Neville Clark

Book Reviews : A Theologian Looks At Mark

making references to the Revised Common Lectionary, Limburg’s approach is more homiletic than Davidson, and he emphasizes that the psalms have a way of refusing to be locked up in a book. They originated in real-life situations and continue to appear in the midst of life. They can be read each on its own, or can be set in the canonical context of the whole book. Less rigorous than Davidson, and readier to offer easy answer to difficulties, many preachers will probably value its spiritual openness. ’To write a commentary which is confined to chs. 2 and 3 of a book with 12 chapters would seem to be a curious undertaking; yet that could be one description of what is attempted here.’ So Richard J. Coggins begins the Introduction to his commentary on Joel and Amos (New Century Bible Commentary. Sheffield Academic Press. 2000, ~10.95/

Book Reviews : Thin Historical Yield

16.95. pp. xii + 170, ISBN 1-84127-0954). He explains why recent scholarship has questioned the older critical approach to the prophets which treated them separately, set in their historical context, and then presents his own approach. Joel is a product of the Second Temple period. Amos contains older traditional

Book Reviews : Scholarship: Old and New

(NIBC 6, Hendrickson/Paternoster Press, 2000, n.p., pp. xiv + 267, ISBN 1-56563-579-5, pb. -215-X/0-85364727-5). Following the aims of this commentary series, Evans writes from a stance of believing criticism, applying both scholarly critique and Christian devotion to the text. She argues that the final authors have produced a ’work of significant literary and theological merit’ (p. 3). She also accepts the basic historicity of the Samuel books: the Deuteronomistic writers have faithfully reproduced their sources, based on eyewitness accounts and possible records left by Samuel himself. But power, human and divine, is the integrating perspective which informs the text in its final form.

Book Reviews : Two Views of Matthew's Jesus

(NIBC 6, Hendrickson/Paternoster Press, 2000, n.p., pp. xiv + 267, ISBN 1-56563-579-5, pb. -215-X/0-85364727-5). Following the aims of this commentary series, Evans writes from a stance of believing criticism, applying both scholarly critique and Christian devotion to the text. She argues that the final authors have produced a ’work of significant literary and theological merit’ (p. 3). She also accepts the basic historicity of the Samuel books: the Deuteronomistic writers have faithfully reproduced their sources, based on eyewitness accounts and possible records left by Samuel himself. But power, human and divine, is the integrating perspective which informs the text in its final form.

Book Reviews : Two Johannine Studies

Matthew’s stance towards Judaism: Matthew’s community was a sect within Judaism where the Judaic Law was still observed, rather than already separated from Judaism. He firmly locates this ’proud Petrine community’ at Antioch, Peter having been appointed by James to stamp out any Paulinism there. It was at loggerheads not only with the non-Christian Jewish leadership and with the Gentiles, but also with Pauline Christianity. It therefore became increasingly threatened, suffered from the pogroms which seem to have occurred at Antioch after the First Jewish Revolt, and later incurred the vehement opposition of Ignatius of Antioch. So Lawobservant was it that conversion to Christianity involved adoption of Jewish requirements even circumcision with a few minor adjustments, for example, handwashing. Its mission was to the Jews worldwide, and to Gentiles only on condition of their becoming Jews. The thesis is persuasively argued, with a wealth of attention to the text. Dr Sim accepts no feeble compromises and prefers to drive wedges between opposing views. Some may feel he jumps to conclusions

Book Reviews : Suffering in Hebrews

Comparing the two books, one is tempted to say that while the format, but perhaps not the price, of the former would make it more attractive to the general reader, the second faces up to the problems of modem scholarship in a more reasonable way. Encountering the New Testament is not enough; one must go on to understanding it as well, as even the authors of the first book would agree. WILLIAM G. MORRICE, EDINBURGH

Book Reviews : Mission in the Fourth Gospel

comment remotely relevant to the limited theme, often resulting in the sense that a sledgehammer has been deployed to crack a nut. There is also the more positive imperative to probe with exegetical precision, so that from the disentangling and identification of contributory threads the shape and colour of a coherent tapestry may emerge. In both directions, Endurance in Suffering: Hebrews 12.1-13 in its rhetorical, religious, and philosophical context by N. Clayton Croy (SNTSMS 98, Cambridge University Press, 1998, £35.00/

Book Reviews : Fascinating Journey With the Spirit

59.95, pp. 249, ISBN 0-521-59305-0) betrays its origins. The tabling of the history of research and the plundering of Jewish, Greek and Roman literature for agonistic language and perspectives on suffering arguably help to reveal a biblical author well-attuned to the

Book Reviews : Giving and Receiving

an original collection of sayings centred on the northern tribes of Reuben, Levi, Joseph, Zebulon, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali and Asher which make no mention of ’statehood’ or kingship and which can be dated anywhere between the eleventh and seventh centuries, a layer added by a Deuteronomistic collector who provided the overall heading ascribing the material to Moses as well as individual headings such as ’to Levi he said’, and a layer coming from a later Deuteronomistic redactor who added material about Judah. While these results baldly stated may not sound epoch-making, the work contains a wealth of material and much good sense, for example, in the reluctance to draw form-critical and thus Sitz-im-Leben

Book Reviews : Some Johannine Sa Yings Assessed

Among the recent crop of commentaries and monographs on Luke-Acts the Epworth Press series has provided Acts by James Dunn, recently reviewed here, and now The Gospel of Luke by Judith Lieu (Epworth Press, 1997, £9.95, pp. xxi + 212, ISBN 0-7162-0516-5) readable, reliable and not overloaded with detail. Its focus is on how Luke has related the story, dealing accurately but lightly with questions of sources, redaction and historicity, and not going beyond the evidence with speculations about Luke’s church. A clear sense of Luke’s religious concerns (notably discipleship) emerges, without heavy claims being made about his theology; and there is no trace of the jargon found in some recent literary approaches. This is an eminently sane commentary on the REB translation (occasionally improving it) giving preachers and educated readers alike enough information for a proper engagement with the text. An index of main themes and short bibliography provides unobtrusive guidance around current debates, especially the relation to Judaism. This is a distinguished addition to an extremely useful series. Very different in scale, but also worthy of celebration, is The Gospel of Luke by Joel B. Green (NICNT, Eerdmans, 1997, £32.99, pp. xcii + 928, ISBN 0-80282315-7). Along with Fee on 1 Corinthians this is among the best volumes in an impressive conservative commentary series on the Greek text and RSV translation. It combines some historical information about the ancient