SHORT NOTICES

The New English Bible Companion to the New Testament. By A. E. Harvey . The New Testament: Background, Growth and Content. By Bruce Metzoer . Faith Under Challenge. By Heinrich Fries . Axfological Ethics. J. N. Findlay . The Logic of Divine Love. By Richard E. Weingart . The Last Byzantine Renaissance. By Steven Runciman .     

The Brest Bible and other Polish translations of the Bible in the poetical works of Erazm Otwinowski

Abstract

Polish antitrinitarians of the sixteenth century (also known as Polish Brethren and later as Socinians) rejected some of the most fundamental dogmatic beliefs of traditional Christianity. However, while their Church emerged as the result of a split in the Reformed Church, they still used the Brest Bible to read not only the Old Testament (the antitrinitarian translation of Szymon Budny was controversial and rarely accepted by the Brethren), but also the New Testament. This situation is discussed here using the example of Erazm Otwinowski, a major antitrinitarian poet. His two major poetical works are based on various biblical passages. In his Parables of Our Lord Jesus Christ there is considerable evidence that he used both the Brest Bible and the first edition of the New Testament translated by his antitrinitarian friend, Marcin Czechowic. However, it is also possible that he used Jakub Wujek's Catholic version, even if strongly contested in Czechowic's polemical works.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: John Barton (ed.), The Biblical World Walter Brueggemann, Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy Bernhard W. Anderson, Contours of Old Testament Theology James Barr, The Concept of Biblical Theology: An Old Testament Perspective Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson (eds.), Reclaiming the Bible for the Church Nancy L. deClaissè‐Walford, Reading from th eBeginning: The Shaping of the Hebrew Psalter Birger Gerhardsson, The Reliability of the Gospel Tradition Ben Witherington III, New Testament History: A Narrative Account Neil Richardson, God in the New Testament John S. Kloppenborg Verbin, Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John Martin Hengel and Anna Maria Schwemer, Paul Between Damascus and Antioch. The Unknown Years F. Gerald Downing, Cynics, Paul and the Pauline Churches: Cynics and Christian Origins II Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians Kieran J. O'Mahony, Pauline Persuasion: A Sounding in 2 Corinthians 8‐9 C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Volume I: Acts XV–XXVII April D. DeConick, Voices of the Mystics: Early Christian Discourse in the Gospels of John and Thomas and Other Ancient Christian Literature Manlio Simonetti (ed.), Ippolito. Contro Noeto Catherine Brown Tkacz, The Key to the Brescia Casket: Typology and the Early Christian Imagination Serge Lancel, St Augustine Patricia Cox Miller, The Poetry of Thought in Late Antiquity: Essays in Imagination and Religion Thomas Head (ed.), Medieval Hagiography: An Anthology Allan Greer (ed.), The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth‐Century North America Stephen R. Holmes, God of Glory and God of Grace: An Account of the Theology of Jonathan Edwards Stephen Prickett, Narrative, Religion and Science. Fundamentalism versus Irony, 1700–1999 Linda Woodhead (ed.), Reinventing Christianity: Nineteenth‐Century Contexts Florent Gaboriau, The Conversion of Edith Stein Jeffrey S. Siker, Scripture and Ethics. Twentieth‐Century Portraits Richerd B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament. Community, Cross, New Creation John Kavanaugh, Who Counts as Persons: Human Identity and the Ethics of Killing John Keown, Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy: An Argument against Legalisation Stephen J. Pope and Charles Hefling (eds.), Sic et Non: Encountering ‘Dominus Iesus’ J'annine Jobling and Ian Markham (eds.), Theological Liberalism, Creative and Critical Hans Küng, Women in Christianity Lynne Broadbent and Alan Brown (eds.), Issues in Religious Education Jeremy Waldron, God, Locke, and Equality: Christian Foundations in Locke's Political Thought Giles Fraser, Redeeming Nietzsche Alexander Garcia Düttman, The Memory of Thought: An Essay on Heidegger and Adorno Robert J. Dostal (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Gadamer Michael Fuller, Making Sense of MacIntyre     

I am like a lion to Ephraim

This article argues that animal imagery – in combination with personal images of the deity – must be taken more seriously in studies of Old Testament theology. Bernhard Lang and Tryggve Mettinger are introduced as examples of scholars who distance themselves from the idea that the Israelites conceived of Yahweh in the figure of an animal. They have thereby contributed to the majority view among scholars that only the personal metaphors for Yahweh are worth taking seriously. As a counterweight to this, other scholars are quoted who have shown how the combination of human and animal, familiar from Egyptian religion, also appears in the Old Testament. This leads to the conclusion that through a dialogue between animal and personal images, it was possible for the biblical writers to formulate theologies in which God is not reduced to human imagery alone, as we can see among other things from the continued use in the New Testament of the lion image as well as the lamb image in Revelations.     

REVIEWS

Plato: Dramatist of the Life of Reason. By John Herman Randall , Jr Do Religious Claims Make Sense? By Stuart C. Brown Kant's Transcendental Logic. By Thomas Kaehao Swing The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce. Edited with an introduction by John J. Mc Dermott The Moral Life. By Oliver Johnson Nihilism: a Philosophical Essay. By Stanley Rosen The Nature of Intention. By Jack W. Meiland Revelation as History. Edited by Wolfhart Pannenberg in association with Rolf Rendtorff , Trtz Rendtorff and Ulrich Wilckens . Translated by David Granskou and Edward Quinn The Christian Meaning of the Old Testament. By Norbert Lohfink, s.j. Translated by R. A. Wilson The New Temple. The Church in the New Testament. By R. J. Mc Kelvey The Eucharist. By Edward Schillebeeckx . Translated by N. D. Smith Luther. By Gerhard Ebeling Catholic Scholars' Dialogue with Luther. Edited by Jared Wicks The Reformation Parliament 1529–1536. By Stanford E. Lehmberg Newman's University Sermons. With introductory essays by D. M. Mac Kinnon and J. D. Holmes     

Unconsciously Poisoning the Roots: Psychological Dynamics of the Bible in Jewish/Christian Conflict

The persistence of antisemitism in Christian cultures despite the irrationality and destructiveness of its myths and attitudes has led more than one writer to consider that it may be deeply rooted in psychological dynamics, both individual and social. Likewise, much has been written about how the New Testament writings, especially certain passages in the Gospels, reflect a bitter split between the emerging Christian community and other Jewish groups. Seldom, however, are these two avenues of exploration brought together, asking how psychological mechanisms of defense and the formation of the biblical texts interact. In a recent book, The Jew and Deicide: The Origin of an Archetype (Davis, 2003), psychologist Frederick B. Davis attempted to do just that. Unfortunately, his presentation is deeply flawed by his lack of familiarity with basic New Testament studies and methods. His fundamental premise is sound—that the interplay of the texts, the communities that created them, and their subsequent interpreters evidence psychological dynamics that fuel an ongoing conflict. In this paper, I will suggest how those dynamics were active within the first century Christian community and were expressed in New Testament writings, and how those same dynamics are stimulated in later readers.Paper originally presented March 22, 2004. In D. MacDonald (Chair), New Testament Texts and Traditions. Session conducted at the Western regional meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Whittier, CA     

SHORT NOTICES

Book reviewed in this article: New Testament Social Ethics for Today. By Richard N. Longenecker. The Vindication of Tradition. By Jaroslav Pelikan. Mary, Queen of Peace: Is the Mother of God Appearing in Medjugorje? By Lucy Rooney and Robert Faricy. Identity, Cause, and Mind. By Sidney Shoemaker. Rousseau: Dreamer of Democracy. By James Miller. Religious Imagery in the Theater of Tirso de Molina. By Anne Nickerson Hughes.     

REVIEWS

Recherches dans la foi. By Henri dc Lubac Theological Investigations, Vol. XVI. By Karl Rahner Explorations in Theology, 4. By Maurice Wiles Explorations in Theology, 5. By Donald MacKinnon The Phenomenon of Christianity. By Ninian Smart Incarnation and Myth: the Debate Continued. Edited by Michael Goulder The Debate About Christ. By Don Cupitt Christian Priesthood Examined. By Richard Hanson The Eucharist and Human Liberation. By Tissa Balasuriya The Open Secret: Sketches for a Missionary Theology. By Lesslie Newbigin The Church and Unity. By Basil Christopher Butler Contemplation and Action in World Religions: Selected Papers from the Rothko Chapel Colloquium ‘Traditional Modes of Contemplation and Action’. Edited by Yusuf Ibish and Ileana Marculescu Alternative Altars: Unconventional and Eastern Spirituality in America. By Robert S. Ellwood, Jr Samson: A Secret Betrayed, A Vow Ignored. By James L. Crenshaw When Prophecy Failed: Reactions and Response to Failure in the Old Testament Prophetic Traditions. By Robert P. Carroll The Triumph of Impotence. By Dermot Cox Holy Bible. New International Version. Sponsored by New York International Bible Society A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. By Walter Bauer, translated and adapted by W.F. Arndt and F.W. Gingrich. Second Edition, revised and augmented by F.W. Gingrich and F.W. Danker A Complete Categorized Greek-English New Testament Vocabulary. By David Holly A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament. By Max Zerwick and Mary Grosvenor. Vol II, Epistles-Apocalypse Paul: Crisis in Galatia: A Study in Early Christian Theology. By George Howard The Making of Late Antiquity. By Peter Brown St Nicholas of Myra, Bari and Manhattan. By C.W. Jones Sir Philip Sidney and the Poetics of Protestantism: A Study of Contexts. By Andrew D. Weiner Classical Influences on Western Thought A.D. 1650–1870. Edited by R.R. Bolgar The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman. Volumes II and III. Edited by Ian Ker and Thomas Gomall Church and State in Yugoslavia since 1945. By Stella Alexander A History of African Christianity 1950–1975. By Adrian Hastings The Tory Islanders. A People of the Celtic Fringe. By Robin Fox Ulysses and the Sirens. By Jon Elster Reliable Knowledge: An Exploration of the Grounds for Belief in Science. By John Ziman Being qua Being. By Panayot Butchvarov Aquinas: God and Action. By David B. Burrell Obscenity and Community Standards     

BOOK REVIEWS

Reviews in this article David's Social Drama: A Hologram of Israel's Early Iron Age (The Social World of Biblical Antiquity Series 7). By Jim Flanagan. Psalms, Part 1: With an Introduction to Cultic Poetry (The Forms of the Old Testament Literature Volume 14). By Erhard Gerstenberger. The Book of Job (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament). By John E. Hartley. Man's Anger and Cod's Silence: The Book of Job, By Dermot Cox. Ezra-Nehemia (Old Testament Library). By Joseph Blenkins Zephaniah: A Prophetic Drama (Bible and Literature Series 16). By Paul R. House. Apocalyptic and the New Testament. Essays in Honor of J. Louis Martyn (Journal for the Study of the New Testament S Five Studies on Interpretation of Scripture in Luke-Acts (Studiorum Novi Testament! Auxilia 14). By B.J. Koet. The Miracles of Jesus and the Theology of Miracles. By Rene Latourelle. Jesus and the Judaism of His Time. By Irving M. Zeitlin. The Epistle to the Galatians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament). By Ronald Y.K. Fung. Obeying the Truth: A Study of Paul's Ethics in Galatians (Studies of the New Testament and its World). By John Barclay. Ephesians: Power and Magic. The Concept of Power in Ephesians in the Light of its Historical Setting (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 63). By Clinton E. Arnold. Paul the Letter-Writer and the Second Letter to Timothy L'Apocalisse: Ermeneutica, esegesi, teologia (Supplementi alia Rivista Biblica 17). By Ugo Vanni. A History of the Qumran Community: An Investigation (Journal for the Study of Pseudepigrapha Supplement Series 3). By Philip R. Callaway. Portraits of Adam in Early Judaism: From Sirach to 2 Baruch (Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement Series 1). By John R. Levison, Pp.255, Sheffield, JSOT Press, 1988, £30.00. The Samaritans. Edited by Alan D. Crown. Origen. By Henri Crouzel. Pelagius: A Reluctant Heretic. By B.R. Rees. Porneia: On Desire and the Body in Antiquity. By Aline Rousselle. English Society and the Crusade 1216–1307 (Oxford Historical Monographs). By Simon Lloyd. Erasmus: Spiritualia — Enchiridion, De contemptu mundi, De vidua Christiana (Collected Works of Erasmus 66). Edited by John O'Malley. The Devil at Isenheim: Reflections of Popular Belief in Grünewald's Altarpiece (California Studies in the History of Art Discovery Series 1). By Ruth Mellinkoff. Ignatianisch: Eigenart und Methode der Gesellschaft Jesu. Edited by Michael Sievernich, S.J., and Günter Switek, S.J. Ignatius Loyola. By Philip Caraman. Scotland Reformed: The Reformation in Angus and the Mearns. By Frank D. Bardgett. Stoicism and St Francis de Sales (Toronto Studies in Theology 44). By William Marceau. A Time to Favor Zion: The Ecology of School Development on the Urban Frontier: Cincinnati 1830–1870. By F. Michael Perko. The Churches and the Third Reich, Vol. 2: The Year of Disillusionment, 1934: Barmen and Rome. By Klaus Scholder, translated by John Bowden. Conscience and Captivity: Religion in Eastern Europe. By Janice Broun. Christ Without Absolutes: A Study of the Christology of Ernst Troeltsch. By Sarah Coakley. On Being the Church: Essays on the Christian Community. Edited by Colin E. Gunton and Daniel W. Hardy. The Coherence of Life Without God Before God: The Problem of Earthly Desires in the Later Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. By Terrence Reynolds. Under the Heel of Mary. By Nicholas Perry and Loreto Echeverria. Catholic Cults and Devotions: A Psychological Inquiry. By Michael P. Carroll. Women at the Well: Feminist Perspectives on Spiritual Direction. By Kathleen Fischer. From Silence to Participation: An Insider's View of Liturgical Renewal. By Bernard Botte. The Order of Penitence: Historical Roots and Pastoral Future. By Joseph A. Favazza. Theology and Philosophy. By Ingolf U. Dalferth. Classical Thought (A History of Western Philosophy I). By Terence Irwin. Wisdom, Information and Wonder. By Mary Midgley. The Element of Fire: Science, Art and the Human World. By Anthony O'Hear. Images of Science: Scientific Practice and the Public. Edited by S. J. Doorman. Philosophers of Consciousness. By Eugene Webb. The Mind of Aristotle: A Study in Philosophical Growth. By John M. Rist. Aristotle on Substance: The Paradox of Unity. By Mary Louise Gill. Mind and Imagination in Aristotle. By Michael V. Wedin. Aristotle on the Human Good. By Richard Kraut. The Fabric of Character: Aristotle's Theory of Virtue. By Nancy Sherman. St Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae. A Concise Translation. Edited by Timothy McDermott. The Sermon-Conferences of St Thomas Aquinas on the Apostles' Creed. Edited and translated by Nicholas R. Ayo. Stages on Life's Way. By Søren Kierkegaard, edited and translated by Howard and Edna Hong. Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard: Religion, Individuality and Philosophic Method. By Charles L. Creegan. Understanding Maritain: Philosopher and Friend. Edited by Deal W. Hudson and Matthew J. Mancini. Ethics and Community (Liberation and Theology 3). By Enrique Dussel, translated by Robert R. Barr. Keyguide to Information Sources in Business Ethics. By Francis P. McHugh, Pp. ix, 173, London, Mansell, 1988. £29.00. To Treat or Not To Treat: Bioethics and the Handicapped Newborn. By Richard C. Sparks. Birthrights: Law and Ethics at the Beginning of Life. Edited by Robert Lee and Derek Morgan. When Did I Begin? Conception of the Human Individual in History, Philosophy and Science. By Norman M. Ford. Jeremiah's Poems of Lament (Historic Texts and Interpreters in Biblical Scholarship 7). By Walter Baumgartner. Ecclesiastes (The New Century Bible Commentary). By R.N. Whybray. (Pp. xxiii, 179, Grand Rapids, Wm B. Eerdmans, and London, Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1989, £6.99. Ecclesiastes (Old Testament Guides). By R.N. Whybray. Plotinus: The Experience of Unity. By Gary M. Gurtler. The Evolution of Medieval Thought. By David Knowles, 2nd edition edited by D.E. Luscombe and C.N.L. Brooke. Jan van Ruusbroec Opera Omnia, 3: Die Geestelike Brulocht. (Studien en Tekstuitgaven van Ons Geestelijk Erf XX,3). Edited by J. Alaerts. Philosophy and Christian Belief. By William Charlton. Twentieth-Century Religious Thought. By John Macquarrie. God, Hope and History: Jürgen Moltmann and the Christian Concept of History. By A.J. Conyers.     

Marburg ca. 1900–1925: The Treffpunkt of Theology,Philosophy, and New Testament

ABSTRACT

Many of the intellectual giants in the areas of theology, philosophy, and New Testament were faculty members at the Philips University of Marburg during the early decades of the twentieth century. This article chronicles briefly the careers of faculty members of Marburg and their contributions in the fields of theology (Wilhelm Herrmann, Rudolf Otto, Paul Tillich), philosophy (the Neo-Kantians Hermann Cohen and Paul Natorp, and Martin Heidegger), and New Testament (Rudolf Bultmann) during that period of time.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews in this article Medicine, Miracle and Magic in New Testament Times (Society for New Testament Studies, Monograph Series 55). By Howard Clark Kee. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, vol. I: Texts. Edited by Hans Dieter Betz. Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity (Library of Early Christianity). By Stanley K. Stowers. Jesus and the Economic Questions of His Day (Studies in the Bible and Early Christianity 8). By Douglas E. Oakman. Jesus the Pharisee: A New Look at the Jewishness of Jesus. By H. Falk. Passion Narratives and Gospel Theologies. By Frank J. Matera. Commentaries on Romans 1532–1542. By T.H.L. Parker. Old Testament Priests and the New Priest according to the New Testament. By Albert Vanhoye, translated by J. Bernard Orchard. Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification. By Alister E. McGrath. Theology and the Problem of Evil. By Kenneth Surin. Theology After Wittgenstein. By Fergus Kerr. Karl Barth, A Theological Legacy. By Eberhard Jüngel. Religion and Culture: Essays in Honour of Bernard Lonergan S.J Edited by Timothy P. Fallon and Phillip B. Riley. The Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan, Vol 4: Collection. Edited by Frederick E. Crowe and Robert M. Doran. The Analogy of Beauty: The Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar. Edited by John Riches The Catholicity of the Church. By Avery Dulles. The Formation of Christendom. By Judith Herrin. Weltbild Maximus des Bekenners (Einsiedeln, 1961 [2nd ed.]) or L. Thunberg Lelio Sozzini: Opere. (Studi e testi per la storia religiosa del cinquecento. Vol. 1) Edited by Antonio Rotondò. The French Exiled Clergy in the British Isles after 1789: A Historical Introduction and Working List. By Dominic Aidan Bellenger. The Politics of Heresy: The Modernist Crisis in Roman Catholicism. By Lester R. Kurtz. A Jesuit Friendship: Letters of George Tyrrell to Herbert Thurston. Presented by Robert Butterworth. Jewish Spirituality from the Bible through the Middle Ages. Edited by Arthur Green. Temple and Contemplation. By Henry Corbin. Bible and Theology in African Christianity. By John S. Mbiti. The Cult of the Virgin Mary: Psychological Origins. By Michael P. Carroll. The Origins of the Liturgical Year. By Thomas J. Talley. War Against the Idols: The Reformation of Worship from Erasmus to Calvin. By Carlos M.N. Eire. Women'S Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development. Edited by Joann Wolski Conn. Parmenides: Being, Bounds and Logic. By Scott Austin. Self-Knowledge in Plato'S ‘Phaedrus’. By Charles L. Griswold, jr. Plato'S ‘Parmenides’: The Conversion of the Soul. By Mitchell H. Miller, jr. The Idea of the Good in Platonic-Aristotelian Philosophy. By Hans-Georg Gadamer. Hegel, Nietzsche and the Criticism of Metaphysics. By Stephen Houlgate. The General Will before Rousseau. The Transformation of the Divine into the Civic. By Patrick Riley The Interpretation of Belief: Coleridge, Schleiermacher and Romanticism. Edited by David Jasper. Derrida on the Threshold of Sense. By John Llewelyn. Moral Responsibility. Edited by John Martin Fischer.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: Katarina, O.S.F. Schuth, Seminaries, Theologates, and the Future of Church Ministry: An Analysis of Trends and Transitions Richard S. Hess and Gordon J. Wenham, Make the Old Testament Live: From Curriculum to Classroom Joe L. Kincheloe and Shirley R. Steinberg, eds, Unauthorized Methods: Strategies for Critical Teaching Susan Imel, ed, Learning in Groups: Exploring Fundamental Principles, New Uses, and Emerging Opportunities Janet Donald, Improving the Environment for Learning: Academic Leaders Talk About What Works Robert J. Menges, ed, Faculty in New Jobs: A Guide to Settling In, Becoming Established, and Building Institutional Support Edward Farley, Deep Symbols: Their Postmodern Effacement and Reclamation     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: A Theology FOR Artisans OF A New Humanity, by Juan Luis Segundo, S.J., translated by John Drury Theological Investigations. Vol. X: Writings OF 1965-7, II, by Karl Rahner Elucidations, by Hans Urs VON Balthasar, translated by John Riches A Jewish Understanding OF THE New Testament, by Samuel Sandmel Jesus: Inspiring AND Disturbing Presence, by M. de Jonge THE Testimony OF C. F. Andrews, introduced by Daniel O'Connor THE GOD Who Comes, by Carlo Carretto Ja Oder Nein: 50 Jahre Theologie IN Kirche UND Staat, by Hermann Diem Inter-faith Worship, ed. by Marcus Braybrooke     

Flashpoints in Interpreting Paul

In this article, Luther Seminary New Testament scholar Arland Hultgren outlines the unresolved issues of the “New Perspective on Paul”: (1) the question of legalism in pre‐Pauline Judaism; (2) justification by faith; and (3) the use of the objective or subjective genitive in the “pistis Christou Debate.” On the question as to whether Luther got Paul right, Hultgren points out a difficulty, namely, those addressing this question frequently fail to designate precisely what they mean by “Lutheran.”     

‘From the time he took on the form of a servant’: The Christ's Pilgrimage of Faith

Addressing the pistis christou debate in New Testament studies, this article argues that in the eternal life of the perfect God, the divine Son pleases the Father in the Spirit and, therefore, the divine Son trusts the Father by the Spirit's power during his earthly pilgrimage. It roots soteriology in Christology and shows that the christological account flows forth from the eternal relations of the Trinity. The article concludes by noting implications for dogmatics and exegesis.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Old Testament Criticism in the Nineteenth Century: England and Germany. By John Rogerson. The Prophetic Persona: Jeremiah and the Language of the Self (Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 32). By Timothy Polk. God's Prophet, Cod's Servant: A Study in Jeremiah and Isaiah 40–55. By John Goldingay. A History of Israel from the Beginnings to the Bar Kochba Revolt, AD 135. By J. Alberto Soggin. The New Testament as Canon: An Introduction. By Brevard S. Childs. Resurrection: New Testament Witness and Contemporary Reflection. By Pheme Perkins. II Corinthians (Anchor Bible 32A). Translation and Commentary by Victor Paul Furnish. Der leidende Gerechtfertigte (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2. Reihe, 13). By Karl Theodor Kleinknecht. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles: Studies in Chronology. By Gerd Lüdemann, translated by F. Stanley Jones. The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity. By Margaret Barker. Jews and Christians: Graeco-Roman Views (Cambridge Commentaries on Writings of the Jewish and Christian World 200 BC to AD 200: 6). By Molly Whittaker. The Jewish and Christian World 200 BC to AD 200 (Cambridge Commentaries on Writings of the Jewish and Christian World 200 BC to AD 200: 7). By A.R.C. Leaney. Die stadtrömischen Christen in den ersten beiden Jahrhunderten (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament [2 Reihe] 18). By Peter Lampe. Christian Origins. By Christopher Rowland. The Rise of Christianity. By W.H.C. Frend. Saints and Sinners in the Early Church. By W.H.C. Frend. Pagan Rome and the Early Christians. By Stephen Benko. What Crucified Jesus? By Ellis Rivkin. The Byzantine Apocalyptic Tradition. By Paul J. Alexander, edited by Dorothy de F. Abrahamse. Die Synoden Englands bis 1066. By Hannah Vollrath. Jewish Bankers and the Holy See. From the Thirteenth to the Seventeenth Century (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization). By Léon Poliakov, translated by Miriam Kochan. Judaism on Trial. Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization). Edited and translated by Hyam Maccoby. The Jews of Islam. By Bernard Lewis. Human Rights in Jewish Law. By Haim Cohn. Crusade and Mission: European Approaches toward the Muslims. By Benjamin Z. Kedar. Lefèvre. Pioneer of Ecclesiastical Renewal in France. By Philip Edgcumbe Hughes. The Protestant Reformation in Ireland, 1590–1641 (Studies in the Intercultural History of Christianity 34). By Alan Ford. Galileo and his Sources: The Heritage of the Collegio Romano in Galileo's Science. By William A. Wallace. Politics and Language in Dryden's Poetry. By Steven N. Zwicker. The Anglican Tradition. Edited by Richard Holloway. The Anglican Church Today and Tomorrow. By Michael Marshall. Popular Catholicism in Nineteenth-century Germany. By Jonathan Sperber. The Russian Church under the Soviet Regime 1917–1982. By Dimitri Pospielovsky. Daniel Mannix and Ireland. By Colm Kiernan. The Vatican and Italian Fascism, 1929–32: A Study in Conflict. By John F. Pollard. The Vatican, the Bishops and Irish Politics 1919–39. By Dermot Keogh. Martin Buber: A Centenary Volume. Edited by Haim Gordon and Jochanan Bloch Religious Education: Philosophical Perspectives. By John Sealey. The Psychology of Moral Development. By Lawrence Kohlberg. Can Modern War Be Just? By James Turner Johnson. The Tragedy of Political Science: Politics, Scholarship and Democracy. By David M. Ricci. Metaphysics. By D.W. Hamlyn. Metaphysics: Its Structure and Function. By Stephan Körner. Plotinus, Enneads IV and V (Loeb Classical Library). Translated by A.H. Armstrong. Lectures‘chrétiennes’de Nietzsche. By Yves Ledure. Social Classes in Marxist Theory. By Allin Cottrell. Wittgenstein: A Critique. By J.N. Findlay. Erring: A Postmodern A/theology. By Mark C. Taylor. God of Chance. By David J. Bartholomew. Images of Christ: An Introduction to Christology. By Glenn F. Chesnut. Christology: Basic Texts in Focus. By Leopold Sabourin. The Divine Mother: A Trinitarian Theology of the Holy Spirit. By Donald L. Gelpi.     

A Survey of Recent Scholarship on the New Testament and Aging and Suggestions for Future Research

ABSTRACT

This article has a double agenda. In the first section, it identifies and selectively surveys nine areas that have figured prominently in recent scholarship on aging and the elderly in the New Testament. In the second section, it identifies areas for future research. Particularly emphasized is the challenge of exploring the relationship between the New Testament material and the Greco-Roman world. In order to do this, it is necessary to identify attitudes, roles, and practices that surround aging and the elderly in that cultural context. Some resources and questions that may serve as starting points for further research are indicated.     

REVIEWS

Books Reviewed in this Article: Personal Identity. By Godfrey Vesey . Personal Identity. By Godfrey Vesey . Truth and Dialogue. Edited by John Hick . Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Values. By Max Scheler . Translated by N. S. Frings and R. L. Funk . Beyond the New Morality. By Germain Grisez and Russell Shaw . The Interaction of Law and Religion. By Harold J. Berman . This Man Jesus: An Essay toward a New Testament Christology. By Bruce Vawter . London, Geoffrey Chapman. Exodus: A Commentary. By Brevard S. Childs . Structure and Meaning in the Fourth Gospel. A Text-Linguistic Analysis of John 2:1–11 and 4:1–42. By Birger Olsson . Actualité de la Révélation Divine. By Richard P. Hardy . Reason and Belief. By Brand Blanshard . The Ministry of Reconciliation. By J. D. Crichton . The Story of the Anglican Ministry. By Edward P. Echlin . New Testament Christianity for Africa and the World. Essays in Honour of Harry Sawyerr. Edited by Mark E. Glasswell and Edward W. Fasholé -Luke . The Rise of Christianity. Prepared for the Course Team by Francis Clark . The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. Vol. 2. The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600–1700). By Jaroslav Pelikan . The Religion of Isaac Newton. The Fremnntle Lectures 1973. By Frank E. Manuel . God's Blueprints. By John Mc Kelvie Whitworth . The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, Vol. XXVI. Edited by C. S. Dessain and Thomas Gornall . Il Problema Religioso nel Risorgimento e il Pensiero di Geremia Bonomelli. By Giuseppe Gallina . The Vatican and the Americanist Crisis: Denis J. O'Connell, American Agent in Rome 1885–1903. By Gerald P. Fogarty . L'Institut Saint-Serge: De I'académie d'autrefois au rayonnement d'aujourd'hui. By Alexis Kniazeff . Connaissance du Vatican: Histoire—Organisation—Activité. By Paul Poupard .     

Samoa and the Christian state ideal

This article explores the notion of a Christian state in the context of the South Pacific island nation of Samoa. Samoa is not a Christian state in the constitutional de jure sense. There is no formal entrenchment of establishment of Christianity as the official religion. But it is a de facto Christian state in that the substance of its laws reflects Christian beliefs. The article also considers whether it is a Christian nation. In many cultural and sociological senses it is. In terms of Christian practice however, an affirmative verdict is highly doubtful. Finally, the article suggests that asking the Christian nation question might be misplaced, for no nation can be a ‘chosen’, covenantal nation, à la Israel, in the New Testament era.     

ON THE TENACITY OF CHRISTIAN ANTI‐JUDAISM1

Joachim of Fiore's three ages of Father, Son and Spirit demonstrated that the supersessionist gambit Christianity had introduced against Judaism is a logic any successor can employ. Modernity (cf. modo, “now”) is constituted by a relentless supersessionist logic; the modern issue is less supersessionism than a conflict of supersessionisms. Christianity has repeatedly overspiritualized God's “bodily covenant” with Israel (Wyschogrod). This distortive tendency is intensified in modernity by Christianity's anxiety that it too will appear old/“Jewish” vis‐à‐vis a new New Testament of infinite spiritual freedom (cf. Romanticism.) One corrective would be for Christianity to return to a more Jewish understanding of election.