversion as reconstituting the people of God vis-à-vis theAbrahamic covenant. Inconsistent integration of the author’sprevious work has resulted in an uneven volume. Neverthe-less, by bringing together many examples of Luke’s narrativestrategies, setting these consistently within broader criticalframeworks, and providing useful bibliography, Parsonsoffers the seminary student or advanced undergraduate adetailed introduction to Luke as author within three ancientcontexts: pagan, Jewish, and emerging Christian.

Kindalee P. De LongPepperdine University

LUKE THE PRIEST: THE AUTHORITY OF THEAUTHOR OF THE THIRD GOSPEL. By Rick Strelan.Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2008. Pp. 194. $99.95.

Strelan’s thesis in this book is clear, coherent, andalmost certainly wrong. Strelan argues that contemporaryscholars “cannot, and probably never will, know what statusLuke actually had, but this book has argued that to constructhim as a priest fits the bill better than most other viableoptions.” Strelan reaches this conclusion in a rather straight-forward manner. He argues that priests were the owners,controllers, and guardians of tradition in Judaism and thatLuke’s self-appointed task of writing a history of early Chris-tianity placed him within this priestly tradition. From there,Strelan speculates (with all the appropriate qualificationsand modesty) that Luke probably drew upon his status as apriest to take up the task of writing his gospel and Acts. Thisargument seems strained in light of the priests’ consistentlynegative characterization in Luke, the only gospel explicitlyto lay responsibility for Jesus’ death at the feet of the priests(24:20). Additionally, assuming the unity of Luke-Acts, asStrelan does, the “we” sections of Acts give no hint of Luke’spriestly status. In spite of these serious problems withStrelan’s thesis, this volume is worthy of a careful reading byLukan specialists.


DAS LUKAS-EVANGELIUM. By Michael Wolter. Hand-buch zum Neuen Testament, 5. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,2008. Pp. 798. Paper, €49.00.

At most points, this commentary reflects the consensusof contemporary critical scholarship on Luke’s Gospel.Wolter briefly discusses and accepts the unity of Luke-Acts,a late first-century date for Luke, and Luke’s dependenceupon Mark, Q and a unique written source. He remainsuncommitted on the identification of the author of the thirdgospel with either the person referred to as “Luke” else-where in the NT or with the person who originally composedthe “we” sections of Acts. Although Wolter interacts with the(largely American) literary criticism of the gospels from the


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1990s, his comments consistently engage the text primarilywith the standard tools of the historical critical method. Theconsiderable value of this commentary lies more in its ablehandling of recent scholarship than in originality or sweep-ing new proposals. Wolter offers a comprehensive assess-ment of current European—particularly German—scholarshipon Luke; it will serve as a standard reference for severalyears. Scholars of the gospels and of Luke-Acts will want toconsult this volume regularly.


A FEMINIST COMPANION TO THE ACTS OF THEAPOSTLES. Edited by Amy-Jill Levine with MarianneBlickenstaff. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2006. Pp. xii +242. $21.00.

These excellent essays extend the series of feministinterpretations to the complex and contested material inActs. Typical of essay collections, there is no uniformity ofperspective, which happily illustrates the vibrant, pluriformstate of feminist scholarship. Thus, while M. Kanyoroupholds Acts as a charter for Christians, especially women,to reconfigure indigenous African missions, T. Penner and C.Vander Stichele highlight the Lukan ideologies of violence,patriarchy, and colonization, cautioning against reinscribingthese oppressive practices today. Contributions by J. C.Anderson and B. R. Gaventa insightfully evaluate earlierinterpretations of women in Acts. B. E. Reid’s sociohistoricalanalysis criticizes Luke’s attempt to diminish the power ofwomen, especially widows, in ministry, while the articles byF. S. Spencer, J. M. Arlandson, and V. Burrus and K. Torjesenexplore the complex ways in which Luke affirms (and con-strains) women providing material support and leadershipfor the community. R. M. Price, D. R. MacDonald, K. Cham-bers, and S. Matthews (as well as Gaventa) interpret Acts viacomparison to Homer, Euripides, Greco-Roman comediesand cultic traditions (respectively), with differing assess-ments of the Lukan portraits of women. J. L. Staley weavespostcolonial and autobiographical insights together in anengaging analysis of the “border women” in Acts 16. A.Levine’s introductory essay is also a masterful synthesis andcontribution, giving structure to a volume essential forscholars of Acts and feminism.

Jason J. RipleySt. Olaf College

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES: WHAT REALLYHAPPENED IN THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THECHURCH. By Gerd Lüdemann. Amherst, NY: PrometheusBooks, 2005. Pp. 419. $32.00.

In this revision of his earlier monograph, Early Christian-ity According to the Traditions in Acts (1989), Lüdemannassesses the historicity of the events narrated in Acts. Indoing so, he offers a careful historical-critical reading ofLuke’s second volume. Lüdemann argues that because Lukewas not an eyewitness, the evangelist relied on traditions in

writing Acts, traditions that Lüdemann defines broadly as“written sources, orally transmitted material, and generalknowledge that was part of Luke’s cultural environment.” Itis these traditions that in Lüdemann’s view contain most ofthe historical information in the book. Indeed, he judges thehistorical value of Luke’s final product quite harshly. Theunderlying traditions, however, include both history andlegend. Lüdemann’s analysis of Acts involves four steps.First, he attempts to separate tradition from Lukan redac-tion. Second, he explores Luke’s purpose for shaping tradi-tions as he did by analyzing the linguistic features andnarrative context of each passage. Third, he seeks to identifythe historical elements in the traditions by comparingthem with Paul’s letters—which he argues were not used byLuke and so can corroborate matters of content andchronology—other independent sources, and Lüdemann’sown reconstruction of primitive Christianity. Finally, heevaluates the historicity of each account as it stands. Thisstudy offers a careful historical-critical interpretation ofActs, providing a reasoned judgment about traditions thatmay underlie the narrative and proposing a conceivablereconstruction of Christianity in the period during which thetraditions were formed (30-70 CE).

William Sanger CampbellThe College of St. Scholastica

DATING ACTS: BETWEEN THE EVANGELISTSAND THE APOLOGISTS. By Richard I. Pervo. Santa Rosa,CA: Polebridge, 2006. Pp. xiv + 513. $47.50.

Convinced that determining when Acts was written isessential for a correct understanding of it and for recon-structing Christian origins, Pervo takes up the issue afresh.He argues for ca. 115 CE, substantially later than the 75-85CE estimate that many scholars accept. According to Pervo,one of Luke’s sources was a collection of Paul’s letters, some-thing that was not available before the end of the firstcentury. In addition, Luke used Josephus’s Antiquities,written in 93/94 CE. These sources are not obvious becauseLuke recast the material to his purpose and in his languageand style and incorporated it into the narrative withoutacknowledging sources, a common practice in antiquity.Pervo also argues that Acts reflects an emerging churchorder similar to early second-century writings such as 1Clement and the Pastoral Epistles, and contains terminologi-cal and conceptual affinities with these and other texts fromthat period. Finally, Pervo appeals to phrases and sentencesin early Christian literature that allude to Acts or demon-strate a common literary milieu, and anachronisms and theo-logical concepts that postdate 75-85 CE. Pervo’s carefullyresearched and thorough study will be useful primarily forActs specialists, although he has attempted to make the bookaccessible to general readers. He includes in his analysiscopious tables and several appendices, all of which are quitehelpful.

William Sanger CampbellThe College of St. Scholastica


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THE SAMARITAN MISSION IN ACTS. By V. J.Samkutty. Library of NT Studies, 328. New York, NY: T&TClark, 2006. Pp. xiv + 259. $150.00.

Samkutty’s work, his Ph.D. thesis at the Universityof Sheffield under L. Alexander, examines the historical,literary, and theological significance of the Samaritanmission in Acts 8:4-25. Part I delineates his historical andliterary approach and surveys the history of research,while Part II contextualizes the portrait in Acts, surveyingthe historically contested status of Samaritans and theirportrayals in Luke. Given the questionable legitimacy ofSamaritans among various Jews and Christians (cf. Matt10:5), Samkutty highlights the favorable portraits ofSamaritans in Luke as providing anticipatory legitimizationfor the Samaritan mission in Acts. The final section pro-vides structural, textual, and apologetic analyses of Acts 8,affirming Luke’s defense of the Samaritan mission in Actsas the actualized incorporation of the marginalized into thekingdom of God foreshadowed in the Third Gospel.Samkutty thoroughly examines the narrative dynamics andcontextual distinctiveness of the Samaritan mission. Whilehis approach allows him to posit both the historicity andnarrative unity of Luke-Acts, the particular combination ofinterpretive approaches potentially works at cross-purposes. Many will question how traditio-historical criti-cism’s dependence upon perceived literary inconsistenciescoheres with the presumption of literary unity in narrativeanalyses, and how structural criticism’s abstract, ahistori-cal tendencies permit a rich appreciation of the historicaland rhetorical particularities of Luke-Acts. Nonetheless,Samkutty’s research makes important contributions toLukan studies.

Jason J. RipleySt. Olaf College

WORKS OF THE LAW AT QUMRAN AND IN PAUL.By Jacqueline C. R. de Roo. NT Monographs, 13. Sheffield:Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007. $95.00.

This monograph is an expansion of de Roo’s doctoralthesis (written under S. E. Porter). Any reader in Paulinetheology is well acquainted with debates on Paul’s view of“works of law” and judicial versus participationist modelsof soteriology. De Roo approaches the question by analysis of“works of law” (found in Galatians and Romans) in otherSecond Temple Jewish literature. There are only ten (pos-sible) occurrences; all are found in Paul and the writingsfrom Qumran. De Roo finds the phrase in 4Q174 col. 3, l. 7and 4Qmmt C 27 (she rejects 1 QS 5.21 and 6.18). ForQumran, “works of law” expresses general obedience toGod’s law (ethical and liturgical/cultic). All works of law aredivine (God enables goodness via law). Qumran writingssuggest that a truly righteous person (particularly Abraham)can, by superior works of law, atone for others’ transgres-sions. Paul seems to agree that perfect law-keeping couldatone for others. He rejects, however, that anyone could beperfect apart from Jesus. What Abraham (or Qumran) could

not do, Jesus could. This book is of interest to specialists inPauline theology, Galatians, Romans, and late SecondTemple Judaism.

Robert Paul SeesengoodUniversity of North Carolina, Pembroke

THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL. By James D. G.Dunn. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008. Pp. xi + 539.$36.00.

Originally published in 2005 by Mohr Siebeck, thispaperback edition is welcome for its affordable price. Of allscholars writing about the “new perspective on Paul,” Dunnmost deserves to use the phrase in his title, given that hecoined it. The book is a collection of twenty of his essayswritten between 1983, when he first referred to the newperspective on Paul in a public university lecture, and 2004.Two other chapters were written for this publication, includ-ing the opening lengthy piece, which is an overall evaluationon the new perspective, including a personal account of howDunn came to his particular position, and a thorough engage-ment with other scholars who have criticized his work, oftenwithout fully understanding it. This chapter is requiredreading for anyone working in this area. The final chapter,an examination of Phil 3:2-14 with regard to the new per-spective, was also produced for the book. Issues related toPaul, Judaism, the Torah, and justification are far fromresolved, and we are now seeing the emergence of a “postnew-perspective” on Paul. If scholars want a clear anddetailed sense of what the new perspective on Paul is about,they must begin with this book.

Alicia BattenUniversity of Sudbury

NEW CHAPTERS IN THE LIFE OF PAUL: THERELATIVE CHRONOLOGY OF HIS CAREER. ByGregory Tatum. O.P. Catholic Biblical Quarterly MonographSeries, 41. Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association ofAmerica, 2006. Pp. ix + 145. N.p.

The title of this book, an obvious play on J. Knox’sfamous book on Pauline chronology, gives a strong clueabout its basic direction. As with Knox, Tatum only acceptsPaul’s uncontested letters (excluding Philemon) as the basisfor the letter chronology, Acts being derivative and second-ary. Also factoring into consideration is research on Paul’sopponents and an awareness of J. C. Beker’s insistence onhistorical contingency. Although for some this may seem tobe a counsel of despair, Tatum views it as an opportunity forclearing away faulty methodology. In contrast to olderapproaches centered on tracing a linear theological develop-ment in Paul’s letters and culminating in Romans, Tatumproposes a system for locating and tracing the developmentof key issues in several letters. He claims that this allowshim to determine historical sequence. Tatum demonstratesclearly a number of instances of the historical contingency ofPaul’s argumentation. Yet, in a short work of little over ahundred pages, there are a number of arbitrary assumptions


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(e.g., the composition of 2 Corinthians) and a failure to enterinto dialogue with other key works. Valuable for method-ological issues of Pauline chronology, it is not a comprehen-sive treatment.

Allan J. McNicolAustin Graduate School of Theology

PAULUS. By Peter Wick. UTB Basics. Göttingen: Vanden-hoeck & Ruprecht, 2006. Pp. 219. Paper, €12.90.

Wick offers an introduction to Paul for the generalreader with little background in NT or Religious Studies.He presents his material in four major sections (DerBerufene, Der Wortgewaltige, Der Theologie, and Der Missio-nar). Each section includes “text boxes” highlighting mainpoints, key terms, section summaries, and discussion ques-tions. Each major section concludes with “for furtherreading” bibliographies (largely, although not exclusively,citing German monographs). Wick focuses on the sevenundisputed letters. He accepts a fairly standard construc-tion of Pauline “historical context.” His presentation of theGreco-Roman context, fairly typically, reveals a Paul athome with Greco-Roman rhetoric and philosophy. His treat-ment of Diaspora Judaism is brief (and a bit dated). Hiscomparison of Pauline biography in Acts and the “Paul”who emerges from the letters belies a very experiencedhand in sorting out the key issues and illustrating the prob-lems. On the whole, Wick provides very little original argu-ment (to my mind, a desiderata for an introductory text)but restrains his own input to organization, clarity, andsummary of scholarly views. This volume would be a won-derful selection for introductory courses on Paul (providedthe students read German).


MISSION IN THE WAY OF PAUL: BIBLICALMISSION FOR THE CHURCH IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. By Christopher R. Little. Studies inBiblical Literature, 80. New York: Peter Lang, 2005.Pp. xii + 345. $76.95.

The author, who received a Ph.D. in intercultural studiesfrom Fuller, has a bone to pick with present missiologicalpractices among evangelicals. Little claims that the currentprocess of channeling large amounts of money from wealthyWestern churches to developing countries not only creates aculture of dependence but is also not effective in creatinghealthy churches in mission fields. As an alternative, Littlecommends Pauline mission practices that, he argues, wereinherently cross-cultural and did not depend upon the trans-fer of resources from other places. Procedurally, the bookfalls into two parts. The bulk (170 pages) is a comprehensivestudy of Paul’s strategy for mission. It is surprisingly com-prehensive and far reaching. Studies range from the socialhistory of early Christian centers to how mission fits into thewider framework of Paul’s theology. The second part of thebook, less interesting to RSR readers, discusses current

evangelical missiology. Little reasons that Paul’s theology(orthodoxy) cannot be separated from his practice (ortho-praxy). Therefore, his missiological methods (orthopraxy)are as normative for believers as his theology. The book hasendless quotes and is more valuable for the comprehensiveanalysis of the secondary sources than the particular conclu-sions reached.

Allan J. McNicolAustin Graduate School of Theology

THE CORRUPTION AND REDEMPTION OF CRE-ATION: NATURE IN ROMANS 8.19-22 AND JEWISHAPOCALYPTIC LITERATURE. By Harry Alan Hahne.Library of NT Studies, 336. London: T & T Clark, 2007.Pp. xvi + 265. £85.00.

Hahn’s book (a revised dissertation) contributes to theconsensus that Romans 8:19-22 reflects Jewish apocalypti-cism by examining in detail how that passage and apocalypticliterature portray the natural world. After reviewing second-ary literature, Hahne analyzes major turn of the era Jewishapocalyptic writings to consider how they describe the cor-ruption, redemption, and personification of creation—themesisolated from within the Romans 8 passage. Writings ana-lyzed include Jubilees, 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, Apocalypse of Moses,Life of Adam and Eve, 2 Enoch, and sundry works subsumed in1 Enoch. Hahne next exegetes Rom 8:19-22 and demonstratesthe perspectives it shares with those writings. Since Hahneidentifies common apocalyptic understandings of the naturalworld while respecting the source documents’ diversity, hecan situate Rom 8:19-22 specifically among its Jewish coun-terparts, which view the natural world as corrupted by human(not angelic) sin and as being eschatologically transformed(not replaced by a new creation). These writings also per-sonify nature to dramatize the consequences of corruptionand hope of redemption. Hahne’s analysis is concise, suffi-ciently documented, and accessible to scholars, with severalcharts summarizing his findings.

Ronald CoxPepperdine University

MAL, SOUFFRANCE ET JUSTICE DE DIEU SELONROMAINS 1-3: ÉTUDE EXÉGÉTIQUE ETTHÉOLOGIQUE. By Erwin Ochsenmeier. Beihefte zurZeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und dieKunde der älteren Kirche, 155. Berlin/New York: Walter deGruyter, 2007. Pp. xii + 392. $178.82.

Ochsenmeier’s scholarly book provides an extensive,well-structured investigation into the themes of evil, suffer-ing, and justice in Romans 1-3. He effectively builds the casethat Paul addresses questions of theodicy right from thebeginning of Romans. The book’s great strengths includeOchsenmeier’s scrutiny of Paul’s Hebrew Scripture cita-tions, his examination of Paul’s grammar, and his compel-ling interaction with Pauline and relevant interdisciplinaryscholarship. He concludes with a brief Moltmann-inspiredreflection on a post-Holocaust understanding of suffering.


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Ochsenmeier proposes that Paul intentionally cites passagesfrom Hebrew Scripture whose original contexts show thatGod deals justly with humanity in his own divine time. Thissuggests a biblically knowledgeable Roman audience. Suf-fering befalls not only those who sin but also inevitably their(just) victims. Fortunately, those who believe in God’s abilityto fulfill his promises, as exemplified by Christ, may hope foreventual salvation. Ochsenmeier’s reliance on the entirePauline corpus rather than simply the undisputed lettersmay generate debate. Also, his reflection on a post-Holocaustunderstanding of suffering would benefit from further con-sideration of what it offers Jewish victims, in light of histraditional interpretation of justification by faith. Overall,this carefully argued and well-written book should generateimportant further discussion.

Catherine CavanaghQueen’s Theological College

GALATIANS THROUGH THE CENTURIES. By JohnRiches. Blackwell Bible Commentaries. Oxford: BlackwellPublishing, 2008. Pp. xvi + 336. $99.95.

This addition to the wonderful Blackwell Bible Commen-tary series focuses, like the others in the set, on the receptionhistory of Galatians through the centuries. Riches con-centrates on principal commentators such as Marcion,Augustine, J. Chrysostom, T. Aquinas, M. Luther, J. Calvin, W.Perkins, F. C. Baur, and J. B. Lightfoot, among others. After alengthy introduction that surveys some of the main issues asthey have been received through the years, the book pro-ceeds with ten chapters that follow consecutive sections ofGalatians. Each chapter has a different structure dependingupon the specific questions and issues that the portion of theletter raises. For example, the chapter on Gal 1:10-24 con-tains an account of perceptions of Paul’s “conversion”through the centuries, while the chapter on Gal 2:11-21includes some discussion of Gal 2:20 in the mystical tradi-tion. The book focuses throughout on the theme of Galatiansas a “world building” text, and there is a helpful glossary ofcommentators and terms at the end. Riches “richly” andengagingly documents the reception history of the letter, andhis book is a reminder that the reception history of such textsis no less important than the quest for its original meaning.

Alicia BattenUniversity of Sudbury

FROM SLAVES TO SONS: A NEW RHETORICANALYSIS ON PAUL’S SLAVE METAPHORS IN HISLETTER TO THE GALATIANS. By Sam Tsang. Studiesin Biblical Literature, 81. New York: Peter Lang, 2005.Pp. x + 235. $66.95.

This volume is an adaptation of Tsang’s dissertationfrom the University of Sheffield (written under B. Matlock).Glancey (Slavery in the New Testament, 2002) has demon-strated the moral and ethical limits of slave metaphors in theNT. Tsang approaches Pauline slave metaphors and imagerythrough the lens of “New Rhetoric.” Championed by Perel-

man and Olbrechts-Tyteca (The New Rhetoric, 1971), NewRhetoric differs from conventional “Rhetorical criticism.”While both pay attention to subtle elements of language andstress original “context” (knowing the “background” of agiven writing), New Rhetoric does not focus on set forms buton how rhetoric “works.” Rhetoric is about persuasion and,therefore, power. New Rhetoric focuses on how images,vocabulary, and structure construct (or reflect) systems ofcoercion and power. Tsang’s work concentrates on Paul’sletter to the Galatians. Tsang finds Paul’s use of slaveryrhetoric is rooted in Paul’s own self-defense against charges(perhaps of Paul acting in self-interest or his lack of status)made by the “agitators.” From Slaves to Sons will be of inter-est to scholars of Galatians, Paul’s views on slavery, “NewRhetoric,” and feminist readings of Pauline literature.


THE COLOSSIAN AND EPHESIAN HAUSTAFELN INTHEOLOGICAL CONTEXT: AN ANALYSIS OFTHEIR ORIGINS, RELATIONSHIP, AND MESSAGE.By James P. Hering. American University Studies, 260. NewYork: Peter Lang, 2007. Pp. 285. $74.95.

Hering maintains that the focus on the literary andsociological provenance of the Haustafel in previousresearch presupposes that this form is a foreign elementwithin the larger context of the respective letters andignores the specifically theological reasoning in NT usage.He attempts to supply this missing dimension with an analy-sis of the Haustafeln in Colossians and Ephesians. After astudy of the history of research (ch. 1), he demonstrates thatthe Haustafeln are dependent on the christological andecclesiological arguments of the respective letters (chs. 2-4).An analysis of ancient texts on household relations (ch. 5)provides the basis for a comparison to NT Haustafeln. Heringadvances the discussion of this literary form by examiningnot only the forms but also the ideas supporting the instruc-tions. He concludes that, while NT authors exhibit familiar-ity with contemporary household texts, the emphasis onsacrificial love rather than ontology distinguishes NT pas-sages. Hering has made a persuasive case and an importantcontribution to the study of the household codes.

James W. ThompsonAbilene Christian University

ST. PAUL’S EPHESUS: TEXTS AND ARCHAEOL-OGY. By Jerome Murphy-O’Connor. Collegeville, MN: Litur-gical Press, 2008. Pp. xxi + 289. $29.95.

Part one of the book provides English translations ofpassages from Greco-Roman writers in which Ephesus ismentioned. These texts are briefly introduced and compli-mented by commentary on their historic and literary con-texts. A lengthy collection from “Historians” is followed by ashorter section from “Poets and Novelists,” both organizedalphabetically. Unfortunately, inscriptional evidence isalmost completely ignored. In part two, Murphy-O’Connor


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narrates his creative, if not rather too speculative, construc-tion of the life and times of Paul in and around Ephesus,drawing not only on the undisputed letters but also onPauline authorship of Colossians, the core of Ephesians, andat least some aspects of the Pastoral Epistles. Acts is alsorelied on for some historical detail. Despite the book’s sub-title, the emphasis throughout is on the textual evidence,although Murphy-O’Connor does draw on archeologicalresources as background. The volume is more likely to be“dipped into” rather than read cover to cover, except by thoseworking directly on Ephesus. A topical rather than authorialorganization would better serve the navigation of the data,although a fairly extensive subject index is provided. Overall,Murphy-O’Connor is to be thanked for the work of drawingtogether the literary texts relevant to this important site.

Richard S. AscoughQueen’s University

ENGAGING BIBLICAL AUTHORITY: PERSPEC-TIVES ON THE BIBLE AS SCRIPTURE. Edited byWilliam P. Brown. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press,2007. Pp. xvi + 158. $19.95.

Sixteen contributors treat the multifaceted question ofbiblical authority from a variety of perspectives. Includedamong the better known essayists are L. T. Johnson, F. J.Matera, and S. D. McBride, Jr. The contributors provide a fullpanoply of scholarly insights, which are not inhibited bytheir confessional backgrounds. Johnson and Matera illus-trate the freedom with which Catholic scholars, from themid-twentieth century, if not before, have interpreted theBible. McBride speaks from a Presbyterian stance. The dis-array that can exist in the Jewish community of scholars onfundamental questions of authority and interpretation isdescribed by P. Ochs. Both the biblical expert and the personin the pew continue beholden to the power of Scripture. Thatis the good news. The bad news is that the conundrums ofbiblical authority are never-ending (round and round it goes,and where it stops, nobody knows). Individual perceptionseven within the same tradition can be dispiriting for thosewho are looking for absolutist solutions, whether on the partof modernists or fundamentalists. Better not to look for suchsolutions but to be satisfied with the fact that both syna-gogue and church have always been content with the great“main themes” of Scripture. As these essays ably demon-strate, historical scholarship, properly understood, hasfleshed out these themes, all to the benefit of those for whomthe Bible was written, expert and simple believers alike.

Casimir BernasHoly Trinity Abbey

WEALTH AND POVERTY IN EARLY CHRUCH ANDSOCIETY. Edited by Susan R. Holman. Grand Rapids, MI:Baker Academic, 2008. Pp. 320. $32.99.

The eighteen contributions in this volume examinewealth and poverty in the NT and various other early Chris-tian writings through the early Byzantine period. The focus

of the individual chapters varies widely, but the quality isuniformly high. All but the last two chapters (which reflectupon contemporary considerations) are focused on a singleissue or thinker. This approach has the considerable merit ofallowing the authors to engage in original and penetratinganalyses which make genuine contributions to scholarship.However, this approach also means that coverage of issues ofwealth and poverty is unavoidably spotty in this volume; thevolume offers no comprehensive overview of the issues. Theapproach taken consistently throughout the volume is tradi-tional historical criticism; socioeconomic models and theo-ries, when they appear, are largely borrowed and notoriginal. Still, the volume is very successful as a collection ofessays on this important theme; it is well indexed to facili-tate ease of reference. This book is highly recommended forall libraries and individuals with an interest in economicissues within early Christianity.


AND I TURNED TO SEE THE VOICE: THE RHETO-RIC OF VISION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. By EdithM. Humphrey. Studies in Theological Interpretation. GrandRapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Pp. 238. $22.99.

The subtitle accurately indicates the scope of this trea-tise: the importance, and at times superiority, of visions inthe NT compared with revelation through speech (the“word”) alone. At times, a vision serves to settle the argu-ment made by a verbal revelation (with examples from 2Corinthians and Acts). At other times, the vision repeats themeaning of the words (Acts). Sometimes, visions come withobjective propositions already enclosed within them (Book ofRevelation). Visions can likewise serve as crucial revelationsthat are as yet in an early stage of development (Luke,Matthew, Mark). Any visual element contained within verbaldisclosures tends to make revelations more open to explica-tion, less pinned down to a single interpretation, since themultifaceted imagination enters into play. Humphrey pro-vides the reader (who will have to be a scholar or otherreligious professional) with any number of fine insights. Weare treated to the use of the (real but little-used) word“theurgy.” The Preface is dated to the “Feast of Saints Peterand Paul, 2006” (easily recognized as June 29th for liturgi-cally minded Catholics). In short, the treatise, which givesdue place to the neglected aspect of emotion versus mind ininterpretation, provides an excellent antidote to a purelyverbal approach to the Bible.


THE BIBLE AND CONTEMPORARY CULTURE. ByGerd Theissen. Translated by David E. Green. Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2007. Pp. xx + 163. $16.

To discuss the subject of this book’s title within thespace of barely 150 pages might seem an act of hubris orfolly, but Theissen manages to put forth coherent argu-


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ments in language suitable for the nonspecialist. Thematrix for the treatment is, of course, Theissen’s own: whyshould the Bible interest anyone outside a confessionalstance? While answering the question, Theissen managesto expound any number of well-phrased insights. Thus,reading the Bible is not a self-evident obligation for theunchurched. Great scientists such as Kepler and Newtonsaw no dichotomy between physical science and biblicalfaith. In fact, the contingency of the universe as expoundedin the Bible has proven to be a great stimulus for empiricalresearch. We learn the language of symbols found in theBible as we learn our native language—by hearing andusing it, long before we become aware of the formal rulesof grammar and syntax. Studying the past, including thatof the Bible, helps us in the present by acknowledging themany ways in which human beings have struggled tobecome human. Contrary to Theissen, however, Catholi-cism does not really make human authority or works abso-lute; just as Protestantism does not make the letterabsolute. Such statements cry out for nuance. All thingsconsidered, however, this treatise by a veteran scholardeserves to find an audience among religiously committedand noncommitted alike.


THE “MITHRAS LITURGY”. Edited by Hans Dieter Betz.Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum. Tübingen:Mohr Siebeck, 2005. Pp. xxiii + 274; plates. $69.50.

Betz has made an ET and commentary of the late antiquepapyrus called the “Mithras Liturgy.” It contains a criticaledition of the Greek manuscript including high qualityphotos of the papyrus. Although indebted to it, Betz’s workreplaces A. Dieterich’s edition, Eine Mithrasliturgie (1903),and is a welcome addition to other more recent study edi-tions including M. Meyer’s The “Mithras Liturgy” (1976) andReinhold Merkelbach’s third volume of Abrasax (1992). Betzbegins with a full introduction to the history of scholarshipon this papyrus, its discovery, origin, provenance, date,authorship, and previous editions. He covers its genre andcomposition. Betz makes a complete line-by-line literaryanalysis of the text, followed by a full commentary and bib-liography. In contrast to previous scholars, particularly fromthe old Religionsgeschichtliche Schule, he finds that it isneither a Mithras liturgy, nor a Neoplatonic theurgical cer-emony, nor an initiation ritual into a Greek mystery-cult. Heconvincingly concludes that it originated in a milieu prior toNeoplatonism, skeptical of traditional Egyptian religion,likely reflecting nascent first and second century CE Herme-tism. Its magical instructions and philosophical musingshave not yet reached the stage of Gnosticism, and thuspredate the Corpus Hermeticum. This is an amazingresource for the study of ancient magic, Gnosis, Hermetism,and other esoteric currents in antiquity.

April D. DeConickRice University

THE VISIO PAULI AND THE GNOSTIC APOCALYSEOF PAUL. Edited by Jan N. Bremmer and István Czachesz.Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha, 9. Leuven: Peeters,2007. Pp. xiii + 249. Paper, $60.00.

This volume contains the proceedings of the seventhconference of the Dutch-Hungarian research group, whichwas dedicated to Paul’s visions. The conference took place atKároli Gáspár Reformed University in Budapest, 2001. Con-tributions are made by Hilhorst, Piovanelli, van Ruiten,Copeland, Hogeterp, Czachesz, Adamik, Lanzillotta, Pesthy,and Bremmer. The volume opens with a helpful chapterintroducing the manuscript and narrative traditions of theApocalypse of Paul, and covering intertextual issues. Thefollowing chapters address the Prologue and four mainthemes: four rivers of Eden; the geography of the RiverOcean; the relation of body and soul; and the tour of Hell.Another chapter explores the Apocalypse of Paul as a pieceof “fantastic” literature. There is a useful textual and codico-logical analysis of the Coptic version, and a short study of thegatekeepers tradition found in the Nag Hammadi Gnosticversion. A complete bibliography rounds out this edition.This book is a very good way to introduce the Apocalypse ofPaul to scholars unfamiliar with its difficult manuscript tra-dition and content. The bibliography is extremely valuableas it includes all the different language editions as well asgeneral studies.


THE SECRET HISTORY OF HERMES TRISMEGIS-TUS: HERMETICISM FROM ANCIENT TO MODERNTIMES. By Florian Ebeling. Translated by David Lorton.Foreword by Jan Assmann. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University,2007. Pp. xiii + 158; illustrations. $29.95.

This is an ET of Ebeling’s Das Geheimnis des HermesTrismegistos (München, 2005). As an introductory book, itfamiliarizes one with literature associated with HermesTrismegistos. Coverage includes ancient Hermeticism, Her-meticism’s encounter with Christianity in the Middle Ages,the impact of Ficino’s translation of Corpus Hermeticum,Paracelsism, decline of Hermeticism in the seventeenthcentury, and its retooling in the eighteenth through twen-tieth centuries. Content (especially ancient) lacks detailedanalysis. Although space is devoted to ideology and com-munity, most is given to rehearsing the Hermetica’s recep-tion history. Ebeling argues for the existence of a northernHermetic tradition independent of Ficino’s Italian theologi-cal “revival.” The Germanic tradition was alchemical, basedon Ars Hermetica, was passed on from Arabic sources, andinfluenced Rosicrucianism and the Freemasonary. The phy-sician Paracelsus was understood to be the new Hermes,figurehead of “alchemo-Paraclesism.” Sometimes Ebelingthinks that the Hermetic literature should be properlyseparated into magical-technical aspects and theological-philosophical. At other times, he advocates their unity. Thesame fluctuation was noted in regard to whether or not


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Hermeticism is “a” system or “many.” Ebeling is aware ofthe questions of Hermeticism’s origins and Sitz im Leben,but he does not develop satisfying discussions to eitherquestion. Although I wished for more engagement withHermetic ideology and community, the book offers a fast-paced overview of the historical trajectory of Hermetic lit-erature, with stronger analysis of Renaissance materialsthan any other.


THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS. SECOND EDITION. Editedby Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, and Gregor Wurst, incollaboration with François Gaudard. Washington, DC:National Geographic Society, 2008. Pp. 224. $12.95.

In this much-improved second edition of the Gospel ofJudas, first published in 2006 (see the review in RSR 32: 197),the translation is that of the Critical Edition published in 2007but with a number of new and improved readings. The trans-lation is accompanied by copious notes to the text and trans-lation. Kasser’s essay on the story of the Codex Tchacos isvirtually unchanged. B. Ehrman’s essay on the “alternativevision of the Gospel of Judas” has been revised, but he retainshis earlier interpretation of the figure of Judas as Jesus’“closest friend.” In contrast, Meyer has dropped in his Intro-duction such references to Judas as a “hero” and “paradigm ofdiscipleship,” obviously taking into account objections to thisinterpretation raised by “revisionist” scholars. Wurst’s essayis updated, and two new essays have been included in the newedition, “The Gospel of Judas and Other Gospels” by C. Evansand “Judas, a Hero or a Villain?” by G. S. Robinson. Robinson,a “revisionist,” presents what I consider to be a thoroughlypersuasive interpretation of the figure of Judas in the Gospelof Judas. With this new edition, the National GeographicSociety can be said to have redeemed itself.

Birger A. PearsonUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

“THERE IS A REBIRTH AND AN IMAGE OFREBIRTH”: A COGNITIVE POETIC ANALYSIS OFCONCEPTUAL AND INTERTEXTUAL BLENDING INTHE EXEGESIS ON THE SOUL (NHC II,6) AND THEGOSPEL OF PHILIP (NHC II,3). By Hugo Lundhaug.Dissertation for the degree of doctor atrium (dr. art.). Bergen:Faculty of Arts, University of Bergen, 2007. Pp. 323. N.p.

The quotation in the title of this book is taken from theGospel of Philip (67,12-14). With this quotation, Lundhaugbegins his analysis of the concept of “rebirth” as found in thetwo Coptic tractates treated, and poses the question: is thisconcept the same in both tractates? After an introductorychapter, Lundhaug discusses in Chapter 2 the theoreticaland methodological issues involved in his reading of the twotexts. Lundhaug uses what he calls “cognitive poetics,”deriving from research on metaphor and related subjectswithin the cognitive sciences. He discusses at some length

“conceptual and intertextual blending,” contrasting “blend-ing theory,” and “conceptual metaphor theory.” Chapter 3 isentitled “‘In Her Nature She is a Woman’: The Feminisationof the Soul in the Exegesis on the Soul.” Chapter 4 is entitled“‘No Longer a Christian, But a Christ’: Deification and Chris-tology in the Gospel of Philip.” In the concluding chapter,Lundhaug compares the two tractates in terms of theirunderstanding of rebirth. In two appendices, Lundhaug pro-vides his own transcriptions and translations of the textstreated. Lundhaug has thoroughly immersed himself in thetwo texts, and comes up with some interesting new interpre-tations of key passages. But his discussions, in my view, areoverburdened by the dense “cognitive poetic” jargon heemploys. Even so, readers of the two tractates will find muchof value in this book.

Birger A. PearsonUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

History of Christianity (Early)FROM THE LOST TEACHINGS OF POLYCARP:IDENTIFYING IRENAEUS’ APOSTOLIC PRESBY-TER AND THE AUTHOR OF AD DIOGNETUM. ByCharles E. Hill. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zumNeuen Testament, 186. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006.Pp. x + 207. $69.00.

Hill offers two essays united by a shared claim: thatPolycarp of Smyrna was the author/source of the anonymousmaterial in question. The first essay makes a reasonablypersuasive case (previously proposed by Gilliard and Beat-rice) for identifying Polycarp as the unnamed presbyterwhom Irenaeus cites in Against Heresies 4.27-32. Thatperson was an anti-Marcionite elder, a disciple of apostles,and a teacher/mentor of Irenaeus. Of the presbyters Ire-naeus names (e.g., Linus, Anacletus, Clement, and Polycarp),only Polycarp was personally known to him. Most of theessay offers a useful discussion of the presbyter’s state-ments and the implications of their attribution to Polycarpfor our understanding of Polycarp, Irenaeus, and Marcion.The second essay proposes (as Beatrice did independently)that Polycarp is the author of the Letter to Diognetus. Hilllabors valiantly to build as good a case as can be envisionedfor the proposal. It is, however, a case constructed almostentirely of possibilities (sometimes possibilities arising outof possibilities), circumstantial considerations, and generic(rather than unique, or even distinctive) linguistic parallels;there does not appear to be any hard evidence upon which tobuild. Hill succeeds in demonstrating the possibility thatPolycarp is the author, thus adding his name to the list offifteen or so other possible authors, but it is a slim possibilityat best. Of more value is Hill’s discussion of the integrity ofDiognetus 1-10 and 11-12, which demonstrates that dogma-tism on this vexing question is unjustified.



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