Roland J. Teske

Book Review: Augustine and the Jews: A Christian Defense of Jews and JudaismAugustine and the Jews: A Christian Defense of Jews and Judaism. By FredriksenPaula. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University, 2010. Pp. xxiii + 503.

primer on Christian politics, an exercise in convincing Christians that they should take Augustine’s theology seriously, especially in these dark times. For M., Augustine can help contemporary Christians navigate a middle ground between political action motivated by prideful certainty and political inaction motivated by sectarianism or despair. This middle ground is a gray area, but an Augustinian vision allows us to see it also as an area charged with sacramental possibilities and, above all, with hope. The Republic of Grace is in continuity with M.’s ongoing scholarly recovery and application of an authentically Augustinian public theology. Here, however, his voice is that of a teacher, claiming that “my aim is fundamentally pedagogical: to offer a primer in the Augustinian-Christian vernacular, a language of religious, moral, and political deliberation” (2). His pedagogical aim might have been more readily accomplished by the addition of footnotes, rather than a general list of references for each chapter. This is, however, a minor quibble with what is overall a notable scholarly contribution.

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ers should be told why concerns that animate other histories of early Christian literature, like diction, style, and manuscript status, are largely avoided. Both of the works here reviewed are of value for the scholar. The Cambridge History offers much more than an orientation to the literature of the early Church and in this regard provides a more comprehensive guide to early Christian studies than its title suggests. Its essay format, combined with its circumvention of lesser-known figures and documents, will lend itself to students and teachers in search of accessible and expansive overviews. For its part, the Literary History offers a more focused, technical, and complete discussion of early Christian literature, also organized to facilitate quick reference. As such, it will be especially profitable to the scholar who, with several early Christian reference works already on the shelf, wants one specifically devoted to the literature of the early church.

Book Review: Augustine: A New BiographyAugustine: A New Biography. By O'DonnellJames J.. New York: Ecco, 2005. Pp. xiv + 396.

imagination concerning hell. In short, the literary sources from which B. draws include myth, folklore, poetry, philosophy, and religion. Important themes that run through the presentation are: divine mercy, divine justice, the desire for vengeance, and the meaning of retribution. How is vengeance related to divine mercy? If one grants that there is punishment in the after-life, is it temporary or eternal? What is the essence of such punishment? How is the essential issue to be distinguished from the plethora of images that are used to express it? Is there any sense in which hells punishment might be mitigated? Does the origin of the purgatorial tradition lie in this area? The wide range of viewpoints on virtually every one of these issues should go far to put to rest the idea that there is a clear, consistent tradition in Christian theology on issues about the afterlife. The tracing of historical lines of development reaches a high point in the contrasting descriptions of the logic of universal salvation in Origen and the logic of an eternal hell in Augustine. This is particularly interesting since both Origen and Augustine were influenced deeply by neo-Platonism. It was precisely the logic of philosophical emanationism that led to Origens doctrine of universal restoration. And it was this theological view that the great Western Christian neoPlatonist rejected so strongly. The seeds of a powerful theology of will and freedom may be found here. The strong polarity reflected in the Origenist and Augustinian views remains a significant factor in contemporary studies of Christian eschatology. While the reader will find much to think about in tracing the various extrabiblical influences which have shaped the Christian ideas of the after-life, B. still makes a clear and convincing case for what stands out as distinctively Christian. This he sees in the way the Christian view of hell reflects the Christian understanding of the mercy and justice of God. The varied attempts to hold these two divine attributes in an intelligible relation account for much of the diversity within the Christian tradition. B.s presentation as a whole is based on sound historical and literary analysis. The wealth of detail does not obscure the major lines of the argument, which is presented with remarkable clarity. This book is a major contribution to the growing library of studies on the history of the eschatological imagination.

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Not everyone will agree with all of C.s analyses, evaluations, and conclusions. But this is a work of scholarship whose value transcends its substantial contribution to the history of the Origenist controversy. The importance of the methodology has already been noted. But the results of this study also enrich the readers understanding of the relevant time periods, of the persons involved, and of the crucial theological and faith issues with which they grappled. Anyone seriously interested in early Christian life and thought should read this book.