D. A. Carson - Reivew of Chris VanLandingham - Judgment and Justification in Early Judaism and The Apostle Paul - p.118-120 PDF

Book Reviews
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Bible
Reidar Aasgaard. "My Beloved Brothers and Sisters!"; Christian Siblingship in Paul.
New York, NY: T. & T. Clark International, 2004. Pp. xii + 361. Paper, us$55.00. ISBN
0-5670-8481-7.
Aasgaard argues that, by virtue of its ubiqUity in Paul's letters, the sibling metaphor was
central to Paul's view of the Church and Christian ethics. He rightly questions the
assumptions behind past assertions regarding family and siblingship language in Paul's
letters, namely, that Paul lifted the metaphor directly from Jewish usage ("God's chil-
dren"), that it represented novel Christian egalitarianism (in contrast with typical ancient
hierarchy), and/or that Paul intended to establish a "new" or alternative family. Draw-
ing on linguistic theory, Aasgaard argues that Paul's use of family and sibling metaphors
is a complex, diversely employed rhetoric used to express and shape his vision of rela-
tionships and mutual responsibilities among Christians. The metaphors reflect the social
context of the ancient family; The sibling metaphor in particular affirmed differences
betWeen Christians while promoting harmony, solidarity and strategies for addressing
ethical issues.
The family was the primary source of one's social relationships, economic security
and educational, religious and emotional formation. Siblings played an important role
in one's identity and sense of belonging, for theirs was the longest lasting relationship
within the family. Aasgaard outlines how in the first century CE, the centrality of the
familia (family related by descent) was being replaced by the domus (those who cohab-
ited in the same dwelling). This largely imperceptible change was interpreted as a
decline of the family. Moral exhortations of the time (e.g., Plutarch, On Brotherly
Love), seeking to "preserve" the family, stressed that family members, especially sib-
lings, were obligated to protect family honour and strive for harmony within the fam-
ily. Brothers did not have an egalitarian relationship, but they were expected to strive
for concord despite differences in age, social status and personality.
Aasgaard suggests that Paul employed the sibling metaphor to emphasize a sense of
belonging and identity (even between geographically diverse communities) and mutual
obligation. Paul viewed the power differences among Christians as similar to power dif-
ferences between brothers; the metaphor served to exhort Christians to strive for har-
mony in the face of diversity. For example, in 1 Corinthians, Paul exhorted the "strong"
Christian "siblings" to alter their attitudes and actions toward the "weak" (in this case
because of differing social status).
In Philemon, where social roles were in transition, Paul emphasized sibling behav-
iour over master-slave behaviour. The term "brotherly love" (philadelphia) has paral-
lels in Greco-Roman literature for siblings in the same familia; Paul used the well-
known ideal to .emphasize practical as well as emotional aspects of Christian
relationships. The term "false siblings" (pseudadelphoi) is unique to Paul, used to
denote boundaries and to deprive wayward insiders of their power.
98 Books Reviewed
Aasgaard demonstrates that Paul did not adhere to one central application of fam-
ily metaphors; rather, he adapted different metaphors to specific situations. For exam-
ple, he never referred to Jesus as a "brother" to Christians, though God was called the
"father" of both Jesus and Christians. Importantly, Paul used the parent-child metaphor
to express authority over communities he founded by portraying himself as a caring and
emotionally engaged "father" (he never calls himself by a sibling term). Only in the case
of Romans (written to a community he did not know well) does Paul use familial
metaphors to place himself in a level or inferior role. Whereas the sibling metaphor
expresses solidarity, the parent-child metaphor emphasizes hierarchy (with elements of
both in both metaphors). The twometapliors are related but do not arise from one over-
arching family metaphor for Paul.
Overall, Aasgaard's arguments and conclusions are sound, convincing and clearly
articulated. Aasgaard approaches the topic from several fruitful angles: ancient social
context, linguistic theory on metaphor, textual analysis of separate Pauline letters as well
as specific texts, and Paul's overall use offamiliaI language. Aasgaard's eye for detail,
concise and helpful chapter summaries, careful use of terminology, and effectively
designed diagrams, graphs and tables greatly benefit the reader.
Aasgaard's critical engagement with the secondary literature is thoughtful and
impressive, and his focus on siblingship offers some fresh insights mto heavily studied
texts. For example, he convincingly argues that inheritance issues form the background
for 1 Cor 6, where Paul shames both parties for making a legal issue public. Relation-
ships between brothers typically included some. conflict, particularly regarding inheri-
tance. In spite of this, emotional and practical support between brothers was expected,
and conflict was normally addressed within the family so as not tobring shame on the
family. Papyrological evidence, especially personal letters and wills, might be helpful
in illustrating ancient sibling relationships, but this not explored in the monograph.
When Aasgaard discusses Paul's parent-child metaphor (chap. 15), he skips rather
quickly through references to father (as loving authoritative figUre) and giving birth (a
related, but distinctly different, feminine metaphor; Gal 4:19; Phil 12). Although he
explicitly admits elsewhere that he does not engage gender issues enough, an investi-
gation of the realm of childbirth may reveal rather different connotations from those asso-
ciated simply with the "parental" role.
Aasgaard briefly notes that one of Paul's goals in using sibling language is to express
an "individual" responsibility to God and others (215). If Paul is advocating a form of .
individualism in a social group outside the family, is this an innovation? If sO, it deserves
more consideration in light of the ancient Mediterranean group-orientation that some
scholars consider a pivotal cultural value (e.g., Bruce J. Malina, The New Testament
World [Louisville, KY: Westminster/JohnKnox, 1993] 63-89).
Aasgaard presents a thorough and worthwhile study of Pauline siblingship lan-
guage. This book is particularly valuable for those interested in Pauline social context
and rhetoric and for those considering familial language in other early Christian texts.
Mona Tokarek Lafosse
Centre for the Study of Religion
. University of Toronto
Richard Bauckham. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. Pp. xiii + 538. Cloth, us$32.00. ISBN 0-8028-
3162-1.
Modern biblical scholarship often differentiates the Jesus of faith, proclaimed by the
Church, and the Jesus of history, reconstructed by critical scholarship. Richard
Books Reviewed 99
Bauckham, following in the footsteps of Samuel Byrskog (Story as History-History as

Story [Boston, MA: Brill, 2002]), rejects this dichotomy and argues that history and the-
ology meet in the Gospels (chap. 1): the Gospels are testimonies of the eyewitnesses of
the history of Jesus, edited and interpreted by the Evangelists, "but in a way that is sub-
stantially faithful to how the eyewitnesses themselves told" the stories (6).
Bauckham begins the main body of his book with two arguments (chap. 2) based on
Papias' comments concerning his access to the Jesus tradition (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl.
3.39.3-4): (i) some of the eyewitnesses of Jesus (Aristion and John the Elder) were still
alive when Papias began collecting the Jesus tradition and Papias used their disciples
as his informants; and (ii) Papias drew the rest of the Jesus tradition from other reliable
representatives of the Twelve (32). Papias' famous reference to "a living and surviving
voice" does not refer to anonymous oral communal transmission of tradition but rather
to "official" representatives of the eyewitnesses. Bauckham's first argument is stronger
than the second.
The following seven chapters (chaps. 3-9) focus on the role of the eyewitnesses who
served as informants of the Evangelists.
Bauckham believes that while the Synoptic Gospels were written at about the same
time, Mark's Gospel was written first. Based on his interpretation ofPapias' comment
in Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.14-15, Bauckham argues that Mark's Gospel was written
during Peter's lifetime by John Mark, an associate of Peter (210-211; chaps. 7-9).
Mark is called by Papias "Peter's interpreter, not in the sense that he acted as such
when Peter was teaching orally," as it is usually understood, "but in the sense that he
translated Peter's words when he and Peter engaged in a process of setting them down
in writing" (210-211; chap. 9). The Gospel accurately preserves Peter's testimony
without any substantial changes (210, 234). The internal evidence of Mark's Gospel,
especially the use of inclusio (124-127), the plural-to-singular narrative device, and the
role and characterization of Peter in Mark (chap. 7) also endorse the Petrine origin of
the Gospel. Regarding Mark's passion narrative, Bauckham's view is ambiguous. On
the one hand, he argues that most of this material came from non-apostolic eyewitnesses
(184; chaps. 3, 8), but on the other, he holds that, like most gospel tradition, this was
formulated by the authoritative body of the Twelve (chaps. 5, 6; p. 194). Mark's Gospel
records the authoritative tradition from the Petrine perspective (chap. 7).
The author of Luke's Gospel drew his material mainly from the testimony of Peter,
found in Mark's Gospel, and the women, as the double inclusio in Luke's Gospel sug-
gests (129-132). Luke's Gospel, as well as other Gospels, also includes stories of other
eyewitnesses, named and unnamed (chaps. 3, 4). In my view, if there was an authori-
tative version of the gospel tradition, formulated by the Twelve, as Bauckham argues
elsewhere, then his explanation for the existence of some significant differences between
the Gospels of Luke, Matthew and Mark is not completely satisfying (see 286-287).
Bauckham states, again partly based on Papias's comment in Eusebius, Hist. Eccl.
3.39.16, that Matthew, an eyewitness ofJesus, wrote the logia about Jesus' words and
deeds in chronological order in AramaiclHebrew (222-230). Later, this work was trans-
lated into Greek by several individuals who spoiled the original order and heavily
edited the text (224). One of the "translators" associated his work "with the apostle
Matthew but was not himself the apostle Matthew" (112). Bauckham does not answer
the question of how to explain verbatim agreements between Matthew and Mark if
these two Gospels were translated into Greek by two different individuals from two dif-
ferent sources who told the authoritative tradition, formulated by the Twelve, from
their own perspective.
The author of John's Gospel is the only eyewitness among the Evangelists (227-228).
Bauckham believes that John the Elder, who is called Beloved Disciple in the Gospel,
wrote this work (226). Chapters 14-17 focus on developing and defending these views.
100 Books Reviewed
In contrast to the Synoptic tradition, John's Gospel "is not dependent on the core col-
lection of gospel traditions that went under the authority of the Twelve" (403).
In chapters 10-13 Bauckham focUses on explaining his theory of transmission of the
gospel traditions. He rejects the informal uncontrolled model of the transmission of oral
tradition (cf., form criticism) as well as the informal controlled model (K. Bailey, N.T.
Wright, J. Dunn) and argues for the formal controlled model, following in the footsteps
ofB. Gerhardson (chap. 10). Using Paul's writings as evidence, Bauckham argues that the
Jesus tradition was controlled by eyewitnesses, not by community, as Bailey and Dunn
argue. Memorization and, most likely, notebooks were controlling methods to keep the tra-
dition as reliable as possible (chap. 11). "[T]he traditions were originated and formulated
by named. eyewitnesses" and the Evangelists received them from the eyewitnesses "either
directly or through very few (authorized) intermediaries" (290; chap. 12). The memory of
the eyewitnesses may have had "reconstructive elements," but ''reconstruction does not
in itself entail inaccuracy" as present memory studies show (330; chap; 13).
In the closing chapter (chap. 18), Bauckham criticizes gospel scholarship for a skep-
ticism ''that presumes the Gospels to be unreliable unless, in every particular case of story
and saying, the historian succeeds in providing independent verification" (506). If"sec-
ular" historians applied the method as rigidly as gospel scholars have applied it, very
little could be written about the history of the pre-Enlightenment era. "Testimony should
be treated as reliable until proved otherwise" (486).
An occasional overlap in content among sections means that Bauckham's work
sometimes reads like a collection of independent studies. Nonetheless, Jesus and the Eye-
witnesses is very intriguing, offering numerous new and creative interpretations. Bauck-
ham succeeds in proving the importance of eyewitnesses in the formation of the Gospels;
but it is doubtful that the tradition was as strictly controlled as Bauckham suggests.
Karl Tolppanen
Wycliffe College
Toronto School of Theology
Joseph Blenkinsopp. Opening the Sealed Book: Interpretations ofthe Book ofIsaiah in
Late Antiquity. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. pp. xx+ 315. Paper, .us$25.00.
ISBN 0-8010-4021-3.
Joseph Blenkinsopp's latest contribution to Isaiah studies is a welcome follow-up to his

magisterial three-volume commentary on Isaiah. Once again the breadth and depth of
BlenkiD.sopp's scholarship provide the reader with a wealth of insights by making con-
nections that many will have missed. Turning to examine the interpretation of the Book
of Isaiah in Late Antiquity, Blenkinsopp makes a valuable contribution to the growing
field of the history of biblical interpretation, while at the same time bringing to the fore-
front key questions that bear upon contemponuy hermeneutics. More specifically, he
emphasizes that biblical interpretation is a social phenomenon and group activity that
moves and shapes ''the real world."
The frrst two chapters deal respectively with "Isaiah: The Book" and "Isaiah: The
Person." In the former, Blenkinsopp applies important distinctions between ancient
and modem presuppositions about literary activity to the Book ofIsaiah. He goes on to
take up the "sealed book" ofIsa 29: 11-12 which provides the title for his own book. This
forms the basis for his considering Isaiah together with Daniel, the other "sealed book"
in the Bible (Dan 8:26; 9:24; 12:4, 9). The interpretive trajectory he traces from Isaiah
through Daniel is a reminder of the organic unity of what we term "prophetic" and
"apocalyptic." One senses at times, however, that Blenkinsopp may be reading back
through this ongoing trajectory and attributing to the authors of Daniel and Isaiah the
Books Reviewed 101
"apocalyptically minded" sectarianism and esotericism of certain branches of inter-

preters of these texts. This seems to be the case especially in his third chapter, "Isaiah
at the Beginnings of Jewish Sectarianism." While reading Isaiah in the light of its sec-
tarian interpreters opens up interesting perspectives, if may also give us an unduly
biased and limited understanding of the text. One obvious limitation of this approach
is its failure to give an adequate explanation for Isaiah's rather universal reception and
appeal, reaching far beyond Jewish sectarianism.
In discussing the person of Isaiah in chapter 2, Blenkinsopp highlights the con-

trasting profiles betWeen the oracular and narrative portions of the Book of Isaiah. He
then traces the afterlife ofIsaiah's biographical portrait through Chronicles, Ben Sira,
The Lives of the Prophets, Josephus and The Martyrdom of Isaiah. His concluding
reflections on the possible connections between the traditions about the Prophet Isaiah
in this latter text and the New Testament portrayals of the Passion of Jesus tie in well
with his later chapter on "Reading Isaiah in Early Christianity with Special Reference
to Matthew's Gospel."
The three central chapters focus on interpretations ofIsaiah at Qumran and in Early
Christianity. The comparisons and contrasts Blenkinsopp draws between the forms and
methods of interpretation used by these two groups, as well as their use of various Isa-
ianic titles, are instructive for gaining a clearer picture of both communities and their
respective uses of scripture. .
The fmal two chapters deal with the Exile in the interpretation ofIsaiah and interpre-
tations of the Servant of the Lord figure. In the former, Blenkinsopp highlights the historical
and theological significance of the Exile, along with Isaiah's role in developing the con-
cept of the "remnant ofIsrael" with its natural appeal to sectarian interpretations. The fmal
chapter draws some interesting lines of influence from Isaiah's Servant of the Lord to the
books ofSirach, Daniel, the Similitudes of Enoch, Wisdom of Solomon and beyond. The
concluding comparison of the "Teacher of Righteousness" from Qumran and Jesus of
Nazareth as Servant figures seems a bit strained, and Blenkinsopp himself admits his
results may be skewed, especially due to the limited source material for the Teacher.
Overall, Blenkinsopp has done a wonderful job in tracing a part of the early inter-
pretive history of one of the most influential books of the Bible. Although he occasionally
overstates the sectarian nature of the writings he discusses, this is not a major detrac-
tion. The popularity among and use oftexts such as Isaiah and Daniel by sectarians, and
the distinctive interpretations given them by these groups, do not guarantee that the
sources share the world view of the interpreters. Nevertheless, one need not agree with
all Blenkinsopp's arguments in order to profit from this well-written, informative and
original book.
Paul V. Niskanen
University of St. Thomas
st. Paul, MN
Joan Cecilia Campbell. Kinship Relations in the Gospel of John. Washington, DC:
The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2007. Pp. xiv + 246. Paper, us$12.00.
ISBN 0-915170-41-8.
Joan Campbell's Kinship Relations in the Gospel ofJohn reads like the rewriting of a
doctoral dissertation, which in fact it is. Her focus is Jesus' personal relations with
members of his biological family as depicted in John's Gospel. Her goals are to explain
the internal dynamics of these relationships and to demonstrate how they shed light on
the social location of the Fourth Evangelist and his intended audience. A critical review
of how these kinship relations are treated in scholarly discussions leads her to the pre-
102 Books Reviewed
liminarY conclusion that Jesus' relations with his mother are positive while those with
his brothers are negative. To test this hypothesis, Campbell turns to cross-cultural and
specific culture area anthropological studies, critical studies of ancient families and
the testimony of ancient Greco-Roman writers. This is the real strength of her work: her
ability to integrate the insights of these disparate sources to construct a model that illu-
mines the dynamics of ancient Mediterranean family systems. Her model is more com-
prehensive than those used in previous social-science analyses of these texts, enabling
her to extend and deepen the insights of those studies.
Campbell demonstrates that Jesus' interactions with his mother and his brothers
reflect the dynamics of many Mediterranean mother-son and sibling relationships.
Jesus' relationship with his mother is characterized by a deep and abiding loyalty but
that with his brothers is marked by envy and increasing hostility. In John 2: 1-12, even
though Jesus speaks in a "machismo fashion" to his mother, he "conducts himself as a
devoted son who will refuse his mother nothing withiri. his power to give" (125). Camp-
bell argues that ifhis mother's request was driven by a desire to increase her family'S
honour, Jesus'reluctant response\is impelled by humility, a core cultural value arising
. from perceptions of limited good. She notes that paradoxically the fruit of humility is
honour (prov 15:33). Campbell's focus on the nexus of honour, humility and the per-
ception of limited good adds significantly to opening up dimensions of this text not dealt
with as fully in previous works.
Campbell's reading of the dynamics of Jesus' relations with his brothers in light of
the siblmg rivalry characteristic of many ancient Mediterranean brotherly relationships
is particularly helpful. She asserts that a desire to share in Jesus' fame plausibly accounts
for the suddenappearance ofJesus~ brothers at the end ofJohn 2:1-12. Campbell explains
how Jesus' actions in the following chapters elicit opposition from Judean elites (e.g.,
2: 14-20; 5: 15-16), even as criticism and disaffection among his own disciples (6:66) lead
to the mutual insults exchanged between Jesus and his male siblings in John 7: 1-10. She
argues that the brothers' demand that Jesus go to a place where people intend to kill him
is not only disloyal but displays a desire to halt Jesus' destructive behaviour and its neg-
ative effects on the family's honour. The degree of estrangement between Jesus and his
brothers is highlighted in John 19:25-27 when Jesus places his mother in the care of the
beloved disciple rather than his brothers. For Campbell this is the definitive sign of the
complete estrangement of Jesus and his mother from his brothers, resulting from the com-
petition, rivalry and favouritism characteristic of Mediterranean family systems.
Having thus explored these kinship relations as portrayed in John's Gospel, Camp-
bell then seeks to demonstrate how these narratives functioned in the social world of the
Gospel writer and his intended audience. She turns to socio-linguistics, specifically
the theory of anti-language as explicated by Halliday and applied to the Fourth Gospel
by Malina, to provide the mechanisms for connecting the story in the text with the life
of the Evangelist and his intended audience. Thus she proposes that the conduct of
Jesus' mother functions as a model of true discipleship: relinquishing one's personal hon-
our pursuits in order to listen to Jesus, encouraging others to do likewise and remain-
ing loyal to Jesus even when that allegiance results in alienation from one's biological
family. Campbell sees the brothers as representing a rival group of Christ-believers
with Palestinian roots and a connection with Jesus' biological family. In the face of their
competing claims, the beloved disciple is set up as an authority intimately connected to
Jesus through the person who was closest to him in life-his mother. This means of con-
necting the story in the text and the social situation of the author and intended audience
will surely provoke further study.
Ritva H. Williams
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Books Reviewed 103
Richard J. Cassidy. Four Times Peter: Portrayals ofPeter in the Four Gospels and at
Philippi. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007. Pp. xiv + 154. Paper, us$15.95.
ISBN 978-0-8146-5178-0.
This book is a careful flarrative-critical study of Peter in the four canonical Gospels. It
also provides a case study of reception criticism in conjecturing how these four portrayals
would have been perceived by the members of the Paul-based Christian community at
Philippi. In the initial chapter, Cassidy clearly states that his narrative-critical approach
entails dealing with each Gospel in isolation from the others, with no assumption about
the literary relationships among the four. In introducing his conjecture about the Philip-
pian Christians' reception of the four Gospels, he supposes that each Gospel was writ-
ten not only for its specific community but also for other Christian communities in the
developing Christian movement. He also assumes that each evangelist envisioned at least
a minimum number of "paradigmatic readers," the most competent ideal readers of a
given text. The Philippian Christians thus presumably read or heard the four portray-
als of Peter. Moreover, the paradigmatic readers among them would have apprehended
each evangelist's sophisticated use of Peter within the plot of the narrative. In Cas-
sidy's view, the readers at Philippi, a Roman colony, were familiar with the power of
the Roman authorities and their practice of crucifixion. Since reception criticism focuses
on how the readers interpret the meaning of the text based on their individual cultural
background and life experiences, Cassidy regards these aspects of Roman rule as the
shared background among all readers of the Gospels.
In chapters 2 through 5 he analyzes each evangelist's portrayal of Peter, in the
sequence of Mark, Luke, Matthew and John. Because Peter's story is only a "subplot"
of Jesus' story, and he is one of the disciples, Cassidy deals with Peter after devoting
two sections to Jesus and the disciples. He begins each .chapter with a brief section
about the future ofthe narrative orJesus' predictions that will be fulfilled only after the
narrative's ending, which he calls "external predictive prolepsis."
Mark's portrayal of Peter emphasizes his two occasions of failure, followed by
Jesus'two initiatives for his restoration. First, Peter is vehemently rebuked by Jesus for
functioning as Satan, as he tries to dissuade Jesus from the path of suffering (Mark
8:31-33). Nevertheless, Jesus gives Peter a way to draw near to him by his gracious invi-
tation to share in the Transfiguration events (Mark 9:2-8). Second, Peter experiences
a desperate sorrow after his threefold denial of Jesus (Mark 14:66-72) and, again, Jesus
gives.him a chance to draw near to him by predicting that he will meet Peter and other
disciples in Galilee (Mark 16:7).
Luke's presentation of Peter focuses on his special role in "strengthening the
brethren," aided by Jesus' prayer for him (Luke 21 :31-32). In the resurrection narratives,
the risen Jesus appears to him (Luke 24:34) and Peter begins to strengthen the other dis-
ciples as witnesses of Jesus' resurrection.
In Matthew's portrayal of Peter, Jesus confers a new role and name on him for the
sake of his Church (Matt 16:18-19). With the name "Peter," he becomes the rock-the
foundation for the Church-and holds "the keys of the kingdom."
In John's Gospel, the risen Jesus commissions Peter to feed and tend his sheep,
despite Peter's three denials ofJesus, the Good Shepherd (John 21:15-17; ct, 10:11-15).
Jesus' prediction alluding to Peter's death (John 21:18-19) indicates that Peter enters
upon the same fate as that of the Good Shepherd, namely death by Roman crucifixion.
In the last chapter, Cassidy offers some hypotheses about the Philippian Christians'
perception of the portrayals of Peter in the Gospels. The community was Pauline in ori-
gin and probably learned of Peter from Paul before the arrival of any Gospel. Cassidy
supposes that 1 Corinthians and Galatians both reached the community before the
Gospels and would have shaped the readers' image of Peter. Since Peter's portrayal in
104 Books Reviewed
each of the Gospels is basically positive, Cassidy concludes tIUtt the readers, especially
the paradigmatic readers among them, would have viewed him favourably.
This book is one of the fifteen character studies in the "Interfaces" series, designed
to challenge readers to re-examine their as~umptions and to take a fresh look at a famil-
iar biblical character. By usmg relevant literary theory, Cassidy successfully fulfills
this task. The fmal chapter is a particularly valuable and thought-provoking contribu-
tion to the study of the Gospels because it raises. crucial questions about the ways in
which a person or event is perceived to create meanings. This book, however, seems to
lack an explanation about how the order of the arrival of the four Gospels could have
influenced the readers' perception of Peter. For example, not only 1 Corinthians and Gala-
tiims, but also any Gospel which reached the community first would have formed the
readers' framework and conditioned the way they perceived Peter's portrayals in other
Gospels.
BokyungKim
Knox College
MarkA. Chancey. Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee ofJesus. Society for New Tes-
tament Studies Monograph Series 134. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
pp. xvi + 285. Cloth, us$96.00. ISBN 978-0-521-84647-9.
The cultural milieu of first-century Galilee has long been a central issue in the study of
the historical Jesus, though it has rarely been given book-length treatment. Mark
Chancey's Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus does just this, subjecting
the popular notion that "Jesus' Galilee" was thoroughly Hellenized to critical review and
constructing in its place "a more tempered view" of the region's Greco-Roman character
nearer the consensus position (notwithstanding Chancey's demurral) of Eric M. Mey-
ers, E.P. Sanders, Sean Freyne, et al. (19). Toward this. end Chancey's argument is pri-
marily negative; to his mind chronological development, geographic variation and class
distinction render problematic the archaeological evidence routinely mustered in sup-
port of a Hellenized Galilee of the first century CEo Chancey's positive alternative,
consistent with his Myth ofa Gentile Galilee (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2002), is conspicuous· primarily by implication: Jesus' Galilee may well have been sub-
ject to its rulers' Romanizing agenda, but it was still at considerable remove from the
Romanized Galilee of the second and third centuries CEo
Chancey presents his case chronologically in chapters 1 and 2, surveying Galilee's
encounter with Greek and Roman culture from the early fourth century BCE to the
early fourth century CE, but accords special significance in chapters 3 through 7 to archi-
tectural, inscriptional, numismatic and artistic evidence "because [these] are the types
offmdings most often cited" (20) and, to Chancey's mind, most often misunderstood.
The effect of the chronological frame is to distinguish the modest inroads of Hellenism
prior to the garrisoning of Galilee ca. 120 CE, notwithstanding sporadic military cam~
paigns "in or near" Galilee throughout the previous two centuries, from the "quite dif-
ferent" circumstances afterwards resultant on the long-term presence of the Legio IT Tra-
iana and, subsequently, the Legio VI Ferrata. Here is Chancey's thesis at its most plain:
the Hellenization-cum-Romanization of Galilee was conditional on the sustained social
and economic presence of the Roman legionnaire; until such was established in the
second century CE, the Jewish character of the region prevailed.
Chapters 3 to 7 present Chancey's attemptto ground this claim in an index of Greco-
Roman culture against which first century Galilee appears consistently lacking. Roman
urban architecture, for instance, fmds introduction to ~lilee "on an unprecedented
Books Reviewed 105
scale" with Antipas' (re)foundation of Autocratoris (Sepphoris) and Tiberias but such
pales in comparison with the "transformation of the landscape" in the second and third
centuries. The use of Greek is attested only rarely in fIrst-century epigraphic and proso-
pographic evidence (in Chancey'S reading never in literary evidence) and even here it
is limited, by and large, to the elite of Galilee and their administrative function. Hero-
dian coinage implies more the "selective adaptation" of Greco-Roman convention than
the "wholesale adoption" of imperial imagery characteristic especially of the civic
mints ofthe Roman East; any tendency toward Greco-Roman fIgural art reflects more
the ideological identity of the upper classes than the Hellenization of the masses. In each
case, purported evidence of Greek and Roman culture is dissociated from the cultural
milieu of fIrst century Galilee as, alternately, chronologically late, geographically
removed or socially isolated. Such does not remove Jesus' Galilee from the Roman
empire-Chancey asserts in conclusion at least that Jesus' language of the kingdom must
still be understood within the "imperial shadow" (229}-but it does have the effect of
rendering considerably narrower Jesus' cultural repertoire.
Chancey's Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee ofJesus confronts resolutely the
material detail which alternately beguiles the student of the historical Jesus by its
urgency and repels by its intricacy and for this he is to be commended. His consistent
privileging of the garrisoning of Galilee ca. 120 CE for the process of Romanization is
instructive, ifdeceptive in its simplicity, and his collection of epigraphic and prosopo-
graphic evidence for Galilee (including an appendix on the latter) will be of consider-
able value for the student of fIrst-century Galilee. Most important, though, is Chancey's
complication of the archaeological evidence by attention to chronology, geography and
class. His appreciation of the ambiguity of the archaeological witness sounds a clear call
to greater methodological awareness in the development of historiographical argument.
Such caution might have been extended to several of Chancey's own methodological
choices, however. His decision to treat the region "as a whole" (xi), for instance,
obscures almost as much as it enlightens; recognition that Galilee's "border regions" (20)
and/or "fringes" (222) demand special comment undermines the uniformity Chancey pro-
pounds and leaves unclear the privileged "boundaries" of "Jesus' Galilee." Chancey'S
model of acculturation likewise grants too easily to "Greco-Roman culture" a homo-
geneity against which "Jesus' Galilee" might be measured as more or less "Romanized."
The result tends toward a reifIcation of two cultures, one expanding at the expense of
the other, rather than an appreciation of the evolving cultural logic of Roman Galilee.
As synthesis, nonetheless, with all attendant strengths and weaknesses, Greco-
Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus achieves a forceful and cohesive argument
surely to !Je much referenced in future if perhaps not without argument.
Rene A. Baergen
Emmanuel College
Markus Cromhout. Jesus and Identity: Reconstructing Judean Ethnicity in Q. Matrix:

The Bible in Mediterranean Context 2. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2007. Pp. xiv +
390. Paper, us$44.00. ISBN 978-1-55635-103-7.
Jesus and Identity is a revision of Markus Cromhout's Ph.D. dissertation, undertaken

at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Pretoria. Cromhout's project is twofold:
fIrst, he attempts to distill the insights of ethnicity theory into a useful model for dis-
cussing Second Temple Judean identity; and, second, he applies this model to the Say-
ings Gospel Q, focusing on the Q people's preservation and/or reconstruction of Judean
ethnic identity.
106 Books Reviewed
Cromhout begins by insisting that in the ancient world ethnic and religious identity
were inseparable. Accordingly, he joins a growing number ofscholars who advocate the
use of tenninology that reflects this reality: "Judean" instead of "Jew" or "Jewish";
"Judeanism" instead of"Judaism~"
In chapter 1, Cromhout assesses the conception of Judean identity implicit in the work
of two historical Jesus scholars, John Meier and John Dominic Crossan. Both scholars dis-
cuss the ways in which Jesus' program reflects continuity and discontinuity with
"Judeanism"; however, for Cromhout, their reconstructions evince the lack in New Tes-
tament scholarship of an adequate framework for understanding Judean ethnic identity.
Chapter 2 provides the author's own attempt to develop a modelofJudean ethnicity.
Cromhout attempts to synthesize a wide spectrum of material here: E.P. Sanders' con-
cept of covenantal nomism, reframed by Cromhout as the Judean "symbolic universe";
James Dunn's four pillars ofJudaism; the insights of various ethnicity theorists; a socio-
cultural model of ethnicity as summarized by Dennis Duling ("Ethnicity, Ethnocen-
trism, and the Matthean ethnos," Biblical Theology Bulletin 24 [1994]: 132-142).
Although his model appears rather complex, it becomes clear through its application that
he is making two primary arguments: (1) It is legitimate to speak of "common Judeanjsrn,"
although this should be understood as a reference to ethnic identity, not primarily a reli-
gious system; (2) The contours of Judean ethnic identity come into focus when the
beliefs and practices of common Judeanism are overlaid on the nine markers of ethnic
identity highlighted by Duling-name, myths of common ancestry, shared "historical"
memories, land, language, kinship, customs, religion and phenotypical features .
. Chapter 3 provides a distillation of recent accounts of Judean belief and practice
organized according to Duling's ethnic indicators. Throughout the chapter, Cromhout
is p\l11icularly dependant on E.P. Sanders' Judaism: Practice and Belief63BCE-66CE
(philadelphia, PA: Trinity, 1992). There is nothing new here, and at times it is difficult
to see how the argument is furthered by the reproduction of detailed data that is avail-
able elsewhere. Still, the organization of the chapter does support Cromhout's claim that
the practices and beliefs that Sanders treated as a·religious system can as easily be
.interpreted as the markers of an ethnic identity.
Since Cromhout shares the widespread view that Q originated in Galilee, be dedi-
cates chapter 4 to the debate concerning the cultural and ethnic identity of the Galileans.
He concludes, pace Richard Horsley, that Galilee was depopulated by the Assyrians in
733/32 BCE and resettled. by Judeans during the Hasmonean period. First-century
Galileans thus shared the common Judean identity outlined previously.
. In the fInal·chapter, Cromhout analyzes the reconstruction of Judean identity that
occurs in the Sayings Gospel Q, again using Duling's nine ethnic indicators to organ-
ize the material. Not surprisingly, Cromhout fInds both continuity and discontinuity with
"common Judeanism." For example, Q's eschatological stance toward the land of Israel
is ''primordialist''; John the Baptist's disavowal of Abrahainic descent as an adequate
basis for covenant membership is "reconstructionist."
What is most intriguing here arises from Cromhout's stratigraphical division of the
Q material, slightly modifIed from John Kloppenborg's study of Q's compositional
history (The Formation of Q [Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1987]). The material that
Kloppenborg assigns to the formative stratum (Ql) displays a markedly different
approach to significant aspects of Judean identity than does the main redaction (Q2),
wherein the reconstruction of Judean identity is more striking--a difference that arises
in large part from the redactor's use of the Deuteronomistic motif of ''this generation."
For Cromhout, Ql reflects a moment earlier than Q2 in the transition of the Q people
from renewal movement within Judeanism to movement outside of Judeanism (370, 380).
Cromhout's study is well conceived: a sophisticated approach to Judean ethnic iden-
tity would indeed help us appreciate the identity-based rhetoric that pervades Q and other
Books Reviewed 107
Second Temple Judean texts. Unfortunately, Jesus and Identity fails to provide what it
promises. Although his methodological discussion helpfully engages recent ethnicity the-
ory, in practice Cromhout applies an oversimplified conception of ethnicity in which
Judean identity can simply be quantified along a sliding scale from "profoundly Judean"
to "marginally Judean" (67, 111:-112). This results in a failure to appreciate how Q's
reconstruction of Judean identity mobilizes the trappings of a shared ethnic identity to
legitimate the distinctive values and beliefs of the Q community-hence the emphasis
on the perpetually persecuted prophets. To call the Q people "marginally Judean" (380)
begs precisely the question Q's rhetoric of Judean identity seeks to address: What
counts as true "Judeanism"?
Finally, it should be noted that the book is plagued by numerous grammatical errors
and idiosyncratic word usage.
Ryan S. Schellenberg
University ofSt. Michael's College
A. Andrew Das. Solving the Romans Debate. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2007. pp. xii +
324. Paper, n.p. ISBN 978-0-8006-3860-3.
A. Andrew Das devotes the whole of his Solving the Romans Debate to one basic ques-
tion: what is the ethnic identity of the intended audience of the letter to the Romans?
Were they Jews, Gentiles or both? While, historically, New Testament scholars have
tended to see the intended audience of Romans as a mixed group of both Jews and
Gentiles who have faith in Jesus as the Messiah, this view has been challenged and come
under question by "a handful of scholars" (53). It is Das' contention that the readership
audience of Romans is purely Gentile, and Gentile alone.
Das traces the origin ofthe book back to a claim made by Paul J. Achtemeier at a
seminar and, later, in the fall of 1994 at the Pauline Theology Group of the Society of
Biblical Literature, that Paul wrote his letter to the. Romans to a Gentile audience.
While Das says that initially he was skeptical, believing that the audience of Romans
was a mixed one which had a "significant Jewish contingent" (xi), eventually he was
convinced by Achtemeier's thesis. He sets out to defend this thesis in this book.
In the first chapter Das deals with the textual history of Romans. He discusses var-
ious theories of its textual compilation and evolution, such as radical partition theories,
fourteen- and fifteen-chapter versions, as well as the origin of the Roman church itself.
In the second chapter, which is really the crux of the book, Das sets out to detennine
what the internal evidence of the letter implies about the ethnic identity of the audience.
One example Das cites is Paul's repeated emphasis on his apostolic authority over "all"
the Gentiles. He equates "all" of the Gentiles to whom he is writing in Rome with "all
the beloved of God who are in Rome" (Rom 1:7). Das sees in Romans 1:5, 7 a repeated
stress which "links the audience to Paul's commissioning to the Gentiles" (57). This link
is further buttressed in Rom 15: 15-16 wherein Paul reminds his readers that he is called
particularly to minister to the Gentiles and that he has the priestly duty of preparing an
acceptable offering of the Gentiles to God. A second example IS Paul's use of pronouns
in Romans 11: 13-32. The audience is addressed in the second person plural as "you Gen-
tiles," while he speaks ofIsrael in the third person plural, thus creating a ''you'' (Gen-
tile) and "they" (Israel) contrast. Das sees this contrast as unnecessary if the audience
was a mixed one, of both Jews and Gentiles.
In the third chapter, Das deals in detail with the subject of the "God-fearer" and the
"weak" and "strong" in Romans 14:1-15:6. He takes the "strong" to be Gentile Chris-
tians who had no exposure to Judaism or Jewish scruples regarding dietary laws and the
108 Books Reviewed
observance of days. He argues further that these "strong" ones, who also tended to
exhibit an anti-Judaic position, were connected to Claudius' expulsion ofJeiws (includ-
ing Jewish Christians) in 49 CEo The "weak" are taken as Gentile Christian "God-fear-
ers" who joined in worship with Jewish Christians in Rome, were exposed to the Jew-
ish scriptures and thus were sensitive about dietary laws and observances of days, most
notably the Sabbath. Das points out that Paul saw this as a contentious issue between
the God-fearing Gentiles and the Gentiles who had no exposure to Jewish Christianity.
Paul calls for understanding and accommodation between the two parties and points to
their common allegiance to Christ. .
In chapter 4 Das discusses Claudius' edict of expulsion of the Jews from Rome in
49 CE, which he believes to be crucial to his argument. He addresses the account of Sue-
tonius in which the edict and expulsion is recorded, as well as the reference to "Chrestus"
or "Christus." Das argues that "Chrestus" is a Latin reference to "Christ," which would
have been perceived as a proper name. The question of whether there was a full expulsion
of the Jewish population from Rome is also addressed. Das contends that while the Jews
were expelled from Rome, the God-fearers who were Gentiles were not expelled and
subsequently formed their own house communities. They would not have been considered
full-fledged JeWs in that they were not proselytes or full converts to Judaism.
In chapter 5, Das addresses the difficult passage of Romans 7:7-25 which, since
Luther and farther back to Augustine, has been taken as a reference to an individual's
inner struggle with sin. In a radical departure from the traditional interpretation, Das inter-
prets the "I" passages as referriitg to the God-fearing Gentiles and their experience of
being ''under the law" when they were still part of the Jewish Christian community in
Rome. Another significant passage Das deals with is Romans II :25-26, especially the
statement that "all Israel;' will be saved. Das rejects N.T. Wright's interpretation in
which "all Israel" is taken to refer to the Church, ie., both Jewish and Gentile believ-
ers in Jesus. Das takes the opinion that "all Israel" refers instead to the Jewish remnant
throughout all history, including Jews who come to believe in Jesus, and thus includ-
ing Paul himself. Thus the ''remnant'' becomes a particularly Jewish entity.
Byway of critique, Das quotes Rom 2:28-29 where Paul speaks of a true Jew as being
a Jew outwardly and inwardly, where circumcision is not only external but also inter-
nal, of the heart. Das argues that in this passage the one who is a Jew inwardly is the
Gentile (210). The difficulty with this interpretation is that it does not fit the context,
which is dealing primarily with theJews and the law (Rom 2: 17-29). Further, Paul does
not stop here; he continues into Romans 3:1-5 still dealing with the Jews, so that
2:17-3:5 forms a unit. In Romans 3:1-2 it is clear that Paul is still dealing with the Jews;
Thus, the one who is a Jew outwardly and inwardly in Romans 2:28-29 needs to be seen
as a true Jew, not a Gentile.
While Das makes a number of persuasive and compelling arguments, it is doubtful
that the majority of scholars will be prepared to accept a full Gentile readership audi-
ence for Romans. The Romans debate is still far from being resolved.
Tony Costa
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
Mare J. Debanne. Enthymemes in the Letters ofPaul. Library of New Testament Stud-
ies 303. London: T. & T. Clark, 2006. pp. xvi + 294. Cloth, us$150.00. ISBN 978-0567-
03056-5.
Paul A. Holloway recently pointed out that ancient rhetorical theorists valued the
enthymeme not only for the logical contribution that it made to speech but also for its
Books Reviewed 109
stylistic and aesthetic qualities. By the early Roman period the enthymeme had become
a highly prized verbal ornament ("The Enthymeme as an Element of Style in Paul," Jour-
nal o/Biblical Literature 120 [2001]: 329-343). Building on the work of Holloway and
others, Marc J. Debanne engages in an exhaustive study of the use of enthymemes in
the Pauline writings as a rhetorical and argumentative tool. His purpose is to reveal the
thought, teaching and social world of Paul. He avers that enthymemes provide build-
ing blocks within argumentative texts that serve· as bridges for the analyst between
texts and the thought world of Paul (3).

Debanne begins his study by first detailing the problem associated with derming the
term enthymeme: enthymemes are part of densely formed arguments that seek to "con-
firm the truth of a proposition about a particular state of affairs through their deduction
from another proposition which is universally recognized or hardly refutable" (4). An
example of a Pauline enthymeme is: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no
longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ
Jesus" (Gal 3 :28). Debanne then establishes criteria by which enthymemes may be rec-
ognized in the seven undisputed writings of Paul. This is followed by what they disclose
about the thought world of Paul.
The readers in Thessalonica were Paul's new friends in his social network. An
enthymematical analysis shows that many of the argumentative premises are related to
friendship and relationship. Paul uses these premises to prove that even though they are
new believers, they have a good reputation in the network, that they belong to a scat-
. tered but cohesive community of believers, that they share in the experiences of Paul's
past and that they are consolidated in Paul as their authority figure.
A consideration of three enthymemes in Philemon confirms that it is an intensely per-
sonal letter in a public context that involves people intimately associated with each
other. Social themes such as slavery, debt, business partnership and church-related
beliefs are part of the argumentation and unite Paul, Onesimus and the principal receiver.
Philippians makes scant use of enthymemes but extensive use of paradigm: this is
related to its rhetorical genre (deliberative), its epistolary genre (exhortative letter of
friendship) and Paul's desire to maintain friendship while also exhorting the Philippi-
ans to persevere during difficult circumstances. Because controversy does not separate
him from the Philippians, Paul has no need to correct or persuade them of his position.
While there is an eruption of controversy in Philippians 3: 1-11, it is a carry-over from
another set of circumstances. The oppositions of flesh and spirit, law and faith, and law
and Christ are part of an earlier battle fought prior to the Philippians and are now seen
by Paul as "standard and necessary 'catechism' for all believers in his apostolic 'juris-
diction'" (117). Galatians is deliberative rhetoric aimed at dissuading the adoption of
circumcision and other ritual elements of Jewish law and is therefore heavily depend-
ent on enthymematic argumentation. Persuasion drawing on the trustworthiness and
mutual friendship of the sender is used spiu"ingly and appeal to emotion tends to be neg-
ative-Paul is in a mode of disapproval. Given the gravity of the situation, Galatians dis-
plays the "lacunar character of polemical 'enthymematic' discourse and a blending of
argumentative conversations. Intentional effects of style are numerous" (159): imagi-
native use of scripture; lively use of proof by maxims in paraenesis; over-dramatization
of the confrontation to force the Galatians to make the "right" choice (159). The greater
and more complex challenge in Galatians forces Paul's argumentative hand. In Romans,
Paul adopts the rhetorical persona of a missionary or theologian. In a more reflective
mood, writing to an audience unknown to him, and arguing theologically, he makes use
of powerful argumentative tools to present and defend Romans' main themes: the gospel
of salvation by faith; the continuity between Israel and the Church; resistance to a
return to Torah; a reconsideration of the contours of ethnic Israel. The Corinthian cor-
respondence seeks to correct problems of disunity in the community (1 Cor) and to
110 Books Reviewed
defend a ministry and behaviour that is under attack (2 Cor). The relationship with the
community has been damaged and therefore Paul uses a series of important argumen-
tative techniques that involve enthymemes to re-establish confidence in him, establish
proof of his teaching and thereby consolidate it, assert his superior spiritual authority
and his own brand of spirituality-a spirituality that bypasses text and Torah with its
emphasis on direct contact with God through mystical contemplation of Christ (238).
This is an excellent study. Not only does it display the value of enthymematic analy-
ses, but it also demonstrates the amazing versatility of a thinker and writer who adjusted
not only his thought world but persona to reach the volatile communities far removed
from him.
Dietmar Neufeld
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Gordon D.Fee. Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study. Peabody, MA:

Hendrickson, 2007. Pp.xxxi + 707. Cloth, us$39.95. ISBN 978-1-59856-035-0.
With books written by Gordon Fee, one always expects to find a thorough, expansive
and exhaustive treatment of the topic under study. Fee has met these expectations again
in his Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study. The impetus for writing
this book, Fee recounts, was what he perceived to be a minimizing of Pauline Christology
in some quarters of New Testament scholarship.
An inescapable issue in Pauline studies is the question of Pauline authorship as it per-
tains to the traditional Corpus Paulinium. While scholars usually divide the letters
attributed to Paul into "undisputed" and "disputed" categories, Fee is willing to attrib-
ute all the letters to Paul.
Chapter 1 begins with an introduction to Pauline Christology, its defmition, the the-
ological difficulties involved, the scholarly tre:atment and the diverse views concerning
this topic among twentieth-century academics. Fee focuses Paul's Christology on three
pivotal passages: 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1: 13~17 and Philippians 2:6-11. He then
proceeds to argue that Paul used the Septuagint to buttress his Christology, showing that
thekyrios title for YHWH was the name: given to Jesus so that the kyrios of the LXX
became the kyrios Jesus in the Pauline communities.
Chapters 2 through 9 present an analytical study of the Christology foUnd in what
Fee terms the "church corpus" (all the letters except the Pastorals), and which he sorts
in chronological order beginning with 1 Thessalonians and ending with Philippians. In
each chapter a set pattern is followed. Fee investigates the preliminary data in the let-
ter under discussion and then addresses the key christological themes and titles con-
tained therein. At the end of each chapter dealing with these letters, two appendices are
provided, one showing the use of kyrios in bold in relation to Christ, and theos in
underlined in relation to God the Father. As most scholars recognize, in: Pauline usage
the terms kyrios and theos are used of Christ and God respectively. In the second
appendix an analysis of the usage of the terms kyrios and theos by way of numerical
frequency is provided.
Chapter 10 presents an analytical study of the Christology found in the Pastoral
Letters or Epistles. Here Fee engages the reader in various interpretations concerning
the translation of key christological texts such as Titus 2:13. Chapters 11 through 15
address a number of christological themes found in the Pauline material and which
cumulatively shape a discernible Pauline Christology. Fee addresses themes such as the
pre-existent and eternal Son of God and the incarnation of the Son who is sent as well
as the subject of Jesus as the messianic Son of God. Arguably the most intriguing sec-
Books Reviewed 111
tions in this book deal with the dual application of the title "Son" for Jesus. Fee argues
that Paul conceived of the Sonship of Jesus in two ways: (1) as the Messianic Son of
God and (2) as the pre-existent and eternal Son of God-the former in relation to his
humanity and the latter in relation to his divinity. As Fee puts it, "the language of son-
ship does double duty for Paul" (38). Fee argues not only that this is Paul's christolog-
ical understanding but also that his communities were well aware of these distinctions
and embraced them. Fee then addresses the various forms of devotion to Jesus in the
Pauline communities, such as invocations and prayers to Jesus as "the Lord," both
individually by Paul and corporately by his communities.
Chapter 16 moves slightly away from the topic of Christology and into the area of
Pneumatology; However, Fee draws this back nicely into a christological context. Fee
is interested in showing the relationship of Christ and the Spirit; moreover, he is intent
on showing Paul as a "Proto-Trinitarian." The chapter also contains two appendices. The
first one deals with "Wisdom Christology," which Fee eschews and vehemently denies
has any foundation whatsoever in Pauline thought; nor does it have any value in its con-
tribution to Pauline Christology. Indeed, Fee denounces it as scholarly fiction. The sec-
ond appendix is an outline of Pauline citations from the LXX where kyrios is applied
to Christ.
In each chapter, Fee provides all the readings from the New Testament texts in
Greek, usually accompanied by an English translation. This is very helpful, particularly
to readers who are not acquainted with Greek. However, this pattern is not consistently
followed, as in some areas the English translation is lacking. On some pages, the foot-
notes are not placed directly under the body of the text but on the following page, a prob-
lem attributable to the publisher. While a number of typographical errors occur, these
are negligible and can be remedied in a future revised edition.
A few other points are open to criticism. For example, Fee states that never in the
biblical tradition as a whole is Adam called "God's son" (246, n. 26). This is simply
untrue, as Luke 3 :38 indicates that Adam is "son of God"; although "son" does not appear
in the Greek text, it is implied in the genitive defmite article tou. Further, Fee maintains
that for Paul the divine title kyrios is used in reference to the exalted Lord and not in
reference to the death of Christ (261, n. 63). However, Paul does refer to Jesus as "the
Lord of glory" who was crucified (see 1 Cor 2:8).
Fee's book is a welcome and worthy exegetical and theological treatment of an
important subject. Time will no doubt prove its worth in New Testamentstudies.
Tony Costa
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
Hermann Gunkel and Heinrich Zirnmern. Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and
the Eschaton: A Religio-Historical Study of Genesis 1 and Revelation 12. Biblical
Resource Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. Pp. xlii + 442. Paper, us$36.00.
ISBN 0-8028-2804-3.
By making Gunkel's classic study available in English, K. William Whitney Jr. has
rendered a genuine service to anglophone scholars of both the Hebrew Bible and the New
Testament. This translation does have its flaws, however, including some outright errors
and questionable decisions. For example, "Just a tiny bit of intricacy" (179) should read
"confusion" (Verworrenheit). Elsewhere, one wonders what could possibly justify the
updated reference to "twenty-first-century readers" (169)? Present throughout are
numerous ellipses, most ofwmch seem to have been added merely to break up Gunkel's
lengthy (and characteristically German) sentences. Whitney, however, has done well in
112 Books Reviewed
providing bibliographical details missing in the original and. by glossing key German
terms, which he typically leaves untranslated (e.g., Gattung, "form" 285 n. 3)-,-not to
mention his thoughtful introduction.
The translation of SchOpfung und Chaos, over a century after its original publication,
invites us to consider Gunkel's legacy. Naturally, subsequent discoveries such as U garit
force us to reject some of his specific theses regarding the influence of Babylonian on
Israelite religion. The more pressing question concerns the current status of his meth-
ods. It is Gunkel, after all, who established form criticism, laid the foundation for the
study of tradition history and ultimately stands behind the controversies currently sur-
rounding the Documentary Hypothesis itself.
Gunkel proffers his "religio-historical method" as a necessary supplement to ''the
prevailing literary criticism" (xl). His goal here is to reconstruct the "origin and tra-
. dition history" of Genesis 1 and Revelation 12 (3). He bases this reconstruction on a
systematic comparison of the multiple occurrences of various mythic motifs (e.g., the
primordial sea and its associated monsters) in the available, historically related evidence,
both biblical and eXtra- biblical (psalms, prophets, Babylonian myths, etc.). Thus,
while Genesis 1 and Revelation 12 constitute the ostensible foci of this study, they func-
tion in effect as mere occasions for the larger project of comparison and reconstruc-
tion. As a work of criticism, Gunkel's achievement is to read familiar texts with fresh
eyes. Just as source criticism taught us to perceive the literary inconsistencies in the
text, so Gunkel teaches us to perceive the narrative inconsistencies in the (oral) tradi-
tions surviving in it. These inconsistencies; he contends, are ''traces, fragments of an
earlier whole" (6), and thus provide crucial evidence for recovering the older stages of
tradition.
Whitney attributes Gunkel's emphasis on tradition over text partly to the (itidirect)
influence of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, both of whom taught at Gottingen, where
Gunkel would later be a student and briefly a lecturer (xxv-xxvi). In fact, one should
think of this influence more broadly in terms of the discipline of comparative grammar
(historical linguistics) which flourished in the nineteenth century. Jacob Grimm, in
addition to collecting and publishing folklore with his younger brother, was also the
eponymous formulator, if not sole discoverer, of Grimm's Law and the author of a His-
tory ofthe German Language (1848). His importance as a linguist earned him mention
in Ferdinand de Saussure's Course in General Linguistics. Viewed in this light, Gunkel's
comparative method for reconstructing tradition history resembles the linguistic proj-.
ect of reconstructing the history of, say, German and ultimately Indo-European by com-
paring grammatical forms within and between languages, The narrative inconsistencies
in which he discerns ''traces'' of earlier stages of tradition are structurally analogous to
so-called "strong" forms, which are irregular precisely because they are the fossilized
remains of older grammatical patterns-Jacob Grimm, by the way, is credited with
inventing this use of "strong" and ''weak'' (OED, see under "strong," a. 22a). One
might also compare them to idioms (e.g., "bite the bullet"), whose meanings are unpre-
dictable (idiomatic) precisely because they are the frozen remnants of earlier linguis-
tic contexts. .
This analogy helps clarifythe legitimate goals and inherent limits of Gunkel's
method. Just as Saussure distinguished between-the synchronic and diachronic study of
language, so reconstructing tradition history is orthogonal to analyzing (interpreting) any
given stage of the tradition. Thus, Gunkel, who is not entirely clear on this point; occa-
sionally intersperses his religio-historical reconstructions with perfunctory interpre-
tive remarks, but the latter are unrelated to, and generally pale in comparison with, the
former. (See, for example, his rather jejune commentary on Revelation 12 in the book's
concluding pages, 246-250). Similarly, just as it is the irregularities within a language
(strong forms, idioms, etc.) that often constitute survivals from its past, so it is the
Books Reviewed 113
incoherent elements within a text that might preserve fragments from the tradition's past.
Thus, inasmuch as the "chaos" motif in Genesis 1 has been meaningfully incorporated
into P's creation story, it is no longer a mere trace of the past and thus contains no
information about the earlier state of the tradition from which it derives (contra 6-7).
This analogy fmally suggests that tradition history has little to say about the author as
, author, and vice-versa. Thus, to Gunkel's crucial insight that the text's "prehistory is not
to be attained by literary criticism" (95), it must be added that the converse is equally
true: source criticism is not to be attained from tradition history. In which case, he is
wrong to infer from the presence of"~ythologically resonant features" in Genesis 1 that
it "is not the composition of an author, but rather the written deposit of a tradition" (11).
Much now rides on this very question of the articulation between text and tradition,
author and tradent. Reassessing Gunkel and his theoretical underpinnings might well con-
tribute to this debate.
Robert Kawashima
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
L. Ann Jervis. At the Heart ofthe Gospel: Suffering in the Earliest Christian Message.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. xiv + 149. Paper, us$14.00. ISBN 978-0-
8028-3993-0.
Very rarely does a biblical scholar begin a book by declaring her intention to step out-
side the traditional boundaries of her field, to tread into the realm of personal experi-
ence and to present insights which cannot be validated in a professionally "legitimate"
way. But just as suffering respects no boundaries, so human beings who wrestle with
it must bring to bear on this terrible mystery not just part of themselves but all that they
are and all the wisdom at their disposal.
In her most recent book, At the Heart ofthe Gospel: Suffering in the Earliest Chris-
tian Message, Ann Jervis writes not only as a Pauline scholar but also as one who
shares Paul's faith. She also writes as someone who has endured suffering and has
been shaken by the collision between this experience and her own "naIve" expectations
of what the Christian life ought to be like.. Observing that much of contemporary Chris-
tianity fails to confront the reality of affliction and therefore leaves people without
resources to deal with it faithfully, Jervis turns to Paul and asks how the apostle-
whose own life was a veritable catalogue of hardships-responds to suffering in light
of his conviction that in Christ God has inaugurated the defeat of sin, the ultimate
cause of suffering and death. How, she queries, does the apostle live with faith and hope
and peace in the midst of present pain, and can his response be ours?
This attitude of openness-which Jervis calls a hermeneutics of sympathy-is a
refreshing change from the suspicion which characterizes so many contemporary read-
ings of Paul. With its careful blending of pastoral and academic concern, At the Heart
ofthe Gospel is a fine example of how to engage a biblical text in a way which is both
critical and respectful, and suffused with the hope that these ancient words might actu-
ally be relevant and useful for the life of faith.
The structure of the book is straightforward. After an introductory chapter in which
she describes the purpose of the study and defends her decision to limit the investiga-
tion to 1 Thessalonians, Philippians and Romans, Jervis turns directly to the letters. Each
of three subsequent chapters is neatly divided into an exegetical section (what Paul
says about suffering), and pastoral and theological reflection (how we might appropri-
ate what Paul says). A final chapter draws together the insights of the study and offers
thoughts on how Paul's writings might help shape a Christian response to suffering.
114 Books Reviewed
Throughout her study Jervis interacts with scholarly literature in a way that is respon-
sible without being overwhelming for the non-specialist reader. For example, she
addresses briefly (sometimes in footnotes) questions such as the identity of the speaker
in Romans 7, the meaning of the genitive pistis Christou and the validity of the two-ways
soteriology proposed by proponents of the new perspective on Paul. However, such issues
are never allowed to draw attention away' from the focus of the investigation.
A major premise of the book is that suffering is of various kinds. There is a differ-
ence between suffering which is specific to non-believers, that which is unique to fol-
lowers of Jesus, and the afiliction to which all human beings are vufuerable. With
respect to the last, Jervis is very careful to clarifY what she means and does not mean
by asserting that sin is at the root of suffering and death. Far from blaming individuals
for the tragedies and calamities that befall them, she clearly articulates the Pauline
vision of sin as a power that infects all creation.
Another distinction---albeit a heuristic one and not explicit in Paul~is the difference
between suffering with Christ and suffering in Christ. The former refers to afiliction
which is the direct consequence of faithful discipleship. This is the sort of suffering whose
nobility and Christ-like .character are not hard to perceive. Much more difficult to cope
with is the ugly and undeserved misery that frequently leaves believers bafiled and
speechless with grief. Thinking about this other sort of afiliction as occurring in Christ
opens up new possibilities for seeing it as purposeful simply because of the context in
which it takes place, namely, the participation of the believer in Christ.
Writing with keen pastoral and theological sensitivity, and in a simple and elegant
style, Jervis draws forth from Paul a word that is both consoling and strengthening. Firm
in its assertion that suffering is not the will of God for us or for creation but something
to be struggled against, this book stirs the reader to compassion and action. Read the way
Jervis herself reads Pa~with sympathy and eagerness to hear a word ofho~At the
Heart ofthe Gospel offers not only a thorough reading of an important dimension of three
Pauline letters but also a deep ,and thoughtful meditation on the cross and the gospel as
good news which truly can thrive in the most hostile conditions.
Laura D. Alary
Knox College
Allen P. Ross. Recalling the Hope ofGlory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New
Creation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006. Pp. 591. Cloth, us$35.99. ISBN 0-8254-
3578-1. .
In this book Allen P. Ross attempts to develop a Christian theology of worship. He

does so using a theological reading of various biblical texts rather than historical-crit-
ical exegesis. In the preface he states that his intention is to "inspire and encourage Chris-
tians ... to study Scripture more closely on this subject" (25).
The structure of the book is relatively straightforWard. Ross begins with an expla-
nation of the need for worship ("a natural and proper response to the revelation of the
holy Lord God of glory," 60) and his definition ("True worship is the celebration of being
in covenant fellowship with the sovereign and holy triune God, by means of the rever-
ent adoration and spontaneous praise of God's nature and works, the expressed com~
mitment of trust and obedience to the covenant responsibilities, and the memorial reen-
actment of entering into covenant through ritual acts, all with the confident anticipation
of the fulfillment of the covenant promises in glory," 67-68). In chapters 3 through 28,
beginning with Genesis and going all the way through Revelation, Ross demonstrates
how the description ofworship found in the biblical text supports his definition. He con-
Books Reviewed 115
cludes his book with principles that are "absolutely essential for developing the worship
of God" (503): "the evidence of the Lord's presence makes worship a holy convocation"
(504); "sacrifice is at the center of worship" (505); and "individual public praise ... is the
evidence ofthe spiritual life that is alive ... " (507).
There are several difficulties with Ross' theological presentation. For instance, while
his defmition of worship is not altogether problematic, nowhere in the book does he
explain or justity it. This is particularly troubling when the entire project is an attempt to
defme biblical worship. To be fair, although Ross does not explicitly state this, apparently
each line of his defmition (he lays it out poetically in the book) is a summary statement
of each section of the book. So, for example, the phrase "by means of the reverent adora-
tion" seems to reflect Ross's summary of the worship described in Exodus and Leviticus.
This is troubling because, if this is an accurate account of what he is doing, the defmition
brings together the various formulations of worship described in the Bible in artificial ways.
What could "the confident anticipation of the fulfillment of the covenant promises in
glory" (Ross's exposition of Revelation) mean to a person living during the Davidic
monarchy? Furthermore, nowhere does Ross engage (or even mention) the possibility
that the Bible might offer alternative and competing views of worship. For him there is
apparently only one biblical view of worship. Ross has presented his own theological
understanding about what worship is and then has gone to the text, ignoring its historical
context, and found support for his view of worship. For example, his description of the early
church's worship (chap. 26) looks surprisingly like a contemporary Evangelical church.
A second major difficulty is Ross's "ahistorical reading" of the Hebrew Bible. For exam-
ple, in his discussion of the Genesis creation story (Ross clearly rejects any source the-
ory) he writes, "And just as God makes divisions between the light and the darkness, so
he makes divisions for his people between good and evil, and clean and unclean (e.g., Lev
11 :8; 1 John 1:5b-7)" (82). Ross does not justity or explain what significance either
Leviticus or 1 John have for Genesis. Often he seems to exegete the Hebrew Bible through
a first-century CE lens rather than understanding the Hebrew Bible as a historical text in
its own right. Also, Ross includes citations of New Testament texts to support and defend
(often without comment) his Hebrew Bible exegesis. Only one who agrees with Ross's
understanding of the New Testament could accept his exegesis of the Hebrew Bible.
Finally, it must also be mentioned that for a book of this size the references to other
scholarly works is limited. Throughout, Ross mentions "many scholars" without adding
specific references. The bibliography is confusingly ordered by topic, and only a hand-
ful of the references date to within the last decade. .
Ross' book is helpful in cataloguing and discussing many of the instances ofwor-
ship described in the Bible. But it is likely that only a person who accepts the author's
theological presuppositions and his exegetical method will find this book helpful.
Because Ross does not engage historical considerations or clearly defend his defmition
of worship, there is relatively little in the book that can move forward the academic dis-
cussion and definition of biblical worship.
Timothy Senapatiratne
Bethel University and Seminary
St. Paul, MN
Christopher R. Seitz. Prophecy and Hermeneutics: Toward a New Introduction to the

Prophets. Studies in Theological mterpretation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007. pp. 264.
Paper, us$22.99. ISBN 978-0-8010-3258-5.
Seitz proposes a canonical introduction to the prophets that takes seriously the figural
dimensions of Jesus Christ at the heart of history and the Christian biblical canon. Fig-
116 Books Reviewed
ural interpretation entails a literary dimension insofar as the prophets are intentionally
related to one another to form the prophetic books within the larger Christian canon. Fig-
ural interpretation also has historical, diachronic and temporal dimensions insofar as the
prophetic literature portrays G-d acting consistently and comprehensibly across time.
Seitz asserts that G-d's work through the prophets with Israel, Jesus Christ and the
Church is providentially intended and overseen.

Whereas earlier critical scholarship emphasized the diachronic question of the lit-
erary-historical formation of the prophetic literature with a particular emphasis on
recovering and reconstructing the earliest authors, more recent critical scholarship rec-
ognizes the importance· of reading the prophetic books in their fmal literary forms.
Such work raises questions about the writing of an introduction to the prophets, not the
least of which is, to what degree must the fmal form of prophetic books be considered
in Christian theological interpretation? '
Such questions impel Seitz into a dialogue with Gerhard von Rad whose traditio-his-
torical treatment of the prophets pointed to the developing theological dimensions of the
prophetic books in relation to the institutional societal settings in which the individual
prophets worked. Von Rad's work, however, stopped short of interpreting biblical books
in their fmal canonical forms. For his part, Seitz aims to demonstrate that the canoni-
cal presentation of the prophets is its own kind of theological and historical statement.
Von Rad recognized that the prophets said one thing to their contemporaries, but traditio- .
historical development of the prophets entailed that subsequent generations adapted
earlier forms of the prophetic traditions to the realities of their own day until the process
reached its culmination in the New Testament. Seitz wants to press the question forward,
arguing that although historical research establishes that the prophets did not predict or
seek fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the canonical form of the Christian Bible demands
that the prophetic books be read as a theological bridge to Christ.
. Seitz's assessment ofthe canonical form of the Book of the Twelve Prophets attemptS
to demonstrate how the current ordering of the twelve individual prophetic books
reflects an account ofG-d's providentially ordered history. The Book of the Twelve delin-
eates the interrelationship between Israel and the nations insofar as the nations have a
different, but parallel; place and destiny in G-d's world as well as the means of repen-
tance. Seitz correctly maintains that the canonical presentation of the fmal form of the
Book of the Twelve is significant for theological interpretation; an exclusive focus on
the historical dimensions of these twelve figures is flawed when the final form of the
book is ignored.
Seitz's work nevertheless raises a number of fundamental issues. First, to what
extent must the prophetic books be recognized as sacred scripture that is shared by
both Judaism and Christianity, particularly since they were composed and functioned .
as Jewish scripture prior to the formation of the Christian canon-and they continue to
function as sacred scripture in Judaism? To what extent does Christianity have the right
unilaterally to impose Jesus Christ and the New Testament on the reading of the Old Tes-
tament without acknowledging the continuing theological validity of Judaism and its
reading of biblical texts?
Second, to what extent must interpreters recognize the continuing significance of the
multiple forms of the biblical canon, especially within Christianity? Seitz's work focuses
on the Masoretic text as the basis for interpretation, but he too easily dismisses the sig-
nificance of the Septuagint and other canonical versions in Christian biblical interpre-
tation. He justifies his focus on the Masoretic text by claiming that the Septuagint is a
derivative text form, but modern text and canonical critiCal work render such a dismissal
inadequate.
Third, to what extent can the prophetic books be reduced to prediction as their basic
theological function and hermeneutical outlook? The predictive capacity of the prophetic
Books Reviewed 117
books, particularly in the overarching concern to read these books in relation to Jesus
Christ as the focal point of the Christian canon, has the· capacity to overshadow all
other concerns. The prophetic books are as much concerned with reflection on questions
of theodicy as they are with prediction, and such concerns must also be recognized as
the subject of Christian biblical interpretation.
Finally, to what degree do prophets engage in dialogue with each other in their
respective canonical forms? The canonical form of Isaiah, for example, begins with a
concern for the restoration of a righteous Davidic monarch, but later redefines Davidic
kingship in relation to Cyrus, Israel, and G-d. The book of the Twelve, by contrast, antic-
ipates the rise of a new Davidic monarch in Hosea, Amos, Micah, Haggai, Zechariah
and elsewhere. Theological interpretation must be prepared to grapple with such dif-
ferences in perspectives.
Seitz has produced an important and welcome work that examines the questions posed
for Christian biblical theology by the ongoing discussion of the interpretation of the fmal
forms of the prophetic books. The open questions emerge as an invitation to reflect fur-
ther on the issues that his work raises.
Marvin A. Sweeney
Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, CA
Marty E. Stevens. Temples, Tithes, and Taxes: The Temple and the Economic Life of
Ancient Israel. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2006. Pp. xi + 209. Paper, us$24.95.
ISBN 978-1-56563-934-8.
Ancient near eastern temples were primarily dwelling places for deities within the
human community. The deity was present, embodied in a cult statue or some symbol,
while the cult performed was aimed at feeding and caring for the divine resident, con-
sulting and paying him or her homage. Ancient Israelite temples were no exception
although, in the course of history, the nature ofYHWH's presence and the purpose of
the cult underwent refmement, symbolization or abstraction. These temples were staffed
by priests who conducted the required rites, frequented by worshippers and maintained
by skilled artisans.
The gods being in actuality or metaphorically all-too-human, they too were subject
to the famous dictum memorialized by economist Milton Friedman: "there's no such
thing as a free lunch"-the bottom line being that running temples costs money. This
reality, somewhat jarring to modem notions of houses of worship as purely spiritual or
social institutions, occasions the volume under review. This book studies "the temple
in Jerusalem in its role as the central religious and socioeconomic institution in ancient
Israel." The author worked for fifteen years as a CPA before turning to biblical studies
and brings her acquired knowledge and experience to her new scholarly calling.
Under the rubric "the temple in Jerusalem" Stevens refers jointly to the First Tem-
ple, built by Solomon, the Second Temple constructed by returnees from Babylonian
exile, and the grand Herodian structure which replaced it until destroyed by the Romans
in 70 CEo There are also references to the Mosaic Tabernacle, the temple in Shiloh, and
several other Israelite temples from the early first millennium BCE. Unfortunately, the
Hebrew Bible, our only source of knowledge about the First and early Second Temples,
is not an economics treatise but a religious, ideological literary corpus. Even the "his-
torical books" (pentateuch-Former Prophets,Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah, Ruth, Esther)
treat economic issues only incidentally. Contemporary sources concerning the later
Second Temple and Herod's Temple (apocryphal books and Josephus) are similarly
restricted in interest. At best, all available sources refer retrospectively to economic activ-
118 Books Reviewed
ities and none are repositories of original economic or administrative documents. In order
to flesh out the picture, Stevens turns to the temples of Mesopotamia which, in stark con-
trast to the Bible and other Jewish writings, provide countless primary sources of every
variety (e.g., bills, reqeipts, contracts, ledgers) derived directly from the economic
activities of those institutions. The book'S methodology, dictated by the nature of the
available evidence, is twofold. The literary sources concerning the Jerusalem Temple
are scrutinized and squeezed dry for every available drop of economic information; this
information is then compared with, elaborated upon and reconstituted by analogy with
the extra-biblical material. The resultant picture drawn of the Judean-Jewish Temple's
economic role is largely congruent with that of the Mesopotamian temples. The case for
the Jerusalem Temple as an institution of e.conomic a~tivity and influence is well taken;
many interesting points are made. The concluding synthesis is effectively illustrated by
lucid diagrams and flow charts showing concentric rings of economic activities radiat-
ingout from the Temple itself to the surrounding society. As such, this book can serve
as an entree to the topic at hand. The non-scholarly contributions of portraying the
Temple as not just a place of worship and demonstrating that the Temple was not dis-
connected from economics, politics and sociology are valid and valuable.
Unfortunately, many scholarly shortcomings, of which I list but a few, diminish the
book's overall worth. Stevens accepts uncritically the historical outline of the extant,
edited Hebrew Bible, ignoring centuries of literary-historical criticism which views
biblical literature as reflecting the historical-societal background of the composition of
its parts rather than of the periods it describes. So the Tabernacle narrative in Exodus
is taken to depict the desert period and not some later period, be it the First Temple period,
the age of Restoration, or something else. This non-critical approach precludes a true
historical dimension to the work. Many Mesopotamian texts are cited from old, outdated
editions. There are some major bibliographical oversights. A lengthy chapter on tem-
ple construction (28-{)3) ignores this reviewer's I Have Built You an Exalted House: Tem-
ple Building in the Bible in Light of Mesopotamian and Northwest Semitic Writings
(Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992), containing an extensive discussion of
acquiring building materials-:-an overtly economic activity. There are references to
administrative diction and related literary forms but no mention of Baruch Levine's clas-
sic article, "The Descriptive Taberna<fle Texts of the Pentateuch," Journal ofthe Amer-
ican Oriental Society 85 (1965): 307-318, which investigates just such matters. Reli- .
gious aspects of temple economy such as the question of divine property are hardly
considered. There are no references to Mesopotamian literary texts reflecting economic
aspects of their temples and which would be closer in genre to the biblical texts than the
economic texts exploited.
In conclusion, this book offers a tantalizing taste of a crucial subject but leaves the
critical scholar hungering for a more satisfying meal.
Victor Avigdor Hurowitz
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Beer-Sheva, Israel
Chris VanLandingham. Judgment and Justification in Early Judaism and the Apostle
Paul. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson: 2006. pp. xvi + 384. Cloth, us$29.95. ISBN 978-1-
56563-398-8.
VanLandingham's book is a revised form of his doctoral dissertation, written under the
supervision of George W.E. Nickelsburg. Its thesis is nicely summarized in VanLand-
ingham's own words:
Books Reviewed 119
My thesis is that in the letters of Paul and in much of the literature of Judaism from the Greek and
Early Roman periods, a post-mortem or Last Judgment of God determines an individual's eternal
destiny. Moreover, both corpora agree that an individual's good behavior is rewarded with eternal
life, bad behavior with damnation. Paul agrees with a significant number of his Jewish contem-
poraries on the subject. This book also examines the notion of divine recompense within the
framework of God's grace and mercy as understood in early post-biblical Jewish texts and in
Paul's letters. God's grace and mercy may be present throughout a person's life, working on his
or her behalf; but one's deeds determine approbation at the final judgment. On this subject, I find
no difference between Paul and his Jewish contemporaries. (15)
VanLandingham's primary interlocutor is E.P. Sanders, especially as represented in

his influential book Paul and Palestinian Judaism. Sanders holds that Palestinian Jews
in the period of Second Temple Judaism believe they have been saved by grace-grace
that is grounded in God's election of their fathers. They must now maintain themselves
by works. By contrast, VanLandingham argues in his first chapter that Sanders is merely
presupposing a link between election and grace. His own reading of Jewish accounts of
election find grace "remarkably absent" from the election of Abraham. God's favour
toward Abraham is typically portrayed as the result of Abraham's noteworthy obedience.
More generally, VanLandingham seeks to demonstrate that such· Jewish readings of
the Old Testament sources "are in fact accurate, or at least plausible, extrapolations of
the biblical account of the axiom that God rewards the righteous" (16).
In his second chapter, VanLandingham turns from the theme of election to the theme
of eternal life. The Jewish literature of the Greek and Roman periods pervasively picks
up the theme of life from the Deuteronomic formulae for life and death, blessing and
cursing, reward and punishment--only now the "life" in view is typically eternal life
and the death is damnation. The criteria for eternal life, revolving primarily around
obedience to Torah, are often articulated in the context of the Last Judgment. If divine
mercy is mentioned, this is simply another way of referring to salvation, but such mercy
is not adduced as the ground of salvation.
In the second half of his book, comprising chapters 3 and 4, VanLandingham turns
to Paul. Chapter 3 surveys Pauline texts that link behaviour to the outcome of the Last
Judgment, especially focusing on passages that examine Paul's criteria for receiving eter-
nallife. VanLandingham fmds no substantive difference with Judaism; the crucial deter-
minant is one's behaviour. He follows this up with two further arguments: (1) At the Last
Judgment God may well reject believers for their moral failures, as he does in Romans
2 with respect to some of the descendants of Abraham. Thus, even though in Paul only
believers can be saved, it does not follow that all believers are saved. (2) It follows that
the justice disclosed at the Last Judgment is retributive, both in Paul and in the (other)
Jewish texts. "Appropriate reward and punishment result respectively in either eternal
life or damnation, with one's behavior forming the sole criterion" (17).
In chapter 4, VanLandingham probes what "justification by faith" means and
how in his understanding it might be reconciled with the notion that judgment is
according to deeds. In the dominant view, justification is essentially forensic, a pro-
leptic verdict of acquittal. VanLandingham argues that "justification" is an improper
translation and that in any case the notion is not forensic. The verb should be ren-
dered "to make righteous." What is in view is the "righteousness" of individual
believers at the beginning of their Christian existence as they stand forgiven of their
sin and freed from sin's power. Clearly such forgiveness and freedom have a bear-
ing on what occurs at the end, at the Last Judgment, but the Greek terms are not foren-
sic and in no way refer to the Last Judgment. "At the time of faith, a person who has
been 'made righteous' is forgiven of past sins (which then become a dead issue),
cleansed from the guilt and impurity of sin, freed from the human propensity to sin
and then given the ability to obey. The Last Judgment will then determine whether
a person, as an act of the will, has followed through with these benefits of Christ's
120 Books Reviewed
death. If so, ete.rnallife will be the reward: if not, damnation" (335). The thesis is
nothing if not bold. '
Probably his most accurate treatment oftexts is found in his handling of the liter-
ature of Second Temple Judaism, though even here one could quibble. Considerably
more disputable, however, is his inSistence that these Jewish writers from the Greek
and Roman worlds have rightly captured the priorities of the Old Testament. His treat-
ment of the Old Testament itself-as he acknowledges-is pretty slender. When Abram
is chosen by God while still in Ur of the Chaidees, the text does not say he was cho-
sen by merit, VanLandingham acknowledges, but neither does it make clear he was sov~
ereignly chosen by grace, so VanLandingham infers that the former is more likely, or
at least equally plausible. That in turn informs his reading of passages such as Deuteron-
omy 7-10. Even if "the notion that God's grace precedes human obligation ... occurs
in Gen. 11-12," he argues, "it is thoroughly and consistently corrected in post-bibli-
cal literature to conform to the pattern of why God establishes covenants with other
renowned biblical personalities. Clearly, later Jews wanted to show that God is one who
rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness, that God's actions conform to what
is just and fair" (64).
Turning to the New Testament, one is not more happily reassured that VanLand-
ingham has avoided the temptation to squeeze the evidence into the mould of his the-
sis. Passages such as Philippians 2:12-16 and 1 Corinthians 15:10 do not encourage Van-
Landingham to work through the notoriously complicated issues surrounding
compatiblism. Rather, he simply comments, "In his autobiographical statements, some-
times Paul emphasizes his role in his endeavors ... sometimes God's grace. Paul views
himself as neither 'possessed' or controlled by the deity nor.as constrained or over-
powered; rather he is inspired. If one's deeds rely solely upon God's doing, then the logic
of God's commandments is lost and responsibility for one's behavior at the Last Judg-
ment is moot" (187). This is not exegesis; it is assertion of the desired conclusion on the
basiS of an unacknowledged pre-understanding regarding libertarian assumptions about
how responsibility is grounded. VanLandingham's treatment of the dik- word-group is
not sophisticated. For example, he does not see that 'in its context, Romans 4:5 pre-
supposes that Paul understands God's "justification" ofAbraham to be the justification
of the wicked; he does not detect how far removed from Josephus Paul is in his under-
standing of "grace."
Exactly how one should understand Paul's references to rewards and to final judg-
ment and integrate them with everything else the apostle says is not an easy topic. Cer-
tainly it is much diScussed in contemporary literature, not least in some of what has been
written on the new perspective on Paul. VanLandingham should certainly be praised for
tackling a subject that is both important and difficult-not for him the obscure disser-
tation on esoteric minutiae. But the theological reductionism required to make this the-
sis hang together--Christ's cross~work pays for our sinS up to the moment of our con-
version, but not for post-conversion sins-approaches the bizarre. It remains unclear to
me whether VanLandingham thinks only those who have "followed through" (his
expression) with their commitment to Christ in sinless perfoction will be saved (in
which case post-consummation existence is going to be singularly devoid of human
beings), or those who have "followed through" with a respectable balance of good
behaviour over bad behaviour. In either case, the thesis is driving toward a frame of ref-
erence far removed from that of the apostle.
D.A. Carson
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Deerfield, IL
Books Reviewed 121
Robert Louis Wilken, Angela Russell Christman and Michael J. Hollerich, eds. Isaiah:
Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators. The Churc~'s Bible.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. xxviii + 590. Cloth, u8$45.00. ISBN 978-0-
8028-2581-0.
This is the third volume to appear thus far in the new series The Church's Bible, of which
Robert Wilken is also the General Editor. The two previous volumes were Richard A.
Norris Jr., The Song o/Songs (2003) and Judith L. Kovacs, I Corinthians (2005). The
aim of this series is to present the Christian tradition of biblical interpretation as prac-
tised in the first millennium of Christian history. While this goal may seem to have
already been met by the amazingly successful Ancient Christian Commentary on Scrip-
ture series published by InterVarsity Press, the two series actually present the early
Christian material very differently. While the ACCS offers an assortment of brief and
randomly selected comments from a wide range of literature in which the biblical pas-
sage in question is either cited or alluded to, The Church's Bible provides extensive
excerpts from the ancient commentaries to the passage. The difference is quickly appar-
ent. The reader of this volume, for example, is consistently presented with long passages
from the commentaries on Isaiah written by Eusebius of Caesarea, Jerome, Cyril of
Alexandria and Theodoret of Cyrus. Rather than a series of unconnected short sen-
tences that proceed verse by verse, this volume allows the reader to follow more fully
the progression of early and medieval Christian biblical exegesis. The result is a more
coherent presentation of what early and medieval biblical interpretation was actually like,
rather than a haphazard assortment of oddities and curiosities.
The book opens with two helpful introductory essays by Wilken that provide an
orientation to early Christian exegesis of the Old Testament in general and ofIsaiah in
particular. This is followed by a preface that includes selections from the New Testa-
ment and other early Christian writings, as well as from introductions to early Christ-
ian commentaries on Isaiah, and presents an overview of early Christian attitudes to Isa-
iah the prophet and to the importance of the text in early Christianity. This is followed
by the heart of the book, a movement through the text of Isaiah and the tradition of its
interpretation in the first Christian millennium. Each chapter first presents a fresh Eng-
lish translation of the Septuagint text ofIsaiah (the translation is actually that ofMoises
Silva for the New English Translation o/the Septuagint, edited by Albert Pietersma and
Benjamin G Wright [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007]), followed by a brief edi-
torial comment discussing central themes in the chapter or drawing attention to aspects
of its patristic and medieval interpretation. This is followed by a passage, often quite
lengthy, from one of the four complete early Christian commentaries on Isaiah mentioned
above. This is often followed by shorter excerpts from the other three commentaries.
Finally, shorter excerpts (typically quite substantial paragraphs) from other biblical
commentaries as well as from homilies, theological and devotional treatises, and litur-
gical texts are provided which comment on the passage in question. The book also
includes two appendices: each of the authors or works excerpted in the book receives
a biographical description, and the full bibliographical detail of each translated text is
provided. (As an aside, providing this information in a footnote to each passage would
have been much preferable, as constantly turning to the back of the book to fmd this infor-
mation can be quite annoying). The volume also includes helpful indices to proper
names, subjects and biblical references.
In the prologue to his commentary on Isaiah, Jerome had said that "Isaiah is an
evangelist and apostle, not only a prophet ... This book of the Bible contains all the
mysteries of the Lord and proclaims him as Emmanuel born of a virgin, as a worker of
glorious deeds and signs, as having died and been buried and rising from hell, and,
indeed, as the Savior of all nations" (xiii). This conviction is repeatedly reaffirmed in
122 Books Reviewed
the commentators presented in this volume. The early Christian and medieval readers
of Isaiah found therein a book about Christ and the Church, and in this regard they
believed themselves to be following the example of the New Testament writers, espe-
cially Paul. The flrst great Christian biblical interpreter, Origen, repeatedly notes in
his own exegesis the exegetical procedure of Paul, and claims Paul's example as author-
izing his own approach to the Old Testament, an approach that moved beyond the plain
meaning of the text toward its speciflcally Christian meaning. Wilken explicitly links
. the aim of this series with such an understanding of the task of biblical interpretation,
arguing that historical interpretation of the Old Testament can only be a preparatory exer-
cise. This volume is provided as a way of drawing attention to the Christian tradition
of hearing the words of Christ in Isaiah and is intended "to help the faithful look beyond
the surface ... to fmd Christ in surprising and unexpected pUlces" (xviii).
This book, and the series of which it is a part, will quickly find a wide readership.
Historians of late antique, medieval and Byzantine Christianity, as well as biblical
scholars and theologians, will find it of great interest. Many of the texts excerpted
appear here for the first time in English translation, such as Cyril's Commentary on Isa-
iah. It is to be hoped that this volume will spur scholarly interest in such texts, as many
of the translations are made from the inadequate editions reprinted in Migne; Cyril's com-
mentary, for example, does not yet have a critical edition. However, interest in this
book and series will no doubt extend beyond scholarly circles, and indeed, such is the
stated intent of the series' General Editor, who hopes that it will be "suitable for private
devotional reading and for spiritual reading in religious communities, in Bible study
groups, and in prayer circles" (xi).
Shawn W.J. Keough
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Leuven, Belgium
Joyce Rilett Wood, John E. Harvey and Mark Leuchter, eds. From Babel to Babylon:
Essays on Biblical History and Literature in Honour of Brian Peckham. Library of
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. New York, NY; London: T. & T. Clark, 2006.
Pp. xx + 372. Cloth, us$180.00. ISBN 978-0-567-02892-1.
This capable but over-priced volume honours one of Canada's premier biblical schol-
ars. The front matter includes a photo of the honoree and a preface, "Brian Peckham-
A Reflection," by Rilett Wood (xi-iv). The essays are followed by a bibliography of
Peckham's books, articles and book reviews (346-348), an Index of References, bibli-
cal and extra-biblical (347-366), and an Index of Authors (367-372).
The contributions are nicely divided into flve sections. In Part I, "Writers and Read-
ers" Baruch Halpern, "Fallacies Intentional and Canonical: Metalogical Confusion
about the Authority of Canonical Texts" (3-25), examines canon and canon-formation
and their treatment in the light of New Criticism. This is an essay that invites reread-
ing. J. Gerald Janzen, "What Does the Priestly Blessing Do?" (26-37), analyzes Num
6:24-26 by looking at earlier acts of blessing in P and draws a line from Gen 1:3 to Exod
3:14 to Numbers 6. Jae Gu Kim, "The Existence and Function ofthe Isaac-Rebekah
Cycle (Genesis 23:1-25:18)" (38-47), "delimits the Isaac-Rebekah Cycle, explains
why its materials are sparse, and clarifles its function in the book of Genesis" (38).
Bernon P. Lee, "Diachrony and Exegesis: Reading Exodus 21:18-27" (48-55), offers
a diachronic reading ofExod 21 :18-27; his analysis reveals "an artful defence ofIsrae!'s
legal traditions through comparison with earlier legal traditions" (49). John E. Harvey,
"Eli Failing Aaron" (56-63), contends that the Deuteronomist based the story of Eli in
1 Sam 2-3 on stories about priests in the Tetrateuch, with the purpose of undermining
Books Reviewed 123
the house of Eli (56, 62). Wesley J. Bergen, "Sacrificing for the Team: Leviticus 4 and
the Church of Monday Night Football" (64-79), provokes thought about ritual by con-
sidering four levels of the text in Lev 4 in comparison with four levels of participation
in Monday Night football. Christopher T. Rupert, "Hebrew Poetry: Patterned for Per-
manence" (80-97), applies EDA (Exploratory Data Analysis) and SYMLOG (System-
atic Multiple Level Observation of Groups) to Psalms 23, 48 and Lamentations.
Part II is entitled "Kingship and Politics." Mark Leuchter, "Samuel, Saul, and the
Deuteronomistic Categories of History" (101-110), studies the transition from the

judges to kingship in Israel; it is a treatment of Samuel and Saul in the light of politi-
cal needs during the Josianic reform. Bruce A. Power, '''All the King's Horses ... '; Nar-
rative Subversion in the Story of Solomon's Golden Age" (111-132), offers a reflection
on how Deut 17: 14-20 is the source of a narrative subversion in the treatment of
Solomon's Golden Age. Barbara E. Organ, '''The Man Who Would Be King': Irony in
the Story ofRehoboam" (124-132), sees the narrative in 1 Kings 12:1-24 as modelled
in part on the rebellion of Sheba in 2 Sam 20 (131). Paul-Eugene Dion, "Ahaz and Other
Willing Servants ofAssyria" (133-145), situates Ahaz historically in a period when minor
powers were prone to appeal to larger players for support. Daniel R. Miller, "The
Shadow of the Overlord: Revisiting the Question of Neo-Assyrian Imposition of the
Judaean Cult during the Eighth-Seventh Centuries BCE" (146-168), attempts to resolve
the question ofNeo-Assyrian influence on the Judeaen cult through "a nuanced socio-
logical understanding ofthtl dynamics of human interaction within unequal-power rela-
tionships" (150). II-Sung Andrew Yun, "Different Readings ofthe Taharqa Passage in
2 Kings 19 and the Chronology of the 25th Egyptian Dynasty" (169-181), does a
source-critical analysis of 2 Kings 18-19 in dealing with the question of whether
Taharqa resisted Assyrian domination of Palestine during Sennarcherib's campaign of
701. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, "Sleeping Next to the Elephant: Ideological Adaptation on
the Periphery" (182-193), assesses the impact of the Neo-Assyrian empire on Judaean
theology/ideology by examining domination of a periphery in Mesoamerica, Nigeria,
North America and Madagascar.
Part III, "Prophecy, Visions and Dreams," comprises the following. J.J.M. Roberts,
"The Visual Elements in Isaiah's Vision in Light of Judaean and Near Eastern Sources"
(l97-213),relates Isa 6 to the temple description in 1 Kings 6 and the representation
of cult objects in Judaean sources. Lissa M. Wray Beal, "Evaluating Jehu: Narrative Con-
trol on Approval and Disapproval in 2 Kings 9-10" (214-225), applies a narrative
methodology in a close reading of2 Kings 9-10 to deal with tensions in the text over
the approval and disapproval of Jehu. Adina Levin, "A New Context for Jacob in Gen-
esis and Hosea 12" (226-236), focuses on "the question of the connection between the
story of Jacob in Genesis and the topic of death in Hosea" (226). Jacqueline R. Isaac,
"Here Comes This Dreamer" (237-249), shows how the Elohist version of the Joseph
story redefmes the story's historical significance (237).
In Part IV, "Gender and Sexuality," Risa Levitt Kohn, "In and Out of Place: Physi-
cal Space and Social Location in the Bible" (253-262), argues that the concept of place
is central to plot in the Hebrew Bible, using as examples Dinah (Gen 34) and Tamar
(Gen 38). Marion Taylor, "Bringing Miriam out of the Shadows: Harriet Beecher Stowe
and Phyllis Trible" (263-272), does a neat comparison of how Beecher Stowe and Tri-
ble deal with the story of Miriam, which opens up questions about the way women read-
ers interpret the Bible (263). Herbert B. Huffmon, "Jezebel-The 'Corrosive' Queen"
(273-284), uses the Icelandic saga Egil's Saga to explore the portrayal of Ahab and
Jezebel in Kings, looking at "subversive" elements in the text. Joyce Rilett Wood,
"When Gods were Men" (285-298), undoes the mid-sixth-century BCE editorial process
in Gen 18-19 that introduced the transcendence and separation of God from humans,
with help from comparison with Homer.
124 Books Reviewed'
Part V is entitled "Attaining Wisdom.;' James L Crenshaw, "From the Mundane to

the Sublime (Reflections on Qoheleth 11:1-8)" (301-319), provides a trimslation and
notes for Eccles 11: 1-8; it is a fme study, almost an exegesis. Douglas Fred Robinson,
"A Strophic Analysis of Job 4--5" (320--331), is particularly engaged with the work of
Pieter van der Lugt. Finally, Baruch A. Levine, "The Appeal to Personal Experience in
the Wisdom of Qoheleth" (332-345), examines the appeal to personal experience in

Qohelet-something uncommon among sages--through the verbs "see," "know," and
"attain."
As the contents indicate, this festschrift represents a wide variety of materials; there
is something for almost everyone interested in the Hebrew Bible. The twenty-five con-
tributions are uniformly brief; all include bibliographies, which range from a few items
to four pages. Several include the presentation and translation of texts, biblical (Roberts,
Crenshaw) or extra-biblical (Dion),which give them a unique importance. In my opin-
ion, all the essays are engaging in their own right.
My one. criticism is that this festschrift often lacks a personal touch: some of the
essays could have appeared anywhere, since they make no mention of the honoree.
Claude Cox
McMaster Divinity College
Hamilton, ON
Thomas R Yoder Neufeld. Recovering Jesus: The Witness ofthe New Testament. Grand
Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2007. Pp. 336. Paper, us$22.99. ISBN 978-1-58743-202·6.
an
"How do I as academic, trained in critical scholarship, who has at the same time a
.. deep faith and trust in the biblical·witnesses and who himself confesses Jesus as Lord,
present the fruit of scholarship hospitably [for diverse students], inviting students to
engage the data for themselves, all in the interests of facilitating an encounter with the
Jesus to whom the New Testament writers give witness" (9). With these words Tom Yoder
Neufeld characterizes the challenge of teaching Jesus in a pluralistic undergraduate
setting, out of which this book has emerged. Yoder Neufeld is now Associate Professor
of Religious Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel UniverSity Col-
lege at the University of Waterloo. Writing self-consciously as a believer and a scholar,
in Recovering Jesus he focuses on "the Jesus presented in the New Testament"-both
the Jesus who was (the historical person of Nazareth) and the Jesus who is (God's
divine agent of restoration).
Eschewing a narrowly historical reconStruction of Jesus, a purely literary reading of
the Gospels or a myopically faith-centred reading of the story of Jesus, Yoder Neufeld
seeks to bring into a coherent presentation of Jesus historical, theological and, to a
lesser extent, literary perspectives (while respecting the integrity and particular "tool-
boxes" of each), convinced that theology has to contend with history and that history
has to contend with theology. This is a daunting task, with a multitude of controversial
questions at stake. But Yoder Neufeld has impressively brought together "hospitably"
what many interpreters have chosen to keep separate. At the close of the book, Yoder
Neufeld expresses hope that he has provided readers "with the raw materials and some
of the skills with which to jump into the fray of [the] debate" (328) about Jesus and how
he matters. Uppermost for him is that the academic study of Jesus will also lead to an
"encounter" with Jesus (9, 10, 19,20,47,79).
This book takes the form of a textbook. There are thirteen chapters but no foot-
notes or bibliography. Each chapter ends with "key terms and concepts" and a selected
list of secondary sources "for further reading." The first four chapters set the stage for
his presentation of the story of Jesus. The fIrSt three focus on the plurality of sources
Books Reviewed 125
and portraits of Jesus (chap. 1, "One Jesus or Many Jesuses?": chap. 2, "Development
of Jesus Traditions: Digging through the Layers"; chap. 3, "One Jesus-Four Gospels"),
in which he posits the necessary historical groundedness (and reasonable accessibility)
of the Jesus story, without limiting the story of Jesus to its historical reconstruction, and
in which he tips his hand in favour of a single, coherent reading of the Jesus story,
based on plural and even contradictory witnesses instead of a rehearsal of distinct, par-
allel Gospel portraits of Jesus. The fourth chapter, "Jesus's World," outlines key features
of the historical setting of the life of Jesus and the Gospel narratives. The subsequent
chapters focus on the career of Jesus (as presented in the New Testament, but with a
strong nod to its historical character): from his birth (chap. 5), through his ministry
(chaps. 6-10), and to his death (chap. 11), and resurrection (chap. 12). Christological
elaboration is covered in chapter 13.
The central chapters on the life and ministry of Jesus are framed in terms of the
imagery of "kingdom" and show a bias toward the Synoptic Gospels, an apparent result
of his interest in the historical grounding of Jesus, from which derives a recovery of the
"authentic Jesus'; (46). The contribution of Johri to these chapters is rather muted,
despite the claim to emphasize ''the Jesus presented in the New Testament." For instance,
a very brief discussion of the contribution of John in the chapter on parables has to take
the character of a "slight detour" (165), and missing completely is an exploration of the
notion of "etemal life" (age-ish life) and its possible connection with the notion of the
"kingdom." While John's relatively lesser significance is nowhere explicitly acknowl-
edged, this lesser status appears to coincide with Yoder Neufeld's conviction that the
proper criterion for Christology, indeed even for Christology in the New Testament, is
"faithfulness" to the Jesus who was, that is, the man from Nazareth (328). The'chieffea-
tures of Christo logy in the New Testament are not "an imposition on the Jesus of his-
tory" but emerge in continuity with Jesus and his ministry.
Though in the form of a textbook and despite some limitations (e.g., the absence of
a scriptural index), this well-written and engaging book will be well worth the read by
scholars and by interested inquirers about Jesus, especially in settings in which theo-
logical questions remain central to the inquiry.
Gordon Zerbe
Canadian Mennonite University
Winnipeg, MB
History
Michael W. Holmes, ed. The Apostolic Fathers in English. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2006. Pp. 335. Paper, us$21.99. ISBN 0-8010-3108-7.
This third edition of The Apostolic Fathers in English represents a fresh and compre-
hensive revision of J.B. Lightfoot and J.R. Harmer's original translation published in
1891. Holmes has already published a revision of that original translation with Baker
Academic in 1989; in that second edition he mainly updated the English to correspond
with contemporary usage while generally following Lightfoot and Harmer's interpre-
tive decisions, noting the few instances where he made his own textual or interpretive
choices. It was that same translation which appeared in Holmes' The Apostolic Fathers:
Greek Texts and English Translation o/Their Writings, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker,
1992); the."updated edition" of that volume, published in 1999, corrected some errors
but did not make any substantial revision to the actual translation. This third edition not
only represents a thorough revision of the translation but also displays several changes
126 Books Reviewed
aimed at making the volume more accessible to general readers and beginning stu-
dents, such as prominent chapter and verse numbers, section subheadings, and convenient
footnotes which provide explanatory details or references to other primary and sec~
ondary literature (although notes on textual questions are largely abandoned: readers are
referred instead to Holmes' edition of the Greek texts). For this edition Holmes has also
revised the introductions to each text while updating the bibliographies.

The book opens with an introduction that provides a straightforward overview and
introduction to the group of texts generally designated as the "Apostolic Fathers,"
describing the manner in which the documents came to be established as a distinct col-
lection and outlining baSic issues related to the historical setting of Christianity in the
post-apostolic period (75-150). It concludes with a brief summaiy of the high points of
scholarly interest in these documents since the mid-nineteenth century in Tubingen. This
is followed by a topical bibliography detailing editions, translations and commentaries
to the Apostolic Fathers available in English, as well as some other basic reference
points for the study of early Christianity in the fIrst and second centuries. This is fol-
lowed by the texts themselves, each preceded by an introduction providing an overview
of what is generally known regarding the occasion, authorship, date and reception of the
text, while also commenting on some of the document's main characteristics. This is fol-
lowed by a bibliography of commentaries and studies on the document (again, only major
English scholarship is listed). The volume is rounded off by an index to scripture and
other ancient sources, and by a map outlining the geographic spread of Christianity in
its fIrst two centuries.
This will be a helpful book for those needing a very gentle introduction to these texts;
clearly a very general readership is envisaged. By making available this third edition
Holmes has provided an accessible and useful volume that will no doubt serve to iD.tro-
duce many interested readers to these important texts from Christianity's early history.
Shawn W.J. Keough
Katholieke Universitdt Leuven
Leuven, Belgium
Larry W. Hurtado. The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Ori-
gins. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. Pp. xi + 248. Paper, n.p. ISBN 978-0-
8Q28-2895-8
In this excellent book Larry Hurtado presents a case for the signifIcance of the earliest
Christian manuscripts as constituting the earliest artifacts of Christianity. This large body
of manuscripts of (what we now refer to as) canonical and extracanonical texts stands
among the very earliest identifIable artifacts of specifIcally Christian material culture.
Hurtado laments that this growing body of evidence for earliest Christianity has been
widely ignored by historians of early Christian literature, particularly by English-speak-
ing scholars of the latter half of the twentieth century. Noting that many specialists in
New Testament or Christian origins now receive only a token training in such matters
(often limited to an orientation to the textual apparatus of the Greek New Testament),
Hurtado argues that the earliest Christian manuscripts provide unique information of
tremendous signifIcance, precisely as historical artifacts, for our understanding of the
history and culture of Christianity through to the second and third centuries.
In his frrst chapter ("The Texts"}Hurtado surveys the evidence provided by early
Christian manuscripts concerning which texts were copied and circulated among early
Christians. Acknowledging that terms such as "Old" and "New" Testaments, as well as
"apocryphal literature" are somewhat anachronistic here, he adopts such language for
its heuristic convenience. Noteworthy among his fmdings is the marked popularity of
Books Reviewed 127
the Psalms, which are by far the most attested Old Testament text among early Christ-
ian manuscripts, as well as the relative paucity of early witnesses to the Gospel of
Mark and the tremendous popularity of The Shepherd ofHermas, which exists in more
copies dated to the second or third century than any other early Christian text with the
exceptions of the Psalms and the Gospels of Matthew and John. Hurtado argues that the
pattern oftextual attestation among the earliest Christian manuscripts (and the number
of so-called "apocryphal" texts attested is indeed quite large) is itself a subject worthy
of analysis, providing some direct indication of not only what texts were read but also
of their relative popularity. On the basis of his inventory Hurtado also highlights the
''translocal nature of the texts in these early manuscripts": there was a striking exchange
of texts across a clear geographical range, which suggests to Hurtado that many assump-
tions related to distinct early Christian "communities" may need revision based upon
empirical analysis of the manuscripts themselves,
In his second chapter ("The Early Christian Preference for the Codex") Hurtado
presents a great deal of quantitative data related to the forms of ancient books, from which
emerges the clear conclusion that Christians preferred the codex above the roll and
that this preference was certainly distinguishable from the wider trends of the time. Hur-
tado argues that this .Christian preference for the codex was "as thorough as it was
early" (61) and provides a survey of the scholarly opinion on why this was so before
offering his own conclusion that, in the absence of any clear utilitarian or socio-economic
explanation, this preference might best be considered a distinguishing mark and con-
vention of early Christianity that carried "semiotic significance" (69).
The third chapter ("The Nomina Sacra") takes up the interesting way certain words
are abbreviated in early Christian manuscripts, most especially the divine names Theos,
Kurios, Christos, and Iesous. Considering first the problem ofthe origins of this seem-
ingly distinctively Christian practice, Hurtado especially looks to the Jewish back-
ground (while dissociating himself from previous scholarly attempts to locate the ori-
gins of this practice in Jewish scribal tendencies) for a reverential scribal attitude to the
Tetragrammaton and other key designations of God that are taken as a counterpart to a
similar Christian reverence for the names of God and Jesus. Hurtado argues that there
is no direct precedent for the Christian use of nomina sacra, which must be viewed as
a specifically Christian scribal innovation which occurred ''very early and spread rather
quickly" (111). Hurtado makes an especially interesting and significant argument regard-
ing early Christian attitudes to the name of Jesus, so that the early Christian use of
nomina sacra is taken to indicate the manner in which the name ofJesus was itselftaken
to be a divine name, a name to be revered and a focal point of early Christian piety. Thus
the nomina sacra, along with the codex, are placed by Hurtado among the earliest
extant evidence of a specifically Christian visual and material culture.
The fourth chapter ("The Staurogram") is a fascinating examination of the superim-
position of the Greek letter rho upon tau in the abbreviation of the Greek words for
"cross" or "crucify" (the combined letters form a sort of pictogram approximating a
human head on a cross). The staurogram is discussed within the context.of other mono-
grams (or "Christograms") used to refer to Jesus, of which perhaps the best known is the
chi-rho. It is noteworthy, however, that the tau-rho cannot properly be considered a mono-
gram, as these letters together do not refer to another word but occur in a few early Chris-
tian manuscripts within an abbreviation of the words for cross and crucify. Hurtado argues
that this staurogram is not only the earliest Jesus monogram but is in fact the earliest visual
reference to the crucified Jesus: "the tau-rho is a scribal device used in a textual setting,
but entirely with a visual fimction, and so it is an iconographic phenomenon, a visual/mate-
rial expression of early Christian faith/piety" (153, italics original).
This is an exceptional book which makes a wide-ranging and valuable contribution
to early Christian studies. Not only does Hurtado succeed in synthetically presenting a
128 Books Reviewed
wide range of empirical data drawn from the study of early Christian manuscripts, but
he also succeeds in impressing upon the reader the importance of such research for the
continued study of Christian origins. This book should be required reading for all stu-
dents of early Christianity.
Shawn W.J. Keough

Leuven, Belgium
Kevin Kee. Revivalists: Marketing the Gospel in English Canada, 1884-1957. (McGill-
Queens Studies in the History of Religion, Series 2:44. Montreal, QC; Kingston, ON:
McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006. pp. xx + 276. Paper, $29.95. ISBN 978-0-
7735-3-23-2.
In Revivalists Kevin Kee has given us an excellent portrait of Protestant revivalism from
the late nineteenth century through to the end of the 1950s. He has done this by using
fout case studies of revivalists or revivalist teams. Indeed, in his final example, Charles
Templeton, we have the added bonus of coverage of both Templeton's Youth for Christ
career and his perhaps .lesser known time as an evangelist working for the United
Church of Canada. What becomes clear throughout the book is that revivalism played
a central role in Protestant religion in Canada during this period.
Kee approaches his topic chronologically. The portraits or case studies begin with
Hugh Crossley and John Hunter in the latter nineteenth century and end with the sec-
ond stage of Charles Templeton's career. Within each portrait the same headings are used:
the evangelist, the message, the method, the response, and a conClusion. The chapter on
Templeton is slightly different, as these headings are applied to each phase of his career
(Youth for Christ, 1944-1948, and United Church of Canada, 1948-1957). The book ends
with a brief Epilogue which carries the themes forward to the present day. '
The subjects for this study have been well chosen. Oswald 1. Smith, founder of the
People's Church in Toronto, and Templeton are examples we would expect to fmd in a
book on Canadian revivalists, but I was delighted to learn more about Crossley and
Hunter and even more to discover Frank Buchman and the Oxford Group's dinner
jacket evangelistic tour from the 1930s. The choice allows one to see the variety ofmeth-
ods used and the different audiences which were targeted. Oswald J. Smith clearly
appealed to, and was comfortable appealing to, the working-class of Toronto. Buchman,
on the other hand, held'what Kee describes as "an unrevival revival" (117) without
hymns, emotionalism, or the other elements which would make the intended audience
(middle and upper classes) uncomfortable. Hotel ballrooms were rented, and formal dress
was worn by the presenters. The choices also allow one to see both the similarities and
differences in the message. The differences are most apparent. Smith opposed new dis-
coveries in science, while Buchman was more open to incorporating them into faith..Such
differences shouldn't blind us to the reality that Smith and Buchman, as well as Cross-
ley and Hunter and Templeton, all sought to transform individual lives and appealed for
individual conversions. There were differences in method and differences in message,
but the common intent and common elements of the message are also noteworthy.
Have we understood revivalists and revivalism as peripheral to (odd, a bit of a holy
freak show) religion in Canada, or as a central element of Protestant religion in the late
nineteenth and middle twentieth centuries? This is a question that kept emerging as I read
Revivalists. We can easily stress the more exuberant revivalists and overlook a Frank
Buchman or Charles Templeton's work for the United Church. Kee makes a strong
case for the centrality of revivalism to Protestant life. It existed in Oswald J. Smith but
also in Crossley and Hunter. The latter team had a huge appeal, speaking at fifty-five
Books Reviewed 129
major meetings to between 75,000 and 100,000 people in Toronto in the early 1880s.
More than that, they were only the "most successful of the Methodist Church's corps
of professional evangelists" (19). The recruitment of Charles Templeton to work with
the United Church suggests that this model continued into the post-World War II period.
One comment from the Crossley and Hunter period seems to capture the central impor-
tance of revivalism for Protestant faith: "Conversions were not the result of a crisis so
much as a culmination of years of religious nurture in home and church. For young peo-
ple reared in the faith since infancy, the revival offered an opportunity to publicly
affirm their religious commitment and enter the church as members. What penitents
needed was a catalyst-a personage of authority who would encourage them to make
a decision at that very moment" (46).
The portrait which Kee gives of these evangelists is insightful. The book is well writ-
ten and carefully argued. There were numerous places where a line or a comment leapt
out. The Epilogue was the only disappointing section. As much as I appreciate the need
to bring the story up to the present time, there was not the space or the data to make it
a useful section. This time period and what happened to evangelism after Templeton is
worthy of a separate study. It may be that it was within this period that revivalism lost
its central place in the Protestant church-including the mainline or mainstream Protes-
tant denominations. If so, what, if anything, has replaced it? These are questions that
deserve careful consideration. Revivalists does an excellent job oftelling this story for
the period from the 1880s to the late 1950s.
stuart MacDonald
Knox College
Robin A. Leaver. Luther s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications. Lutheran

Quarterly Books. Grand Rapids, Ml: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. xiv + 485. Paper, us$32.00.
ISBN 978-0-8028-3221-4.
Several decades ago Gordon Rupp, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge Uni-
versity and acknowledged Luther expert in Great Britain, wrote that what took a dozen
Britons two hundred years to accomplish in the realm of theology, catechesis, homilet-
ics, liturgics and text/music composition for both congregational singing and trained
choirs, Luther accomplished in thirty years. Leaver's book confIrms Rupp's judgment.
The Wittenberger's talents were prodigious.
Luther sLiturgical Music consists of five major sections: "Background & Principles,"
"Musical Catechesis," "Liturgico-Musical Hermeneutics," "Liturgico-Musical Forms"
and "Implications & Consequences." The book concludes with several brief appen-
dices that are helpful for those who wish to acquire greater sophistication concerning
Luther's musical contribution.
The two longest chapters are "Luther's Theological Understanding of Music" and
"Biblical Canticles." Readers, then, will not be surprised to learn that Luther loved
music and esteemed it theologically: "In short, noble music is next to God's Word, the
highest treasure on earth: it governs all thought, perception, heart and mind"(78). And
in light of our era's preoccupation with spiritual formation, we should note that Luther
regarded music as the God-appointed means of fending off Satanic encroachment and
the melancholy that attends the Accuser's lies.
Luther was musically gifted. Correspondence from Crotus Rubeanus, rector ofErfurt
University, attests Luther's peerless skill as lutenist. Fascinated with polyphony, Luther
may not have been as talented in this field as others; nonetheless, Leaver insists,
"Luther's understanding of how to compose melodies had few rivals" (59).
130 Books Reviewed
Luther, however, was interested in more than a memorable tune; the nuances of the
rhythm, accent and pitch of the music had to support the sound and sense of the text.
Specifically, it all had to reinforce the 'downbeat' of his theology: justification by faith.
The latter presupposed the consummate gift to be not something clergy or people
offered to God but rather God's bestowal of mercy upon corrupt and defiled people.
Never ceasing to marvel at the sheer mercy of God, Luther was foreyer one with the apos-
tle Paul who was startled at ''the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"
(Gal 2:20). For this reason, Luther insisted,''US, FOR US, must be written in letters of
gold" (176). The music Luther wrote, then, had to underscore this emphasis and buttress
worshippers' confidence in the God whose mercy would always eclipse their sin.
Again, having eliminated the prayer of consecration with respectto the Eucharis-
tic elements (because he had ftrst denied transubstantiation), Luther deemed the
words ofInstitutiori ("on the same night in which he was betrayed ... ") in the Gospels
and 1 Corinthians sufficient. Since the Eucharist attests God's salviftc provision, the
musical setting of the Institution was the same as that of the Gospel: unqualifted
goodnews.
The Visitation of the churches throughout the Wittenberg territory (1528) brought
to light the sober fact that evangelical faith and practice, however persuasive to clergy
and professors, remained largely misunderstood among the people. Luther again turned
to music and text as an idiom through which such ignorance could be addressed, writ-
ing vernacular versions, with musical accompaniments, of scores of biblical canti-
cles; e.g., Exodus 15:1-18 ("I will sing to the.Lord ... "), Jonah 2:2-10 ("I called to the
Lord out of my distress ... ") and Isaiah 63:7-19 ("I will recount the steadfast love of
the Lord ... "). "
While Luther's musical genius was his alone, he was surrounded by theological
giants who supported his understanding of the place of music in the economy of faith.
Philipp Melanchthon, Johannes Bugenhagen and Justus Jonas wrote prefaces to musi-
cal publications and/or church orders in which the role of music was prescribed.
Readers with a Reformed background will not fail to notice the huge divide between
Lutheran and Reformed traditions concerning the place of music as a vehicle of wor-
ship. Whereas Luther exulted, "I would like to see all the arts, especially music, used
in the service of Him who gave and made them" (37), Calvin and Zwingli forbade the
visual arts in worship and limited music to the unaccompanied singing of the Psalms.
Undeflectable, Luther proliferated musical settings for virtually every aspect of public
worship. The gradual, for instance, was sung" between the public reading Of the epistle
and the gospel. Luther composed music and lyrics for a different gradual at each sea-
son of the church year in light of the changing moods of the liturgical cycle.
It is little wonder that Johann Sebastian Bach, two hundred years later, became the
consummate musician of the Lutheran tradition. In addition to his immense musical gifts
Bach had a huge theological library, including commentaries, sermons, the Council of
Trent and the Augsburg Confession. Bach, Leaver gently points out, attended the same
school as Luther in Eisenach.
This book will substantially expand, correct and deepen understanding of and
gratitude for Luther's theological and musical contribution to the Holy Catholic
Church.
Victor Shepherd
Tyndale University College & Seminary
Toronto,ON
Books Reviewed 131
A. Donald MacLeod. C. Stacey Woods and the Evangelical Rediscovery ofthe University.
Downer's Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007. Pp. 283. Paper us$2S.00. ISBN 978-0-
8308-3432-7.
Readers who delighted in Donald MacLeod's earlier (2004) W. Stanford Reid: An Evan-
gelical Calvinist in the Academy (it was accorded the Donald Grant Creighton award for
the best biography highlighting life in Ontario in the past three years) will fmd their pleas-
ure augmented in yet another fme biography of a forceful Christian, C. Stacey Woods.
MacLeod's book traces the development of Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship ("Inter-
Varsity" in the USA), transparently acquainting readers with both brighter and darker
moments, the glorious and the shameful (see the discussion of Wilber Sutherland), in
the history of the organization. With the judgment that mature historians have refined
for decades, MacLeod identifies and investigates the gifts and graces of someone whose
industry swelled IVCF's presence on campuses throughout the world. With his exem-
plary honesty MacLeod candidly discusses what a propagandistic author would fail to
mention; namely, the deficits in someone whose explosiveness, guardedness, obsession
with control and-what will surprise many readers-struggle with alcohol remained
problematic for those who knew him and aspired to love him.
From the inception of his work in Canada (1934) to his retirement in Austria (1972)
Woods prosecuted relentlessly IVCF's twofold mission: (i) to facilitate students' ever-
deepening encounter with God as they sought to live the implications of faith in the one
who "fills all in all" (Eph 1:23); (ii) to evangelize the campus. Concerning the latter,
Woods plainly resonated with Emil Brunner's dictum, "Mission is to the church as
burning is to fire."
Oddly, the man who spent his life on behalf of gospel-witness in the larger, secular
university never attended one himself. Denied academic admission to university in his
native Australia, Woods attended Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas on his par-
ents' urging. Here he was exposed to premillennialism, a major feature ofAmerican evan-
gelicalism. Uncannily possessed of exquisitely sensitive theological an!ennae, Woods
recognized its one-sidedness: it was world-rejecting, culture-slighting and anti-intel-
lectual. He insisted, on the contrary, that since God is to be loved with the mind, the insti-
tution charged with promoting the life of the mind had to be engaged, not avoided.
With the same sensitivity, however, Woods never belittled Dallas Seminary despite his
disagreement with it. Instead he gladly acknowledged what he had gained from it: a love
for and skill in expository preaching, ceaseless wonder at the grace of God, and an
apprehension of the reality and immensity of God. Recognizing the lacunae in his own
intellectual formation, upon graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary, he began
studying at Wheaton College, completing his liberal arts program there in 1934.
Immediately Woods was invited to preside over IVCF-Canada. He found it to be lit-
tle more than a trace element in three Canadian universities: University of Toronto, Uni-
versity of British Columbia and University of Westem Ontario. To be sure it was larger
in the high schools with fifty chapters in Ontario and thirty-five in the west-yet with
no representation at any level in the Maritimes. In a few years he would expand IVCF
throughout Canada, then turn to the USA and vivify it there. While his campus work was
moving ahead Woods also enlarged the summertime Pioneer Camps (these often accom-
modated pre-university students). Not to be overlooked was his founding of HIS, the
magazine ofIVCF. Its subscription list soon included thousands. Woods maintained that
IVCF's expansion in both numbers and depth would have been impossible without it.
While "Urbana" has taken on near-legendary status for university students who trek year
after year to the University of Illinois to hear stellar addresses from evangelicallumi-
naries such as John Stott, the fact is that the first IVCF missionary conference was
held not in the American Midwest but at the University of Toronto in 1946.
132 Books Reviewed
Having cemented NCF into the major universities of North America, Woods moved
to western Europe in order to preside over the International Federation of Evangelical
Students. Under his leaderShip IFES took over Schloss Mittersill, an Austrian castle that
had been damaged by fire in 1938, occupied by German forces throughout World War
IT and now needed huge retrofitting. Having calculated that the financing was man-
ageable, Woods struggled, scrabbling money where he could,only to fmd the problem
overwhelming and retirement looming. Yet Schloss Mittersill remained (according to
MacLeod) the crowning event of Woods' career on account of its connection with
IFES-which organization continues to thrive. (Not to be overlooked is the fact that
MacLeod's book was published for the 40th anniversary celebration ofIFES held at Tyn- .
dale University and Seminary, Toronto, in July 2007.)
MacLeod's book leaves readers soberly considering Luther's remark, "God can
draw a straight line with a crooked stick." It also challenges readers to hear afresh the
charge with which Woods' father startled the young man: "Stacey, the great thing is to
underStand the movement of the Holy Spirit in your day and then pray that God will catch
you up in His purposes ... " (35). Perhaps the book is strongest on account of what it
invites NCF to brave and bring forth today.
Victor Shepherd
JYndale University College & Seminary
Toronto, ON
Lee Martin McDonald. The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority.
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007. pp. xli + 546. Paper, us$29.95. ISBN 9.78-1-56563-
925-6. .
This book is a revision and expansion ofMcDonald's previous book The Formation of
the Christian Biblical Canon, which has seen two editions (1995, 1987). In this third
edition McDonald not only brings the discussion with the relevant scholarly literature
up to date but also expands his argument at various points while revising some of his
earlier conclusions. McDonald successfully offers a well-organized orientation to the
many historical issues surrounding the origin and transmission of the biblical canon while
clearly outlining their contemporary implicatiolll! for those concerned with the question
of the canon's authority. .
In Part 1, "Scripture and Canon" (3-72), McDonald clarifies the conceptual dis-
tinction between scripture and canon, where he follows G. Sheppard's distinction
between "canon 1," whatever functioned in the community offaith as having the author-
ity of God, and "canon 2," a fixed standard of books. Following J. Sanders, McDonald
identifies the canon's adaptability as the key to its endurance, arguing that it is because
specific texts continued to provide relevant guidance to diverse communities that they
functioned authoritatively and received canonical status. It is this canonical process, or
process of canonization, that McDonald emphasizes throughout the text.
Part 2. "Hebrew Bible I Old Testament Canon" (73-242), begins with the origins of
the Hebrew Bible and carries the discussion forward to rabbinic and early Christian lit-
erature. This section draws on a wide array of material, and McDonald consistently pro-
·vides full quotations of the evidence discussed, whether from Qumran, Philo, Jose-
phus or the various apocryphal and pseudepigraphal texts relevant to .the topic. In this
section McDonald rejects several traditional scholarly assumptions, arguing that Jesus
did not receive and pass on to the early church a fixed biblical canon (a position usu-
ally based on Luke 11 :48-51 and Matt 23:34-35), that there is no clear evidence of an
Alexandrian Jewish canon (as opposed to a-shorter-Palestinian Jewish canon) and
that there is no evidence for a council at Jamnia which handed down a definitive rul-
Books Reviewed 133
ing regarding the final shape of the Jewish biblical canon. In each instance McDonald
simply follows (and acknowledges) the conclusions of the best recent research into
these issues, even if traditional assumptions have proven surprisingly persistent. Regard-
ing early Christian sources to the fourth century, McDonald demonstrates that both
eastern and western sources ''that list the OT books and their order have this in common:
they are broader than the Jewish OT canon, and no two lists are identical" (221).
McDonald stresses the diverse character of early Christianity, not least with regard to
canonical lists. This section also includes a helpful excursus by R. Timothy McLay on
"The Use of the Septuagint in the New Testament" (224-240).
In Part 3, "New Testament Canon" (243-421), McDonald again follows the lead of
recent research by rejecting several traditional scholarly assumptions regarding the for-
mation of the New Testament canon, arguing against the well-known position ofHar-
nack and von Campenhausen that Marcion was directly responsible for the formation
of the present New Testament canon by forcing the early church to respond to his orig-
inal ideas regarding Christian scripture and canon. Likewise, McDonald notes that the
early Christian heresiologists did not reject Gnostic teaching or literature on the basis
of universally accepted canonical lists but rather by appeal to the "canon of truth" or the
"rule offaith." McDonald also highlights that second-century responses to Gnosticism
varied considerably in their treatment of "non-canonical" gospels (lrenaeus and Clement
provide perhaps the most striking contrast). Finally, McDonald's treatment of the Mura-
torian fragment will also be of considerable int~rest to many readers as he generally
downplays its. importance and argues for a fourth-century date (rather than a mid-sec-
ond-century date).
This is a very accessible text that covers its subject with a comprehensive attention
to detail. While many scholars interested in the topic will fmd this book useful, semi-
nary students will likely derive the most benefit from McDonald's work. Not only does
McDonald consistently ensure that all technical terms and references are clearly defined
and explained (e.g., "Septuagint," "Cairo Genizah"), he also explicitly writes out of an
evangelical commitment to scripture as the word of God and a pastoral concern for the
student or layperson whose sense of the Bible's trustworthiness is threatened when
they first encounter many of the issues taken up in this text. This is certainly the best
"first-stop" for anyone interested in learning more about the historical issues sur-
rounding the origin and transmission of the biblical canon, while also providing stim-
ulating observations and questions for those with concerns regarding the canon's con-
tinued authority in the Christian community of faith.
Shawn W.J. Keough
Leuven, Belgium
John D. Roth, James M. Stayer, eds. A Companion to Anabaptism and Spiritualism,

1521-1700. Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition 6. Leiden; Boston, MA:
Brill, 2007. Pp. xxviii + 574. Cloth, us$163.00. ISBN 90-04-15402-7.
The appearance of this collection of essays demonstrates that the field of radical Refor-
mation studies has truly come of age. It complements two related collections that assess
the state of research in Reformation studies: The Cambridge Companion to Reforma-
tion Theology, DilVid Bagchi and David Steinmetz, eds. (Cambridge: Cambridge Uni-
versity Press, 2004), and Palgrave Advances in the European Reformations, Alec Ryrie,
ed. (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006).
The question of origins and identity of Anabaptism and Spiritualism as distinct yet
closely related movements has been subject to periodic reassessment. The title ofthis
134 Books Reviewed
volume signals that "Ernst Troeltsch's distinction between Anabaptism and Spiritualism
has ultimately endured. Earlier, The Recovery of the Anabaptist Vision, Guy F. Her-
schberger, ed. (Scottdale, PA: Herald, 1957) marked an era that woUld soon be interrupted
by a new approach. In the former, denominational historians sought to excise the Spir-
itualist elements from the core of ''Evangelicill Anabaptism." Harvard historian George H.
Williams challenged this approach a few years later in his classic study The Radical
Reformation (philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1962). Such categories and taxonomies
retain some of their utility for the contributors to A Companion to Anabaptism and
Spiritualism, although one finds helpful revisions here, based on the more advanced state
of research today.
A healthy degree of tension between denominational and academic approaches to this
field of history is evident. The tWo editors, John D. Roth and James Stayer, could be seen
as representing these approaches respectively. Their collaboration has produced a
diverse collection in which scholars whose approaches may err on the side of the aca-
demic occasionally showan odd hint of denominationalism. This reviewer sensed none
of the anti-theological tone that periodically enters this field of study. The scholars
span different generations and hail from North America and Central Europe, and they
are all clearly experts on their respective topics.
This volume is a welcome addition to Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition
series, which aims to provide a "synthesis of debate and the state of scholarship" geared
toward an advanced readership, but which assumes little more than a general knowledge
of the field. The authors also identify discrete areas and questions for future research,
making this volume indispensable to anyone hoping to delve into the field. Each essay
ends with a bibliography of primary and secondary sources extending well beyond the
works cited. Some chapters do not include, even where available, English translations
of the relevant primary sources. Annotations of English translations would have assisted
readers without knowledge of the original languages.
In addition to contributing essays, the editors provide an excellent Foreword (xi-xii)
and Introduction (xiii-xxiv), broadly outlining the state of scholarship. Some chapters
focus primarily on regional aspects while others focus on topics and features that the-
ologically or praxeologically characterize the various movements. In addition to ''Karl-
stadt, Mtlntzer and the Reformation of the Commoners, 1521 ....1525" (Hans-JQrgen
Goertz, 1-44), only two articles deal with key Spiritualist elements: "Spiritualism:
Schwenckfeld and Franck and Their Early Modem Resonances" (R. Emmet McLaugh-
lin, 119-161), and "The Spiritualist Anabaptists" (Geoffrey Dipple, 257-297).
The other topical chapters debunk some of the truisms promoted by the historians
of the "Anabaptist Vision": "Anabaptist Religious Literature and Hymnody" (John D.
Rempel, 389-424), and "Anabaptist Martyrdom: Iniperatives, Experience, and Memo-
rialization" (Brad Gregory, 467-506). Especially in "Anabaptists and the Early Mod-
em State: A Long-Term View" (Michael Driedger, 507-544), we find a thorough dis-
missal of the notion that Mennonites were apoliticill, especially in the northern regions.
Rather, Mennonites were politically conformist religious nonconfomiists in the era of
confessionalization. In "Gender Roles and Perspectives among Anabaptist and Spiritualist
Groups" (Sigrun Haude, 425-465), we learn that corporal punishment is sometimes
strongly condoned but elsewhere condemned in certain cases. This chapter's contribu-
tion comes at a time when great advances have been made in gender studies, There is
also a healthy degree of overlap thrOughout; for example, anyone interested in women's
studies would not want to miss the account of Maria Aletta Hulshoff that appears only
in the chapter on the "Early Modem State" (538). Excluding those dealing primilrily with
Spiritualism, the topical chapters do not integrate a comparison of Spiritualism with
Anabaptism. This limitation begs further study of the differences between Anabaptist
and Spiritualist views of the State, hymnody, gender roles, martyrdom and other topics.
Books Reviewed 135
The regionally oriented articles begin with "Karlstadt and MOntzer," a chapter which
also reframes the whole meaning of the Reformation as seen through the lens of the pop-
ular revolt and related leaders. Others include "Swiss Anabaptism: The Beginnings,
1523-1525" (C. Arnold Snyder, 45-81), "Swiss-South German Anabaptism, 1526-1540"
(James Stayer, 83-117), "Anabaptism in Moravia and Silesia" (Martin Rothkegel,
163-215), "The Melchiorites and MOnster" (RalfKlotzer, 217-256), "Mennonites and
Doopsgezinden in the Netherlands, 1535-1700" (piet Visser, 299-345), and "Marpeck
and Later Swiss Brethren, 1540-1700" (John D. Roth, 347-388). These chapters con-
tain a wealth of new research and thoroughly reassess regional and chronological devel-
opments.
Radical Reformation studies continue to make use of emerging methods found in
Early Modem studies. Given the growing interest iIi the use of classical and patristic
sources during the Reformation, a treatment of how Anabaptists and Spiritualists read
the Church Fathers seems overdue. One topic that appears briefly but occasionally
throughout various chapters here is the use of scripture and the concept of its author-
ity among different groups. A more focused study of these issues would have greatly
served the task of distinguishing Anabaptism from Spiritualism. Whether or not the cat-
egories and distinctive features of Anabaptism and Spiritualism will remain as per-
manent as they appear in this volume will be up to a future generation of scholars to
determine.
Jonathan R. Seiling
Emmanuel College
Pastoral
Ronald J. Allen and Clark M.Williamson. Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the
Jews: A Lectionary Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster-John Knox, 2004.
Pp. xxvi + 261. Cloth, us$29.95. ISBN 0-664-22763-5. .
Ronald J. Allen and Clark M. Williamson. Preaching the Letters without Dismissing the
Law: A Lectionary Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster-John Knox, 2006. Pp. xx +
268. Cloth, us$29.95. ISBN 978-0-664-23001-2.
Ronald J. Allen and Clark M. Williamson. Preachi!:lg the Old Testament: A Lectionary
Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminister-John Knox, 2007. Pp. xxi + 309. Cloth,
us$29.95. ISBN 978-0664-23068-5.
This three volume set makes an invaluable contribution to preaching and to the Church.
Each draws out in a simple way,· one lectionary text at a time, what many biblical schol-
ars have been arguing for years. However, it is their repetition in a work that provides
commentary on texts used regularly in preaching that will convince many preachers to
reconsider what they preach Sunday by Sunday about Judaism and the Jews. The poten-
tial could be nothing less than an end to Christianity's culture of contempt toward
Judaism and a renewed respect for Judaism and the Jewish roots of Christianity.
The goal for the authors' work is expressed most clearly in the earliest volume.
Central to the project are "the profound and diverse relationships between Jesus and Paul
and their Jewish context and between the Gospels and the canonical writings ofIsrael
and the literature of Second Temple Judaism" (Gospels, xv). Allen and Williamson
therefore place relationships between Christian and Jew at the heart of the sermon
136 Books Reviewed
preparation process. The earliest volume sets out a number of perspectives that will pre-
vail throughout their work. The first alerts the preacher to possible anti-Jewish ways of
misreading the text, which leads to a misinterpretation of Christian faith. The.second ele-
ment is to bring to the fore "Jewish and biblical themes, resonances, and echoes in the
text" (Gospels, xvi). Other aspects are more or less critical depending on whether the
text is Old Testament, gospel or epistle. These include alerting the preacher in his/her
preparation to the need to consider the pervasive presence of the Roman occupation, the
relationship between Jesus and other Jewish groups, Judaism's relationship to the law
and oral tradition, etc. (Gospels, xvii-xxv).
In the second volume, beginning again with anti-Judaism as the dominant lens
through which the epistles have been interpreted and preached, Allen and Williamson
espouse a new way of understanding Paul. They decry traditional scholarship's view of
Paul as antagonistic toward Judaism and a corollary that presents Judaism as a rigid reli-
gion devoid of grace, one that teaches works-righteousness and legalism (Letters, xvii).
With confidence and simplicity they weigh through codices of scholarly debate to pres-
ent a new way of understanding Paul and his writing on the law that will prevail in their
exposition of weekly lectionary readings. .
The third and most recent volume begins in the same vein, with the recognition of
. the past forty years of dialogue between the Jewish and Christian communities and the
need to provide for the preacher a way of interpreting the Old Testament lectionary texts
that brings to an ·end a history of neglect, misrepresentation and, most serious, super-
cessionism in its various forms. Throughout there is a mixture of commonsense and .
strong statements on the importance of the Old Testament for Christian preaching (e.g.,
"congregations who do not know the Old Testament are theological orphans," Old Tes-
tament, xv, or, "for Christians, Jesus is the decisive disclosure that God is with us. We
can celebrate that and accord Israel's text its integrity" Old Testament, 7).
The authors present the Old Testament as foundational to the Church, focusing at the
same time on ways in which misuse occurs as the preacher prepares the texts assigned
by the Revised Common Lectionary. In the introductory pages Allen and Williamson
summarize the problems and provide examples of what results (Old Testament, xv-xx).
Their commentary seeks to model a way for the preacher to avoid these pitfalls. This
involves three elements: an explanation of how the text functioned before the Common
Era; comments on how New Testament passages or themes are informed by the older
material; and insights on the relationship between the lections when pairings occur
(Old Testament, xx).
Any assessment of what has been gained is, of course, to be found in the details of
the commentaries' exposition. What follows will include both comments of a general
nature and references to specifIc Sundays in the Christian year. Given the primary place
of anti-Judaism in the preaching that takes plaCe during Lent and Holy Week, some com-
ments will be made, albeit briefly, on the authors' handling of Lenten texts. In this way
an assessment can be made as to what degree the authors have followed through on their
intentions and achieved their goal.
First, and of primary importance, is the way in which the authors call upon readers
to reflect on the nature of the lectionary, particularly on the limitations or perspectival
nature of the decisions made. Again and again the preacher is challenged to think about
both the selection of texts and their repetition, and the presuppositions and assumptions
of the decision-makers. For example, in the Second Sunday in Lent, Year A, the com-
mentary on the gospel text indicates that the lectionary reading ends at the wrong place,
Iohn3:1-17 instead ofJohn 3:1-21 (Gospels, 29). The commentary on the Fourth Sun-
day in Lent makes this statement: "The relationship of 1 Sam. 16: 1-13 with the Gospel
and Epistle lessons for today is a puzzle. John 9: 1-41 and Eph. 5:8-14 have no exeg~t"
ical or theological connections with the reading from Samuel" (Old Testament, 37).
Books Reviewed 137
In the third volume, in particular, the authors point out not only the weaknesses in the
lectionary selections but how the process of development, which focuses on the gospel
text during the pivotal seasons of the Christian year, actually misrepresents the Old Tes-
tament story. If strictly followed, they remind the preacher, the congregation never hears
the overall story of the Old Testament and depending on the time of the church year, may
hear only a misrepresentation of its witness. They also, however, attest to those pairings
that honour the Old Testament. In the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, the com-
mentary states: "Today's passage interacts beautifully with Matthew 5: 13-20 as well as
with Paul's description of our 'spiritual worship' in Romans 12 ... " (Old Testament, 21).
The authors often give advice to the preacher about how to use the lectionary cre-
atively. For example, on the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C, they suggest that
since Luke does not directly invoke the call of Jeremiah, a better pairing for Luke
4:21-30 would be a passage from Isaiah. If the preacher does decide to use the Jeremiah
passage, the authors continue by afftrming the ways in which the Jeremiah passage
can help the preacher, concluding in the following way: "From the perspective of Luke
and Paul, then, the ministries of Jesus and Paul are not breaks with Judaism, nor even
dramatic innovations, but continue the traditions of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the other
prophets" (Old Testament, 224).
Second, the authors consistently call the readers' attention to the treatment of the Jew-
ish characters in the Gospel texts. They describe John 9:1-41 as a caricature of the
Pharisees and their theology, claiming that the description is less about historical accu-
racy and more about showing the superiority of the Johannine community. Instead they
ask the reader to focus on the horrifying and theologically inappropriate claim that
God made the person blind rather than a more common focus on the relationship
between blindness and sin (Gospels, 33).
In another entry, the preacher is asked to suspend previous assumptions about the
Palm Sunday text (Matt 27:15-26). Instead he/she is reminded of Pilate's reputation for
excessive cruelty and alerted to the fact that the Gospel writer is simply describing a stan-
dard form of appeal to get the Romans to look favourably on a request. A particularly
compelling part of their commentary focuses on the words "let his blood be upon us and
our children," a text that has been used in Christian preaching to condemn the Jews as
Christ-killers. The authors refer the preacher to the previous chapter in Matthew and state:
"We suggest instead that preachers recall the blood of Jesus at the Last Supper, 'poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins'" (Gospels, 36).
At other places the authors stress the positive relationship between the Old Testament
and New Testament. The commentary on Philippians 2:5-11, the Lectionary reading for
Passion Sunday, Year A, states, "The event of Christ Jesus, then, does not introduce a
new element into the story ofIsrael. On the contrary, the story ofIsrael gives the church
a theological framework by which to interpret the significance of Christ's self-empty-
ing and exaltation as a representation oflove and faithfulness of the God ofIsrael to the
Gentile world. This theme is accentuated in verses 9-11. Christians need to avoidtri-
umphalism and supercessionism when handling these themes" (Letters, 42).
Third, not only do the authors contribute to a post-holocaust reading and preaching
of scripture, but in their work they capture other ways of reading the Bible that have been
vying for attention since the late 70s: feminist, post-colonial, and a more general inter-
. faith perspective. The authors speak of the need for the sermon to invite the community
to believe and to do things that are morally plausible, that is, to treat all persons with
justice and as beloved of God. Allen makes this most clear in another work: "After hun-
dreds of years of experience with slavery in this country [USA] and apartheid in South
Africa, after thousands of years of anti-Judaism, of pogroms and Holocaust, after mil-
lennia of the oppression of women, one must simply say no to all attitudes from the past
that would justify and reinforce such prejudices today (Ronald J. Allen "Preaching as
138 Books Reviewed
Mutual Critical Correlation through Conversation" in Jana Childers, ed., The Purposes
ofPreaching [St. Louis, MI: Chalice, 2004], 13). Throughout their commentary these
themes, without apology, inform the reading oftexts. For example, in their exegesis of
Gen 12: 1-4a, the lesson for the Second Sunday in Lent, Year A, they state: "a morally
troubling point is that God eventually took the land away from the Canaanites to give
it to the descendants of Sarah and Abraham" (Old Testament, 33).

An example of their sensitivity to feminist interpretation is found in the reading of
the Samaritan woman, the text for the Third Sunday in Lent, Year A. The authors refer
to feminist approaches in reading the reference to five husbands. This commitment, how-
ever, is not consistent. In John 11: 1-45, the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday in Lent,
Year A, Martha's affIrmation offaith remains secondary to the raisIDg of Lazarus, con-
trary to most feminist readings.
Fourth. the endnotes are valuable to the busy pastor and contain important information
of a formative nature that can be passed on to the congregation. For example, in the third
volume there is a presentation of the debate over the appropriate name: Old Testament
or Hebrew Scripture or First Testament (Old Testament, 291-292). This is followed by
a discussion of the differences between the Protestant and Catholic Bibles (Old Testa-
ment, 292). While this information should not be new to those with theological train-
ing, the notes are a timely reminder of sometimes forgotten details.
The authors end the Introduction to the third volume with a description that captures
their hope for that work and its companions. It is the notion of tikkun olam, the act of
mending the brokenness of the world so that people can live together in well-being, love,
peace and justice. In summary Allen and Williamson write, "we pray that this book and
its companions will encourage a similar spirit in Christian preachers and congrega-
tions" (Old Testament, xxi). To that surely all ofus can say, "Amen."
J. Dorcas Gordon
Knox College
Elizabeth Newman. Untamed Hospitality: Welcoming God and Other Strangers. The
Christian Practice of Everyday Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2007. pp. 233. Paper,
us$22.99. ISBN 1-58743-176-9. .
Elizabeth Newman's opening words layout the purpose of the pages that follow: "This
book seeks to recover hospitality as a vital practice for Christian living." She goes on
to argue that "worship itself is our participation in divine hospitality, a hospitality that
cannot be sequestered from our economic, political, and public lives" (13). Indeed, the
unifying thought ofthe book revolves around a vision of Christian hospitality that is both
a response to, and participation in, God's hospitality. Human response to and participation
in God's abundance shapes the entirety of the Christian life and is most fully visible and
rightly practised in the coming together of the. church in worship.
One of the most striking elements of the book is the thoughtful and provocative
way Newman critiques modem liberal assumptions and the manifestation of these
within public life and the life of the church. Over and against the falsity of market-driven
hospitality Newman draws us to a deeper reflection on the character of true hospitality.
that grows out of God's overflowing abundance. Her argument is compelling. She chal-
·lenges us to recognize the insidious ways the modem liberal vision of life has USilrped
the place offaithfulness and distorted our understanding of what ifmeans to be human
and to live together. Newman follows the trajectory of Enlightenment thought (partic-
ularly that of Locke and Kant) to its present-day manifestations in the market-driven
world. She critiques liberal notions of human freedom and public life that prioritize indi-
Books Reviewed 139
vidual choice and mere tolerance, recognizing in these a complete contrast to the Chris-
tian vision of the human condition and life together.
Instead, Newman elegantly leads us toward a renewed vision of the Christian life
inspired by the constant overflowing abundance of the divine reality. She reflects deeply
on the Church as God's dwelling place in the world and invites us to hear the call to be
the household of God. Just as faith, hope and love are divine gifts which can be prac-
tised in the world, so too is unity a divine gift which the Church is also called to prac-
tise. She challenges readers to contemplate what life would look like if the existential
a priori of divine love and life were truly the starting point from which we lived together
as church in the world. Newman's philosophical insight moves profoundly while being
meaningfully rooted in the lived experience of Christ's followers today. Indeed, her fmal
discussion of both the L' Arche communities and the Church of the Saviour punctuate
her book with a groundedness and vitality that is most welcome in scholarly discussions
of the Church and conceptions of hospitality.
Newman skilfully draws on many thinkers and offers detailed references through-
out. Clearly she has been much influenced by post-liberal thinkers such as Geoffrey
Wainwright and Stanley Hauerwas,by Radical Orthodox thinkers such as John Millbank,
philosopher William Poteat, and inspired by the lives of Jean Vanier and Gordon Cosby.
While she moves with great appreciation within each of these worlds of thought and
practice, there are points throughout the book where strange cracks seem to emerge in
the integrity of her vision. I found myself struggling with some of the ways Newman
conceptualizes the Church that tend to idealize the "invisible" church and leave little
room for the church as a fallen and broken vessel constantly in need of repentance and
forgiveness. Related to this is a concern I had regarding her critique of the "market-
driven" principles of "pluralism," "diversity," "inclusivism" and "openness." While I
found myself appreciative of her insights and courageous rigour here, I also found her
complete dismissal of these principles to be lacking nuances necessary to reflect onthe
true character of Christian hospitality, particularly as I find myself living in urban
Canada with Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu neighbours. Is there not a way to move
deeply within the Christian tradition and, as followers of Christ, discern ways that the
Spirit opens us to the "other" whose difference humbles us to recognize the strange ways
Christ meets us, including in our Muslim neighbour? Is there no way to rethink the prin-
ciples of pluralism, diversity and openness such that they can rightly serve the living of
the Christian life and hospitality within God's pluralistic and diverse world?
All in all, Untamed Hospitality stands as an excellent book that raises great questions
and nicely integrates theology and practice.
Pam McCarroll
Surmybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto,ON
Research Technology
Above Israel. 4 DVDs. PTB Resource Series. Gaithersburg, MD: Preserving Bible
Times, 2004. DVD, us$129.00 (Version 1.0, without narration); us$199.00 (Version 2.0,
with narration).
Preserving Bible Times is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources for

understanding the geographical, historical, literary and social context of the Bible. Its
flagship product, Above Israel, is a four-volume DVD series containing over two hours
of superb aerial footage covering selected locations in Israel and the Occupied Territo-
140 Books Reviewed
ries. Each 30-minute DVDcovers a different region: (1) Jerusalem: The Holy City;
(2) Samaria, Judea and Dead Sea; (3) Galilee and The North; and (4) The Coast, Shep-
helah and The Negev. Anyone who haS rented a DVD from their local video store will
be at ease navigating the menus in the Above Israel series. Selecting a main menu item
reveals of submenu of individual segments of varying length. This arrangement allows '
footage of specific sites to be accessed quickly and precisely-important if one is using

the DVDs as part of a presentation. A menu item on each volume allows all the segments
to be played consecutively and without interruption if so desired.
The series may be purchased with or without narration. Users who are comfortable
with their knowledge of biblical geography and archaeology may wish to save money
by purchasing the non-narrated version and rely on the printed notes or H1ML and Word
files that accompany the set. Those who have a more limited background will fmd the
narration helpful in pointing out details of the many sites covered.
Those teaching Old or New Testament Introduction'know how a well-chosen still
image can enhance leaming by providing a setting for biblical stories. The footage in this
new series ofDVDs meets this need even more effectively by providing a dynamic aer-
ial perspective that allows viewers to see biblical sites from various angles and against their
surrounding context. As with any DVD, pausing the presentation gives opportunity for an
instructor to freeze the video to add additional comment on this or that point of interest.
Those who have spent any time living in Israel are familiar with the haze that fre-
quently limits the horizon. The clarity of the vistas on these DVDs shows that the pro-
ducers have chosen their film days very carefully. Another. challenge to acquiring aer-
ial footage in Israel and the Occupied Territories is the number of military installations
over which there is restricted airspace. Such restrictions may accowit for the limited cov-
'erage of the Jezreel Valley and the area east of Bethel and Ai where an airbase and radar
, installation make even sonie ground-level photography unwise.
With a resource of this nature, it would be nice to have the ability to strip out indi-
vidual video files and embed them in a PowerPoint presentation. Unfortunately, this is
something that the Permission and Use Statement prohibits. An insert further cautions
that the product's MPEG-2 files are incompatible with PowerPoint. Given this minor
and understandable restriction, most users will fmd it convenient enough to use the
DVDs in parallel with PowerPoint on a DVD-equipped laptop. A helpful addition to the
series would be some longer film segments that follow the course of biblical battles or
campaigns such as the ascent by Israel from Gilgal in the Jordan Valley to Ai in the Hill
Country (Josh 8:1-29) or the pursuit of Canaanite kings from Gibeon to Azekah and
beyond (Josh 10: 1-15). Given the expense and technical hurdles to a project of this scope,
some lacunae are inevitable. Curious, however, is the absence of footage covering the
Central Benjamin Plateau region just north of Jerusalem-a strategic crossroads in'
ancient times and home to prominent sites such as Gibeon, Bethel and Mizpah;
Above, Israel is a resource that professors will value as a way to enliven the class-
room experience While introducing students to the unfamiliar geography that is frequently
critical to a full understanding of the biblical story. Likewise, preachers will fmd in these
DVDs an excellent tool for introducing an audience to the world of the Bible in an engag-
ing and targeted way. (The Shephelah DVD, for example, includes two short segments
on the Elah Valley that would provide an excellent supplement toa sermon on the story
of David and Goliath.) Those preparing to lead a Holy Land tour could effectively use
these DVDs in pre-trip orientation sessions. To conclude, Above Israel is a versatile
resource likely to be of enjoyment to individuals and to meet educational needs in
church and synagogue and in college and seminary classrooms.
Brian Irwin
Knox College
Books Reviewed 141
Accordance 7.4.2. Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2007. CD-ROM, Starter
Package, us$39.00; Scholar's Collection Core Bundle, us$249.00; Scholar's Collection
Complete Unlock, us$2499.00.
The latest version of the dominant Bible search software for the Macintosh was
tested on a Titanium PowerBook 550mHz G4 (early 2002) with 1GB of RAM running
OS X 10.4.11. A previous version of Accordance was already installed. Updating of the
program and the installation of modules went without incident. Even on a six-year-old
laptop, this latest upgrade proved to be a nimble performer.
First appearing in 1994, Accordance is an expandable software package for search-
ing biblical- and modem-language texts. With the addition of optional map, timeline and
image modules, the package becomes a powerful tool for background study and for
preparing PowerPoint presentations to enhance sermons and lectUres. Accordance 7
takes full advantage of the ease of use of the Macintosh platform and the features of its
operating system, OS X. With OS X 10A.x and above, for example, users have the
benefit of two helpful widgets. The first, "AccUpdater," features a single button which,
when selected, searches the user's hard drive for modules for which updates are avail-
able and reports back with upgrade options. Periodically running this small but helpful
feature makes keeping Accordance up to date an effortless task. The second, "Accor-
dance," widget allows users to enter a biblical or other reference and instantly have access
to text for copying and pasting into other applications. Users new to Accordance will
appreciate the tutorial and explanation of basic features available via "Help" > "Accor-
dance Help." Veteran users can acquaint themselves with the new features of version 7
by clicking on the appropriate link in the "What's New?" sidebar of this same help page.
(Streaming video tutorials for standard users and scholars are available fromthe Accor-
dance website.)
Accordance's greatest strength lies in its ability to construct and perform complex
lexical and grammatical searches with ease and speed. Searches for verses or words and
phrases may be conducted using the command line of the "Search Window" (Fig. 1).
While many users might tend to use this window solely for basic searches, the command
line does support the use of Boolean operators such as AND, OR, NOT, etc. Gram-
matically specific searches are easily constructed here through the "Search" > "Enter
Grammatical Tag" pull-down menus. Search results appear in a text window below the
command line. Multiple texts are displayed as parallel panels each featuring handy
buttons to close panels, resize text or select manuscripts. The ability to instantly resize
text is an especially welcome feature for those who must read vowel pointing or dia-
criticals on a laptop screen. Adding additional texts is achieved by clicking on an "Add.
Pane" button and selecting texts from the pull-down menu. This menu is customizable
so that frequently accessed texts can be placed at the top ofthe list. Over time, users of
Accordance can easily accumulate scores of texts to which they require ready access.
Such access is enabled by a floating, customizable "Resource Palette," which organizes
texts, tools, background resources, etc., using colour-coded icons or text buttons. The
"My Notes" button on this palette is a particularly helpful feature, giving users the
ability to add notes to biblical texts-an asset for storing ideas for writing projects, mus-
ings on odd textual features, observations to share with students, etc. While scrolling
through a text, the presence of a note is indicated by a red dot beside the verse reference.
In the results window, search hits are bolded and in red for ease of recognition. If
another term in a text window happens to pique interest, it too may be searched by high-
lighting the word and selecting a text from one· of the Text buttons in the Resource
Palette. Additional searches conveniently appear as tabs at the top of the workspace, elim-
inating the need to burrow through stacked windows to find previous searches. When
working with tagged texts, running the cursor over a term in the Text window reveals
parsing information in a floating "Instant Details Box."
142. Books Reviewed
"1CII[', 1-......Sj· !itlill;Il

["'It nt!) KlIalI'I "''1:1]1 ':1M t!JMI)
.f'Q tI"M'::II"" "ll1I]..u ...,_
Fig.1. Search Wmdow
Fig.2. Construct Wmdow
Complex searches are carried out using a "Search Construct Window" (Fig. 2)
which is linked to a "Search Window" where the results are displayed. The "Con-
struct Window" allows users to drag and drop search items and, using pull-down
menus, to specify the specific grammatical features they would like to search. By
means of this graphical interface, users can easily construct complex searches without
the need to create a long and confusing .search string of arcane symbols or cryptic
abbreviations.
Books Reviewed 143
Fig.3. Details Window
Version 7 includes more new features than can be covered in a review ofthis size.
What follows is a partial list of those items that are likely to be of interest to scholars.
With the appearance of an "Arrange Modules" window, users who have accumulated
multiple tools and texts are now able to customize menus so that frequently used items
are easily accessible. Selecting "Compare Texts" in the Search Window now enables
users to compare the same passage in different texts. Differences between manuscripts
are indicated by a cyan strikethrough for replaced items, blue underlining for inserted
items and red vertical lines for deleted items. This feature will undoubtedly appeal to
researchers with text critical interests who can now compare readings between, for
example, the Masoretic Text and the Qumran biblical manuscripts simply by clicking
a box. The rigour with which texts are compared can be modified via the "Compare
Texts" preference panel. The suitability of Accordance for in-depth textual analysis is
reflected in the "Details" button of the "Search Window"--enhanced in version 7.
Clicking this button following a search instantly produces a window offering (Fig. 3)
access to various graphs and charts of word frequency, statistical summaries and even
a concordance of the search term. The ability to instantly reformat searches (Window
> Slide Show) for use with an LCD projector is a new feature that makes Accordance
a flexible tool in the classroom setting. The "Import Bible Texts" feature now allows users
to import out-of-copyright texts or their own translations for synchronized scrolling with
other Accordance Bible modules.
Developer OakTree Software (www.accordancebible.com)makesAccordanceavail-
able in several packages; many users, however, will want to purchase the basic program
and add modules individually as suits their scholarly interest. The starter package
includes the KJV and eight other public domain texts and resources and is geared to those
who do not expect to make use of original language texts. Purchasers in this category
would likely wish to add a contemporary translation of the Bible-most of which start
at us$30.00. The Scholar's Collection Core Bundle features twenty unlocked modules
including English Bible translations, Greek and Hebrew Bibles and lexicons and other
resources and provides access to dozens of additional texts which may be unlocked on
a
an la carte basis with the purchase of an access code. Most seminary students and fac-
ulty will find that this package provides a good balance between economy and cover-
age. For those without fmancial restrictions, the Scholar's Collection Complete Unlock
gives access to over seventy texts and lexical resources relating to biblical, intertesta-
mental and Rabbinic literature. Modules not included on the Scholar's Collection CD
may be purchased directly from OakTree as CDs or downloadable files.
144 Books Reviewed
Users who were hoping to see Unicode fonts in Version 7 will have to wait a little
longer. While Accordance can export to Unicode, the default Helena and Yehudit fonts
are still standard TrueType ones. Nonetheless, Accordance 7.4 is a worthy successor to
earlier versions of the program. It continues to amaze that OakTiee is able to add sig-
nificant functionality and still retain the stability and ease of use that makes this pro-
gram a standout. For Macintosh users (and Windows users willing to run it with an emu-
lator), Accordance is a wise choice for those who need a powerful search tool that can
take them from the study to the pulpit or classroom.
Brian P.1rwin
Knox College
Theology
Bernard Lonergan. The Triune God: Systematics. Edited by Robert M. Doran and
H. Daniel Monsour. Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan 12. Toronto, ON: University
ofToronto Press, 2007. pp. xxiv + 823. Paper, us$39.9S. ISBN 978-0-80209-433-9. .
This keystone volume in the collected works of the Canadian Jesuit philosopher and the-
ologian Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) offers patient readers an entry into the puzzle
box of Western theological reflection about the Christian mystery of God who is one and
three. Concise editorial notes, an extensive treasury of appendices:and the parallel pres-
entation of the author's blend of classical and scholastic Latin with the translator's
lucid English render the volume's retrieval and development of Thomas Aquinas' Trini-
tariantheology accessible to seasoned interpreters and serious students. A reflective dis-
cussion of the poteJitial achievements and necessary limitations of systematic theology,
a rigorously technical presentation of difficult or controversial points of Thomist inter-
pretation and a creative prescience of the social dimensions of Trinitarian theology all
warrant careful reading. This is a substantial contribution that ought not to be neg-
lected in any appropriation or criticism of Western theology grounded in the psycho-
logical analogy of the Trinitarian relations. .
The Triune God: Systematics is the companion volume to a forthcoming critical
edition of The Triune God: Dogmatics. First published jointly in 1964, the two volumes
stem from class notes that Lonergan developed when he was teaching Trinitarian the-
ology at the Gregorianum University in Rome. The organization of the two volUmes
reflects the distinction of the via inventionis and the via doctrina. Dogmatics is an ana-
lytic treatment of the historical development of doctrine about the Trinity. Systematics
is a synthetic exposition ofthe fruits of that development, proposing to proceed from
a well-ordered presentation of principles of understanding. Systematics adopts the order
of exposition found in Aquinas' Summa Theologica but appears to anticipate later crit-
icisms that challenge this approach and offers an extended methodological discussion
of the nature of theology and its potential achievements and limitations before turning
to the explicitly theological treatment of processions, real relations, consubstantial
divine persons and contingent temporal missions.
From the outset, Systematics advises readers that questions about doctrinal certi-
tude will not be addressed. Rather, travelling within a horizon projected by faith
affirmations about God one and three, the text invites readers to develop "some fruit-
ful understanding" of defmed doctrine by tracing the pathways of intelligibility signed
by technically refined theological notions arising from the psychological analogy.
By exploring the intelligible emanations associated with human intentional operation,
Books Reviewed 145
the text highlights intellectual pivot points upon which turn partial, imperfect, but
nonetheless active theological understanding about unity and distinction. Systemat-
ics proposes a modest goal and accomplishes it with a well-focused program and
radiant insight.
Serious students will notice thatthe text strives toward an unusual but insightful syn-
thesis of historical, logical and theological analyses. For instance, Systematics explores
the notion of subsistent relations by addressing the historical development ofi.lltimate
explanation itself, tracing the development of explanation from the Aristotelian predi-
cation of descriptive categories to the causal analysis of internal relations (267). The text
not only moves fluidly among different types of discourse but also demonstrates a his-
torical consciousness that reflects the author's concurrent project of "adding time to
medieval theology," a project which resulted some years later in the publication of
Method in Theology (1972).
Trained interpreters will appreciate the technical precision of the text's treatment of
difficult concepts. For instance, the differentiation of three distinct useS of the notion
of object in Aquinas' thought removes barriers to understanding the emanation of the
inner word from the constructive act of understanding that is first moved by a sensible
phantasm. An object can be a goal of an activity, the immanently produced term of an
operation or the mover that elicits action from potency (561). Systematics addresses con-
troversial points with similar clarity. By distinguishing the influences of Aristotle and
Avicenna, the text is able to trace Aquinas' complex use of the notions of active and pas-
sive potency and resolve recurring confusion over the active and passive aspects of an
action, the relation of first and second act and th~ relation of the principles of an action
with its term (539). Although such refmed points of interpretation may continue to
challenge readers, the text provides lucid clues that enhance the probability of fruitful
reading.
The contribution of Systematics is not limited to the intelligent retrieval ofAquinas'
medieval theological synthesis. The explanatory depth of the treatment suggests creative
ways to relate the divine missions of the Son and Spirit with the emerging good of
order that shapes human history. The concluding pages of the text outline the reconsti-
tution of the personal and social patterns of human activity in temporal relation to the
divine processions. At a time when theological reflection tends to be misshaped by
inconsequential sacral categories or reduced to unredeemed secular categories, Sys-
tematics offers significant intellectual resources for a profound integration of reflection
about human living with the divine gifts of wisdom and love.
Gordon A. Rixon, SJ
Regis College
Alister E. McGrath. The Science ofGod: An Introduction to Scientific Theology. Grand

Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004. Pp. xiv + 271. Paper, us$25.00. ISBN 0-8028-2815-9.
The Science of God is the latest work from the pen of Alister McGrath to examine the
methodological structure of-theology and the natural sciences. An interest in science and
theology comes easily for McGrath, who possesses earned doctorates in both theology
and molecular biology. The Science ofGod is derived from his three-volume opus in nat-
ural theology, Nature, Reality and Theory (2001-2003) and is intended, as the subtitle
indicates, to be "an introduction to scientific theology." "
In the first chapter, McGrath presents nature as an inherently interpreted concept, not
a pure one. Here the Christian doctrine of creation is seen as the most adequate way of
expressing the object of natural theology, which is conceived as complementary to a the-
146 Books Reviewed
ology of revelation, not as its substitute. In this section, a Logos Christology, the Calvin-
ism of Thomas Torrance and even Aquinas contribute toward a viable natural theology
in contrast to the caricatures of it made by Alvin Plantinga and Karl Barth. .
The second section is dedicated to the form of rationality that yields an under-
standing of reality. McGrath's wager on the effectiveness of traditions is employed to
justify a form ofrationaIity that is universal without being abstract. For McGrath this
suggests, among other things, an affmity with the thought of Milbank. Nevertheless, he
also offers some devastating criticisms of Milbank's thought, such as the latter's selec-
tive interpretation pfAugustine on the issue ofwhether Christian theology should mine
the gold and silver of pagan learning (124). More broadly, a realist view of the natural
sciences can be claimed in opposition to various critiques within the philosophy of sci-
ence such as the underdetermination thesis, which states that empirical data can lead to
more than one apparently adequate explanatory theory. Relying on Eman McMullin, John
Searle and especially Roy Bhaskar's priority of ontology and a stratified reality, McGrath
charts an epistemology of Christian realism in opposition to George Lindbeck and
other exponents of "grammatical" theology. Along the way, social constructionism is re-
defined in a way that should be required reading for anyone ever prone to the lure of post-
modernism (137). .
Third, McGrath follows through on this realist epistemology by discussing the role
of theory and the related idea of doctrines, properly understood as interpretive frame-
works with recognizable social functions. In the end, properly distilled theories assist
communities in developing, for instance, a shared meaning of religious teXts. McGrath
describes the hermeneutical process with reference to explanation and analogy-espe-
Cially the contested viability of the ana/ogia entis and the analogiafidei in theology,
about which he is sanguine: there is neither opposition between these two forms of
theological analogy nor between theology's emploYment of analogy and sCientific
usages of analogy in theory verification.
. This compendium will leave many readers wanting more. McGrath offers a breezy
series of conversation starters and book reviews on subjects which demand sober,
extended philosophical and theological development. Near the end he tellingly sums up
by stating that "scientific theology recognizes and welcomes responsible metaphysics"
(245), which is another way of saying that this sCientific theology is not itself a meta-
physics. Recourse to the three volume series would undoubtedly help the reader. How-
ever, even there, I see that the dialectics McGrath highlights with respect to certain other
thinkers is further described yet not satisfactorily appropriated as a foundationaIset of
general categories. McGrath is to be lauded for his bold efforts and his concise summary
of these efforts in this volume. Be that as it may, with McGrath, we are not yet dealing
with the epoch-making philosophical theology of a Lonergan or Tillich.
This compendium will be seen as weak because it stresses McGrath's perspective in
distinction from those of other traditions and thinkers without following through on artic-
ulating a careful, rigorous, foundational theological program. For the purposes of an
advanced undergraduate or possibly a master's level course in contemporary philo-
sophical theology, this book might serve as a text. Ideally, it would be used to introduce
other primary readings. Other quibbles include McGrath's reliance on the philosopher
Bhaskar, even though the latter describes himself as a "naturalist," while the critical real-
ism of Christian scholars McMullin or Polanyi seems, on the face of it, so much better
suited to a "scientific" theology.
Paul Allen
Concordia University
Montreal, QC
Books Reviewed 147
J\lrgen Moltmann. The Politics of Discipleship and Discipleship in Politics: Jilrgen

Moltmann Lectures in Dialogue with Mennonite Scholars. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2006.
Pp. xv + 151. Paper, u8$20.00. ISBN 1-59752-483-2.
This collection contains a series of lectures that Moltmann delivered in Elkhart, Indi-
ana, and Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1982, brief responses from Mennonite scholars to
some of the themes in Moltmann's lectures, as well as Moltmann's reply to those
responses. The book ends with another article by Moltmann in which he endorses paci-
fism as the logical implication of the principle ofloving one's neighbour. This collec-
tion is best appreciated by examining together the themes discussed by Moltmann in the
four lectures with responses given in the second section. Doing so illustrates how Molt-
mann constructs and defmes his political theology, the manner in which he responds to
contemporary social and political concerns, and the points ofintersection with Anabap-
tist theology. In totum, the book is an excellent example of the type of ecumenical
interest for which Moltmann is widely known and the kind of theological conversations
Mennonites welcome.
The first lecture is a careful discussion of Luther's doctrine of the two kingdoms.
According to Moltmann, Luther's view has been misunderstood. Luther did not hold to
a hard-and-fast separation between the world and the Church. Rather, he was con-
cerned with the particular tension Christians experienced in being at once citizens of this
world and children of God. It was later misunderstandings of Luther that converted his
notions into a cosmic battle between the forces of God (the Kingdom of God and the
Church) and the forces of the Devil (the world and the State). Such a conception is
flawed, Moltmann says, because it breaks the connection between the spiritual and the
material world and the public and the private sphere of believers. This notion leaves no
room for material social activity for Christians and provides no criteria for a specifically
Christian ethic. Most importantly, it characterizes the rest of the non-Christian world as
being against God.
Dealing with Barth's doctrine of the Lordship of Christ, the second lecture is based
on Moltmann's examination of the Barmen Declaration. According to him, Barth's
theological position placed all of creation under the objective Lordship of Christ. His
"Christological eschatology" came to replace earlier Lutheran apocalypticism. How-
ever, in claiming the world under the lordship of God, Barth's position became overly
optimistic as he paid little attention to the reality of a suffering world and to the res-
urrected one as none other than the crucified one. Barth's position, adds Moltmann, went
beyond the biblical text. For example, Paul did not teach the objective present Lord-
ship of Christ, for it had not become a reality for him. So while Paul awaited a fmal real-
ization, Barth considered it an actual reality. Similarly, Barth's concept of the state as
parable of the reign of God only works if the Church is not easily distinguishable
from the state. In contradiction to Barth, Moltmann insists that true Christocentric
ethics can only be discipleship ethics for Christians in a state, "but not a Christian
ethic for the state" (33).
The third lecture outlines Moltmann's political theology. As he explains, political the-
ology privileges praxis over theory. He rejects the idea that one can reflect and then act
in light of such reflection because reflection and praxis are inseparable, although not iden-
tical. Political theology, then, represents a paradigm shift because it focuses not on the
primacy oflove (Medieval Catholicism) or offaith (Protestantism), but on the primacy
of hope. Political theology recognizes the unfinished character of the Kingdom of God
and represents an eschatological anticipation of its future fulfillment. Moltmann makes
clear that this anticipation is public and cannot be relegated to the personal private
sphere. Since the foundation of this theology is the cross of Jesus, this theology is
always a theology of the "way," leading believers to work and struggle for the reign of
148 Books Reviewed
God to come into this world. The second part of this article highlights Moltmann's
political hermeneutics, which for him means the translation of the past into the present
in order to announce the future. It is an eschatological hermeneutics and shows that
reflection on God cannot be separated from action. In fact, he claims, one cannot under-
stand God unless one acts and reflects at the same time. Indeed, the Church serves a
sacramental role with Baptism and the Eucharist, but even more so with its struggle for
the poor and oppressed.
The fInal lecture by Moltmannjuxtaposes the Protestant notion of "Christian respon-
sibility for the world" with the Anabaptist view of "Discipleship of Christ." Moltmann
shows how the Anabaptist emphasis on suffering, love of enemy and discipleship of
Christ can be misconstrued as a "withdrawal" approach. By contrast, the Protestant
view conceives authorities as established by God, and Christians as required to obey
them. But taking the Protestant perspective leaves Christians doing the same things
that non-Christians do, comments Moltmann. There is no mode of differentiation. With
this in mind, Moltmann discusses the question of peace and nuclear warfare. He briefly
alludes to the "just war theory," the possibilities of "nuclear peace" or peace based on
the possession of nuclear weapons, and the (in)viability of "nuclear disarmament." He
shows the inherent flaws in those positions as alternatives to bring lasting world peace.
He concludes that the proposal for pacifIsm for which the Anabaptists are known is the
best alternative for the world, no longer to be considered unrealistic or utopian. It is the
only realistic alternative in a world of nuclear weapons, based on discipleship of Christ,
love of neighbour and willingness to suffer. Nevertheless, discipleship must be broad-
ened so as to include the struggle for the poor and the oppressed. This, Moltmann
afiirms, is the real problem of our present reality and its solution is possible only when
the church frees itself from the power of the state.
Nestor Medina
Emmanuel College
Mark Thiessen Nation. John Howard Yoder: Mennonite Patience, Evangelical Witness,
Catholic Convictions. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. Pp. xxiii + 211. Paper,
us$20.00. ISBN 0-8028-3940-1.
Mark Thiessen Nation provides a trenchant picture of the theological legacy of John
Howard Yoder. His Anabaptist-Mennonite heritage, theological interests, pacifIst vision,
ecumenical commitments and academic rigour and consistency are all'pointedly treated
in this volume. This is a book that is well written, well researched and easy to read. The
author pays close attention to detail to present a multifaceted portrait of Yoder and a com-
prehensive view of the contributions he made during a fruitful career covering over four
decades. The book is divided into fIve chapters plus a general conclusion; each chap-
ter represents an aspect of Yoder's personal and theological-ethical commitments and
engagements.
Chapter 1 is biographical, beginning with Yoder's paternal great-great grandpar-
ents move to Wayne County, Ohio and the story of how they became leaders of the Oak
Grove church. It discusses his maternal ancestry and traces the events that led Yoder's
parents to fInally meet at Goshen College and marry on October 7, 1925. The second
part traces the steps of young Yoder's school days at Goshen, being deeply influenced
by Harold S. Bender's "Anabaptist Vision" and Guy F. Hershberger's "pacifism as the
distinctive characteristic of being a Mennonite." It also tells us how, not long after his
graduation, Yoder sought an assignment in Europe under the auspices of the Mennon-
ite Central Committee. Nation notes that Yoder's experiences in Europe would prove
Books Reviewed 149
life changing as he took a deep interest in his Anabaptist roots, culminating in his doc-
toral dissertation on the debates between the magisterial Reformers and sixteenth-cen-
tury Anabaptism. Going full circle, at the end of this chapter we fmd Yoder back at
Goshen Biblical Seminary as a full-time faculty member, and ten years later at the Uni-
versity of Notre Dame.
In chapter 2, Nation examines the complex process in which Yoder came to appro-
priate the Anabaptist tradition. Becoming convinced there was much to be learned from
the central beliefs of sixteenth-century Anabaptism and inspired by Bender's notion of

a ''usable past," Yoder began to iriterpret the Anabaptist central teachings in order to bring
renewal to the Church. According to Nation, Yoder became convinced that the broader
Christian world also had much to learn from Anabaptism.
In chapter 3 we read of Yoder's ecumenical commitment. Nation tells us that Yoder's
ecumenicity emerged from what he called the "Christological imperative" of the unity
of the Church. Yoder believed that the demand of ecumenicity is theological in nature,
emerging from the life and ministry of Christ and the very mission of the Christian
Church and concluding from this that rational dialogue, not division, is the only Chris-
tian alternative. Moreover, says Nation, Yoder understood the "ecumenical problem" as
having to do with Christians who seriously disagreed with each other. He also thought
that differences that existed with other Christian groups had their origin in the six-
teenth century, when the Anabaptist movement was born. Yet, as part of his ecumeni-
cal commitment, he admonished Mennonites and other Christians not to approach ecu-
menical relations as if their church is the "faithful" one and others are "unfaithful." In
ecumenical conversations one needs to leave open the possibilities that one is wrong and
others right. It is surprising, however, that the book focuses only on Yoder's ecumeni-
cal activity in Europe and only in passing mentions his fruitful interaction with Latin
America.
Chapter 4 is a discursive stroll through Yoder's celebrated work The Politics of
Jesus. Nation examines the chapters ofthis book, noting the innovative and challeng-
ing character of Yoder's arguments. Nation points out that the Politics of Jesus was
ground breaking and was well received by Evangelicals and Catholics and by aca-
demics and non-academics alike. Through this book and its complementary collection
of essays in The Priestly Kingdom, Yoder reconfigured the way politics were to be
grounded on his two central theological concerns: Jesus and the Church. Here Nation
makes an important qualification. Despite the fact that Yoder was aware that Men-
nonites were often seen by other denominations as sectarians, and while the deep influ-
ence of Anabaptist theology permeated his theological ethics, he claimed that he was
not simply writing for Mennonites, or merely in conformity with Anabaptist or Men-
nonite theology. Yoder affIrmed that his views in politics were "more radically Nicene
and Chalcedonian" (128). Thus, he believed his writings were relevant to the Church
as a whole, for all Christians.
As the offshoot of chapter 4, chapter 5 deals with the question of believers' social
involvement. The first part is apologetic in nature. Nation goes to great length to dis-
pel any notions that lead to interpreting Yoder's theological ethics as "social irrespon-
sibility." He engages Yoder's own writings to explain how Yoder conceived the relation
between the Church and the world, and how it did not lead to social negligence. In the
second section we are introduced to Yoder's work on "conflict transformation," and how
Yoder left a rich legacy in this rapidly growing discipline.
For students unfamiliar with John' Howard Yoder, this book serves as an excellent
introduction to his multiple theological-ethical contributions. For Yoder scholars, this
book not only shows his theological breadth but also explains why he rejected the
adoption of ready-made categories to pigeonhole his work. The author engages in a sys-
tematic analysis of some of Yoder's most important works in order to elucidate our under-
150 Books Reviewed
standing of his thought. Readers are introduced to a broad range of Yoder's material and
writings, with each chapter building upon the previous one to provide a cohesive pic-
ture of Yoder the person, the Anabaptist-Mennonite and the theologian.
Nestor Medina
Emmanuel College
Adele Reinhartz. Jesus ofHollywood. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Pp. xiv + 313. Cloth, n.p. ISBN 0-19-514696-4.
Jesus of Hollywood adds to a growing list of academic books on Jesus movies that
have been published in the last decade: e.g., Lloyd Baugh, Imaging the Divine: Jesus
and Christ-Figures in Film (Kansas City, MO: Shed and Ward, 1997); w. Barnes Tatum,
Jesus at the Movies (Santa Rose, CA: Polebridge, 1997); Richard C. Stem, Savior on
the Silver Screen (New York, NY: Paulist, 1999). Reinhartz's approach is distinctive in
that she'does not focus on a select few Jesus films or, in the aftermath of The Passion
of the Christ, on one controversial biopic as did, for example, Kathleen.E. Corley and
Robert L. Webb, Jesus and Mel Gibson s The Passion of the Christ: The Film, the
Gospels and the Claims ofHistory (London; New York, NY: Continuum, 2004). Rather,
she uses a relatively broad spectrum of forty-one films, including European and Cana-
dian productions, to reveal how the main characters in the gospel drama have been
portrayed in almost a century of the making of Jesus movies.
The book's introduction gives an overview of the history of Jesus films, including
the "sword and sandal" and "passion play" genres. This is followed by a chapter dis-
cussing the complexities of relating history, gospel and filmmaking, using Scorsese's
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Arcand's Jesus of Montreal (1989), which
Reinhartz considers to be "the most sophisticated entries in the Jesus film category to
date" (29), as case studies.
The bulk of the book is devoted to chapter-length analyses of filmic portrayals of
Jesus and other characters who populate the Gospels: Jesus' family (Mary, Joseph,
God), Jesus' friends (Mary Magdalene, Judas), and Jesus' enemies (Satan, the Pharisees,
Caiaphas, Pilate). Each chapter identifies key elements in the gospel portrayals of each
figure (e.g., Jesus' miraculous birth, Jesus as miracle worker, the resurrection) and dis-
cuss~s how these are depicted in the Gospels and how they are translated and transformed
in the movies. Reinhartz' selection and classification of characters contains both "the
usual suspects" and some surprises: the miraculous elements in the gospel story are
treated in the chapter on God as the divine member of Jesus' family; Judas is consid-
ered as a friend of Jesus, rather than as a villain, an interpretation supported by The Last
Temptation ofChrist and more recently, by William Klassen's Judas: Betrayer or Friend
ofJesus? (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1996); Caiaphas, the high priest who figures in
the trial before the Sanhedrin as portrayed by Matthew and John is treated as a major
character, rather than as one of the anonymous "Jewish leaders" who opposed Jesus.
There are also some surprising omissions: it seems odd that, in a work where Judas is
classified as one of Jesus' friends, the "corporate character" of the disciples does not get
its own chapter, and that there is no chapter on Peter, the most prominent of the Twelve,
both in the Gospels and in early Christian tradition. Reinhartz observes in the chapter
on Mary Magdalene that movies made prior to the 1980s highlighted her promiscuous
past, but that more recent films are less judgmental. However, she misses the opportu-
nity to discuss the question of why, despite the scholarly and ecclesiastical consensus
that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, she is almost always depicted as such in even
the most recent of Jesus films.
Books Reviewed 151
Biblical scholars will not be surprised at Reinhartz' fmding that Jesus films, like
the Gospels, are "preoccupied with the interests, concerns, and anxieties of their own
time and place" (252). This observation might also be applied to books about Jesus
films. The issue of anti-Semitism, in the Gospels and in the movies, recurs through-
out the book; Reinhartz notes the ambivalence of many Jesus films toward the Jew-
ishness of Jesus, and the efforts of many filmmakers to ameliorate the anti-Semitic
implications of the trial narratives. This is an issue that looms large in recent schol-
arly works on Jesus movies, most recently, Jeremy Cohen's Christ Killers: The Jews
and the Passion from the Bible to the Screen (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007).
A very astute insight is that cinematic saviours, unlike the historical Jesus (or the
Jesus of the Gospels), are often assigned the task of liberating the Jewish people from
Roman oppression (253)-a mission that Jesus failed to deliver on both historically
and on the screen.
This book will be of interest to scholars of the Bible and film and would be partic-
ularly useful as a text for courses in cinematic representations of Jesus. The continuing
fascination of filmmakers and audiences with the figure ofJesus, and of the need for crit-
ical analysis of such films, is illustrated by the appearance of two new Jesus movies, the
South African Son ofMan and the Christmas feature The Nativity Story, in the year Jesus
ofHollywood was published.
Mary Ann Beavis
St. Thomas More College
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK
Kathryn Tanner. Economy of Grace. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005. Pp. xiii + 158.
Paper, n.p. ISBN 0-8006-3774-7.
Kathryn Tanner aims to show that Christianity possesses a comprehensive economic

vision for all of life, a theological alternative to the present global capitalist reality. Tan-
ner's own broadly Reformed program of an "economy of grace" is contrasted, on the
one hand, with John Locke's reconsideration of the notion of property and, on the other
hand, with certain advocates of non-commodity gift exchange such as John Milbank.
Whereas Locke held that property rights are fundamentally inclusive by virtue of the fact
that everything in the world is given by God for the good of ail, Tanner understands
Locke as propounding a covenant of works, wherein Christ fulfills the conditions of
God's gifts that human beings are unable to meet. Similarly, Tanner fmds Milbank to
be advancing an insufficient theologia gratia for, according to her, the idea of recipro-
cal gift exchange remains at its most basic level rooted in competition and implicit
contracts.
Tanner's proposal is conversely grounded in a theological vision of divine giving as
both unconditional and universal. God's internal life is distinguished, Tanner suggests,
by the persons of the Trinity giving to one another without any experience of loss.
Likewise, God gives freely to the world (irrespective of human reception) and thereby
brings God's own life into col\iunction with human reality. At this conjunction, human
beings give to each other without expectation of return or fear of deficit. Such giving
results in non-competitive relations, which transform private property. "Nothing is
transferred, as if these gifts involved the moving of material goods from one site to
another," Tanner explains, "and therefore one can retain full possession of one's own
property in giving to others" (77).
How, then, is this theological economy actually put to work? Tanner is not interested
in the total overhaul of global capitalism. Instead, she argues that an economy of grace
152 Books Reviewed
meets capitalism at ''points of relevant intersection and intervention" (89). One such point
concerns economic globalization, which Tanner believes can dissolve bounded interests
that impede unconditional, universal giving. Consequently, she calls for a kind offree
trade which facilitates a truly free flow of capital throughout the world. She also con-
tends that welfare provision is a universal entitlement which includes not only mone-
tary payments but also education and health care. For this to be implemented, Tanner
argues that institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are in need '
of serious reorganization: these bodies should "set up international funding sources
, that would do for the global economy what a federal bank ordinarily does for a national
economy" (128). Tanner has hope that this can happen, but she is quick to note that those
victimized by capitalism only succeed in changing the system where such change
finally serves the interests of the capitalists as well; that is, change is lasting when the
benefits are universally enjoyed.
Tanner's overall thesis is intriguing; but whatever its strengths, they are in my judg-
ment at least partially overcome by three interconnected shortcomings. First, missing
in Tanner's account of capitalism is any interaction with one of the most thoroughgo-
ing and trenchant theological critics of capitalist ideology-Franz HinkeIammert. The
general point of Hinkelammert's work is that so-called late capitalism is "savage"; it
manipulates the nation-state as the market's agent of repression. The upshot is that
capitalism's triumph is not merely economic; it is ontological (so Daniel M. Bell, Jr.,
Liberation Theology after the End of History [London: Routledge, 2001]). Tanner's
'short dismissal of this conclusion-we are not faced with an "immovable object or
implacable juggernaut" (90}-only leaves unanswered the question of the extent of
capitalism's conquest and depth of sway.
Second, the methodology that funds Tanner's work assumes that "theological
ideas are always internally constituted by a cOritestatory relationship with the beliefs
and practices of the wider world in which Christians live" (1). That is to say, Chris-
tian beliefs and practices are in essence the world's beliefs and practices transformed
and "made odd." This accounts for why she believes that her proposal can be put to
work within a capitalist ethos. The problem with Tanner's method is that she has not
sufficiently demonstrated, to my mind, that a theological economy, however opposi-
tional it may be, is always formed in conjunction with the wider economy that it
contests. Is it really not possible to craft a theological economy apart from the pres-
ent system? The weighty contribution ofD. Stephen Long, Divine Economy (London:
Routledge, 2000), certainly suggests otherwise, but Tanner dismisses this book in a
meagre footnote.
Third, Tanner's economy of grace appears detached from any concrete ecclesiology.
It seems that her methodology of give-and-take interaction between theology and the
world prompts her to posit the world as the locus of the economy of grace. But does not
the Church constitute such a locus? Without any discussion of how a theological econ"
omy is ecclesially constituted, Tanner's thesis rings theologically hollow.
Notwithstanding these criticisms, Tanner is to be commended for writing such a
lucid and concise book on a most complex topic. At the very least, the book will chal-
lenge a wide readership--clergy, scholars and students of various disciplines-to think
hard about the politico-economic ramifications of Christian doctrine, even at those
points where Tanner's own proposal is problematic.
Jeff Nowers
Emmanuel College
Books Reviewed 153
Traci West. Disruptive Christian Ethics: When Racism and Women s Lives Matter.
Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2006. Pp. xxi + 216. Paper, n.p. ISBN 978-0-
664-22959-7.
In Disruptive Christian Ethics, Traci West seeks an "authentic" engagement with racism
and the sexual violation of women. Using a range of dissimilar sources, perspectives and
methods, she develops strategies intended to bring about social change (xi). Recogniz-
ing that ethical method determines the entire focus and definition of the problem, West
emphasizes a self-critical, thoughtful process of crafting ethics that is responsive to
social issues (xiv). According to West, Christian social ethics must constructively con-
tribute to, and equitably share in, the communal process of building more ethical rela-
tions. in a pluralistic world. By working together across boundaries, she argues, we can
develop a Christian ethic that fosters co-operative negotiation of shared values and
respects the maintenance of culturally and religiously diverse traditions. Such a moral
vision stresses dialogue attending to the particular and the concrete (xv). West devotes
much space to the stories of particular people and uses case studies to illustrate her ideas.
Informed by both the private and the public spheres of women's lives-women "mul-
tiply located" under various yokes of oppression-she claims that ethical norms need
to be formed in community. The moral norm of charity is not enough as it sustains a
power imbalance between giver and taker (xv). Christian ethics, then, is informed by
both theory and practice. In fact, West describes her book as a "methodological tool kit"
drawing from a wide range of sources to develop liberative public practices (xviii).
To illustrate this "conversation" between practice and theory, West brings Reinhold
Niebuhr's social ethic into dialogue with the lives and activist work of African Amer-
ican women who were his contemporaries in Harlem during the 1930s and 40s (xix). In
so doing, West draws attention to the Western reliance on "isolated islands of know1-
edge" who are white, male, Christian thinkers, "removed from any community context,"
who have largely determined ethical norms in American society (3). Instead, she argues,
we must broaden our understanding of what constitutes legitimate sources of knowledge
and attend to the dis-empowered and de-legitimized voices speaking from the mar-
gins. The power that elites have to legitimate their knowledge as normative and universal
needs to be relativized (3). Consequently, Niebuhr's "universal moral terms" describ-
ing the "plight of 'man'" can be revisited in light of the particularities of women's
experience (4). Deciphering how Christian ethics might be connected to these varied his-
torical and cultural realities challenges the tendency to overgeneralize the role of dom-
inant Christian voices in shaping contemporary societal values (5).
Thus, West's book is an invaluable resource for an ethicist, particularly for a reader
like me who can be blinded by his location as' a member of the privileged majority-
white, male, heterosexual and educated. Without exposure to the concrete details and
situational subtleties of the marginalized other, available only in firsthand accounts, one
risks oversimplification and misrepresentation. Relying on the texts of white men like
Niebuhr, who are traditionally understood as independent and "exclusive" experts who
have a monopoly on the truth, one is in danger of developing practices that, though well-
intended, overlook and oppress the other.
Disruptive Christian Ethics, then, identifies interrelated key factors that are neces-
sary for a Christian ethic of social justice. For example, dialpgue is identified as an indis-
pensable tool among and between theory, experience, practice, text and reader and/or
communities: "A method for Christian social ethics that trains us in how to have 'con-
versations' across boundaries prepares us for the task of building shared ethics in a
pluralistic world" (xv). Dialogue prevents overgeneralization, which can come about
from not attending to the private and particular realities of the oppressed. Even femi-
nists like Beverly Harrison and Margaret Farley are found guilty of overgeneralizing in
154 Books Reviewed
their failure to address the multiple locations of women (see West's critique of ' 'women's
experience," 44, 48). Consequently, West also stresses the importance of drawing from
a wide variety of sources. This approach entails access to all resources within a com-
munity, particularly those who have been previously unheard and unseen. An ideal of
disinterestedness could not be further from the aims of such justice work:; self-criticism
and self-interest are necessary in order to develop an ethic which is liberative and sen-
sitive to the needs of the oppressed (17). There must, then, be critical reflection on the
history of thought and action which have informed biblical interpretation and the for-
mation of accepted tradition and practice (17). Christ must be centre, but not dogmat-
. ically so (40, 49, 69-70). Universal ethical norms must be open to and shaped by norms
which arise. from the particularities of personal experience (37). There are alsoobliga-
tions and responsibilities to· attend ~o multiple sites ofsocial conflict, with the aware-
ness that God is concerned with public life as well as private (xi, 40). This entailspolit-
ical action rather than non-involvement (41). .
In the end, Disruptive Christian Ethics is an invaluable tool kit, outlining theory and
theology necessary for liberative Christian praxis. .
Simon Watson
Emmanuel College

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