Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 2
XXXI. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2006. Pp. xiv + 254; 80 plates,
12 plans. $118.00, ISBN 978-3-110190137.
The excavations at Olympia have been conducted by the
German Archaeological Institute for over a hundred years.
Those published in this new volume had a very specific
aim: to investigate the continuity or discontinuity between
Bronze- and Iron-Age cultic activity on the site and to deter-
mine the relation of the worship of Zeus to the hero cult of
Pelops. The results are important and overturn some previ-
ously held notions. First, the massive ash and votive deposits
presumably dedicated to Zeus begin in the eleventh century
BCE. While discontinuous with the Mycenean period, the
altar is nevertheless located over an Early Helladic tumulus,
more than a millennium earlier, and must have been consid-
ered a sacred space. The cult of Pelops, which many scholars
thought preceded the worship of Zeus at the shrine, seems to
have been instituted in the sixth century, when the great
altar was moved and the sanctuary was reorganized, pre-
sumably by the Eleans. The volume, then, makes a signifi-
cant contribution to the earliest history of one of the most
important Greek religious sanctuaries.
Jenny Strauss Clay
University of Virginia
Christian Origins
THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE NEW TESTA-
MENT: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE. By Warren Carter.
Abingdon Essential Guides. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press,
2006. Pp. viii + 148. $16.00, ISBN 0-687-34394-1.
Carter begins his brief treatment of the Roman imperial
world on a very promising note, emphasizing in the opening
lines of the introduction that this book is not about “Roman
backgrounds”; after all, the Roman world provides the fore-
ground. According to Carter, early Christians negotiated
with the Roman Empire from below, from a position of
oppression and powerlessness. With this in mind, he
explores Christian negotiations with certain imperial reali-
ties in eight chapters, beginning with a description of the
Roman imperial world and NT evaluations of this world. In
the next four chapters, he examines Roman expressions of
power in the form of Roman officials, rural and urban
centers, temples, and imperial theology. In the final chap-
ters, he turns to the daily struggle for basic economic needs
and related forms of resistance. Through the trajectories
established by the NT authors, the contemporary Christian,
Carter suggests, can learn to successfully navigate their own
contexts of imperial power. The stated goal of the Abingdon
Essential Guides series is to provide a substantive and acces-
sible introduction, and in this regard, Carter is successful.
Matthew R. Hauge
Claremont Graduate University
NAZIRITES IN LATE SECOND TEMPLE JUDAISM:
A SURVEY OF ANCIENT JEWISH WRITINGS,
THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARCHAEOLOGICAL
• JUNE 2008
EVIDENCE, AND OTHER WRITINGS FROM LATE
ANTIQUITY. By Stuart Chepey. Ancient Judaism and Early
Christianity, 60. Leiden: Brill, 2005. Pp. xi-211. $126.00,
ISBN 978-90-04-14465-1.
Why hasn’t someone written this before? This mono-
graph represents a revised Oxford doctoral dissertation
written under the tutelage of M. Goodman, C. Rowland, and
P. Alexander. It is at once a valuable survey of the available
evidence for Nazirites in the period literature and an assess-
ment of what the evidence might tell us about their role as
Jews. The survey is written in chronological order—an orga-
nization that I find particularly helpful—and includes full
text passages in English translation, with relevant original
language phrases bracketed. Following each pericope is a
thorough discussion of the passage, with ample references to
secondary bibliography on the topics raised in Chepey’s dis-
cussion. The discussions are extremely useful in guiding the
reader through the scholarship, as well as the issues for each
individual passage. To make sense of the evidence as a
whole, Chepey wrote a coherent conclusion. The insight of
the book was Chepey’s challenge to question our received
tradition—that Nazirites were a particular group of Jews
involved in the same practices. When the evidence is
assessed as a whole, it appears that they were not a particu-
lar homogenous community, but “religious devotees” or holy
men and women who made (or were placed under) a purity
vow and who identified with different Jewish communities.
This is a very useful book, not only because it contributes to
our understanding of Nazirites in the second Temple period,
but also because it is an anthology of texts on the Nazirites.
It is a book that deserves to be on all of our shelves.
April D. DeConick
Rice University
A HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREEK: FROM THE
BEGINNINGS TO LATE ANTIQUITY. Edited for the
Centre for the Greek Language by A. F. Christidis, with
the assistance of M. Arapopoulou and M. Chriti. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2007. Pp. xlii + 1617. $265.00,
ISBN 978-0-521-83307-3.
This volume (a revised and augmented translation of
the 2001 Greek original) is an extraordinary intellectual
achievement. The titles of the nine parts only begin to
suggest the breadth of its coverage: I. The Language Phenom-
enon, II. The Greek Language: Language and History, III. The
Ancient Greek Dialects, IV. Ancient Greek: Structure and
Change, V. Greek in Contact with Other Languages, VI.
Translation Practices in Antiquity, VII. Language and Civili-
zation, VIII. The Ancient Greeks and Language, and IX. The
Fortunes of Ancient Greek. The volume incorporates numer-
ous maps, charts, pictures, figures, illustrations, and exten-
sive bibliographies; three appendices, a glossary (among
other items), and four indices complete the work. Virtually
all source texts are also given in translation, which makes
the volume relatively accessible to a wide range of students.
Among the 123 chapters, topics of particular interest
96
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
include: “Development in pronunciation during the Hellenis-
tic period” (IV.6), “Syntax: From Classical Greek to the
Koine” (IV.8), “Jewish Greek” (IV.10), “The Greek of the New
Testament” (IV.11), “Translation in antiquity” (VI.1), “The
translation (Targum) of the Septuagint” (VI.2), chapters on
the special vocabularies of slavery, democracy, religion,
early Christian Greek, legal terms, philosophy, and medicine
(VII.B.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7), chapters (under “Cultural mean-
ings and their transformations”) on Ελληνισμος , Αγ ιος ,
and Ψυχη (VII.C.1, 4, 5), “The ancient grammarians”
(VIII.2), and “Atticism” (VIII.3). Beautifully produced, this
outstanding volume deserves to be widely consulted, and is
a definite “must have” for any library that serves those inter-
ested in the Greek language.
Michael W. Holmes
Bethel University
THE WORLD OF EARLY EGYPTIAN CHRISTIAN-
ITY: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND SOCIAL
CONTEXT: ESSAYS IN HONOR OF DAVID W.
JOHNSON. Edited by James E. Goehring and Janet A.
Timbie. The Catholic University of America Studies in Early
Christianity. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of
America Press, 2007. Pp. xix-226. $39.95, ISBN 978-0-8132-
1480-1.
This volume of collected essays by M. J. Blanchard,
D. Boyarin, L. Depuydt, D. Frankfurter, J. E. Goehring,
T. Orlandi, B. A. Pearson, P. Rousseau, M. Sheridan,
J. A. Timbie, and R. D. Young is written in honor of
D. W. Johnson, professor emeritus of Semitic and Egyptian
languages at the Catholic University of America. As is stan-
dard for these honorific volumes, the editors include a list of
Johnson’s publications. Unfortunately, they included very
little biographical information. However, more information
about Johnson can be gleaned from the pages of the indi-
vidual contributions, as the authors freely interact with his
work. Since Egypt has been the focus of Johnson’s work, the
contributions are organized around Christianity in Egypt—its
language and literature, and its social context. Wide arrays
of approaches to particular problems are employed by the
various contributors. As the book does not contain a strong
organizing introduction or conclusion, it does not read like a
book, nor does it have anything coherent to say about Egyp-
tian Christianity. It is better characterized as eleven very
independent and discrete essays on different details of
Christianity in late antique Egypt—including articles on the
ecclesiastical history of the Copts, Coptic sermons, Coptic
grammar, Philo, Shenoute, Evagrius, Pachomius, the Nag
Hammadi collection, and the cult of Kothos. Perhaps the one
contribution that might have provided some structure to the
collection is Pearson’s “Earliest Christianity in Egypt:
Further Observations,” although it turns up in the middle of
the book.
April D. DeConick
Rice University
97
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
BEYOND WHAT IS WRITTEN: ERASMUS AND
BEZA AS CONJECTURAL CRITICS OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT. By Jan Krans. New Testament Tools and
Studies, 35. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2006. Pp. x + 384.
$187.00, ISBN 90-04-15286-5.
This revised dissertation explicitly participates in the
paradigm shift under way in NT textual criticism, in which
MSS are “viewed as historical products that deserve to be
studied as wholes” and variant readings “acquire historical
significance as mirrors of scribal convictions and conven-
tions.” Similarly, conjectural emendations “mirror particu-
lar ideas of the text, its interpretability and its status.”
Focusing on Erasmus and Beza, Krans investigates what
kind of conjectures each made, the role conjectures played
in their work on the NT, and how their view of the text
affected that role. He convincingly demonstrates (para-
phrasing Hort) that “knowledge of authors should precede
judgement of their conjectures.” Of the two, Erasmus was
far the better and bolder textual critic; Beza was both con-
servative and timid, and (due to heavy reliance on Stepha-
nus’s text) never grappled with critical issues as did
Erasmus. Yet with respect to conjectural emendation, he
went further than Erasmus. This odd situation, Krans sug-
gests, is rooted in their differing views of the text: for
Erasmus, the NT was to be treated as any other classic text,
whereas for Beza it was Holy Scripture (and thus not to be
altered), which was extant, however, only in imperfect
copies (and thus in need of emendation). This is an out-
standing study: a perceptive, alert, and penetrating exami-
nation of the stated topic and a major contribution to
intellectual history in general and the history of NT textual
criticism in particular. As such, it will be warmly welcomed
by readers in many fields of study.
Michael W. Holmes
Bethel University
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE IN BIBLICAL ANTIQ-
UITY. Edited by Jacob Neusner, Bruce D. Chilton, and
William Scott Green. Blandford Forum, UK: Deo Publishing,
2007. Pp. v + 433. $39.95, ISBN 1-90-5679-00-9.
This collection of essays explores what we know about
the past and why it is important, focusing specifically on
Jewish and Christian writings. It includes contributions from
B. Chilton, C. Dewald, L. H. Schiffman, G. W. E. Nickelsburg,
S. Mason, J. Neusner, A. J. Avery-Peck, M. Aviam, G. G.
Porton, and W. S. Green. This volume begins with a portrayal
of history writing in ancient Israel and Greece by Chilton
and Dewald, surveying the Hebrew Scriptures and the
works of Herodotus and Thucydides. With regard to ancient
Judaism, Schiffman, Nickelsburg, Mason, Neusner, and
Avery-Peck explore four additional distinct collections: the
Dead Sea Scrolls, apocalyptic literature, the writings of Jose-
phus, and Rabbinic texts. A brief discussion of the role of
archaeology by Aviam is followed by a series of essays by
Chilton that treat historical knowledge in formative Chris-
tianity. In the concluding essays, Porton places the whole
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
project in the larger context of scholarship in the past fifty
years, and Green reflects on the collection as a whole. As
Neusner explicitly states in the preface, this volume is
intended for scholars interested in the study of the past and
its role as a mediator in the present among contending
claims of truth.
Matthew R. Hauge
Claremont Graduate University
PICTURING CHRISTIAN WITNESS: NEW TESTA-
MENT IMAGES OF DISCIPLES IN MISSION. By
Stanley H. Skreslet. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, UK:
Eerdmans, 2006. Pp. xv + 263; plates, illustrations. $24.00,
ISBN 978-0-8028-2956-6.
The NT makes use of mental and verbal images to
illustrate the task of Christian mission, the preaching of
the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. Skreslet here presents
graphic images from the history of art that provide theo-
logical insights into these verbal images—insights that
might otherwise be lost in the original media of thoughts
and words. Skreslet discusses (and selectively graphically
illustrates) a number of images that represent a range of
epochs and styles: The Preaching of Peter in the Brancacci
Chapel, Florence, an illustration from the Toledo Bible mor-
alisée, statues of St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier
on the Charles Bridge, Prague, “Paul Before Agrippa” by W.
James, an early mosaic, The Call of Peter and Andrew, in the
church of S. Apollinare nuovo at Ravenna, Chinese paper
cuts, Byzantine ivories, student art in East Africa, and
many others. All of these are intended to energize one’s
thinking about mission. For example, at different times and
in different locales, the images of shepherds and servants
have projected both positive and negative connotations. All
in all, Skreslet’s admirable treatise reminds one that along-
side scripture, liturgy, and the sensus fidelium, Christian
art is yet another locus theologicus, namely a source from
which one draws insight into, and inspiration from, the
Christian mystery.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, WITH COMPARA-
TIVE APPARATUS SHOWING VARIATIONS FROM
THE NESTLE-ALAND AND ROBINSON-PIERPONT
EDITIONS; WITH GREEK DICTIONARY REVISED
AND EXPANDED FROM A POCKET LEXICON TO
THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT. By B. F. Westcott and
F. J. A. Hort. Foreword by Eldon Jay Epp. Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 2007. Pp. xxviii + 893; maps.
$34.95, ISBN 978-1-56563-674-3.
This volume is a “new” version of a well-known edition:
it presents the text (reset in a different typeface) and much of
the formatting and other features of the “hand edition” (Mac-
millan, 1885; Harper & Brothers, 1882) of Westcott & Hort’s
famous 1881 edition of the Greek text. English subject head-
ings have been added, and a comparative textual apparatus
98
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
(new to this edition) displays the differences between the
Westcott-Hort text, UBS/Nestle-Aland, and the Robinson-
Pierpont edition (2005) of the Byzantine text “that have
exegetical significance” (but does not note purely ortho-
graphic differences). The useful lexicon is a revision
(updated in light of new discoveries and current English
usage) of the famous 1916 lexicon created by Alexander
Souter; many of the changes and additions are aimed at
making it easier to use. The brief explanation of Westcott
and Hort’s textual principles, also taken from the “hand
edition,” is an excellent summary of their famous Introduc-
tion, and it is good to have it again available. Epp’s foreword
places both the text and the principles upon which it is based
in historical context. A sewn binding (that lies flat) and
sturdy covers complete the package. In all, a serviceable,
affordable, and not unattractive edition of the Greek text +
lexicon that alerts its users to significant instances of textual
variation (though readers will have to utilize other editions
to ascertain the manuscript support for them).
Michael W. Holmes
Bethel University
MEET THE RABBIS: RABBINIC THOUGHT AND
THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. By Brad H. Young.
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007. Pp. xxv + 270. Paper,
$16.95, ISBN 978-1-56563-405-3.
This book represents part of a growing collection of
works written specifically for a lay Christian audience that
seek to identify the Jewish context of the NT and early Chris-
tianity. In this volume, Young presents an independent
introduction to rabbinic literature and history that high-
lights aspects of rabbinic Judaism that are instructive for
understanding early Christianity. It also seeks to reverse a
long-standing negative attitude toward Judaism (particular
Pharisaic-rabbinic Judaism) displayed in many popular and
scholarly discussions of the background of the NT. Young
offers an overwhelmingly positive image of Judaism and its
role in shaping early Christianity. Young places particular
emphasis on the history and character of the rabbis, the
corpus of rabbinic literature and the idea of an oral Torah,
and rabbinic thought. This work is most successful in its
treatment of points of contact between rabbinic thought and
early Christianity, and analysis of where these commonali-
ties diverge. As a stand-alone introduction to rabbinic
Judaism, however, it fails to take into account virtually all of
the most recent importance advances in understanding
rabbinic literature and history. (Imagine a work on rabbi-
nic literature with only one incidental reference to Jacob
Neusner!)
Alex P. Jassen
University of Minnesota
THE SECRET MINISTRY OF JESUS: PIONEER
PROPHET OF INTERFAITH DIALOGUE. By William
W. Mountcastle. New York and Toronto: University Press of
America, 2008. Pp. 113. $20.00, ISBN 0-7618-3833-3.
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
Mountcastle seems never to have read a piece of shoddy
pseudoscholarship he did not like: from Holy Blood, Holy
Grail, to Notovitch’s Unknown Life of Jesus, to Morton Smith’s
Secret Gospel, to The Da Vinci Code, to the old Crucifixion
of Jesus by an Eyewitness. He thinks to find genuine data in
the Koran, the Syriac Acts of Thomas, and the Bhavishya
Mahapurana (a polemical work against non-Hindu faiths
written 1200-1400 CE). Mountcastle likes the Ahmadiyya
legend that Jesus survived crucifixion and made his way to
Srinagar and India. With this he combines the Notovitch
business about Jesus going to India, China, and Tibet, only
Mountcastle streamlines the legends, transferring the pre-
baptism Notovitch journeys till after the crucifixion. Mount-
castle posits that the Beloved Disciple (Mary Magdalene)
originally had the “Where I am going you cannot come”
sayings leading up to the post-crucifixion departure for
Central Asia, and all the “I am” discourses as part of a second
Palestinian ministry heavily colored by Hinduism and Bud-
dhism. And Jesus’ Asian visit was the catalyst for Mahayana
Buddhism. Ironically, it is Mahayana Buddhism, not
Theravada, which so closely parallels the Christian
atonement—which Mountcastle regards as a Pauline distor-
tion. Even more ironic, Mountcastle’s speculations make
Jesus central, not just to Christianity, but to other faiths as
well. Shouldn’t this count as a new Jesus imperialism?
Robert M. Price
Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary
RECOVERING JESUS: THE WITNESS OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT. By Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld. Grand Rapids,
MI and London: Brazos Press/Baker Book House and SPCK,
2007. Pp. 336. $22.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-202-6.
T. R. Y. Neufeld’s Recovering Jesus is a classroom text-
book, which means it eschews originality, content to keep
the discussion comfortably within the mainstream. The fear
is to skew things for the student, but the danger is that
gospel scholarship comes off like an episode of Family Feud,
where the “correct” answer is not necessarily the one that is
factually true, but the one that conforms to the opinion of the
mob, however ill-founded. That way lies verisimilitude, not
necessarily truth. The same approach allows Neufeld to step
into personal, orthodox faith like one boot and critical
method like the other, enabling him to accommodate each to
the other just enough to be able to walk a straight line
without drunkenly stumbling. None of that, however, is to
gainsay the breadth and detail of Neufeld’s coverage of the
issues. And his commitment to discipleship of a Mennonite
stripe is a refreshing orientation to praxis without ideologi-
cal blather. In general, one might call it the kind of book A.
Schlatter would have written today.
Robert M. Price
Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary
JESUS AND THE PEASANTS. By Douglas E. Oakman.
Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008. Pp. 336.
$38.00, ISBN 978-1-59752-275-5.
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• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
Economics is notorious as “the dreary science,” a
damning epithet that gets extended into and over the once-
interesting gospels when they are considered under the lens
of economics. Oakman admits he must make frequent infer-
ences when the ancient data is lacking, so we can only
surmise the ancient situation of Galilean oppression. Of
course, the point of the book is to capture the “Jesus” flag for
one more modern politico-socioeconomic agenda. What is
the point of this exercise if, as Oakman says, we postcolo-
nialist postmoderns have already thrown off the shackles of
the Bible? Jesus is the name of the Bible, so who cares what
he might have thought (illiterate hick that Oakman makes
him)? Oakman admits that the social relevance he finds in
the parables “would have” been an indirect code, while
openly seeming to speak of mere religious platitudes in case
Romans were listening. Oakman must then be more of a
telepath than an exegete. He takes the parables as faithful
reflections of the Galilean setting of the first century—but
then why the repeated ignorance of shepherding, farming,
construction, and other techniques? Why the systematic
misrepresentations of Pharisaism? The anachronistic
Galilean synagogues, and so forth?
Robert M. Price
Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary
“BUT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD”: THE
THEOLOGY OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION IN LUKE-
ACTS. By Kevin L. Anderson. Paternoster Biblical Mono-
graphs. London: Paternoster, 2006. Pp. 353 + xix. $39.99,
ISBN 978-1-84227-339-5.
This monograph is Anderson’s 2001 Ph.D. thesis. His
research question is not original, since everyone agrees
Jesus’ resurrection is a pivotal narrative theme and theologi-
cal belief in Luke-Acts. Anderson rather seeks to produce a
useful synthetic study that consolidates a close reading of
the plotline of Luke and Acts—informed by a cloud of wit-
nesses (mostly modern)—with the religious interests of an
“authorial audience” who are shaped by two often competing
social worlds, Jewish and Hellenistic. Anderson’s synthesis
extends to a working grammar of salvation consisting of four
core beliefs—theological, Christological, ecclesiological, and
eschatological—to which he applies the results of his
research. The very idea of a miraculous, revelatory resurrec-
tion (contra resuscitation) supplies the gravitas in every
corner of the complex historical, literary, and theological
matrix of meaning he constructs. On balance, Anderson’s is
a thoroughly competent study and will be useful to students
of Luke and Acts. However, it works better as a 2001 disser-
tation than a 2006 monograph, because several new com-
mentaries and monographs on Luke and Acts have been
published since that should be consulted, including N. T.
Wright’ massive study of the resurrection (2003), R. Pervo
and J. Tyson’s more precise dating of Acts, A. Gregory and
C. Mount’s impressive reception histories of Luke-Acts, and
other new research on Second Temple and Early Rabbinic
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
Judaism regarding the idea of a “restored Israel” so central to
Anderson’s work.
Robert W. Wall
Seattle Pacific University
MARK: A COMMENTARY. By Adela Yarbro Collins.
Edited by Harold W. Attridge. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress, 2007. Pp. xlvi + 894. $80.00, ISBN 978-0-8006-
6078-9.
Collins’s philological, historical commentary on Mark
focuses on issues like literary history, history of tradition,
historical context, and historical reliability. For Collins,
Mark is creative, but understandable in the context of
Hellenistic and biblical history (cf. E. Becker). Like the Deu-
teronomic history, Mark reconciles previous traditions
(including miracles, sayings, and the passion kerygma; cf.
Van Seters). Like that of Herodotus, Mark’s history is driven
by divine causation (e.g., 12:1-12; 13), but Mark minimizes
God’s direct intervention so that its Jesus acts indepen-
dently. Nonetheless, Mark is an eschatological, historical
monograph, not a biography, because its story is about God’s
acts in Jesus, not Jesus’ life. Specifically, Mark provides an
eschatological counterpart to foundational sacred history.
While it is not clear that Jesus thought of himself as Messiah
or Son of Man, Mark presents Jesus as realizing the kingship
of God in an anticipatory way in his “mission” and in a
definitive way as the Son of Man as the climax of the Jewish
War. Written just before 70, because some prophecies (e.g.,
13:2, 14) are not fulfilled precisely, Mark’s “suffering
prophet” Jesus redefines messiahship against messianic pre-
tenders and interprets actual or expected persecution as
discipleship in imitation of Jesus.
Richard Walsh
Methodist University
MARK. By R. Alan Culpepper. Smyth & Helwys Bible Com-
mentary, 20. Macon, GA: Smith & Helwys, 2007. Pp. xviii +
622. $60.00, ISBN 978-1-57312-077-7.
Culpepper’s volume on Mark, like others in this series,
is attractive and user-friendly, even though the chapter divi-
sions (following Mark) do not quite fit Culpepper’s outline of
Mark. Designed for devotional and homiletic use, the com-
mentary is relentlessly theological (see the “connections”).
Frequent topics of consideration include the meaning of
miracles in a scientific age, the perils that beset discipleship
in that same age, and the Christian hope (which transcends
existentialism). In this analysis, nothing in Mark troubles
Christian faith. Sidebars provide helpful linguistic, histori-
cal, and history of interpretation insights, as well as a
running outline of the commentary’s main topics. For theo-
logical readers, Culpepper’s work provides a nice entrée to
historical and literary—but not ideological—Markan scholar-
ship, which Culpepper divides into five eras: clumsy Mark,
chronicler Mark, compiler Mark, clever Mark, and creative
Mark. In addition to maps and (historically oriented) photos,
the work also includes a plethora of artwork (although it
100
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
seldom receives comment). An accompanying CD-ROM
reproduces the entire commentary.
Richard Walsh
Methodist University
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT THROUGH THE
CENTURIES. Edited by Jeffrey P. Greenman, Timothy
Larsen, and Stephen R. Spencer. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos
Press, 2007. Pp. 280. $24.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-205-7.
Eleven participants at a conference conducted at
Wheaton College in 2005 portray a history of interpretation
of the Sermon on the Mount centered on illustrious spokes-
persons from the Patristic era, through the Middle Ages,
and on to modern times. For M. M. Mitchell, J. Chrysos-
tom’s dispassion regarding metaphysical speculation about
divine mysteries did not extend to neutrality about the
moral life as exemplified in the Sermon on the Mount,
which for him formed the basis of the Christian common-
wealth. Speaking of Dante, D. L. Jeffrey opines that accord-
ing to the medieval mind shared by Dante, the Beatitudes
of the Sermon on the Mount are hardly “be happy atti-
tudes,” but are rather disciplines that call forth ascetical
effort—which to my mind calls into question those modern
English versions that translate makarioi as “happy” rather
than the traditional “blessed” (“favored, fortunate, graced”).
For R. L. Wilken, Augustine’s view of the moral life as
exemplified in the Sermon on the Mount cannot be sepa-
rated from belief in Christ, who is the fullness of revela-
tion. The aforesaid articles, together with those on Luther,
Calvin, Wesley, and other personages, will provide the Bib-
lical student with insights into the views of an array of
Christian thinkers, all centered on an NT pericope that con-
tinues to mightily influence Christian doctrine, morals, and
spirituality.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
THE TENANTS IN THE VINEYARD: IDEOLOGY,
ECONOMICS, AND AGRARIAN CONFLICT IN
JEWISH PALESTINE. By John S. Kloppenborg. Wissen-
schaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 195.
Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Pp. xxix + 651. $191.00,
ISBN 3-16-148908-X.
This massive tome combines two major interests into
one volume and each interest corresponds to a major section
of the book. The first section of the book examines the
so-called “parable of the wicked tenants” (Mark 12:1-12,
Matt 21:33-45, Luke 9:19, GThom 65), with a view to setting
forth a theory of the tradition history behind the parable.
The second major section of the book consists of insights
into ancient viticulture accompanied by the translation of
ancient viticultural texts. Underlying the first section of the
book is the assumption that parables are freely invented,
realistic fictions. Underlying the second section of the book
is the question of verisimilitude (i.e., can the earliest form of
the parable be regarded as realistic in light of what is known
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
about ancient viticulture?). In the first section, Kloppenborg
examines the Synoptic and Thomasine versions of the
parable in considerable detail. He reconstructs a form of the
parable using elements common to the Markan and Tho-
masine versions. He then concludes that a form similar to
his reconstruction most likely represents the earliest
version of the parable. In the second section, Kloppenborg
probes the content and contexts of ancient viticultural texts
and discusses the ironic development of trajectories that
yielded different teachings in the Markan and Thomasine
versions of the parable. Overall, Kloppenborg’s analysis is
detailed and insightful, and his argument is worthy of
careful consideration. This volume is a feat of extraordinary
erudition and deserves to be both praised and consulted by
biblical scholars.
Christopher W. Skinner
St. Mary’s Seminary and University
FINDING HEREM? A STUDY OF LUKE-ACTS IN
LIGHT OF HEREM. Library of New Testament Studies,
357. By Hyung Dae Park. New York: T & T Clark, 2007.
Pp. 222. $130, ISBN 978-0-567-04550-8.
Park’s revised Ph.D. dissertation (submitted to Brunel
University under the supervision of London School of The-
ology) argues that Luke’s Gospel draws upon the Hebrew
concept of herem, the handing over of something for destruc-
tion, in its depiction of Jesus and his death. Over half of the
volume surveys the concept of herem in the Hebrew Bible
and in the literature of Second Temple Judaism. Park
acknowledges that the concept was not prominent among
Luke’s Jewish contemporaries in the first century, and it
was often avoided by thoroughly Hellenized Jews like Jose-
phus and Philo. However, Park argues that Luke character-
ized Jesus’ death as a voluntary herem and that the Lukan
Jesus called his followers to likewise offer their lives as a
voluntary herem. Additionally, Park concludes that Luke’s
use of the herem motif demonstrates a robust Lukan interest
in atonement theology. Park’s engagement with scholarship
is less extensive than one would normally expect from a
doctoral dissertation; his thesis is unlikely to gain signifi-
cant acceptance.
Thomas E. Phillips
Point Loma Nazarene University
RHETORICAL TEXTURE AND NARRATIVE TRA-
JECTORIES OF THE LUKAN GALILEAN MINISTRY
SPEECHES: HERMENEUTICAL APPROPRIATION
BY AUTHORIAL READERS OF LUKE-ACTS. By
Patrick E. Spencer. Library of New Testament Studies,
341. New York: T & T Clark, 2007. Pp. 248. $130.00, ISBN
978-0-567-03130-3.
This revised doctoral dissertation (submitted to the Uni-
versity of Durham under the direction of S. C. Barton)
employs a form of reception criticism to discern the effect
that Jesus’ Galilean speeches in Luke (4:14-30; 6:17-49; 7:24-
35; 8:4-18) were designed to have upon the audience for
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• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
whom Luke wrote. The first part of the book develops
Spencer’s “conduction” approach for understanding the con-
struction of meaning. The second part provides a detailed
rhetorical analysis of the speeches under consideration. The
third part of the book argues that the speeches were
designed to influence the authorial readers toward an ethic
of nonreciprocal benefaction. The final part of the book sum-
marizes the results gleaned from the first three parts. The
book’s method is somewhat novel, but the ultimate conclu-
sions are not novel. Spencer’s conclusions are consistent
with the existing consensuses of Lukan scholarship. The
book demonstrates a mature grasp of contemporary reading
theory and rhetorical analysis, and will interest specialists
both in those areas and in Lukan studies.
Thomas E. Phillips
Point Loma Nazarene University
THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS AND THE PSALMS AS
PROPHECY: THE PROPHETIC READING OF THE
PSALMS BY THE SYNOPTIC EVANGELISTS IN THE
CONTEXT OF SECOND TEMPLE JUDAISM. By J.
Samuel Subramanian. Library of New Testament Studies,
351. New York: T & T Clark, 2007. Pp. 166. $110.00, ISBN
978-0-567-04531-7.
Subramanian, a student of the late W. Farmer, examines
the four quotations from Psalms in Mark’s Gospel, the six
quotations from Psalms in Luke, and the nine quotations
from Psalms in Matthew, and argues that each gospel par-
ticipates in a common Second Temple tradition of Psalms
interpretation. In this tradition, found in sources as diverse
as Philo and Qumran, the psalms were read prophetically
and were reinterpreted in terms of then contemporary
events. Mark emphasized Jesus’ sense of abandonment in
his application of the psalms to the life of Jesus, Luke empha-
sized God’s protection of Jesus and Jesus’ fulfillment of the
divine will in his appropriation of the psalms, and Matthew
emphasized the theme of divine abandonment and eventual
resurrection with his use of the psalms. Subramanian argues
that Luke and Mark are probably dependent upon Matthew
in their use of Psalms. Subramanian finds his results consis-
tent with the Griesbach hypothesis. This book will be most
useful to specialists in synoptic comparison studies.
Thomas E. Phillips
Point Loma Nazarene University
PROVOKING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW: A STO-
RYTELLER’S COMMENTARY YEAR A. By Richard W.
Swanson. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2007. Pp. 447.
$35:00, ISBN 978-0-8298-1691-4.
PROVOKING THE GOSPEL OF MARK: A STORY-
TELLER’S COMMENTARY YEAR B. By Richard W.
Swanson. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2005. Pp. 349.
$35.00, ISBN 0-8298-1690-9.
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
PROVOKING THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: A STORY-
TELLER’S COMMENTARY YEAR C. By Richard W.
Swanson. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2006. Pp. 367.
$35.00, ISBN 0-8298-1689-5.
To accompany the usual array of Biblical criticisms
(higher, lower, form, textual, literary, redaction, etc.),
Swanson emphasizes yet another, namely “performance
criticism.” Participants in performance criticism put the
words of the Biblical texts into embodied actions, as on a
stage. Tone of voice, inflection, and bodily motions, all help
to recreate the primal events as described in the written
words and thereby aid in the recovery of the original
meaning of the text, as well as its applicability to the present
moment. As with any theatrical play, the audience at such a
performance is placed in a position to determine whether the
visual and aural actions sound and look authentic. Reality, in
such an environment, cannot be faked. Here are some
examples cited by Swanson. What could it have meant to
Jesus when he realized that he was almost “offed” by a
despot? Or that he threatened to send a whole city to hell? Or
that he called a Gentile woman a dog? Or again, Rachel did
not merely sob or weep or cry; she shrieked, so great was the
sorrow that she experienced—in this, she is not unlike mil-
lions of human beings who experience today similar acts of
violent injustice. According to Swanson, interested inter-
preters (alone or in consort with others) ought to perform the
Gospel words and actions audibly and visually in order to
discover an answer to what these events originally meant
and are supposed to mean to us today. In these commentar-
ies, Swanson keys his texts to Gospel selections used in the
Common Lectionary accepted by a number of mainline
churches. Each selection is broken down into a “ritual text”
(which looks to the liturgical life of the present worshiping
community), an “intratext” (how the episode conforms to a
Gospel’s entire story), an “intertext” (its relation to extrane-
ous literature), and finally a “provocation of the story” (sug-
gestions regarding the manner in which the scene might be
played out by the interpreter). Swanson includes his own
translation of each Gospel, broken up into sense lines that
oscillate across the page in order to aid the performance. As
an added bonus, included with each volume is a DVD that
provides visual help in understanding Swanson’s method
and its concrete implementation. All in all, there is much to
admire in this novel approach to Gospel understanding. It is
an approach, however, that reminds me of a very traditional
way of making the Gospels come alive—that of Ignatius
Loyola’s sixteenth-century Spiritual Exercises, with its “com-
position of place,” wherein readers were (and still are)
encouraged to place themselves within each Gospel scene by
the artful use of their imaginations in order to see, hear, and
feel themselves as actual participants in the Christian drama
of salvation.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
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• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
MARK: FROM DEATH TO LIFE. By Dennis Sweetland.
Rev. ed. NCP Biblical Commentaries. Hyde Park, NY: New
City Press, 2007. Paper, $12.95, ISBN 978-1-56548-266-1.
A brief introduction that provides predictable historical-
critical information. Sweetland sees Mark as crafting a
larger, interpretative framework (similar to Hellenistic bio-
graphies) to house oral traditions. The commentary itself is
not academic or critical, but designed for Christian devo-
tions. A “for reflection” section accompanies the NAB trans-
lation of almost every pericope in Mark. Believers are asked,
for example, to reflect on what it means to live in light of the
kingdom of God, whether their lives are those of suffering
discipleship, and what Mark’s call to faithfulness in the face
of persecution means.
Richard Walsh
Methodist University
L’ÉVANGILE DE MARC: UN ORIGINAL HÉBREU?
By Jean-Marie Van Cangh and Alphonse Toumpsin. Langues
et cultures anciennes, 4. Brussels, Belgium: Éditions Safran,
2005. Pp. 458. 60.00€, ISBN 2-9600469-8-6.
Van Cangh and Toumpsin argue (following Lindsey and
Flusser) that the Greek text of the gospel of Mark was trans-
lated, sometimes poorly, from Hebrew. Thus, their transla-
tion from Greek into Hebrew, accompanied by a French
translation (from the Hebrew) and extensive commentary,
attempts a reverse translation, a dubious move even under
the best circumstances—that is, when we can compare the
result with the “original text.” In this case, the circum-
stances are not good. The result is yet another study that
clarifies Mark’s ambiguous text by in effect replacing it with
a less ambiguous one. In addition to the translation and
commentary, the book includes a brief survey of ancient
claims about the origins of the gospels, extensive notes on
lexicological and translation issues, a bibliography and a list
of ancient manuscripts, a concluding essay, and three brief
appendices.
George Aichele
Adrian College
JESUS AS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE TEMPLE IN
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. By Paul M. Hoskins. Paternoster
Biblical Monographs. Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2006.
Pp. xvi + 265. $33.99, ISBN 978-1-84227-360-9.
Hoskins examines John’s portrayal of Jesus as the ful-
fillment and replacement of the Temple and finds that “the
relationship between Jesus and the Temple may properly be
described as typological.” After surveying the OT and early
Jewish writings to paint a picture of the significance of the
Temple in Jewish life and thought, Hoskins examines key
Johannine passages (1:14, 51; 2:18-22; 4:20-24) and reviews
the broader themes of lifting up and glorification, as well as
Jesus’ fulfillment of Jewish feasts. Hoskins claims to find the
integrating center for John’s Temple allusions in the death/
resurrection/exaltation of Jesus, though his main contribu-
tion is his attempt to explain the relationship between Jesus
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
and the Temple as typological (where the “ antitype” fulfills,
surpasses, and replaces the “type”). Some readers may
wonder if Hoskins is asking the right questions about the
nature and significance of John’s portrayal of Christ. Because
of his overriding concern with typology as a hermeneutical
device, other fruitful lines of exploration (such as how John
develops the Temple allusions, in what different ways these
are deployed, and for what purposes) receive insufficient
attention. The issue of what the author of the Fourth Gospel
wanted to convey to his readers by expressing events in the
life of Jesus in this way still requires further exploration. In
spite of this limitation, future treatments of Johannine Chris-
tology will need to consider Hoskins’ analysis of the major
passages and allusions to the Temple in John’s Gospel.
Matthew E. Gordley
Regent University
THEOLOGY AND CHRISTOLOGY IN THE FOURTH
GOSPEL: ESSAYS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE
SOCIETY FOR NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES MONO-
GRAPH SERIES JOHANNINE WRITINGS SEMINAR.
Edited by G. Van Belle, J. G. Van Der Watt, and P. Maritz.
Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium,
184. Leuven: Peeters, 2005. Pp. xii + 561. $77.00, ISBN
90-429-1571-4.
Essays from the SNTS Johannine writings seminar from
1999-2003. One of the richest aspects of this work, therefore,
is the strong representation by European scholars. A review
of this size and the number of contributions to this volume
means that I can do little more than list the contributors,
their titles, and a brief indicator of the main point developed.
In “Jesus’ Departure to the Father in John: Death or Resur-
rection?”, M. De Boer argues that there are indicators in the
text of a transference of exaltation language from Jesus’
resurrection to his death, showing a developing Christology
within the Johannine community. Against a background of
Israel’s theology of creation and new creation, J. Du Rand
examines the prologue and the gift of the Spirit in 20:21-23
as indicators of a Johannine theology of creation (“The Cre-
ation Motif in the Fourth Gospel: Perspectives on Its Narra-
tological Function within a Judaistic Background”). J. Frey’s
essay, “Eschatology in the Johannine Circle,” provides a very
helpful English synthesis of Frey’s magisterial three-volume
German study of Johannine eschatology. M. Gourgues (“Le
paraclet, l’esprit de vérité: Deux désignations, deux fonc-
tions”) develops two aspects of the presentation of the Para-
clete, namely the revelatory and juridical functions of the
Spirit, which are indicated by the two titles, “Spirit of Truth”
and “Paraclete.” In “Joh 8,44 im Kontext des Gesprächsver-
laufes von Joh 8,21-59,” M. Hasitschka examines in its nar-
rative context—where the invitation is extended to belong in
the household of God through faith in Jesus—the controver-
sial accusation that the Ioudaioi are children of the devil.
C. Koester (“Jesus as the Way to the Father in Johannine
Theology [John 14, 6]”) argues that Jesus embodies the
gratuitous love of God in his life, especially his death and
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• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
resurrection, thereby overcoming the world’s estrangement
from God. Jesus not only shows the way to God, but is the
way. W. Loader (“Jesus and the Law in John”) provides a brief
overview of the way the Law/Scripture functions across the
entire narrative, concluding that this is a community or
writer with strong roots in Judaism, who presents Jesus as
the “one to whom the Law and the traditions of its words and
practices pointed.” M. Menken (“Observations on the Signifi-
cance of the Old Testament in the Fourth Gospel”) reaches a
similar conclusion to Loader that the fullness of God’s rev-
elation is now to be found in Jesus. In the light of debate
about the Son of Man title, F. Moloney (“The Johannine Son
of Man Revisited”) reiterates his view that the title “Son of
Man” refers to the historical Jesus, not to the preexistent or
glorified Logos. B. Olsson (“ ‘All my teaching was done in
synagogues . . .’ [John 18,20]”) examines some of the histori-
cal data regarding synagogues in the first century, as well as
the occurrence of “the synagogue” in the Gospel. The article
situates itself within the ongoing discussion of the relation-
ship between this community and first-century Judaism.
J. Painter (“Monotheism and Dualism: John and Qumran”)
contends that the dualistic language of John and some
Qumran writings do not show direct or indirect dependence,
but indicate a Judaism that is still professing monotheism,
yet one that is offering a dualistic perspective distancing God
from evil and situating humanity within a cosmic struggle
between good and evil. P. Perkins (“Gnostic Revelation and
Johannine Sectarianism: Reading 1 John from the Perspec-
tive of Nag Hammadi”) provides a study of some Gnostic
texts showing similarities to the Johannine writings. Her
study shows yet again the complexity of the world of early
Christianity and the difficulty of retrojecting categories such
as “orthodox” or “heretical.” Using the process of projection
drawn from the discipline of depth psychology, W. Pratscher
(“Tiefenpsychologische Erwägungen zur negativen Rede von
‘den Juden’ im Johannesevangelium”) examines the function
of the negative portrayal of “the Jews” in the Fourth Gospel.
He argues that this portrayal serves a social and theological/
historical purpose. U. Schnelle (“Das Johannesevangelium
als neue Sinnbildung”) argues that the gap between the
Jesus of history and the Fourth Gospel makes possible, under
the guidance of the Paraclete, new understandings of the
meaning of the Christ event, understandings that are only
accessible in retrospect. Through the lens of the mutual
indwelling of Father and Son, K. Scholtissek (“ ‘Ich und der
Vater, wir sind eins’ [John 10,30]”) examines a range of
critical theological and hermeneutical implications of Johan-
nine Christology. O. Schwankl (“Aspect der johahnneischen
Christologie”) shows there is a hermeneutical principle
operating in the presentation of Jesus in John, namely that
faith is a necessary precondition to understanding Jesus’
identity. This principle may explain why the Fourth Gospel
has such a different (“high”) Christological perspective than
do the Synoptics. D. F. Tolmie (“The Ioudaioi in the Fourth
Gospel: A Narratological Perspective”) moves away from the
identity of the Ioudaioi to the issue of their characterization
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
and actions in response to Jesus as part of a narrative strat-
egy to challenge the reader’s faith response. J. Turner
(“Sethian Gnosticism and Johannine Christianity”) demon-
strates the similarities between some of the Gnostic writings
and the Johannine writings that may be explained by both
groups having a common origin in first-century Baptist
movements. G. Van Belle (“Christology and Soteriology in
the Fourth Gospel: The Conclusion to the Gospel of John
Revisited”) argues that the two titles in John 21:31 are
related to the confession of Thomas in 20:28, and may be a
polemic against the imperial cult. In “Double Entendre in the
Gospel According to John,” J. Van Der Watt contends that
the ambiguity of the terms doxa and doxazō brings together
the death and resurrection in such a manner as to elimi-
nate the shame of the cross. S. Van Tilborg, (“Cosmological
Implications of Johannine Christology”) concludes that cos-
mology is here understood as bringing the world of heaven to
earth. U. Von Wahlde (“The Samaritan Woman Episode, Syn-
optic Form-Criticism, and the Johannine Miracles: A Ques-
tion of Criteria”) concludes that this Samaritan episode can
be classified as a true Johannine sēmeion. This review cannot
do justice to the rich insights, particularly the new herme-
neutical approaches, offered by many of these essays. It will
be essential reading for Johannine researchers.
Mary Coloe
Australian Catholic University
DIE POETIK DER APOSTELGESCHICHTE: EINE
NARRATOLOGISCHE STUDIE. By Ute E. Eisen. Novum
Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus/Studien zur Umwelt des
Neuen Testaments, 58. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,
2006. Pp. 294. $65.00, ISBN 978-3-525-53961-3.
This study pursues two goals: in the first part, Eisen
provides systematic reflection on narrative criticism, which
she rightly regards as a desideratum in German-speaking
exegesis. In a next step, these methodological considerations
are applied to selected texts of Acts to gain insights into
Luke-Acts as “narrated theology.” Regarding her first aim,
Eisen presents a diligent discussion of multiple concepts and
terminology within narratological theory. Following the
Francophone tradition, Eisen distinguishes three dimen-
sions of a narrative for analytical purposes: “das Erzählen,”
“die Erzählung,” and “die Geschichte.” While the individual
methodological considerations will be especially useful for a
German-speaking audience, Eisen’s suggestion to rename
the overall method “narratological analysis” instead of “nar-
rative criticism” is highly recommended for the attention of
a broader audience, because this renders it comprehensible
to a wider circle of scholarship internationally and across
disciplines (cf. 15, 22-23). Within the applicatory part of her
study, Eisen examines selected texts from the beginning,
middle, and end of Acts (1:1-14; 10:1-11:18; 28:16-31). The
analysis reveals how the narrator of Acts argues by consis-
tently referring to the Jewish scriptures that the repeated
rejection of the Christian faith by the people of Israel legiti-
mizes the mission to the pagans. Contrary to its title, this
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study does not establish a “poetics” of Acts, which is not
least due to its (necessary) exemplary character. However, it
provides an important contribution for further narratological
studies on Luke-Acts, and it is highly appreciated as a com-
prehensive German introduction to narratological exegesis.
Heike Omerzu
University of Mainz, Germany
CALLED TO BE CHURCH: THE BOOK OF ACTS FOR
A NEW DAY. By Anthony B. Robinson and Robert W. Wall.
Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2006. Pp. xi + 286. $22.00, ISBN 978-0-8028-
6065-1.
In Called to Be Church, a Bible scholar (Wall) and pastor
(Robinson) join forces to illustrate the relevance of the Book
of Acts for “a wide variety of hard issues with which today’s
believers struggle.” Chapters one to two introduce the nature
of the project and its governing rules of interpretation. Chap-
ters three to fourteen isolate specific passages in Acts and
connect them to equally specific (though still somewhat uni-
versal) issues facing contemporary churches. Each main
chapter falls into two parts, with Wall first offering the
exegesis, and Robinson then articulating the connection to
congregational life. For example, the appointing of the seven
to supervise food distribution in the Jerusalem church (Acts
6:15) models healthy “conflict resolution” and “decision
making”; Peter’s gradual realization of God’s outreach to
the gentiles (Acts 10) speaks to “the challenge of change.”
Although readers may not always agree with the appropri-
ateness of the connections claimed, they will find solid
exegesis and stimulating discussion of the church’s divine
“call” (each chapter also concludes with study questions).
The book will find a welcome home among seminarians,
pastors, and church groups. It concludes with insightful
reflections on the nature of Acts as scripture and a summa-
tion of its main ecclesial themes.
Ira Brent Driggers
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
THE COLOSSIAN HYMN IN CONTEXT: AN EXEGE-
SIS IN LIGHT OF JEWISH AND GRECO-ROMAN
HYMNIC AND EPISTOLARY CONVENTIONS. By
Matthew E. Gordley. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen
zum Neuen Testament 2 Reihe, 228. Tübingen: Mohr
Siebeck, 2007. Pp. ix + 295. Paper, €59.00. ISBN ISBN
978-3-16-149255-6.
No clear consensus has yet emerged regarding the
precise literary form represented by the paean to Christ in
Col 1:15-20. In this monograph, which originated as a dis-
sertation at Notre Dame directed by D. Aune, Gordley
categorizes the passage as a citation of a preexisting “quasi-
philosophical prose-hymn” that brings together both Jewish
and Greco-Roman conventions for praising an exalted figure.
Hymnic material surveyed includes such Jewish texts as
Psalms (esp. Ps 33), Prov 8, and a sampling of writings from
the Second Temple period. Greek and Roman texts such as
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
the Homeric Hymns, Pindar’s Odes, Testimonies to Ascl-
epius, Isis aretalogies, and the Prose Hymns of Aristides are
examined, as are discussions in the rhetorical handbooks.
Insofar as the qualities ascribed to Jesus resonate with many
of those ascribed to the divine in these contexts, argues
Gordley, the label “hymn” is fitting. Its citation in Colossians
serves to establish the character and competence of the
author (here regarded as, most likely, Paul), to instruct the
audience about the true nature of Christ, to affirm values
they already embrace, and to urge them to act accordingly.
This study contributes to a thicker description of the literary
and philosophical milieu of Pauline Christianity.
Patrick Gray
Rhodes College
1 CORINTHIANS: INTERPRETED BY EARLY
CHRISTIAN COMMENTATORS. Edited and translated
by Judith L. Kovacs. The Church’s Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerd-
mans, 2005. Pp. xxix + 340. $35.00, ISBN 0-8028-2577-X.
This resource of patristic comment on 1 Corinthians
contains freshly translated exegetical, homiletic, and litur-
gical selections from the third to the eight centuries CE. Each
chapter includes the text (RSV), a summary of the commen-
tators, an explanation of the text’s historical and theological
importance, and patristic commentary on significant verses.
There is a useful glossary of terms and biographical data.
This letter was of particular importance in that it provided
foundational theological texts for such diverse areas as mar-
riage and virginity, the refutation of Gnosticism, the role of
women, worship, spirituality, the resurrection, and eschatol-
ogy. Two essays clarify the patristic exegetical method: both
testaments are a self-interpreting unity, and interpretation
is a transformative activity accomplished in the context of
the life and worship of the community. Ranging from the
mystical to the moral and ecclesiological, commentators
probed beyond the literal with allegory and made complex
textual connections in their responses to the issues of their
time. The richness as well as the limitations of their
approaches is evident. Kovacs’s addition to this series is a
valuable tool for research in early Christian exegesis and the
development of Christian theological culture. It is highly
recommended for seminary and university libraries, clergy,
and those interested in early Christianity.
Scott M. Lewis S.J.
Regis College, Toronto
APOSTLE PAUL: HIS LIFE AND THEOLOGY. By Udo
Schnelle. Translated by M. Eugene Boring. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2005. Pp. ix + 695. $49.99, ISBN 0-8010-
2796-9.
This book is a welcome complement to J. Dunn’s Theol-
ogy of the Apostle Paul (1998). Rather than focusing almost
exclusively on Paul’s Jewish background, as does Dunn,
Schnelle sets Paul’s theology in its Hellenistic context. The
work is divided into two sections. Part one is more historical
than theological as Schnelle attempts to reconstruct Paul’s
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life from his letters and Acts. Here he surveys issues related
to Pauline chronology, as well as Paul’s religious and cul-
tural backgrounds. He also provides a brief theological and
historical survey of Paul’s authentic writings, letting each
letter speak for itself. In part two, Schnelle compartmental-
izes Paul’s theology under headings such as theology, Chris-
tology, soteriology, and ethics. This is the more interesting of
the two parts, since here Schnelle moves beyond a standard
introduction to Paul’s letters to a larger portrait of Pauline
theology set almost exclusively in a Hellenistic context.
Reading Schnelle together with Dunn will provide the inter-
ested reader with a balanced picture of Paul and his thought.
Where one emphasizes Judaism, the other emphasizes Hel-
lenism, but the faithful interpreter of Paul will need both.
David Wheeler-Reed
Wright State University
PAUL AND THE ANATOMY OF APOSTOLIC
AUTHORITY. By John Howard Schütz. The New Testament
Library. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.
Pp. xxvi + 307. Paper, $39.95, ISBN 978-0-664-22812-5.
This groundbreaking study, first published by Cam-
bridge University Press in 1975, is reprinted with a new
introduction by W. Meeks. Schütz, whose scholarly life was
cut short tragically in 1985, combines a masterful exegetical
and theological reading of Paul with a pioneering use of
sociological study. This was an important early work that
moved Pauline scholarship away from its centering in
German scholarship and toward a more American sociologi-
cal approach. In investigating Paul’s apostolic authority,
Schütz makes a clear distinction between institutional legiti-
macy and actual authority, showing by a careful study of the
texts that Paul’s authority is not set apart from or over the
community. Rather, Paul shares with the community
the power of the gospel. His authority is the interpretation of
that power, which is primarily based on the dynamic of
weakness and power flowing from the death and resurrec-
tion of Jesus. Some subsequent studies have been more criti-
cal of Paul’s assertion of authority to establish his
hegemony, but Schütz’s work is still worth reading or
rereading as a meticulous contribution to the study of Paul
and the development of authority in early Christianity.
David W. Kuck
United Theological College of the West Indies
THE CURSE OF THE LAW AND THE CRISIS IN
GALATIA. By Todd A. Wilson. Wissenschaftliche Untersu-
chungen zum Neuen Testament, 2. Reihe, 225. Tübingen:
Mohr Siebeck, 2007. Pp. 174. €44.00, ISBN 978-3-16-
149254-9.
Wilson argues “that Paul intended his four references to
the Law in 5.13-6.10 as an affirmation of the sufficiency of
the Spirit to enable the Galatians to fulfil the Law and
thereby avoid its curse.” Part one studies the “curse of the
Law,” first analyzing the use of the “curse” terminology in
Galatians (chapter two). Thereafter, Wilson deals with the
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
coherence between the aspects of the “curse” theory notice-
able in the letter and the message of the anti-Pauline agita-
tors (chapter three) and discusses the question of the
significance of “curse” in the context of the pre-Christian
pagan religiosity (chapter four). In part two, Wilson exam-
ines the coherence between the aspects of “curse” theory in
the letter and its purpose. He discloses (chapter five) that
“Paul evidently believed that the only way to avoid the curse
of the Law was to fulfil the Law.” Christ redeemed the Gala-
tian Christians from the Law’s curse by making possible the
sending of the Holy Spirit, which again enables them to fulfil
the Law and to avoid the Law’s curse (chapter six). The book
will be of primary interest to exegetes of Galatians and those
interested in Pauline theology.
Thomas Witulski
University of Münster, Germany
STRUGGLES FOR POWER IN EARLY CHRISTIAN-
ITY: A STUDY OF THE FIRST LETTER TO
TIMOTHY. By Elsa Tamez. Translated from Spanish by
Gloria Kinsler. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2007. Pp. xxv +
163. $20.00, ISBN 978-1-57075-708-2.
In this passionate interpretation of 1 Timothy, Tamez
uses both the social context that shaped the letter and
today’s church experiences in Latin America to reconstruct
the concerns of the author. Tamez argues that the author was
concerned with a group of wealthy women, whose attempts
to dominate the male leadership of the household church
was seen as a threat. In responding to this threat, the author
opposes the presumption of power by the wealthy (in this
regard following the radical preaching of Jesus), but also
reasserts the patriarchal values of the Greco-Roman society
and household, limiting the authority of women, the poor,
and slaves in the church (in this regard abandoning the
preaching of Jesus and Paul). In Tamez’s view, the letter also
takes an authoritarian stance against other teachers, cutting
off any possibility of dialogue. Tamez does not, however,
romanticize these other teachers, for they also followed
patriarchal values. Tamez is trying to combat “blind” uncriti-
cal readings of 1 Timothy. Although her reconstruction is
sometimes too dependent on an imaginative mirror reading,
this challenging study should be consulted by anyone who
studies and seeks to apply this letter.
David W. Kuck
United Theological College of the West Indies
FOUR VIEWS ON THE WARNING PASSAGES IN
HEBREWS. Edited by Herbert Bateman IV. Grand Rapids,
MI: Kregel Publications, 2007. Pp. xi + 480. Paper, $29.99.
ISBN 978-0-8254-2132-7.
These studies present an academic exchange among
four scholars representing the Arminian and Reformed tra-
ditions on the interpretation of the five warning passages
in Heb 2:1-3; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:12; 10:19-39; and 12:14-29.
Bateman orients the discussion with an excellent introduc-
tion to the warning passages. Then follows a major presen-
106
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
tation on four views: A Classical Arminian View (G. R.
Osborne), A Classical Reformed View (B. M. Fanning), A
Wesleyan Arminian View (G. L. Cockerill), and A Moderate
Reformed View (R. C. Gleason). Each presenter, in turn,
responds from the perspective of his tradition to produce an
interesting interchange of ideas. G. H. Guthrie provides an
insightful conclusion on the way this theological dialogue
was conducted and its importance for the traditions
involved. Although this book may be of primary interest to
readers of the represented traditions, anyone interested in
hermeneutics and the dynamics of theological reflection will
appreciate it.
Alan C. Mitchell
Georgetown University
CONFLICT, COMMUNITY, AND HONOR: 1 PETER
IN SOCIAL-SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE. By John H.
Elliott. Eugene OR: Cascade Books, 2007. Pp. xii + 94.
$14.00, ISBN 978-1-55635-234-8.
This thin volume consists of two essays (“Estrangement
and Community” and “Disgraced yet Graced”) originally
published in 1978 and 1995. They contributed to Elliott’s
extensive and well-received larger works on 1 Peter in his
volume A Home for the Homeless (1981) and in his commen-
tary in the Anchor Bible series (2000). Both essays are
expansions of an earlier work, The Elect and the Holy (1966),
which commingled tradition and redaction criticism with a
wider literary, social, and cultural conceptual structure. For
Elliott, in 1 Peter, in the household of Christian believers, the
homeless of society, despised by the world around them,
possess a dwelling in the family of God. The Christian move-
ment in its battle with its individual and group environment
used the image of its discredited and dishonored Messiah as
a mark of honor rather than shame. The treatise includes a
bibliography and dictionary of appropriate terms. Hopefully,
this excellent primer on a key aspect of 1 Peter should
prompt interested readers to explore Elliott’s more detailed
writings on the subject.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
DIE KULTTHEOLOGIE DES HEBRÄERBRIEFES. By
Georg Gäbel. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum
Neuen Testament, 2. Reihe, 212. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,
2006. Pp. xv + 598. 79.00€, ISBN 3-16-148892-X.
G. Gäbel’s revised dissertation, written under the direc-
tion of Prof. Dr. M. Karrer at the Kirchliche Hochschule
Wupperthal, locates the cultic theology of Hebrews against
the background of its counterpart in early Judaism. Gäbel
believes that Hebrews is a pre-70 CE document. He argues
three theses: 1) the coherent Christological design of
Hebrews presents the exaltation of Christ as the continua-
tion of the his earthly life now lived in heaven; 2) the theol-
ogy of the sanctuary in Hebrews draws upon the relationship
between an archetype and its likeness in early Judaism and
gives it its own twist, where the exaltation of Christ
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
expresses the realization of holiness; and, 3) the situation of
the recipients of Hebrews as strangers on earth is the exact
opposite of their true membership in the heavenly sanctuary
and their participation in the heavenly worship, which is
demonstrated in their earthly fidelity. This volume contains
a wealth of information on the cultic theology of early
Judaism in addition to a comprehensive examination of the
cultic theology of Hebrews in relation to its eschatology.
Alan C. Mitchell
Georgetown University
“VERHÄRTET EURE HERZEN NICHT”: DER
HEBRÄER, EINE SYNAGOGENHOMILIE ZU
TISCHA BE-AW. By Gabriella Gelardini. Biblical Interpre-
tation Series, 83. Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill. Pp. xxiv + 470.
$ 232.00, ISBN 978-90-04-15406-3.
This revised dissertation, written under the direction of
Prof. Dr. E. W. Stegemann at the University of Basel, makes
a valuable contribution to the study of the genre of Hebrews.
Following those who view Hebrews as a synagogue homily,
Gelardini goes further by specifying that by type Hebrews
is a peticha on the haphtarah on Jer 31:31-34 and the sidra
on Exod 31:18-32:35. The biblical readings, which she has
reconstructed, are taken from the Palestinian Triennial
Cycle and suggest a connection to the most important fast
day in the Jewish tradition, Tisha be-Av. The first two parts of
the book present a wealth of information on the history of
Hebrews’ research and on the ancient synagogue, and the
third part makes the case for Hebrews as this kind of syna-
gogue homily.
Alan C. Mitchell
Georgetown University
HEBREWS: A COMMENTARY. By Luke Timothy
Johnson. New Testament Library. Louisville, KY and London:
Westminster John Knox, 2006. Pp. xxviii + 402. $49.95.
ISBN ISBN 978-0-664-22118-8.
This excellent commentary places Hebrews in the
hands of a master exegete, who unlocks its treasures in
interesting and exciting ways. Johnson explains this diffi-
cult NT text against the Platonic and scriptural thought
worlds of its author and demonstrates how what appears to
be imaginary to us in Hebrews is for its author thoroughly
real. Exposing for his readers what is hidden in plain sight,
Johnson concretely portrays the world of the unseen, in
which the author of Hebrews is most at home. Destined to
be a classic, this commentary will take its place among
those that have become not only standard, but also great.
Students of Hebrews at all levels are indebted to Johnson’s
unrivalled accomplishment: a clear, readable translation
and an engaging commentary on a NT book that remains
elusive to many.
Alan C. Mitchell
Georgetown University
107
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
A FEMINIST COMPANION TO THE CATHOLIC
EPISTLES AND HEBREWS. Edited by Amy-Jill Levine
with Maria Mayo Robbins. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press,
2004. Pp. xi + 201. Paper, $21.00, ISBN 0-8298-1675-5.
This book, part of a series of feminist companions to NT
books, comprises ten essays on 1 Peter, James, and Hebrews,
six of which are on 1 Peter, two on James, and two on
Hebrews. The essays both support feminist interpretation of
these letters, and, in some instances, challenge it to deal
with the complexities of the situation of women today, which
cannot be mapped onto these NT books. The volume offers
valuable and interesting insights into the images of women,
the role of suffering, and issues of gender and sexuality in
these NT texts.
Alan C. Mitchell
Georgetown University
ESCHATOLOGY AND EXHORTATION IN THE
EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. By Scott D. Mackie.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
2. Reihe, 223. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007. Pp. xi + 284.
Paper, €54.00, ISBN 978-3-16-149215-0.
This revised dissertation, written under the direction of
D. A. Hagner at Fuller Theological Seminary, maintains
that paraenesis and eschatology are so closely connected
in Hebrews that the entire work may be designated as an
“eschatological exhortation.” Two eschatological moments
in Hebrews, Jesus’ death and exaltation, may be viewed as
distinct from each other, but they are inextricably linked in
the author’s purpose. These two moments signal the “end of
the ages” and mark the inauguration of the author’s high
priestly Christology, which itself has a thoroughly hortatory
function: to unite the readers of Hebrews with the exalted
Christ, granting them access to heavenly realities in their
daily lives. This comprehensive study of exhortation and
eschatology in Hebrews will be appreciated by serious stu-
dents of the sermon.
Alan C. Mitchell
Georgetown University
STRUCTURE AND ORALITY IN 1 PETER: A GUIDE
FOR TRANSLATORS. By Kenneth J. Thomas and Marga-
ret Orr Thomas. United Bible Society Monograph Series, 10.
New York: United Bible Societies, 2006. Pp. 219. $15.99,
ISBN 978-0-8267-0460-3.
This guide is meant to assist translators in attending to
features of orality in 1 Peter. After introducing the issue
of orality for NT interpretation (chapter one), the authors
propose an overarching ring structure for 1 Peter (chapter
two). Following brief discussions of the letter’s implicit
story (chapter three) and figurative language (chapter four),
they elaborate this ring structure (chapter five). The second
section provides guidance for rendering oral features of 1
Peter. The authors suggest care in translating word repeti-
tions for communicating the ring structure of the letter
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
(chapter six), as well as attention to other oral features
(chapter seven), providing specific suggestions for an orally
sensitive translation of 1 Peter (chapter eight). They con-
clude with ideas for visualizing the translated text of 1
Peter (chapter nine). While the book’s impetus and pragma-
tism for translators is admirable, several methodological
concerns emerged. The ring structure proposal suffers from
artificiality: proposed major divisions require mid-sentence
breaks (e.g., 2:1/2:2), and the unity of the Petrine household
code is obscured by its placement in two separate sections.
Faulty linguistic presuppositions include the assumption
that the letter’s recipients would have heard as significant
the use of a common root even when the author is drawing
on different senses of a word (e.g., kosmos; 1:20 and 3:3;
note the corresponding fallacy that a word has a basic
meaning). A tendency to define terms etymologically is also
problematic (e.g., pp. 37, 38, 44).
Jeannine K. Brown
Bethel Seminary
THE THIRTEENTH APOSTLE: WHAT THE GOSPEL
OF JUDAS REALLY SAYS. By April D. DeConick.
London, New York: Continuum, 2007. Pp. xxi + 202. $19.95,
ISBN 978-0-8264-9964-6.
DeConick tells us in her new book how she downloaded
the Coptic transcription of the Gospel of Judas from the
National Geographic website and prepared her own trans-
lation. She found that the original translation published by
the Society with much fanfare in April 2006, had a number
of misreadings that led to an erroneous interpretation of the
figure of Judas. In that interpretation, Judas is the “hero” of
the gospel and Jesus’ “best friend.” DeConick’s new book
consists of three parts. The first one concerns the diversity
found in early Christianity and an overview of Gnosticism.
The second part (“Translation Matters”) introduces the
Gospel of Judas and highlights alleged mistranslations
found in the earliest translation. It also contains her own
translation of the Gospel of Judas. The third part contains
detailed discussions of Judas as “confessor” (chapter
five), as “demon” (chapter six), and as “sacrificer” (chapter
seven). She concludes that the Gospel of Judas is “an ancient
Gnostic parody” (chapter eight). She makes a very convinc-
ing case, in my view. Indeed, she is only one of a growing
number of scholars who are dissenting from the interpreta-
tion of Judas Iscariot put forward by the National Geo-
graphic team of scholars, and we will be hearing from them
in due course.
Birger A. Pearson
University of California, Santa Barbara
THE LOST GOSPEL OF JUDAS ISCARIOT: A NEW
LOOK AT BETRAYER AND BETRAYED. By Bart D.
Ehrman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Pp. viii +
198. $22.00, ISBN 978-0-19-531460-1.
Ehrman was among the experts brought together in
Geneva by the National Geographic Society in December
108
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
2004 to look at the Codex Tchacos in order to verify its
authenticity. As one of the “insiders,” he contributed an
essay (“Christianity Turned on Its Head: The Alternative
Vision of the Gospel of Judas”) to the volume published by
the Society in April 2006 containing M. Meyer’s translation
of the Gospel of Judas. This book expands on that essay and
contains the story of his involvement in the project, discus-
sions of early Christian traditions about Judas Iscariot, what
was known before about the Gospel of Judas, and the story of
its discovery and publication. The main part of the book is
his treatment of the Gospel of Judas and what he thinks it
says about Judas. He then turns his attention to who Judas
Iscariot really was, what he did, and why he did it. What
Judas betrayed, he argues, was Jesus’ private disclosure to
his disciples that he really was the Messiah. I doubt that this
view will find much acceptance. The biggest problem with
the book is his interpretation of Judas as a heroic figure and
Jesus’ dearest friend, a view he shares with Marvin Meyer
and others who have published books on the Gospel of Judas.
This view, based in part on probable mistranslations of the
text, is increasingly being challenged by a number of schol-
ars (including myself), notably by A. DeConick in her latest
book, The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really
Says (Continuum, 2007).
Birger A. Pearson
University of California, Santa Barbara
THE POWER OF THE WORD: SCRIPTURE AND THE
RHETORIC OF EMPIRE. By Elisabeth Schüssler
Fiorenza. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007. Pp. viii +
280. Paper, $19.00, ISBN 978-0-8006-3834-4.
Fiorenza makes an impassioned plea from a feminist
point of view for a reassessment of the Biblical “kyriarchal or
imperial ethos” (i.e., the male-dominated character) of Bibli-
cal religion in favor of democracy, justice, freedom, and
equality (especially in regard to women). According to
Fiorenza, the “rhetoric of empire” is endemic to Scripture. As
an antidote, the Bible, the Divine, and society as a whole,
must be “decolonized.” Biblical studies must be transformed
from being the exclusive prerogative of a privileged caste of
scholars in order to become the possession of the common
reader as well. Fiorenza’s treatise is replete with fascinating,
if disputable, arguments and suggestions. Her fondness for
bewildering neologisms and gender-free language, however,
harms rather than helps her cause: kyriarchal, wo/men,
phallogocentric, binary gender dualism, G*d, the*logy. In
reality, it is not only the purveyors of maligned Christian
fundamentalism who draw on the Biblical “kyriarchal lan-
guage of empire.” The patriarchal, imperialistic mythmakers
of Genesis, for example, would be wryly amused to see the
perversion of their language and thought-world, which has
become fashionable today in the service of relevancy and
political expediency.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
FUNK ON PARABLES: COLLECTED ESSAYS. By
Robert W. Funk. Edited by Bernard Brandon Scott. Santa
Rosa: Polebridge Press, 2007. Pp. 220. $22.00, ISBN 978-0-
944344-99-6.
This volume contains selections from the late R. Funk’s
four decades of seminal research on the parables. The selec-
tions particularly emphasize Funk’s metaphorical approach
to the interpretation of parables and the parables as
windows into the life and teachings of the historical Jesus.
Most of the chapters in this book have been excerpted from
Funk’s previous publications, particularly his Language,
Hermeneutics, and the Word of God, Jesus as Precursor, and
Parables and Presence. The remainder of the chapters have
their origin in Funk’s work with the Jesus Seminar (Funk
was a founding member of the Jesus Seminar). With the
excellent introduction, complete indices and a select bibli-
ography, this volume offers the best point of entry into the
work of one of the late twentieth-century’s most influential
thinkers on the parables. The volume is highly recom-
mended for entry level courses on the parables and for
libraries that do not have a complete collection of the
volumes from which these essays are drawn.
Thomas E. Phillips
Point Loma Nazarene University
NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY: EXPLORING
DIVERSITY AND UNITY. By Frank J. Matera. Louisville,
KY/London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. Pp. xxxi +
485. $49.95, ISBN 978-0-664-23044-9.
Matera adds to his 1999 study, New Testament Christol-
ogy, by attacking full tilt the scholarly mountain which is
New Testament theology. After an introduction that delimits
the field of investigation, Matera systematically inquires
into the diversity of the Synoptic, Pauline, Johannine, and
remaining NT traditions. Mark is characterized as the
Gospel of the Kingdom, Matthew, of righteousness, Luke-
Acts, of salvation, John is the Gospel of Revelation, the
Johannine epistles speak of communion with God. Paul is a
purveyor of election, cross and resurrection, righteousness.
His successors in the Pastorals preserve his legacy in a new
way for a new epoch. Hebrews treats the priesthood of
Christ, James deals with wisdom and perfection, the Petrine
epistles and Jude combat affliction and disorder, the book of
Revelation marks out the final victory over evil. Valuable as
they are, these expositions are surpassed by Matera’s treat-
ment of the vexed nature of biblical theology itself, which is
first and foremost theology and therefore “faith seeking
understanding.” Is this faith the historically describable
faith of those who wrote the NT? In this case, we have a
necessary and important “history of religions” approach
that is accessible even to the modern secular scholar. Or is
it the faith of today’s Christian believers who make use of
the historical method to scientifically examine the NT in
order to better understand the unity of faith amid diversity,
which the Church declares is to be found in the NT? All in
109
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
all, this treatise is an important contribution to the ongoing
discussion concerning the nature and methodology of bibli-
cal theology.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. By John
Christopher Thomas. Leiden: Deo Publishing, 2005. Pp. xiii +
283. $29.95, ISBN 90-5854-029-4.
This treatise contains reprints of articles written by the
author in the period 1977-2004, and here collected on the
occasion of his fiftieth birthday anniversary. The essays
range over a wide variety of topics, all connected at least
loosely with Thomas’s interests in Pentecostal exegesis and
theology. Thus, for example, Matthew uses (only four times)
the term “kingdom of God” rather than his usual “kingdom of
heaven” in order to emphasize significant issues facing the
Matthean church (the dangers of wealth or of ascribing exor-
cisms to Satan, among others). Thomas provides a fine over-
view of recent scholarship on the ending of Mark’s Gospel. He
himself sympathizes with the view of R. Tannehill: the origi-
nal Markan ending at 16:8 is in reality a positive conclusion,
since the prophecies of Jesus inevitably come about, and in
this case, the young man in a white robe repeats the words of
Jesus that his disciples are to see him in Galilee. Several of
Thomas’s articles deal with the Johannine tradition: the com-
position of the Fourth Gospel, the relation of John to rabbinic
Judaism, the Spirit in John, healing in the atonement in the
Fourth Gospel, the meaning of the footwashing. Thomas
assures his intended scholarly readers that his commitment
to a Pentecostalist view of Christianity is no hindrance to a
scientific attitude to the Biblical texts. Evidenced by these
stimulating essays, he is certainly correct.
Casimir Bernas
Holy Trinity Abbey
MONASTIC BODIES: DISCIPLINE AND SALVA-
TION IN SHENOUTE OF ATRIPE. By Caroline T.
Schroeder. Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion.
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007.
Pp. 237; illustrations. $79.95, ISBN 978-0-8122-3990-4.
This book is a welcomed new discussion of Shenoute,
since the standard discussion was written one hundred
years ago–Leipoldt’s Schenute von Atripe (Leipzig, 1903).
This book appears as part of a recent resurgence of publica-
tions on Shenoute, no doubt inaugurated by Emmel’s codi-
cological reconstruction of the remaining manuscripts
(Shenoute’s Literary Corpus, completed 1993). Although
Schroeder concentrates on the “normalizing” aspects of
Shenoute’s body ideology and discourse, the book also pre-
sents information about Shenoute’s writings and the theo-
logical debates in which he was involved. By chapter, her
book covers Shenoute’s ascetic moves to persuade the social
body of his monastery that he should be installed as its next
leader, Shenoute’s rules as the ritualization of the social
body, an analysis of the architecture of the church building
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34
as a symbol of renunciation, and Shenoute’s teaching about
the need for sanctity of the body as a resurrection body. As
might be expected of a book in a series edited by Boyarin,
Burrus, and Krueger, Schroeder filters Shenoute largely
through Foucault and feminist theory. So the language of the
text is the language of power, force relations, technologies of
the body, and social constructions and performances. Her
analyses are descriptive of Shenoute as a monk and leader
who uses strategies of the body to organize and control his
monastery by invoking the rhetoric of masculine discipline.
Although I appreciate this perspective because of its sensi-
tivity to the never-neutral process of normation, I was left
wondering whether these body strategies were construc-
tions that Shenoute consciously put in place, or that
Schroeder put in place for him.
April D. DeConick
Rice University
History of Christianity: Early
RADICAL MARTYRDOM AND COSMIC CONFLICT
IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY. By Paul Middleton. Library
of New Testament Studies, 307. New York: T & T Clark, 2006.
Pp. xvi + 207. $120.00, ISBN 0-567-04164-6.
In this revised dissertation on “radical” martyrs—
defined as those who intentionally sought out arrest and
death—in the period prior to Decius’s edict in 249, Middleton
seeks to redress a perceived marginalization of them in both
early Christianity and contemporary scholarship. Chapter
one documents the prominence of “radical” martyrs in pre-
Decian narratives, while chapter two contrasts Roman and
Christian perceptions (judicial execution versus martyr-
dom). Chapter three argues that in early Christian theology,
radical martyrdom was considered a most powerful weapon
in a cosmic conflict. Chapter four reinvestigates the origins of
this theology (suggesting a Christianization of Jewish Holy
War traditions as a major source), while chapter five finds
basic components of the radicals’ worldview already present
in the NT. Middleton demonstrates his thesis successfully
despite occasional overreaching to eliminate contrary evi-
dence; e.g., in arguing that the Quintus episode in MartPol. 4
is interpolated, it is irrelevant that the earliest MS is tenth c.
(thus allowing time for “a good deal of redactional activity”);
the passage is paraphrased already by Eusebius. Moreover,
eliminating the Quintus episode still leaves intact (and undis-
cussed) the foundational statement in MartPol. 1.2b (Poly-
carp waited to be betrayed). In a surprising omission, J. B.
Lightfoot’s commentary on this text (supportive of Middle-
ton’s thesis) is unmentioned; indeed, the only reference to
him in the volume is misattributed, in both bibliography and
index, to R. H. Lightfoot (an inattentiveness to detail not
uncommon throughout). In all, a provocative read for the
specialist or graduate researcher.
Michael W. Holmes
Bethel University
110
• NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008
WANDERING MONKS, VIRGINS, AND PILGRIMS:
ASCETIC TRAVEL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
WORLD, A.D. 300-800. By Maribel Dietz. University
Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005. Pp. x +
270. $50.00, ISBN 0-271-02677-4.
In a fascinating and beautifully written revision of her
Princeton doctoral thesis, Dietz provides a counterpart to
the apparent single-minded scholarly focus on pilgrimage
to holy sites as the only “religiously motivated travel.”
Dietz’s study takes us to Christian itinerancy that can be
distinguished from the goal orientation of pilgrimage: we
find here an attention to “travel as part of a wandering and
ascetic life, either on a voluntary basis or as a religious
justification for forced migration.” In six chapters,
arranged roughly chronologically, Dietz explores how
ascetic travel developed from the fourth through the eighth
centuries, noting throughout how prominently women
feature in this story and culminating in an epilogue that
argues for the ways in which the Benedictine Rule and its
dissemination eventually led to the “elimination of monas-
tic travel and wandering as a legitimate form of religious
life.” Critical to the narrative Dietz provides is precisely the
tension between an increasingly formalized and institution-
alized monasticism (and pilgrimage) and the many variet-
ies of ascetic styles of living and wandering, especially
travels to visit “living sancti.” This volume is essential
reading for anyone interested in early Christian travel
around the Mediterranean world.
Kim Haines-Eitzen
Cornell University
THE LIFE AND MIRACLES OF THEKLA: A LITER-
ARY STUDY. By Scott Fitzgerald Johnson. Washington,
DC: Center for Hellenic Studies, Trustees for Harvard Uni-
versity, Cambridge, MA. Distributed by Harvard University
Press, 2006. Pp. xxiv + 288. $19.95, ISBN 0-674-01961-X.
A revision of Fitzgerald Johnson’s Oxford thesis, this
volume contributes significantly to recent scholarship on
early Christian Thekla devotion by treating the afterlife of
the Acts of Thekla through the “crowning jewel of Thecla
devotion in late antiquity”—the fifth-century Life and
Miracles of Thekla (LM). The LM consists of two parts: a
paraphrase of the second-century Acts of Paul and Thekla
and a collection of forty-six miracles that Thekla performed.
Fitzgerald Johnson’s study is especially concerned with the
literary aspects of the LM, and, in four main chapters, he
attends to the literary and rhetorical techniques of para-
phrase, the rewriting of biblical texts, collecting miracle
narratives, and the classical models for such collections in
early Christianity. Throughout, Fitzgerald Johnson points
us to the interplay between the anonymous author of the
LM and the figure of Thekla, and, in so doing, he reminds
his readers that “text and cult mutually interacted to the
point that there is no way today to separate them without
doing damage to the surviving record.” In Fitzgerald