The Art of the Saint John’s Bible: A Readers Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels, and Acts

by Susan Sink

Liturgical, Collegeville, Minn., 2007. 126 pp. $14.95. ISBN 978-0-81469062.

Filled with unique insights into the planning, process, and people involved in the creation of the first handwritten, illuminated Bible of the modern era, this primer offers readers the oppor­tunity to engage the St. John’s Bible with a wealth of background information for a richer experi­ence of the text and illuminations.

Let Her Speak for Herself: Nineteenth-Century Women Writing on Women in Genesis

edited by Marion Ann Taylor and Heather E. Weir

Baylor, Waco, 2006. 513 pp. $44.95. ISBN 978-1-932792­53-9.

Women throughout history have made significant contributions to the field of biblical interpretation. This rare collection includes theological reflections from various nineteenth-century thinkers, includ­ing Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Trimmer, and Sarah Moore Grimke.

Great Women of the Bible in Art and Literature

by Dorothee Soelle and Joe J. Kirchberger

Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 160 pp. $29.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-8006-3557-2.

More than 200 artistic images of women of the Bible are gathered in this volume. The biblical characters discussed include Eve and Lilith, Sarah and Hagar, Tamar, Ruth and Naomi, Abigail, Judith, Esther, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene. The authors contribute theological and historical reflections on the legacy of the related scriptural narratives in this abbreviated edition of an earlier work (Eerdmans, 1994).

Raising Cain, Fleeing Egypt, and Fighting Philistines: The Old Testament in Popular Music

by Mark McEntire and Joel Emerson

Smith & Helwys, Macon, Ga., 2006. 115 pp. $15.00. ISBN 978-15731-2464-5.

Motivated by an attempt to catalogue OT refer­ences in contemporary lyrics, the authors of this text highlight the ways in which modern song­writers have appropriated scriptural texts to relay archetypal experiences in popular music. Themes include family, survival, pain, captivity, heroes and villians, wisdom, and the prophetic voice.

The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts

edited by Daniel J. Reier, Mark Husbands, and Roger Lundin

InterVarsity, Downers Grove, Ill., 2007. 240 pp. $22.00. ISBN 978-0-8308-2843-2.

Artists and theologians collaborated at the 2006 Wheaton Theology Conference to explore the meaning of the arts in the context of Christian experience. Contributors from the visual arts, music, and literature reflect theologically upon possibilities for faithful practice of the fine arts.

God’s Grandeur: The Arts and Imagination in Theology

edited by David C. Robinson

College Theology Society. Orbis, Maryknoll, N.Y., 2006. 269 pp. $30.00. ISBN 978-1-57075-694-8.

The arts are no longer considered a “primitive” form of expression (as compared with literature). In the twentieth century, they have claimed a new importance in theological circles, as effective media through which deeply held beliefs are communi­cated. Contemporary scholars explore the contri­butions of the fine arts to the work of theology. Topics addressed include the visual arts, music, literature, aesthetics, and emerging forms.

Performing Israel’s Faith: Narrative Law in Rabbinic Theology

by Jacob Neusner

Baylor, Waco, 2005. 230 pp. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-9327­9225-6.

Hailed as an indispensible introduction to rabbinic theology, this book asserts that law (halakah) and narrative (haggadah) are intimately connected and can only be understood in conjuction with one another. The covenant (law) has meaning only in the context of embodied community (narrative). Specific topics include theologies of the nations, idolatry, sin, repentance, and atonement.

The Written Gospel

edited by Markus Bockmuehl and Donald A. Hagner

Cambridge University Press, New York, 2005. 360 pp. $29.99. ISBN 978-0-5215-4040-7.

A comprehensive examination of the canonical Gospels in the early church, this volume specifi­cally uncovers the contexts in which these texts were composed. Authors discuss the process of writing, the character of the Gospels, and their publication and reception. The non-canonical Gospels and the emergence of written commen­taries on the Gospels are also discussed.

Jesus and Archaeology

edited by James H. Charlesworth

Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006. 740 pp. $50.00. ISBN 978-0-8028-4880-2.

Archaeologists and biblical scholars explore the contributions of recent excavations to the under­standing of the NT world and the life of Jesus. The text demonstrates how NT studies contribute to the field of archaeology and how archaeology has shaped work on the historical Jesus.

Cross Examinations: Readings on the Meaning of the Cross Today

edited by Marit Trelstad

Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 320 pp. $20.00. ISBN 978­0-8006-2046-2.

Theologians and historians consider the meaning of the cross in the context of contemporary soci­ological, political, and environmental concerns. They examine suffering, atonement, and salvation as powerful theological concepts that can be either liberating or oppressive. Sections include “The Cross in Racial and Gender Oppression,” “The Cross: God and the Suffering World,” and “The Cross: Imperialism, Violence, and Peace.”

Acts and Ethics

edited by Thomas E. Phillips

New Testament Monographs. Sheffield Phoenix, Sheffield, 2005. 161 pp. $ 85.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-9050-4822-9.

Addressing ethical precepts in the book of Acts, this collection of essays is compiled from the ses­sions on Acts at the Annual Meeting of the SBL in 2004. Contributors include Stanley E. Porter, F. Scott Spencer, Pamela Hedrick, and Robert C. Tannehill.

A Feminist Companion to Mariology

edited by Amy-Jill Levine

Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings. T & T Clark, Harrisburg, 2005. 225 pp. $130.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-8264-6662-4.

Incorporating perspectives from a broad spectrum of scholars, twelve essays explore the history and symbolic meaning of the NT portraits of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The volume includes discussion of female sexuality, the divine feminine, christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, and the “quest for the historical Mary.”

The Cambridge History of Christianity, Vol. 1: Origins to Constantine

edited by Margaret M. Mitchell and Frances M. Young

Cambridge University Press, New York, 2006. 790 pp. $180.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-5218-1239-9.

This series offer a comprehensive perspective on major developments within the history of Christi­anity. Volume One analyzes the earliest days of the faith, exploring various forms of community, iden­tity, and practice. Over thirty respected scholars bring their expertise to this work.

The Work of the Spirit: Pneumatology and Pentecostalism

edited by Michael Welker

Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006. 236 pp. $35.00. ISBN 978-0-8028-0387-0.

Scholars of theology, bibilical studies, religious history, anthropology, and the natural sciences reflect upon the study and experience of the Holy Spirit in the Pentecostal tradition. Sections include “Reconceiving the Spirit, Its Personhood and Its Workings,” “The Spirit in Pentecostal Theology,” and “The Spirit: Connecting Theological, Scientific, and Philosophical Insights.”

Hispanic Christian Thought at the Dawn of the 21st Century: Apuntes in Honor of Justo L. Gonzalez

edited by Alvin Padilla, Robero Goizueta, and Eldin Villafane

Abingdon, Nashville, 2005. 342 pp. $25.00. ISBN 978-0­6870-9813-2.

This tribute to Justo Gonzalez’s life and work presents essays by respected Latina/o scholars. From the socio-historical location of Latina/o Christianity, the contributors examine their per­spectives within the theological framework of the Wesleyan quadrilateral. The insights shared in this volume are relevant to Christians from all walks of life.

Preaching the Letters without Dismissing the Law: A Lectionary Commentary

by Ronald J. Allen and Clark M. Williamson

Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 268 pp. $29.95 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-664-23001-2.

This commentary offers background knowledge on first-century Judaism that can help pastors avoid inadvertant anti-Judaism in their preaching and teaching. The authors emphasize that much of Paul’s writing actually encouraged Gentile lis­teners to become “more Jewish.” By stressing the continuities between Judaism and the theology of Paul, pastors can avoid stereotyping in their preaching of the Epistles.

The Bible in Pastoral Practice: Readings in the Place and Function of Scripture in the Church

edited by Paul Ballard and Stephen R. Holmes

Baylor, Waco, 2005. 230 pp. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-9327­9225-6.

A group of scholars gathered at Cardiff University in 2000 to consider how various uses of the Bible contribute to or detract from the ability to do the work of pastoral care. This volume represents the substance of that symposium, bridging the gap between biblical scholarship and practical theology. It considers historical precedents, the contributions of disparate traditions of biblical scholarship, and how the Bible can be integrated into the practice of various pastoral tasks.

Preaching Classic Texts

Combining thorough exegesis with insights from the sermons of a wide variety of respected homili­ticians, this series presents new ways of preaching well-known biblical texts. Drawing on recent trends in biblical scholarship, these books suggest contemporary themes and perspectives from which revitalized sermons can be constructed.

Preaching Romans

by Bruce E. Shields

Preaching Classic Texts. Chalice, St. Louis, 2004. 145 pp. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-8272-2979-2.

Preaching James

by William R. Baker and Thomas D. Ellsworth

Preaching Classic Texts. Chalice, St. Louis, 2004. 165 pp. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-8272-2980-8.

Preaching Hosea, Amos, & Micah

by Charles L. Aaron Jr.

Preaching Classic Texts. Chalice, St. Louis, 2005. 148 pp. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-8272-2982-2.