Interpretation articles from July 2004

Interpretation archives from July 2004

Editorial.(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... THE APOSTLE PAUL'S letter to the Romans continues to fascinate and bewilder interpreters. The epistle has occupied theologians and biblical scholars ever since Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other leaders of the sixteenth-century Reformation...

The cosmic power of Sin in Paul's letter to the Romans: toward a widescreen edition.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... No form of Christian teaching has any future before it except such as can keep steadily in view the reality of the evil in the world, and go to meet the evil with a battle-song of triumph. Gustav Aulen (1) Here at Christ Church, we...

Interpreting Romans: the New Perspective and beyond.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... The place of Romans at the center of theological debate has never been in question since Martin Luther recaptured the Pauline insights of Augustine and made them the heart of the Reformation. No other biblical document touches on so many of the...

The righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith in Romans.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... Most readers of the New Testament would, I imagine, have little trouble identifying the following text as Pauline: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1). Not nearly so many,...

Preaching Romans today.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... The preacher who wishes to venture into Romans must begin with the admission that Paul has written a very bewildering epistle. The primary evidence for this is that Romans has been scrutinized by biblical scholars for two millennia, and they...

Extending the conversation.(Beyond the Bible)(Understanding Paul, 2nd ed.)(The Face of New Testament Studies)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... BEYOND THE BIBLE by I. Howard Marshall 0801027756 * 136 pp. * $13.99p "Marshall offers a vigorous engagement with interpretive rules and procedures of special concern to 'evangelical' interpreters of the Bible. He boldly seeks a way...

Between text and sermon: Romans 3:21-31.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... It was not clear whether the bomb at his apartment door was intended for him or the Christian missionaries next door. Nevertheless, Jamal died. There is little doubt on the Beirut street that Jamal's family killed him. The bomb was ambiguous...

Romans 8:12-17.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... TO PREACH ON ROM 8:12-17 is a formidable challenge for a number of reasons. First, it seems like we are walking into the middle of a conversation; hence, an understanding of the prior context is essential. Second, each verse is so loaded with...

Romans 11:1-10.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... I HAD A FRIEND IN HIGH SCHOOL whose house I would not visit. His front door had a sign that read: BEWARE--SNAKES INSIDE (a very inexpensive security system). Anyone handling a text within Romans 9-11 should be issued the warning: BEWARE--SNAKES...

Romans 12:1-8.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 2004... THROUGH THE WORLD'S CACOPHONY that is clamoring for our attention, the penetrating sound of the gospel in Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome continues to produce peace and love--life itself--among those who listen and obey. Indeed, in few...

Romans.(Major Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Romans by Charles H. Talbert Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Smyth & Helwys, Macon, 2002. 360 pp. $50.00 (cloth). ISBN 1-57312-081-2. CHARLES TALBERT'S COMMENTARY on Romans is the fifth addition to the new Smyth & Helwys Bible...

Conflict and Identity in Romans: The Social Setting of Paul's Letter.(Major Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Conflict and Identity in Romans: The Social Setting of Paul's Letter by Philip F. Esler Fortress, Minneapolis, 2003. 458 pp. $29.00. ISBN 0-8006-3435-7. THIS BOOK IS NOT SO MUCH ANOTHER exegetical commentary on Romans as a...

II Corinthians: A Commentary.(Major Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... II Corinthians: A Commentary by Frank J. Matera New Testament Library. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2003. 332 pp. $39.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-664-22117-3. MATERA HAS MADE AN IMPRESSIVE contribution to The New Testament Library...

The Divine Symphony: The Bible's Many Voices.(Major Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... The Divine Symphony: The Bible's Many Voices by Israel Knohl Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia. 2003. 208 pp. $30.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8276-0761-X. THIS LEARNED AND ACCESSIBLE BOOK has two main points: 1) that the Bible,...

Holy Ground: A Liturgical Cosmology.(Major Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Holy Ground: A Liturgical Cosmology by Gordon W. Lathrop Fortress, Minneapolis, 2003. 236 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8006-3590-6. WRITING A SUMMARY OF ONE OF Gordon Lathrop's books is akin to trying to translate poetry into journalistic...

The Theology of Paul's Letter to the Romans.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... The Theology of Paul's Letter to the Romans by Klaus Haacker New Testament Theology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003. 183 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-521-43535-8. THIS VOLUME ON Romans brings to a conclusion an extremely useful...

Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary by Ben Witherington III Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2004. 421 pp. $36.00. ISBN 0-8028-4504-5. THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY ON Romans has usually lagged behind scholarship on the...

Where is Boasting? Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Where is Boasting? Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5 by Simon J. Gathercole Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2002. 323 pp. $32.00. ISBN 0-8028-3991-6. THIS WELL-WRITTEN BOOK seeks to reappraise the relationship...

Narrative Dynamics in Paul: A Critical Assessment.("Narrative Dynamics in Paul: A Critical Assessment" and "The Story of Romans: A Narrative Defense of God's Righteousness")(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Narrative Dynamics in Paul: a Critical Assessment edited by Bruce W. Longenecker Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2002. 253 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-664-22277-3. The Story of Romans: A Narrative Defense of God's Righteousness by...

Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities by Bruce W. Winter Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003. 236 pp. $26.00. ISBN 0-8028-4971-7. THIS BOOK RECONSTRUCTS the life and role of the "new woman" in...

Either Jew or Gentile: Paul's Unfolding Theology of Inclusivity.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Either Jew or Gentile: Paul's Unfolding Theology of Inclusivity by Eung Chun Park Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2003. 182 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-664-22453-9. IN GALATIANS 1:6-9, PAUL categorically rejects any gospel save the one...

Paul, the Law, and the Covenant.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Paul, the Law, and the Covenant by A. Andrew Das Hendrickson, Peabody, MA, 2001. 361 pp. $24.95. ISBN 1-56563-463-2. THIS IS A CONTRIBUTION TO the debate inaugurated by E. P. Sanders on the so-called "new perspective" on Paul....

Paul and the Jews.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Paul and the Jews by A. Andrew Das Hendrickson, Peabody, MA, 2003. 238 pp. $24.95. ISBN 1-56563-676-7. DAS PUBLISHED HIS doctoral dissertation with Hendrickson in 2001 entitled Paul, the Law, and the Covenant. There he proposed a...

Paul--A Jew on the Margins.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Paul--A Jew on the Margins by Calvin J. Roetzel Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2003. 116 pp. $14.95. ISBN 0-664-22520-9. THIS VOLUME IS A COLLECTION of essays, not all of which are new. While the first two chapters are...

Paul, the Letter Writer.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Paul, the Letter Writer by M. Luther Stirewalt, Jr. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003. 159 pp. $22.00. ISBN 0-8028-6088-5. LONG A LEADER IN epistolographical studies of Paul's letters, Stirewalt offers a work sure to invigorate thinking...

Consolation in Philippians: Philosophical Sources and Rhetorical Strategy.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Consolation in Philippians: Philosophical Sources and Rhetorical Strategy by Paul A. Holloway SNTSMS 112. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001. 208 pp. $60.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-521-80406-x. HOLLOWAY SETS OUT TO ARGUE that...

Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters by Michael J. Gorman Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2004. 610 pp. $39.00. ISBN 0-8028-3934-7. WITH SO MANY TEXTBOOKS available on Paul and his letters, it...

Pontius Pilate: Portrait of a Roman Governor.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Pontius Pilate: Portrait of a Roman Governor by Warren Carter Interfaces. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 2003. 162 pp. $14.95. ISBN 0-8146-5113-5. RATHER THAN WRITING a biography of Pontius Pilate or producing a composite picture...

God and the Crisis of Freedom: Biblical and Contemporary Perspectives.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... God and the Crisis of Freedom: Biblical and Contemporary Perspectives by Richard Bauckham Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2002. 221 pp. $22.95. ISBN 0-664-22479-2. IN THIS WELCOME ACT of public theology, Bauckham locates his...

From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World.(Shorter Reviews)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World by Dennis E. Smith Fortress, Minneapolis, 2003. 411 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8006-3489-6 BASED ON OVER TWENTY YEARS of the author's research, publications, and...

Justice, Jesus and the Jews: A Proposal for Jewish-Christian Relations.(Shorter Reviews)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Justice, Jesus and the Jews: A Proposal for Jewish-Christian Relations by Michael L. Cook Liturgical, Collegeville, 2003. 127 pp. $14.95. ISBN 0-8146-5148-8. IN THIS SHORT BOOK, Cook seeks to give a firm foundation to a widely...

Worship and Christian Identity: Practicing Ourselves.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Worship and Christian Identity: Practicing Ourselves by E. Byron Anderson Liturgical, Collegeville, 2003. 212 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-8146-6192-0. ANDERSON HAS WRITTEN THIS volume as one of a series edited by Don Saliers. Anderson's...

Image and Spirit: Finding Meaning in Visual Art.(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Image and Spirit: Finding Meaning in Visual Art by Karen Stone Augsburg, Minneapolis, 2003. 171 pp. $16.99. ISBN 0-8066-4550-4. IS A WORK OF ART MERELY an arrangement of line and color or does it have meaning? Can it have spiritual...

Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions.(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions by Amos Yong Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2003. 205 pp. $17.99. ISBN 0-8010-2612-1. THIS BOOK BY AMOS YONG, a Malaysian-American theologian, has as its main goal...

The Cambridge Companion to St. Paul.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... The Cambridge Companion to St. Paul edited by James D. G. Dunn Cambridge University Press, New York, 2003. $23.00. ISBN 0-521-78694-0. Eighteen scholars provide a critical overview of Paul, covering his life and work, his letters...

Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook edited by J. Paul Sampley Trinity Press International, Harrisburg, 2003. 704 pp. $62.00 (cloth). ISBN 1-56338-266-0. Essays in this handbook situate Paul within the Greco-Roman world. Each...

Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible edited by James D. G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003. 1639 pp. $75.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8028-3711-5. Sixty-three scholars provide a non-technical commentary on the Bible and...

Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist by Francis J. Moloney Hendrickson, Peabody, 2004. 224 pp. $29.95. ISBN 1-56563-513-0. Building upon his recent commentary on Mark (The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary [Peabody: Hendrickson,...

Brother of Jesus, Friend of God: Studies in the Letter of James.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Brother of Jesus, Friend of God: Studies in the Letter of James by Luke Timothy Johnson Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2004. 299 pp. $30.00. ISBN 0-8028-0986-3. This collection of previously published essays examines James's social and...

Reading the Book of Revelation: A Resource for Students.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Reading the Book of Revelation: A Resource for Students edited by David L. Barr Society of Biblical Literature Resources for Biblical Study 44. Scholars Press, Atlanta, 2003. 199 pp. $19.95. ISBN 1-58983-056-3. A collection of...

Pregnant Passion: Gender, Sex, and Violence in the Bible.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Pregnant Passion: Gender, Sex, and Violence in the Bible edited by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies 44. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2003. 250 pp. $36.95. ISBN 1-58983-074-1. The...

New Testament Masculinities.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... New Testament Masculinities edited by Stephen D. Moore and Janice Capel Anderson Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies 45. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2003. 369 pp. $39.95. ISBN 1-58983-109-8. This collection...

Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann edited by Anna Carter Florence Fortress, Minneapolis, 2004. 222 pp. $22.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8006-3646-5. A companion volume to Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth (Fortress,...

Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching.(BookNotes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching edited by Milton C. Moreland Society of Biblical Literature Archaeology and Biblical Studies 8. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2003. $34.95. ISBN...