Leviticus as Literature
by Mary Douglas
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001. 298 pp. $16.95. ISBN 0-19-815092-X.

Douglas has been fascinated with the book of Leviticus for a good portion of her scholarly career, first evidenced in Purity and Danger (1966). This latest study demonstrates the hidden riches in a book often seen as dry, sterile regulations about arcane rituals. The monograph seems to have several messages. First is the literary structure of Leviticus, which has often been difficult to fathom. Douglas argues that the book is divided into three sections by the two narrative passages (8-10; 24:10-23) inserted into the legal description and instruction. This threefold structure represents the three levels on Mt. Sinai at the giving of the law and the three parts of the desert tabernacle.

A second message of Douglas's study is that Leviticus and Deuteronomy have different languages, outlooks, and worldviews, which means that Leviticus should not be interpreted by Deuteronomy's criteria. A third theme of the book is the significant changes wrought by eliminating magic and divination from official religion. The underlying system of Leviticus must originally have presupposed the use of divination to determine "inadvertent" sins. This change is extremely important and would have come about only after a major catastrophe (such as the exile). What emerges most clearly is that the core of Leviticus is a quest for justice and righteousness. The system of holiness and cultic purity is not opposed to them but is the vehicle for their achievement. Leviticus as Literature might just as well have been titled Leviticus as Theology.

Douglas's ability to look with new eyes at material long familiar-even hackneyed-to biblical scholars has done great service to biblical scholarship. You may not alway be convinced, but it always makes you think.

Lester L. Grabbe
University of Hull
England

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Joshua, Judges, Ruth
by J. Gordon Harris, Cheryl A. Brown, and Michael S. Moore
New International Bible Commentary. Hendrickson, Peabody, 2000. 398 pp. $11.95. ISBN 0-85364-726-7.

These excellent short commentaries will be useful to lay readers, ministers, and biblical scholars alike. Since Joshua is probably the most "historical" of the books, Harris's approach is the most traditional. He admits the harshness of Achan's punishment, but accepts it and also the rules of the herem (holy war) as necessary to the Israelites' acquisition of the land.

Brown finds that some of the more distasteful episodes in Judges actually depict Israel's plight. Israel's weakness after the fall of the northern kingdom is shown when Samson squanders his strength (i.e., his faith), knowing full well he will become "like any man." This Brown equates with Israel's desire to acquire a king in order to become "like other nations" (1 Sam 8:3-4). Because God had "chosen" each to be "set apart," both committed grievous errors. Despite the repugnance that Christian readers initially have for Judges, Brown proves that the author is a gifted literary artist whose work deserves our admiration.
Moore sees Ruth as the positive side of the negative picture given in Judges. In the last stories of Judges, fathers completely mishandle marriages, while the book of Ruth shows the proper way to marriage through community negotiations, kindness, loyalty, and responsibility. "Ruth is a sharp chisel in the hands of a master sculptor, methodically chipping away at Israel's hopelessness until a marvelous theology of hope begins to emerge" (p. 300). Despite the strictures against intermarriage in Judges, the marriage of

Boaz to Ruth-the Moabite foreigner-became acceptable in Israel.
These critics, all brilliant scholars, discuss how today's Christians can relate to these texts. They accomplish this through the literary-critical skill with which they uncover the deeper meanings of the narratives.

E. T. A. Davidson, Emeritus
State University of New York
Oneonta, New York

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Esther
by Adele Berlin
Translated by Am Oved. JPS Bible Commentary. The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2001, 169 pp. 34.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-8276-06990.

The last several years have seen an explosion of interest in the book of Esther, a text whose ancient Jewish-Persian context is as hard to access as its contemporary relevance is uncanny. This new commentary is among the very best. Berlin provides a rich and highly readable analysis and interpretation of the text and its early social and literary contexts.

Berlin's commentary is unique in the way it draws extensively from early Greek literature of the Persian period as a context for understanding the Esther narrative. We see how the story world of Esther is like and unlike other contemporary literature about Persia. At the same time, she reads the book of Esther in relation to other biblical narratives and early Jewish interpretive tradition. The result is an expansive appreciation of the Esther story in relation to what comes before it, what surrounds it, and what it inspires within the interpretive communities that inherit it.

At one point in the introduction Berlin indicates that her commentary does not pose "questions about the roles of women versus men, the relationships of sex and power that are in play in the story, and similar questions that reflect modern feminist ways of reading" (p. lv). Depending on how one approaches them, such questions need not reflect modern ways of reading any more than trying to understand a biblical text in its original context does. And if Berlin did in fact bracket such questions out of her commentary, that would be a serious problem. Indeed, the text of Esther begs that they be asked, especially among those of us concerned with how this story world reflects and comments on the social world of Persia in which it is set. Yet, happily, I find that Berlin's commentary does more than it promises in this regard. The analysis of sexual-political dynamics offers many valuable insights into the ways gender identities and roles were constructed and represented in ancient Persian culture as well as in early Jewish interpretive culture. Berlin does not avoid questions about gender and power in the story world and its social world. She does, however, expand, reframe and complicate those questions in ways that will enable future gender studies of the text and its early contexts to move forward in new and important directions.

Timothy K. Beal
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio

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Psalms
by James Limburg
Westminster Bible Companion. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2000. 509 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-664-25557-4.

It is clear from the very beginning of this volume that Limburg's work grows out of a lifetime of reading, meditating upon, teaching, and preaching the Psalms. The editors of the series aim at assisting the laity of the church, especially lay teachers, and they "hope this series will serve the community of faith, opening the Word of God to all the people, so that they may be sustained and guided by it" (p. xii). This hope is wonderfully fulfilled by Limburg's contribution.

Limburg's mastery of the field of Psalms study is evident. He is fully conversant with the conclusions of the form-critical and cult-functional methods that dominated Psalms study for most of the twentieth century, as well as with the results of the more recent rhetorical approach to the Psalms and the even more recent scholarly attention given to the shape and shaping of the Psalter as a book.
Even more impressive is Limburg's ability to draw upon the results of Psalms scholarship to communicate theological insights. Limburg appeals to an array of biblical scholars, but he also cites a wealth of other sources as he illustrates the claims of the Psalms on the life of the church and on the lives of believers (from Søren Kierkegaard to Ray Bradbury, and from Felix Mendelssohn to Willie Nelson). Limburg frequently illustrates the theological claims of the Psalms by citing rabbinical tales; he regularly relates psalms to the hymnic tradition of the church and often discusses their use in the Lectionary and the Christian calendar; and he consistently puts the psalms in conversation with other biblical material from both Old and New Testaments.

Limburg's style throughout the volume is lively, clear, and accessible. For example, he makes the simple but brilliant suggestion that readers understand the Hebrew word hesed as "amazing grace" (pp. 348, 463). Also, Limburg makes abundantly clear the ecological significance and implications of the Psalms (and not just when commenting on so-called creation psalms like Pss 8 and 104). All in all, it would be hard to imagine a commentary that more successfully fulfills the editors' intention to communicate the meaning and relevance of the Psalms to a lay audience.
As one who has devoted much of his career to commenting upon the Psalms and proclaiming their relevance for church and world, I trust that Limburg's work will be widely used not only by lay people in the church but also by students, pastors, and teachers in a variety of settings.

J. Clinton McCann, Jr.
Eden Theological Seminary
Webster Groves, Missouri

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The Steward Living in Covenant: A New Perspective on Old Testament Stories
by Ronald E. Vallet
Faith's Horizons Series. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2001. 251 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8028-4727-7.

This volume serves as a companion to another book by Vallet in this series, Stepping Stones of the Steward: A Faith Journey through Jesus' Parables. In this work Vallet challenges the reader to adopt a proper understanding of the concept of stewardship by presenting a re-reading of select Old Testament texts from the creation to the return from the exile. He emphasizes that, as stewards, we are in a covenant relationship with God that provides us with both divine promise and divine command. By retelling Old Testament stories, he intends to show the implications of the covenant for the church today. The author emphasizes that the church must move from a concept of stewardship as financial and physical support of the church to a proper concept of stewardship as seeking "to participate in God's plan and mission to distribute justice to all" (p. 6). Vallet offers study questions to aid in the discussion of each chapter and includes three dramas and two choral readings by Wanda Vasallo that can be used in a worship setting.

This is an excellent discussion of the meaning of stewardship as it applies to the Old Testament as well as to the church of the 21st century. The book does not present in-depth exegesis of the Old Testament but offers insights into the characters and customs of the Old Testament. Vallet offers a continuing indictment of the "commercialism and materialism" that characterizes many churches today. He believes that instead of being shaped by their culture, churches should be "an alternative community that relentlessly pursues God's vision of and intent for justice" (p. 221).

J. Dwayne Howell
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, Kentucky

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The Religion of Ancient Israel
by Patrick D. Miller
Library of Ancient Israel. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2000. 356 pp. $44.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-281-05381-2.

Miller has written an introduction to the religion of ancient Israel that is both accessible and erudite. This volume admirably fulfills its mandate to present the diverse religious beliefs and practices of ancient Israelites within their own historical and cultural contexts. To this end, Miller offers a balanced and authoritative assessment of the available biblical, epigraphic, and artifactual evidence for ancient Israelite religion. Rather than survey the historical development of Israelite faith, Miller adopts a topical and synchronic approach to the difficult task of reconstructing ancient beliefs and practices. Miller further distinguishes between orthodox (i.e., deuteronomistic) and heterodox tendencies in Israelite religion (pp. 47-62). Miller makes a persuasive argument for his approach and handles it with theological sensitivity. Specialists will not be surprised by many of Miller's conclusions, which are balanced, judicious, and consistent with mainstream historical-critical scholarship. Pastors will find the book amenable to Bible study within the church.

After a carefully nuanced exploration of Israelite conceptions of Yhwh and divine identity, Miller applies a typological approach to social forms of Israelite religious expression in which he differentiates between family, community, and official state religious practices. Miller then considers the discrete topics of "Sacrifice and Offering in Ancient Israel," "Holiness and Purity," and "Leadership and Participation in Israelite Religion." Especially welcome is Miller's emphasis on the place of women in Israelite religion.
This book will be useful to a wide audience. Non-specialists will find it an excellent survey of Israelite religion and a valuable resource for current scholarly discussion. The meticulous notes and bibliography refer to specialized studies while not distracting the casual reader from Miller's well-written synthesis.

Neal Walls
Candler School of Theology
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

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History and Ideology: An Introduction to Historiography in the Hebrew Bible
by Yairah Amit
Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1999. 127 pp. $19.95. ISBN 1-85075-928-6.

In the ongoing debates about the historicity of the biblical narratives, this book takes a middle position, somewhere between the minimalists (e.g., Keith W. Whitelam, Philip R. Davies, and T. L. Thompson) and the maximalists (those who want to read all biblical texts as straightforward history). Amit argues that historical accounts may well have a connection to real events, but that the accounts are also always ideological-that is, they are shaped and modified by the author's time-period and interests, as well as audience needs and questions.

Amit argues that the first real history writing is to be found in the Bible (and not with Herodotus, traditionally known as the "father of history"). On this point she agrees with Baruch Halpern (although he is absent from the bibliography). But Amit dates the first history writing to the end of the eighth century b.c.e. (a century earlier than Halpern). For her, the impetus for history writing was Judean society's attempt to find meaning in the aftermath of the eighth-century Assyrian devastations.

The main substance of the work is analysis of the ideological motivations behind the several different histories found in the Hebrew Bible. The books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Joshua are all treated as independent entities. Judges and Samuel are viewed as relatively early and as having influenced the writing of Deuteronomy. Kings and Joshua post-date Deuteronomy and were shaped under its influence. Amit also discusses Genesis-Numbers (particularly its shaping by the priestly source) and Chronicles.
Because of the book's brevity, many of the arguments are not particularly detailed. But they are clearly presented, and the book would function well in an undergraduate seminar on biblical history. It will also interest those fascinated by discussions of the Bible and history.

Karla G. Bohmbach
Susquehanna University
Susquehanna, Pennsylvania

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Jesus and the Logic of History
by Paul W. Barnett
New Studies in Biblical Theology. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1997. 182 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-8028-4410-3.

This is an interesting and solid attempt to restate the case for recognizing the gospels as good sources for the history of Jesus. The author is concerned that too many treatments of Jesus concentrate on reconstructing his social context and then allow their social analysis to control the use they make of the biblical text. They also work with too narrow a text base, which for Barnett means primarily that they give too little consideration to what can be gleaned from Paul's letters.

His own approach starts from the observation that the event of Christianity can adequately be explained only by the fact of a remarkable figure (Jesus). Pushing beyond that, Barnett wants to take more account of "the percussive impact" of Jesus (p. 56) as evidenced by the New Testament letters, though he does play down the size of the gap between the slim pickings of the letters and the extensive detail of the gospels. Similarly, he finds that what we know of the Baptist, Herod Antipas, Annas, Caiaphas, and Pilate from other sources provides a believable historical context for what we read in the gospels. He probably overstates the degree to which Herod in particular provides the context for Jesus' ministry in Galilee. His identification of several motifs in Paul's letters which can be referred back to the life of Jesus and which can be found in the gospels is sound enough, if overly sanguine at some points.

The chapter "Jesus and the Spread of Christianity" is far too cursory and ignores key questions on which evaluation of the narrative depends. But while he is overly confident that in the transmission of the oral tradition about Jesus the ethos of the early church was rabbinic, he is able to draw on strong support for the view that the gospels are after all bioi, biographies concerned to preserve records of Jesus.
Even if flawed by the presence of overstatement, Barnett's work is a good attempt to redress the imbalance in recent discussions.

James D. G. Dunn
University of Durham
Durham, UNITED KINGDOM

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Crossing Galilee: Architectures of Contact in the Occupied Land of Jesus
by Marianne Sawicki
Trinity Press International, Harrisburg, 2000. 260 pp. $23.00. ISBN 1-56338-307-1.

In his famous Vatican fresco The Academy of Athens, Raphael depicted Plato and Aristotle at the top of a grand staircase, the first pointing upward towards the heavens, and the second gesturing emphatically outward at the material world. The great Renaissance painter's depiction fits well with the two recent treatments of first-century Galilee under review here: one soars heavenward in its pursuit of interpretive illumination, while the other forges a more modest model out of raw material mined from the earth.
Both studies are timely, for excavations in the 1980s and 1990s at such sites as Capernaum, Sepphoris, Bethsaida, and Gamla have significantly enhanced our understanding of Galilee and its adjoining regions in the time of Jesus. Likewise, the incorporation of insights from anthropology and semiotics into New Testament studies over the past thirty years has significantly broadened the field. Add to this the unabated interest in the historical Jesus, and the import of the topic of these two volumes is nearly self-evident.

Sawicki's volume takes the Platonic approach in the earlier analogy-it presents the view of Galilee from above. Attempting to describe the probable "mindscape" of various inhabitants of Palestine, the author paints in broad strokes her vision of the symbolic universe lying behind the artifacts the ancients left behind. Thus a door from talmudic-era Qatzrin (in the Golan) is not simply a door, but a "physical analogue" that attests "to the cultural significance of being able to gather one's people and cattle and labor into a defined and defining place" (p. 54). Through this type of symbolic analysis, Sawicki interprets a variety of artifacts, structures and cities, arguing that their particular designs betray various ideologies at work. These include the Romanizing tendencies of the Herodians, religious caste rules, and gender relationship norms.

Whether or not the reader agrees with the author's specific judgments, one must appreciate Sawicki's attempt to breathe interpretive life into ancient materials that might be rendered sterile in the hands of a less imaginative researcher. Yet this simultaneously is a shortcoming of this volume, for it sometimes approaches its topic from so many different angles as to leave the reader bewildered. Sawicki sometimes makes broad claims that do not take into account the most recent archaeological analyses. For example, she states at one point: "Synagogues were not designed to resemble the Temple" (p. 130). Yet earlier in her study, she employs a drawing of the Gamla synagogue by James F. Strange (Figure 9, p. 26) taken from an essay where Strange argues that the courts of the Jerusalem Temple formed the architectural prototype for the Galilean synagogues. That Sawicki uses the drawing but does not mention the conflicting position signals the need for a deeper engagement with other scholars.
Jonathan Reed's book, by way of contrast, is as ruggedly empirical in its approach as it is richly documented in its argumentation. The opening chapter alone is worth the price of admission: a more cogent exposition and analysis of the history and current state of Galilean archaeology could hardly be crafted. Yet Reed himself advances the field when he convincingly argues that first-century Galileans were predominantly the descendants of Judean colonists, presents a well-reasoned consideration of Galilee's population numbers, and assembles from archaeological findings illuminating portraits of Nazareth, Sepphoris, and Capernaum in the time of Jesus. Less satisfactory are the ensuing treatments of the so-called "Q Community"-the hypothetical congregation held by many to have created the Q source lying behind common material in Matthew and Luke. The book concludes with a lucid explication of Galilee vis-à-vis the historical Jesus.

There are just a few quibbles. In his consideration of Galilean population numbers, Reed's use of baseline figures from Ostia and Pompeii is questionable, for the household size of the typical Roman family was as notoriously small as its Jewish counterpart was capacious. Moreover, while calculating per-capita dietary requirements, Reed limits his examination to agricultural produce without considering other important forms of nourishment-particularly fish, whose bones appear in great quantities in the archaeological record at Sepphoris. When coupled with Yizhar Hirschfeld's recent anthropological findings of larger-than-expected household sizes in modern Palestinian dwellings, these points suggest that Reed's figures may need to be adjusted upward.

With some caveats, then, these complementary volumes will serve as insightful and informative sources for increasing one's understanding of Galilee in the time of Jesus.

Donald D. Binder
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas

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The First Epistle to the Corinthians
by Anthony C. Thiselton
New International Greek Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2000. 1446 pp. $75.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8028-2449-8.

This major commentary is a meticulously researched, judiciously argued, and elegantly written work. It offers intelligent, theologically informed analysis of the Greek text supplemented by a rich history of exegesis and rigorous and fair articulation of and engagement with contemporary theories about Paul and the Corinthian correspondence.

In the introduction, Thiselton sets forth a theory about the thematic and theological unity of the epistle which he then tests throughout the commentary. Thiselton characterizes the Corinthian culture as having much in common with the "social constructivism, competitive pragmatism, and radical pluralism which characterizes so-called postmodernity as a popular mood "(p. 14). He then sets out to show that the letter's emphasis on the proclamation of the cross as a community-transforming "speech-act" (in the tradition of the philosopher J. L. Austin), its sustained attention to actual situations of community life (with Wittgenstein's language game theory in view), and its concluding argument on the resurrection of the dead as the sovereign act of God (p. 1178) work together to counter the postmodern-like mood in Corinth by "placing the community as a whole under the conviction and identity of the cross of Christ" (p. 33). For Thiselton this end clearly opposes all attempts to relativize or devalue what he unabashedly calls "the truth of the gospel" (p. 44).

The commentary's principal innovation is its combination of linguistic theory with philologically informed and theologically directed exegesis. Along the way, it also does well the conventional work of a commentary. The division of the text is logical (following the canonical order); there is ample consideration of grammatical problems and alternate translations; and there are trenchant excursuses on interpretive issues as they arise in the text. Every reader will not have the stamina to plow through the entire commentary, nor will all readers be persuaded by Thiselton's positions. But the scope and care of Thiselton's conversation with Paul and Paul's interpreters commend it to anyone who seeks genuine critical engagement with the Corinthian correspondence.

Alexandra Brown
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia

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Revelation
by Jonathan Knight
Readings: A New Biblical Commentary. Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1999. 183 pp. $19.50. ISBN 1-85075-967-7.

Knight's book is a helpful addition to this new commentary series. It has an introduction, chapter-by-chapter exegesis, and a conclusion, with only the introduction using footnotes. The introduction shows Knight's awareness of major scholarly issues in current Revelation study. Knight is most indebted to Leonard Thompson, whose shadow looms large throughout. Like Thompson, Knight dismisses the idea of a Domitianic persecution. Like Thompson he nonetheless dates Revelation during Domitian's reign, the references to martyrdom and persecution being more symbolic than historical.

The chapter-by-chapter commentary is tightly argued with concise explanations of Revelation's symbols and images yet without oversimplification of the work's myriad complexities. The methodology is predominantly literary. The commentary section is filled with references to other ancient literature but lacks interaction with current scholarship. The book is written so tightly that one gets the feeling it has been cut and cut from a much larger manuscript that probably did reflect interaction with other scholars.
The conclusion begins with a fine section on the structure of Revelation, then moves to a section on the author. Both of these sections would have been better placed in the introduction. The remaining sections on the "message" and themes of the apocalypse provide a good statement of the results of Knight's research. For Knight, Revelation's greatest purpose is to encourage believers in Christ to resist accommodation to the dominant culture. The resistance advocated is not merely to the imperial cult but to the larger Roman culture, which threatens to swallow up the entire Christ movement.

J. Christian Wilson
Elon College
Elon College, North Carolina

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Sexual Ethics and the New Testament: Behavior and Belief
by Raymond F. Collins
Crossroad, New York, 2000. 200 pp. $17.95. ISBN 0-8245-1801-2.

Collins provides a solid overview of the references to sexual morality in the New Testament. He begins by considering stories about Jesus and women (with particular attention to the woman caught in adultery, John 7:53-8:11), continues with passages in which Jesus deals with divorce (noting parallels from Jewish and other sources), and discusses at some length the lists of vices in which sexual sins are particularly prominent. Seen as a particular threat coming from the Gentiles, the vice of porneia is the one most often cited in these lists; etymologically it refers to fornication or prostitution, but it is often used in a more general way to denote "sexual immorality." Collins points out that Paul is contrasting his Jewish understanding of "embodied" existence in the union of body and soul to their separation in Hellenistic thought, which means to him "that bodily sexual activity affects the human person to the very core of his being" (p. 139). Sexual immorality is ultimately an issue of idolatry for Paul.

Collins is primarily the exegete in this book, not an interpreter who ranges widely. He refrains from addressing the contemporary scene of ecclesiastical debates over sexuality, but his observations (such as those on homosexuality) are pertinent to that debate. In a closing chapter he cautions the reader about interpretive challenges that run throughout the sexual material in the New Testament, and he briefly notes three critical elements: Paul's notion of embodied existence, the understanding of women (Gal 3:28, which remains as much an ideal as a reality), and the love command (pp. 192-93), each of which provides orientation but does not necessarily give us answers to specific questions. The dominant motif, says Collins, is the Christian's "call to holiness" (Paul) or to discipleship (Synoptics) as sexual beings. This is a helpful book for anyone who seeks a better understanding of the diverse material on sexuality offered by the New Testament.

Paul Jersild
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
Columbia, South Carolina

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Psychological Biblical Criticism
by D. Andrew Kille
Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Old Testament Series. Fortress, Minneapolis, 2001. 161 pp. $21.00. ISBN 0-8006-3246-X.

This book introduces the emerging discipline of psychologically oriented biblical criticism to working exegetes. A brief theoretical discussion sets out criteria for evaluating the adequacy of any psychologically-based approach to reading a biblical text. Kille applies these criteria to studies on Genesis 3. These are divided into Freudian, Jungian, and "developmental" approaches, each given a separate chapter. A glossary of technical terms and a useful bibliography complete the book.

One of the major strengths of this volume is its textual focus, but this also results in limitations. The choice of text determines the variety of approaches considered. Genesis 3 lends itself to analyses influenced by depth psychology. Other texts might be addressed by different theories: psychologies of grief and loss in Lamentations, or learning theory in Proverbs. Even some depth psychologies useful in biblical interpretation, e.g., logotherapy or object relations theory, are not mentioned because there are no existing studies on Genesis 3. Moreover, as Kille suggests, some of the better work on Genesis 3 tends to overlook pathology in psychological development.

The volume excels in its introduction to methodological concerns. Kille clearly demonstrates the need for both thorough acquaintance with the conditions of the biblical text and detailed knowledge of the psychological framework employed. He sets forth usable criteria for evaluating the adequacy of biblical interpretations drawing on psychological models. Readers unfamiliar with psychological biblical criticism will find his working method understandable and accessible because of sustained attention to a single biblical text. For these reasons, the book is a welcome complement to the fuller but more abstract description of psychological biblical criticism in W. G. Rollins, Soul and Psyche (Fortress, 1999).

William Morrow
Queen's Theological College
Kingston, Ontario

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Postcolonial Feminist Interpretation of the Bible
by Musa W. Dube
Chalice, St. Louis, 2000. 221 pp. $32.99. ISBN 0-8272-2963-1.

Dube "stands in the crossfire" between patriarchy and global imperialism (p. 199). Her goal is to teach us an exegetical method that will help us read the Bible through the eyes of those who lost the culture wars. The Bible, she argues, is a culturally bound text that was used to support patriarchy and imperialism in Africa. She also points to patriarchal and imperialist speech found in the Bible. In an eloquent contemporary rendering of protest on behalf of the oppressed, Dube claims that all, including feminist, colonial readings of the text should be rejected. She demonstrates a way to create new feminist spaces for a liberating and empowered interdependence by walking us through Matthew, which she reads as a colonizing and imperialist text.

At times Dube is unaware of those who have gone before her. She would have a friend in Ernst Bloch, Norman Gottwald, Jürgen Moltmann and others who argued that the Bible has two stories: one about the oppressed and the other about the oppressors. Matthew could also be read as a story about those who lost: the dis-empowered, whose savior was crucified, are told to travel out into the world and embrace it with Jesus' healing message of "love your neighbor."

Her astute ethnographic eye does, however, see that the African Independent Churches (AIC) resist colonizing discourse by living a practical theology of healing through a courageous and wise embrace of all people. In that the AIC resists defining a strategy for achieving a world of mutuality and interdependence that exists apart from teaching embrace, it belongs to the biblical fold of Jesus, who had no imperial power-only a method to teach us how to mimic God. Dube's method helps us read God in the lives of African Christians whose power is witnessed through healing.

Victoria Lee Erickson
Drew University
Madison, New Jersey

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An Introduction to Early Judaism
by James C. VanderKam
Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2001. 234 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-8028-4641-6.

This introduction to Second Temple Judaism for non-specialists is divided into three parts. The first section sketches the history of the period from Cyrus's decree in 539-38 b.c.e. to the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt against Rome, 132-35 c.e. The second, and lengthiest, section is devoted to an overview of the extant literature of the period (except the books of the Hebrew Bible) under the following sub-headings: narrative works, rewritten scripture, apocalypses, wisdom literature, poetic works, mockery of idols, Philo and Josephus. This section also includes discussion of "great archeological discoveries," the Elephantine Papyri, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Masada. The third section provides an overview of religious and political leaders, various groups and parties, and common worship practices of the Second Temple period. The book contains no footnotes and only a brief bibliography.

Those who wrestle with introducing non-specialists to historical-critical methods of biblical study might wish that the author had provided more conscious reflection on the relationship of ancient sources to historical "reality." The historical sketch in the first section culls from the Hebrew Bible, Maccabees, and Josephus without any acknowledgment of how these ancient "histories" differ from the works of modern historiographers. Those interested in women in the Second Temple period will need to supplement this work with others. Yet because of its succinctness and the clarity of its prose, the book serves as an excellent resource for teaching non-specialists. Because of VanderKam's expertise in the Dead Sea Scrolls, his writing on this aspect of Second Temple Judaism is particularly fine. In addition to its usefulness as a teaching tool, the meticulous overview of Second Temple literature makes this a convenient reference work that all pastors should have on their shelves.

Shelly Matthews
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina

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The Unaccommodated Calvin: Studies in the Foundation of a Theological Tradition
by Richard A. Muller
Oxford Studies in Historical Theology. Oxford University Press, New York, 2000. 320 pp. $65.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-19-511681-X.

The purpose of this integrated collection of essays is to consolidate and advance what Muller characterizes as a recent and historic shift away from "Barthian," dogmatically motivated studies of Calvin and toward a new norm of "understanding Calvin's methods and procedures [in their sixteenth-century context] as a point of departure for understanding his thought" (p. viii). Muller presents significant new research and interpretation in several perennially challenging areas of Calvin research, most notably the relationship of Calvin's thought to the intellectual and theological movements and figures that preceded and succeeded him, and the proper place of the Institutes in Calvin's overall theological contribution.
Muller emphasizes Calvin's theological continuity with his sources and successors, and delights in debunking overstated claims for Calvin's uniqueness. The collection breaks significant ground in its clarification of the intrinsic inter-relationship of the developing Institutes to Calvin's ongoing output of commentaries and sermons. Muller convincingly argues that the Institutes is best understood in the tradition of theological loci communes as used by contemporaries such as Melanchthon and Bullinger, appropriated by Calvin to allow him to separate his extended theological discussions from the lucid, brief, and text-based comment he regarded as most appropriate to biblical commentaries. Along these lines, Muller argues for the heuristic importance of the 1539 edition of the Institutes as a breakthrough in Calvin's search for the ordo recte docendi, using the broad presentation of theological topics in Paul's epistle to the Romans as its pattern of theological organization.

The collection is marred by its tendency to disparage the academic credibility of all but a handful of Calvin scholars. It contains a disappointing number of typographical errors. It might have been strengthened by giving more sustained consideration to how Calvin's polemical works and his letters contributed to Calvin's overall theological project. Nevertheless, it is a major contribution to Calvin studies that should be regarded as essential reading for all who wish to better understand and appreciate this towering historical figure's theological accomplishment.

Philip W. Butin
Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church
Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Mrs. Stanton's Bible
by Kathi Kern
Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 2001. 288 pp. $39.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-8014-3191-3.

Kern's enlightening and detailed analysis of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Woman's Bible fills a void in the historiography surrounding the women's suffrage movement. Feminist theorists once looked to Stanton's work to provide a model for feminist methodologies. However, more recent discussions have focused on the racist and classist attitudes knit into Stanton's beliefs. Kern argues that Stanton's text should be considered within its context. She explores the religious and secular thought that contributed to the Woman's Bible and reveals how Stanton's views were both responsive to and shaped by her political context.

Influenced by recent scientific discoveries, advances in the field of biblical criticism, and American Freethought, Stanton galvanized her intellectual energies to uncover how the Bible impeded the progress of women's equality. The project proved to be divisive among activists for women's rights and highlighted disagreements about the value of the Bible to the movement itself. The Woman's Bible threatened the basis upon which her more conservative colleagues argued for women's equality. As the movement evolved, Stanton and her supporters became increasingly marginalized due in part to their contributions to the Woman's Bible.

Mrs. Stanton's Bible continues to be a source for lively debate. By taking a stand for an "Educated Suffrage," Stanton showed her inability to unlock the shackles of racism and classism that imprisoned her own attitudes. Kern carefully points out how the elitist views of Stanton were shaped by her upbringing and responsive to the political atmosphere.

Persons with a strong interest in American women's religious history will want to add this book to their personal library.

Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Laurinburg, North Carolina

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God and the Excluded: Visions and Blindspots in Contemporary Theology
by Joerg Rieger
Fortress, Minneapolis, 2001. 241 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8006-3254-0.

How can responsible theological reflection take place from a position of privilege without continuing to exclude? This question is answered first through a critique of the four dominant modes of theology from Schleiermacher to the present: liberalism, neo-orthodoxy, post-liberalism, and liberation theologies. Regardless of the truth each mode contains, each perpetuates a theological vision that in some way makes others invisible. This theological fabrication affects not only the way the church views "others" but also the God it serves.

Rieger then employs the "four discourses" from the work of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to reveal what and how the four theological modes repress. Those not familiar with Lacan's language and definitions might find this chapter overly technical. The volume concludes with Rieger's theological guidelines on how mainline theology can continue while focusing on the self, the Bible, the texts, and the excluded in a way that is inclusive and responsible.

Rieger's exploration of the blind spots of the four theological modes is helpful. It is also a welcome change to hear a theologian who does not pronounce mainline theology "dead." Yet one is left to question whether Rieger is too optimistic about the proposal of theology from a church that is continually being pushed to the edge of society, protecting the further exclusion of others. However, the critique of mainline theology found in this book and its call for a more inclusive and responsible theological reflection make this an important volume in the development of First World theology.

G. Travis Norvell
Athens Baptist Church
Athens, West Virginia

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Anabaptist Theology in Face of Postmodernity: A Proposal for the Third Millennium
by J. Denny Weaver
C. Henry Smith Series no. 2. Pandora Press, Telford, Pa., 2001. 223 pp. $22.95. ISBN 0-9665021-4-0.

Weaver argues for two important theses. First, he contends that every ecclesiology presumes a correlative and distinct theology. Thus contemporary Anabaptists should be wary of uncritically adopting theology that arises out of rival, often Constantinian, ecclesiologies. Second, Weaver rightly maintains that peaceableness is not the special gift of Anabaptism but intrinsic to any faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Given these theses, Mennonites and other Christians are wrong to assume the existence of a general Christian theology to which nonviolent practice can be optionally appended.

Weaver displays his theses through five loosely connected chapters, ranging from a contemporary analysis of the differences in cultural ethos between the United States and Canada to an examination of sixteenth-century Anabaptism's innovations with respect to "classic creedal theology" (p. 107). Throughout, he argues that Mennonites must develop a distinctive theology that centrally locates Jesus' rejection of violence. In the last chapter, Weaver sketches how such a theology might open possibilities for dialogue with other peripheral voices in Christianity, notably those of black and womanist theologians.
Unfortunately, Weaver's arguments for his central theses are not always well-executed. While he maintains that "careful analysis . . . reveals that assumptions about nonviolence and believers church ecclesiology have shaped Mennonite views on the classic questions of theology" (p. 26), his own articulation of those questions and the historical sources that frame them is not careful, relying on coarse and monolithic constructions like "Christendom theology" (p. 124) that simply fail to stand up to the close scrutiny demanded of readers of theological texts. Consequently, the important questions this book asks are met with an array of disappointing answers.

J. Alexander Sider
Durham, North Carolina

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Consequences: Morality, Ethics, and the Future
by James H. Burtness
Fortress, Minneapolis, 1999. 173 pp. $16.00. ISBN 0-8006-3092-0.

Many introductory texts in Christian ethics treat the subject in isolation from the categories of philosophical ethics. Burtness's contibution avoids this trap and so becomes an excellent resource for those interested in the role of Christian ethics in moral debates in the public realm.

Burtness begins with a foreword that raises questions about the endeavor of Christian ethics and its differences (if any) from secular ethics. In the next section, he proposes the idea of "moral density," arguing that all decision-making contains some element of the moral. Thus there are not moral or amoral issues, just issues with varying moral density. Next, Burtness discusses the broadly accepted categories of ethical systems, presenting each with examples of its relative strengths and weaknesses. He ends this section with a call to methodological consistency. The final section is Burtness's presentation of his own consequentialist approach to ethics. The book concludes with an afterword.

Burtness's notion of moral density is interesting, though it cannot be fully developed in an introductory text. Also noteworthy is his discussion of the relationship of belief to behavior, for which Burtness clearly advocates. When Burtness comes to the presentation of his favored theory, his argumentation loses its critical edge and borders on being preachy. Further, his treatment of the classic types of ethical theory neglects alternative theories such as libertarian, feminist, and pragmatic ethics. Despite these shortcomings, Burtness's work is an excellent introduction to the study of ethics in general and Christian ethics in particular. It would well serve pastors, students, and academics from other fields who want to get up to speed on the topic in a hurry.

Mark A. Peters
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Richmond, Virginia

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Spirit Ethics: Scripture and the Moral Life
by Paul Jersild
Fortress, Minneapolis, 2000. 174 pp. $17.00. ISBN 0-8006-3232-X.

This book explores the task of Christian ethics in a postmodern and pluralist setting. Rather than insisting on absolutes, Christians should focus on moral responsibility and open-mindedness. The church can no longer function as the moral arbiter for society but must remain involved in social issues. The Bible can no longer be treated as a deposit of infallible truths. Rather, scripture comes alive as it continues to shape the life of churches as Spirit-led and faithful communities. Biblical authority emerges through a "hermeneutics of engagement."

The core of Jersild's argument is a chapter on "Spirit Ethics and a Responsible Church." Within a trinitarian framework, he argues that the Spirit shapes the church's ability to adapt other ethical theories and to relate a biblical vision to contemporary ethical issues. Jersild deals with three currently controversial issues: euthanasia and assisted suicide, homosexuality, and genetics and the future of humanity.
Jersild argues that we need to distinguish between euthanasia and "allowing to die." Mercy killing is not acceptable. However, physicians need to distinguish between "preventing death and cooperating with death in light of its inevitability." While the Bible does not specifically prohibit suicide, there are good moral grounds for not legalizing assisted suicide.

In dealing with homosexuality, Jersild reviews the current situation, as well as the authority of the Bible and of tradition. He concludes that sexual orientation ought not to determine one's status as a Christian, but rather a single standard of fidelity in sexual relationships. Otherwise the church is in danger of substituting moral practice for theological confession.

The final chapter reviews issues such as eugenics, genetic testing and screening, the human genome project, and prospects for determining the human future. He suggests that the church should support research that will enhance the quality of human life but not expect to refashion humankind. This is a book well worth reading.

C. Freeman Sleeper, Emeritus
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia

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Can a Darwinian Be a Christian?
by Michael Ruse
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001. 242 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-521-63144-0.

Ruse offers a distinctly different discussion of the perceived conflict between evolutionary biology and Christianity. Ruse concedes that a literal reading of the biblical account of creation is incompatible with a Darwinian view of living things; but he dismisses literalism as a modern minority position, rather than a traditional Christian stance. Rather, he asks whether Darwinism is necessarily in conflict with the broad traditions and theologies of Roman Catholicism and mainline Protestantism. Ruse begins with a Darwinian perspective and explores whether that perspective demands rejection of Christianity.

Ruse requires his readers quickly to become familiar with intricate details of both Christian theology and evolution. For example, he uses just four pages (pp. 28-32) to define Darwinian evolution and introduce much of its jargon (e.g., punctuated equilibrium, pleiotropy, and genetic drift). Ruse's extensive coverage relies on Aquinas, Augustine, Calvin, and Vatican sources, among others, for the Christian perspective. He looks to such thinkers as Huxley, Dawkins, E. O. Wilson, and Gould for synthesis of Darwinian thought. Ruse discusses how Darwinism and Christianity each view the nature of humanity, the philosophy of naturalism, pain, evil, ethics, social Darwinism, sociobiology, and freedom.

Throughout the book Ruse convincingly argues that Darwinism does not necessarily exclude Christianity. He is highly critical of Darwinians who "smuggle" atheism into their Darwinian worldview, because atheism is not the logical consequence of careful Darwinian thinking. In fact, because both Darwinism and Christianity must address the existence of suffering and evil, Ruse claims that "if you are a Darwinian looking for religious meaning, then Christianity is a religion that speaks to you" (p. 134). This book will not convert the literalist to Darwinism, though it may challenge atheist or agnostic Darwinians to re-examine their position. In addition, it will guide those seeking to reconcile modern science with orthodox Christianity.

Frank R. Hensley
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona

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Voices From the City
by John Nunes
Concordia, Saint Louis, 1999. 141 pp. $12.99. ISBN 0-570-05375-7.

Nunes Asks: What is urban? He defines "urban" as place(s) of paradox and inescapable realities. Nunes summarizes poverty this way: "For people who place their faith and life in Christ, poverty is not a socioeconomic issue nor a political problem. Poverty is a moral question, a theological issue" (p. 37).
Nunes challenges the church to work aggressively to alleviate the suffering of the poor. He calls to mind John's vision in the Book of Revelation: "He sees another economic system where the curse of death is reversed for everyone, where healing and recovery are the new order. This image encompasses the problem of urban poverty" (p. 42).

The telling chapter in this book is entitled "Just Words." Nunes believes that "words," most specifically preached "words," are the vehicles for urban renewal. It follows that what Nunes offers his readers as the final vehicle for urban renewal is three sermons. This book is worth reading because it represents a kind of postmodern theologizing that must be taken seriously precisely because it oversimplifies and moralizes even the most complicated situations. It reacts to that which has preceded it, but offers only words, be they the words of the gospel. As Nunes puts it, "words also can help and heal. Gospel words-especially justification-bring life" (p. 80).

Nunes sets out to redefine "urban." He decries the use of the term as a euphemism: a kinder and gentler way to say Asian, black, Hispanic, or any other concentration of non-middle-class Anglo people (p. 15). Yet almost every statistic and every case he cites in this work refers only to African Americans. He dismisses race as a non-issue: "Evidence suggests that being black in America is much more about culture than it is about race. Race has very little inborn, inherent, or ontological significance" (p. 60).
Nunes is adamant that the church must address respect for life. "Sanctity of life is a risky topic, but urban churches will not long be able to maintain their silence on the pro-life question" (p. 37). Yet, although women make up a large portion of many urban churches, the issue of gender never enters the theological discussion. The predominant voices heard in this city-and the final voices heard-are the voices of three men who have pulpits. One has to wonder whether Nunes will also claim that being a woman in America is much more about culture than it is about gender.

Octavius A. Gaba
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Norfolk, Virginia

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Growing Compassionate Kids: Helping Kids See Beyond Their Backyard
by Jan Johnson
Upper Room, Nashville, 2001. $12.00. ISBN 0-8358-0932-3.

As a parent of a toddler, I am very much aware of the self-centeredness of this stage of a child's development. But I am also noticing the messages society sends to children and adults alike to remain self-centered, to be ever more acquisitive consumers, to ignore the problems faced by the world's needy or to assume that they are too intractable for anyone to change.

That is why I was glad to have discovered this book. Writing in engaging, first-person style, Johnson invites her readers to imagine how families might tune out society's narcissistic messages and listen instead to the needs of people around us and around the world. From simple actions to life-altering commitments, she suggests ways children and their parents can foster compassionate relationships that contribute to healing for all involved.

Johnson is not naive. She acknowledges the realities of risk aversion and compassion fatigue, and she understands that it is important for kids to have fun. Her forthrightness in acknowledging these obstacles is paired with the presentation of multiple possibilities, so that readers who do not see one option as right for them are encouraged to consider other possibilities that better fit their unique situation.

This book is not primarily an activity manual. Developing caring relationships, the author asserts, is more important than doing social action. Nor does it come with a guarantee that children will adopt their parents' values-although the final chapter's anecdotes suggest that even children who think their parents are "weird" do eventually come to see the world a little differently! It is more family-focused than church-focused, but discussion questions and group study schedules are offered to facilitate class use. The extensive list of resources, including Web addresses, will eventually become outdated. No matter, Johnson's challenge to dream a world in which we all work in God's "family business" is one that will continue to resonate with caring parents and their growing-up-compassionate kids.

Sandra Hack Polaski
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
Richmond, Virginia

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Family: A Christian Social Perspective
Lisa Sowle Cahill
Fortress, Minneapolis, 2000. $17.00. 170 pp. ISBN 0-8006-3252-4.

Cahill offers an eloquent, academically rich antidote to those who paint the contemporary family crisis in narrow moral terms. Drawing significantly on the results of the Lilly-funded Religion, Family, and Culture Project, Cahill proposes a strong moral agenda, while also making clear that the family "crisis" is not primarily a problem of personal immorality, resolvable by curbing rampant individualism and declining marital commitment. Genuine restoration of the family will require a far more difficult transformation-the "redistribution of social assets" (p. 5).

This simple one-phrase rendering of Cahill's position should not obscure the complexity of her proposal or her careful, sometimes dense, analysis of its Christian sources. She promotes "an inclusive and supportive approach" that holds up long-standing Christian ideals (e.g., male-female co-parenting, sexual fidelity) while not berating other types of family (e.g., single parents, gay and lesbian families) (p. xi).
In addition to examining the early Christian tradition, Cahill evaluates the contributions of three affirmations of the family "as church"-Chrysostom, Luther, and the Puritans-according to whether they support reciprocity and equality internal to the family and compassionate, sacrificial outreach to those beyond. Her favored option, however, is the Catholic sacramental metaphor of the family as "domestic church," an idea that first took root in Chrysostom and experienced resurgence in the past two decades.

In a penultimate chapter, Cahill expands this ideal and moves the discussion into a forum more sensitive to race, intercultural issues, and economics by turning to African-American interpretations that embody a Christian ethic linking local efforts to stabilize families with regional institutions and national support. This chapter adopts the least critical "listening" mode, appreciating the strengths of the extended family but hesitant to raise questions about its erosion or about thorny issues such as abuse, sexism, and homophobia.

Throughout the book, Cahill returns to a common theme that unites her work: the centrality of the Christian ethic of "love of neighbor, care for the poor, and table fellowship with the stranger" (p. 6). The primary responsibility of Christian families is to serve the common good. The bottom line in judging all articulations of Christian family values is their transformative social impact in accord with Christian ideals embracing the poor, despised, and outcast in light of the reign of God.

Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore
Vanderbilt University Divinity School
Nashville, Tennessee

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