I received a new book from IVP that I am very happy to blurb today:

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels
Kenneth E. Bailey
IVP, 2008
443 pages
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Here is the TOC:
Part 1: The Birth of Jesus
1. The Story of Jesus’ Birth: Luke 2:1-20
2. The Genealogy and Joseph the Just: Matthew 1:1-21
3. The Savior, the Wise Men and the Vision of Isaiah: Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-7
4. Herod’s Atrocities, Simeon and Anna: Matthew 2:13-18; Luke 2:22-36

Part 2: The Beatitudes
5. The Beatitudes 1: Matthew 5:1-5
6. The Beatitudes 2: Matthew 5:6-12

Part 3: The Lord’s Prayer
7. The Lord’s Prayer: God Our Father: Matthew 6:5-9
8. The Lord’s Prayer: God’s Holiness: Matthew 6:9
9. The Lord’s Prayer: God’s Kingdom and Our Bread: Matthew 6:10-11
10. The Lord’s Prayer: Our Sins and Evil: Matthew 6:12-13

Part 4: Dramatic Actions of Jesus
11. The Call of Peter: Luke 5:1-11
12. The Inauguration of Jesus’ Ministry: Luke 4:16-31
13. The Blind Man and Zacchaeus: Luke 18:35-19:11

Part 5: Jesus and Women
14. Jesus and Women: An Introduction
15. The Woman at the Well: John 4:1-42
16. The Syro-Phoenician Woman: Matthew 15:21-28
17. The Lady Is Not for Stoning: John 7:53-8:11
18. The Woman in the House of Simeon the Pharisee: Luke 7:36-50
19. The Parable of the Widow and the Judge: Luke 18:1-8
20. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Young Women: Matthew 25:1-13

Part 6: Parables of Jesus
21. Introduction to the Parables
22. The Parable of the Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37
23. The Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13-21
24. The Parable of the Great Banquet: Luke 14:15-24
25. The Parable of the Two Builders: Luke 6:46-49
26. The Parable of the Unjust Steward: Luke 16:1-8
27. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Luke 18:9-14
28. The Parable of the Compassionate Employer: Matthew 20:1-16
29. The Parable of the Serving Master: Luke 12:35-38
30. The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man: Luke 16:19-30
31. The Parable of the Pounds: Luke 19:11-27
32. The Parable of the Noble Vineyard Owner and His Son: Luke 20:9-18

The book includes a bibliography, a persons index, and scripture index.

Here are a few of the many jacket endorsements:
“Among the many New Testament scholars interpreting the Gospels today, few offer new and dramatic insights like Kenneth E. Bailey. From a childhood in Egypt to a career working within the Middle East, Bailey has established himself as the premier cultural interpreter of the life of Jesus. Using insights from cultural anthropology and skilled exegesis, suddenly the Gospels come alive as the Middle Eastern stories that they are. Long after other scholars’ books are forgotten, Bailey’s work on the Gospels will continue to be a timeless resource into the world of Jesus. This newest volume, written for the nonspecialist, is a splendid place to begin. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is guaranteed to become a favorite on many Christians’ bookshelves.” —Gary M. Burge, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College & Graduate School
“I have long been an admirer of Kenneth Bailey’s helpful insights. As in his earlier works, his breadth of knowledge of Middle Eastern culture sheds rich light on numerous points in the Gospels, providing fresh perspectives and often illumining details we have rarely considered. He provokes those of us who depend mostly on ancient written sources to consider new approaches, often cohering with but often supplementing such research.” —Craig Keener, professor of New Testament, Palmer Theological Seminary

“Kenneth Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is rich with interpretive and cultural insight. He sheds light on what is so often missed in most commentaries and books about Jesus written from a Western perspective. Indeed, Bailey’s book provides the much-needed corrective to the dubious results of the Jesus Seminar, whose distorted Jesus is a product of Greco-Roman culture and literature, instead of the Judaic culture and literature of Palestine. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is easy to read–students and pastors will benefit from it tremendously–but there is also much for scholars.”— Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College

As is IVP’s practice, you can read an excerpt, in this case chapter one of the book — The Story of Jesus’ Birth: Luke 2:1-20.

The Resurrection: History and Myth
Geza Vermes
Doubleday, 2008
171 Pages
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Here is the TOC:
Prologue: The Christian Notion of Resurrection and Its Historical Antecedents
Part 1: Afterlife in teh Jewish World Before Jesus

1. A Bird’s-Eye View of Human Destiny in the Bible: From Lost Immortality to Resurrection
2. Death and Its Sequels in Ancient Judaism: Paving the Way for Resurrection
3. Biblical and Postbiblical Antecedents of the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus
4. Martyrdom and Resurrection in Late Second Temple Judaism
5. Jewish Attitudes to Afterlife in the Age of Jesus

Part 2: Resurrection and Eternal Life in the New Testament

6. Introductory Note
7. The Teaching of Jesus on Resurrection and Eternal Life
8. Predictions of the Resurrection of Jesus
9. Resurrection Accounts in the New Testament Regarding Persons Other Than Jesus
10. The Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus
11. Initial Evaluation of the Accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus
12. The Resurrection of Jesus in the Acts of the Apostles
13. The Resurrection of Jesus in Saint Paul
14. The Resurrection of Jesus in the Rest of the New Testament
15. The Meaning of the Concept of Resurrection in the New Testament

Epilogue: Resurrection in the Hearts of Men

Here is the dust jacket description:
World-famous biblical scholar Geza Vermes has studies all the evidence that still remains, over two thousand years after Jesus Christ was reported to have risen from the dead. Examining the Jewish Bible, the New Testament, and other accounts left to us, as well as contemporary attitudes toward the afterlife, he takes us through each episode with a historian’s focus: the crucifixion, the treatment of the body, the statements of the women who found the empty tomb, and the visions of Christ by his disciples. Unraveling the true meaning conveyed in the Gospels, the Acts, and Saint Paul, Vermes shines new light on the developing faith in the risen Christ among the first followers of Jesus.

This book is clearly meant to be an accessible introduction to this topic — evidenced by its size and its sparse reference and dialogue with studies on the topic.

Doubleday has sent me two books which I’m happy to blurb. Here’s the first:

Abraham’s Curse: Child Sacrifice in teh Legacies of the West
Bruce Chilton
Doubleday, 2008
259 pages
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Here is the TOC:
Part 1: The Test

1. Sacrificial Species, Human Offerings
2. Martyrdom, the Jewish Invention

Part 2: Blood of the Lamb

3. The Son’s Eternal Sacrifice
4. Martyrs, in the Flesh
5. Gnostic Laughter, Roman Pornography, Blood Payment

Part 3: Taking Leave of Moriah

6. Ibrahim’s Sacrificial Vision
7. Blood Harvest
8. The Long Descent

The Book includes a subject index as well.

Here is the jacket description:
The story of Abraham’s acceptance of God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac is one of the most disturbing of all biblical stories. Isaac is spared only at the last moment, when an angel stops Abraham’s hand. Theologians and scholars have wrestled with the question of why God asked Abraham to kill his beloved son, why Abraham acquiesced, and why in some interpretations he actually killed his son.
In Abraham’s Curse, Bruce Chilton traces the impact of the story of Abraham and Isaac on the beliefs and teachings of Judaism (where Abraham is regarded as the forefather of Israel), Islam (where he provides the role model for Muhammad), and Christianity (where he is teh ancestor of King David, whose lineage culminates in Jesus). As Chilton examines the story’s significance, he makes the case that, far from only reflecting the violence of an ancient, unenlightened time, the sacrifice of children in the name of religion is still a fundamental part of our lives and culture—from Islamist suicide bombings to militant Zionism and graphic glorifications of the Crucifixion of Christ.

How is that for a weighty subject? I’m interested to see future reviews of this book and interested in reading the portions that relate to the early church.

Another splendid title from Hendrickson

Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus
Brad H. Young
Hendrickson, 2007
270 pages
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Here is the TOC:
PART 1: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought

1. Introduction to Rabbinic Thought
2. Master Teachers and Their Disciples
3. Torah is More Than Law
4. The Great Sanhedrin
5. Parallel Rabbinic and New Testament Texts

PART 2: Introduction to Rabbinic Literature

6. Introduction to Early Jewish Writings
7. Ethics of the Fathers
8. The Amidah Prayer
9. Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith
10. Hillel’s Seven Principles of Bible Interpretation

PART 3: Introduction to the Rabbis

11. Meet the Rabbis
12. Both Torahs Were Revealed on Mount Sinai
13. Utopia or Plan of Action?

PART 4: Study Helps

• Of Books, Commandments, Laws, Holy Days, and Lineage
• Glossary of Terms
• Bibliographic Helps
• Index of Modern Authors
• Index of Subjects
• Index of Ancient Sources

Here’s the endorsement from the back:

Brad H. Young has published Jesus the Jewish Theologian and The Parables; now, he continues to illustrate how rabbinics is essential for understanding the New Testament documents and elucidates the historical Jesus. Moreover, Meet the Rabbis is an engagingly written introduction to rabbinic though, literature, and the lives of the most influential rabbis. Young proves how rabbinics helps to clarify the origins of Christianity. The rabbis come to life, providing insights into how to live, being faithful to God and the needy among us. He succeeds in illustrating how Jewish thought clarifies the theology of the Sermon on the Mount. This is a must read for everyone interested in Judaism and Christian origins. — James H. Charlesworth

Jim Charlesworth’s blurb really says it well. This is a clear and readable introduction to rabbinic thought and how it can illuminate the NT. Throughout the book, Young draws parallels with the Sermon on the Mount in particular (especially chapter 5). This book draws a nice balance in its introduction to rabbinic figures, writings, and thought and makes an excellent introductory textbook. My only quibble with this book has to do with the ancient text index. For a book focused on rabbinic literature, I am surprised how sparse the rabbinic literature section is. A very small taint in what is otherwise an excellent book.

Hendrickson strikes again!

The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader’s Edition
Hendrickson, 2007
712 pages
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The concept of this GNT is pretty simple: help novices learn to read Greek. It assumes at least an introductory year of NT Greek.

In place of the standard UBS apparatus sits the footnotes. All words (except the obvious ones that can be ’sounded out’) that occur less than 30 times are footnoted in the running dictionary. Irregular and difficult verb forms are also footnoted with their parsing.
Additionally their is a small dictionary of words occuring more than 30 times in the back of the book. The 2nd year Greek student needs no more than this book to continue the journey of learning NT Greek.

I would heartily recommend this book to any students who have finished their first year and are either done with their formal Greek training, or are continuing on. This is the NT book you want to have with you on Sunday morning while you are following the sermon. And for Greek teachers doing second year reading courses, I would recommend it as a good choice for your students.

Another homerun for InterVarsity Press has recently been released. The IVP New Testament dictionaries are absolutely invaluable to me, and I’m very happy to now have this dictionary on my shelf as well.

This is a revised, updated, and expanded version of the Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters

Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters
Edited by Donald K. McKim
2007
IVP, 1106 pages
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Here is the TOC:
Part 1: Biblical Interpretation through the Centuries

• Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church
• Biblical Interpretation in the Middle Ages
• Biblical Interpretation in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
• Biblical Interpretation in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
• Biblical Interpretation in Europe in the Twentieth Century
• Biblical Interpretation in North America in the Twentieth Century

Part 2: Major Biblical Interpreters

• Dictionary Articles (over 200 of them)
• Index of Persons
• Index of Subjects
• Index of Articles

Here are just a few of the 13 glowing endorsements on the dust jacket:
“This is an instructive, thought-provoking, generous-minded, reliable, absorbing, illuminating and imaginative work, often elegant, entertaining, incisive and provocative. It covers a remarkable galaxy of names, and it is written by people from a wide range of backgrounds, many of them world experts on their subject. Why did no one think of writing it before?”—John Goldingay

“The Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, have been the most thoroughly studied literary documents in the history of civilization. And sometimes the interpreters are almost as interesting as the texts they are reading. All who take the interpretation of the Bible seriously in our day will welcome this volume. After six historical essays, this volume introduces readers to more than two hundred of the most significant biblical interpreters, from the patristic period to modern times. By discussing each interpreter under four headings (context, life and work, interpretive principles, significance) and then concluding with a bibliography of the person’s most significant writings, modern interpreters are invited into the studies and the lives of their predecessors. This is far and away the finest introduction to the colorful characters that have determined how scholars and laypeople have read the Bible for the past two thousand years. Bravo, InterVarsity Press!” —Daniel I. Block

IVP is also offering a sample of one of the introductory chapters, Biblical Interpretation in the Middle Ages, as well as a sample entry, this one on Martin Luther.

This is an item you are going to want to have handy for many years to come.

My focus, and the focus of this blog, relates more to biblical studies than theology, but I’m happy to give a quick blurb for theology books on the rare occasions I receive them. This one is from IVP.

Purchase from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Allan Coppedge
IVP
400 pages

Here is the TOC:
1 The New Testament Foundations for the Trinity
2 The Biblical Frame for the Trinity
3 The Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity
4 The Triune God in Relation to Creation
5 The Triune God Within himself
6 The Nature of the Triune God
7 The Attributes of the Triune God: Personal and Moral
8 The Attributes of the Triune God: Relative and Aboslute
9 The Roles of the Triune God: The Way the Economic Trinity Works
10 The Triune God Creates a Cosmos
11 The Nature of Creation
12 The Triune God’s Work of Providence
13 The Triune God, Freedom and Providence

The book includes a name, subject, and scripture index.

Here are jacket blurbs:
“Allan Coppedge has produced a comprehensive trinitarian doctrine of God. His thirty years of praying, teaching and preaching have culminated in one of the clearest discussions of the holy One ever produced. Coppedge’s facile handling of ancient resources and the most recent theological assessments of the divine nature, as well as his offering of a new paradigm for relating holiness and love in the personhood of God, are more than gratifying–this is a unique call to a theological revolution. With Jesus at the center he deftly draws all the major trinitarian commonplaces into a tapestry of divine roles. That rigorous biblical framework provides the backdrop for several key issues: triune theism, personhood, the relationship of holiness and love, a trinitarian worldview, a dynamic view of providence, and a rigorous challenge to open theism. Allan Coppedge has spent his life making disciples of Jesus Christ. This masterful text is one facet of that life-giving ministry–that which feeds the mind so that the heart and the life can please the triune One who has made us in his image. Teachers, pastors and anyone who wants to think more clearly about God and to live in the dynamic life of personal holy love will benefit from this text.”
—M. William Ury, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi

“What a delight to find a mature systematic theologian who takes Jesus seriously when he talks about God! Coppedge actually believes Jesus meant it when he said that if one wants to know the Father or the Spirit that one must start with the Son. The result is that God becomes more than an idea, or a dogma, or one who is always a third-personal ‘he’ whom we know about. This triune God is shown to be a second-personal ‘you’ to whom one must respond with much more than a mere thought. Good stuff!”
—Dennis F. Kinlaw, Founder, Francis Asbury Society, and Former President, Asbury College

The second Hendrickson book is another excellent Greek reader they put out. I’m even more excited about this one, as I’ve never read any of the patristic literature in Greek before.

Purchase from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com
Rodney A. Whitacre
Hendrickson
279 Pages

Here is the TOC:

1. Introduction
2. The Didache
3. 1 Clement
4. Ignatius’s To The Romans
5. The Epistle to Diognetus
6. Martyrdom of Polycarp
7. Justin’s Martyr’s First Apology
8. Melito of Sardis’ On Pascha
9. Clement of Alexandria’s Miscellanies
10. Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History and Life of Constantine
11. Athanasius’ On the Incarnation
12. Gregory of Nazianzus’ Orations
13. Desert Fathers and Mothers, Apophthegmata Patrum
14. Chrysostom’s Homiliae in Matthaeum
15. Hesychios the Priest’s on Watchfulness and Holiness
16. Symeon the New Theologian’s Hymns
17. PART 2 gives the translation of the above portions.

From the Back:
This is more than a book .It’s an opportunity to learn Greek from a superlative teacher and to learn Christianity from the greatest ancient masters. Dr. Whitacre’s anthology is unique, a model of both pedagogy and mystagogy. The Spirit has been leading the churches to “return to the sources” and A Patristic Greek Reader is a beautiful beginning for that journey. Very highly recommended. — Mike Aquilina

Many young theologians find themselves eager to read the Greek Fathers, but are hampered by their command of little more than elementary New Testament Greek . A Patristic Greek Reader is exactly what they need. It provides passages from the first millennium of varying difficulty, accompanied by commentary explaining point of grammar and syntax. On their own, or in classes, this book will enable such students to raise their sights to the sometimes rather difficult Greek of the Fathers. It is a thoroughly excellent initiative. — Andrew Louth

The book contains 3 appendixes: a vocab list, a principal parts chart, and a list of the selections arranged in order of difficulty.

This reader is presented a little differently than Hendrickson’s Philippians reader that I mentioned in my previous book blurb. The greek portions for reading do not give any translation — these are found in section 2. I like this presentation, as it forces the user to try a hand at translating themselves rather than relying on the given translation. The grammatical notes within the Greek sections are thorough, giving both parsing of difficult forms and lexical forms of difficult words as well.

This is another fine addition to Hendrickson’s expanding list of Greek readers. The one little nitpicky complaint I have is that the author recommends bible software in the introduction, and Whitacre is clearly a PC user as he neglects to mention Accordance. Readers may get the impression that you can only get Greek digital editions of the material on a PC, which is not the case. It is good for authors to hit both Mac and PC users when recommending software.

Another great book to add to my recommended list for the 2nd semester of my intro Greek class!

I received 2 fine books from Hendrickson that I have been looking over. As I am now teaching intro Greek, I am very interested in these books for recommended reading, or for encouraging students to continue with Greek once the year is done.

Purchase from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com
Jerry L. Sumney
Hendrickson
161 Pages

Here is the TOC:

1. Philippians 1:1-2 Epistolary Greeting
2. Philippians 1:3-11 Thanksgiving and Prayer
3. Philippians 1:12-26 Report of Paul’s Circumstances with Related Examples to Imitate and to Avoid
4. Philippians 1:27-2:18 Exhortations to Conform Community Life to the Example of Christ
5. Philippians 2:19-3:16 Contrasting Examples of Responses to the Gospel
6. Philippians 3:17-4:9 Application of Examples of Living in Accord with the Gospel with Explicit Exhortations
7. Philippians 4:10-20 Paul’s Thanksgiving to the Philippians for Their Gift to Him
8. Philippians 4:21-23 Epistolary Closing

The book includes an overview of the syntactical structure of NT Greek, a glossary of other terms, resources for further study, and an index of subjects.

From the Back:
“Jerry Sumner provides exactly what is needed to help students learn the challenging art of Greek exegesis. Its exceptional clarity and practical usefulness make this an ideal textbook. Sumney enables students to see the unique potential of Greek exegesis for understanding the New Testament. This is the perfect book for those who have completed beginning Greek. And if I could, I would put it into the hands of every such student.” — Donald A. Hagner

“This handbook will not only help students to interpret Philippians, but will greatly facilitate their grasp of the many grammatical categories of an intermediate Greek grammar. The book would serve as an excellent supplement to a second-year course or as a great refresher for pastors and teachers who have let their Greek New Testament get a little dusty.” — Clinton E. Arnold

Each section is broken down into smaller pericopes, and from here each verse is tackled one at a time. Along the way the grammar is clearly explained, with exegetical nuggets along the way.

I’m very greatful for this coming across my desk. It will be going on to my recommended books for my Greek class. Its my hope that I will inspire a few students to purchase this and work through it on their own to keep up their Greek.

I apologize for my lack of blogging. My first year as an adjunct faculty and p/t work has proven time-consuming. I hope life will return to a manageable hurricane so I can return to some more regular blogging soon.

For now, I’d like to offer a blurb for a book that has been mentioned on a view biblioblogs before. It is worth the overlap, believe me. I intend to offer another post beyond this one to discuss the book, but I didn’t want to hold off on the blurb.

Earlier this year I made an authoritative declaration that every NT scholar ought to read Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. This is now my second binding authoritative declaration: Every NT scholar needs to have this book on his or her shelf.

Jewish Believers in Jesus: the early centuries
Oskar Skarsaune and Reidar Hvalvik, editors
Hendrickson, 2007
a whopping 903 pages
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Here’s the TOC:

Part One: Introduction
1. Jewish Believers in Jesus in Antiquity—Problems of Definition, Method, and Sources. By Oskar Skarsaune
2. The Definition of the Terms Jewish Christian and Jewish Christianity in the History of Research. By James Carleton Paget,
   Part Two: Jewish Believers in Jesus in the New Testament and Related Material

3. James and the Jerusalem Community. By Richard Bauckham
4. Paul as a Jewish Believer—According to His Letters. By Donald A. Hagner
5. Paul as a Jewish Believer—According to the Book of Acts. By Reidar Hvalvik
6. Named Jewish Believers Connected with the Pauline Mission. By Reidar Hvalvik
7. Jewish Believers and Jewish Influence in the Roman Church until the Early Second Centur y. By Reidar Hvalvik
8. Jewish Believers in Asia Minor according to the Book of Revelation and the Gospel of John. By Peter Hirschberg
9. The Jewish Christian Gospel Tradition. By Craig A. Evans,
10. Jewish Christian Editing of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. By Torleif Elgvin
11. Jewish Christian Elements in the Pseudo-Clementine Writings. By Graham Stanton
12. Fragments of Jewish Christian Literature Quoted in Some Greek and Latin Fathers. By Oskar Skarsaune
13. Jewish Christian Sources Used by Justin Martyr and Some Other Greek and Latin Fathers. By Oskar Skarsaune
    Part 4: Jewish Christian Groups according to the Greek and Latin Fathers

14. The Ebionites. By Oskar Skarsaune.
15. The Nazoraeans. By Wolfram Kinzig,
16. Cerinthus, Elxai, and Other Alleged Jewish Christian Teachers or Groups. By Gunnar af Hällström and Oskar Skarsaune.
    Part 5: Other Literary and Archaeological Evidence for Jewish Believers

17. Evidence for Jewish Believers in Greek and Latin Patristic Literature. By Oskar Skarsaune
18. Evidence for Jewish Believers in the Syriac Fathers. By Sten Hidal
19. Evidence for Jewish Believers in Christian-Jewish Dialogues through the Sixth Century (excluding Justin). By Lawrence Lahey
20. Evidence for Jewish Believers in “Church Orders” and Liturgical Texts. By Anders Ekenberg
21. Jewish Believers in Early Rabbinic Literature (2d to 5th Centuries). By Philip S. Alexander
22. Archaeological Evidence of Jewish Believers? By James F. Strange
    Part 6: Conclusion and Outlook

23. The Histor y of Jewish Believers in the Early Centuries— Perspectives and Framework. By Oskar Skarsaune

The book also has an excellent bibliography (over 100 pages), as well as modern authors, Subject, and Ancient Source indexes.

Here are two of the jacket blurbs:
This is a first-rate contribution by top scholars to our understanding of Jews who believed in Jesus during the first few centuries of Christianity. Not only does the volume address in depth the many complexities of the historical, social, literary, and religious aspects of Jewish believers in Jesus, it also admirably engages the very construction of scholarship on the topic. This is a comprehensive work of meticulous and careful scholarship that should be the standard reference on the subject for years to come. — Jeffrey S. Siker, Loyola Marymount University

Tor a long time, the accepted view on the early Jewish Christian community has been that after the Jewish war against the Romans that ended in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jewusalem, the Jewish Christian community became a marginal phenomenon and soon disappeared in the Gentile Christian church. The contributions to the present book on Jewish believers in Jesus result in a fundamental revision of this picture. It shows that more or less close relations between Jewish believers in Jesus Christ and Judaism continued at least into the Constantinian period (4th century) in spite of the endeavors of leaders on both sides to get their view of a fundamental opposition between Judaism and Christianity generally accepted. I consider the accumulated evidence for the revision of this picture very persuasive. It amounts to a strong suggestion that for a long period the disagreements concerning the person of Jesus did not prevent a continuing awareness of the fact that Jewish believers in Jesus and even Christians from the Gentiles could feel they believe in the same God as the Jews did. This view of the relationship should also have an impact on contemporary Jewish Christian dialogue.” — Dr. Wolfhart Pannenberg, University of Munich (Emeritus)

Oskar Skarsaune wrote 238 pages out of 778 written pages. That’s just below a 3rd of the essays. It is to Skarsaune’s credit that other voices were brought into dialogue with his substantial amount of work on the subject— between the two editors a 350 page book could have been published. This book seeks to take a fresh look at the make-up of early Christianity. I am looking forward to digging into this book further, and recommend it to Deinde readers.