Book Reviews and Notices, by Robert A. Kraft
1. From JBL> 83 (1964) 193f.
Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew>, by Gu%nther
Bornkamm, Gerhard Barth, and Heinz Joachim Held, tr. by Percy
Scott Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963. pp. 307. $6.50.
2. From Journal of Ecclesiastical History> 16 (1965) 119.
The Authentic Writings of Ignatius: a Study of Linguistic
Criteria>. By Milton Perry Brown. (Duke Studies in Religion,
ii). Pp. xvi + 160. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1963.
$7.50.
3. From JBL> 85 (1966) 109f.
The Date of the Last Supper>, by Annie Jaubert, tr.
by Isaac Rafferty. Staten Island (N.Y.): Alba House, 1965. Pp.
171 + 3 tables. $3.50.
Chronology of the Last Days of Jesus>, by Eugen
Ruckstuhl, tr. by Victor J. Drapela. New York: Desclee, 1965.
Pp. x+143. $3.95.
4. From JBL> 85 (1966) 258f.
The Old Testament of the Early Church>, by Albert C.
Sundberg, Jr. ("Harvard Theological Studies" 20.) Cambridge
(Mass.): Harvard Univ. Press, 1964. Pp. x+190. $3 (paper).
5. From JBL> 85 (1966) 392ff.
A History of Early Christian Literature>, by Edgar J.
Goodspeed, rev. by Robert M. Grant. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago,
1966. Pp. ix+214. $5.95 (cloth); $1.95 (paper).
6. From JBL> 85 (1966) 486-489.
Holy Bible<>, RSV Catholic Edition. Camden (N.J.):
Nelson, 1966. Pp. xvi + 1005 and iii + 250. $6.50.
The Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha> (RSV
"Imprimatur" Printing 1966), ed. by H. G. May and B. M. Metzger.
New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1965. Pp. xxiv+1544 and xxi + 298
+ 14 maps. $10.50.
7. From JBL> 86 (1967) 232-234.
Septuaginta, Vetus Testamentum Graecum 12/2 Sapientia
Iesu Filii Sirach>, ed. by Joseph Ziegler. Go%ttingen:
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1965. Pp. 368. DM 58.
8. From JBL> 86 (1967) 329f.
The Jewish Christians of the Early Centuries of
Christianity according to a News Source>, by Shlomo Pines.
(Proceeding of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, II,
13.) Jerusalem: Central Press, 1966. Pp. 74.
Ju%dische Lehre und Fro%mmigkeit in den Paralipomena
Jeremiae>, by Gerhard Delling. Berlin: To%pelmann, 1967.
Pp. 77. DM 24.
10. From The Catholic Biblical Quarterly> 31 (1969) 294-
296.
Willy Rordorf, Sunday: The History of the Day of Rest and
Worship in the Earlier Centuries of the Christian Church>
(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968). Pp. xvi-336. $8.50
11. From JBL> 89 (1970) 494.
A New Testament Commentary>, ed. by G. C. D. Howley
with F. F. Bruce and H. L. Ellison. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
(Pickering & Inglis), copyright 1969. pp. 666. $7.95.
12. From JBL> 91 (1972) 126-128.
Theophilus of Antioch: Ad Autolycum>, ed. and tr. by
Robert M. Grant. Oxford Early Christian Text. Oxford:
Clarendon, 1970. Pp. xxix + 153. $6.50.
13. From The Classical World> February 1975, 326f.
Edouard des Places. S. J.> (ed. tr.). Oracles
Chaldaiques. Avec un choix de commentaires anciens. (Collection
des Universite/s de France publie/e sous le patronage de
l'Association Guillaume Bude/.) Paris: Socie/te/ d'Edition "Les
Belles Lettres," 1971. Pp. 253 (66-121, 162-186, 189-195, 198-
201, 206-212, 214-224: double). F 40 (paper).
14. From Journal of Theological Studies> ns 26.1
(April 1975) 184-187.
La Bible et les Pe\res: Colloque de Strasbourg (1\er/-3
octobre 1969).> Pp. 280. (Bibliothe\que des Centres d'E/tudes
Supe/rieures Spe/cialise/s.) Paris: Presses Universitaires de
France, 1971. F. 50.
15. From JAAR> September 1975, 609.
Eupolemus: A Study of Judaeo-Greek Literature>
(Monographs of the Hebrew Union College, no. 3). By Ben Zion
Wacholder. New York: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion, 1974. xi+332 pages. $15.00. ISBN 0-87820-401-6.
16. From JBL> 95 (1976) 684f.
Gospel Message and Hellenistic Culture>, by Jean
Danie/lou, tr., ed. with a Postscript by John Austin Baker. A
History of Early Christian Doctrine before the Council of Nicaea,
2. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1973. Pp. x+540. $17.50.
17. From Interpretation> January 1977, 106f.
The Use of the Old and New Testaments in Clement of
Rome>, by Donald A. Hagner. Supplements to Novum
Testamentum>, 34; E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1973. 393 pp. 88
guilders.
The Setting of Second Clement in Early Christianity>, by
Karl Paul Donfried. Supplements to Novum Testamentum>, 38;
E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1974. 240 pp. 58 guilders.
18. COLLECTED ESSAYS, from JBL> 89 (1970) 385-387.
18.1 Exe/ge\se et The/ologie>, vol. 3, by Pierre Benoit.
Paris: E/ditions du Cerf, 1968. Pp. viii + 446 (including
indexes of biblical passages and modern authors). F 38 (paper).
18.2 Des sources de l'Evangile a\ la formation de la
the/ologie chre/tienne>, by Oscar Cullmann. Bibliothe\que
The/ologique. Neucha^tal: Delachaux et Niestle/, 1969. Pp. 188
(including indexes of biblical passages and modern authors). F
20 (paper). )
18.3 Zur Theologie des Neuen Testaments und zur Dogmatik:
Kleine Schriften>, by Adolf Schlatter, with introduction by
Ulrich Luck. Theologische Bu%cherei, 41. Munich: Kaiser, 1969.
Pp. 272 (no indexes). DM 17.50 (paper).
18.4 New Testament Questions of Today>, by Ernst
Ka%semann, tr. by W. J. Montague. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1969.
Pp. xiii + 305. $6.95.
18.5 Me/langes Bibliques en hommage au R. P. Be/da
Rigaux>, ed. Albert Descamps and Andre/ de Halleux. Gemblous,
Belgium: Buculot, 1969. Pp. xxviii + 618 + 1 photo (with index
of ancient and modern authors/sources). FB 700.
---
1. From JBL> 83 (1964) 193f.
Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew>, by Gu%nther
Bornkamm, Gerhard Barth, and Heinz Joachim Held, tr. by Percy
Scott Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963. pp. 307. $6.50.
The NT Library series has displayed excellent taste in selecting
this collection of studies for translation. Strangely, the major
English language journals have thus far tended to neglect this
book, although the first German edition appeared at the end of
1959 and was soon reissued with minor corrections and supplements
in 1961. The appearance of this translation should help to
rectify this oversight.
The correct, but all too general title of this anthology perhaps
does a disservice to its actual contents. It is, more
precisely, a concentrated attempt by three scholars who agree in
their basic methodology (form-critical) and presuppositions for
gospel study (priority of Mark, Q) to move beyond the individual
pericopes of Matthew and to uncover the editorial glue which now
bind the pericopes together and which has often governed their
Matthean form (Redaktionsgeschichte>). Thus a more
revealing -- and more interesting -- title might be something
like "Editorial Technique as a Key to Theological Motifs in
Matthew," or "Interpretation and Reinterpretation of Tradition
in the First Gospel."
Bornkamm has contributed the first two essays which set the stage
for the relatively more lengthy and more detailed dissertations
(literally> dissertations -- at Heidelberg in 1955 and
1957) of his students, Barth and Held. An earlier German form of
Bornkamm's "End-expectation and Church in Matthew" (pp. 15-51) is
already widely known -- at least by title -- through its
appearance in the Dodd Festschrift> (Cambridge, 1956, pp.
222-69). Here, Matthew is seen to develop the concept of the
church and of Christian discipleship with a view to the expected
eschatological consummation in which all men will stand before
the judgment seat. To fulfill the intent of the law, to do the
will of the Father, to follow Jesus -- this is the task of the
community. The theme of discipleship is examined from a
different perspective in Bornkamm's brief second essay, "The
Stilling of the Storm in Matthew" (pp. 52-57; this originally
appeared in German in Wort und Dienst>, 1948, pp. 49-54).
Next, Barth works out with a great deal of precision what he
finds to be "Matthew's Understanding of the Law" (pp. 58-164).
For the first evangelist, Christians are responsible to observe
the whole law, as the will of God, by appropriating the special
understanding available to them and by following the Christ who
is present in his commands -- especially in the command of love.
This emphasis on the abiding validity of law apparently was
formulated in opposition to some sort of early Christian
antinomian "libertinism" which can no longer be identified with
precision, although it seems to be neither "Pauline" nor
"gnostic." One general weakness of Barth's presentation is that
he sometimes appears to be guilty of grossly oversimplifying "the
view" (!) of the Jewish "Rabbinate" in contrast to Matthew's
view.
Held examines "Matthew as Interpreter of the Miracle Stories"
(pp. 165-299). He finds that the Markan narratives used by
Matthew often have gone through a radical process of
abbreviation, expansion, and adaptation in order to focus on
Jesus, his power and his words, at the expense of peripheral and
distracting detail. Thus in Matthew, "miracle stories" are no
longer "tales" or Novellen>, but more closely approximate
the form-critical category of "paradigm" or "apothegm"
("pronouncement story"). Methodologically, this thesis is
especially interesting in that it contradicts the popular
generalization that the more simple and direct stories
(paradigms) are necessarily> more "original" than
elaborately detailed "tales"; other factors such as the editor's
purposes cannot be ignored.
The very nature of this monograph leads to a certain amount of
repetition by the individual contributors. Nevertheless, this
repetition is seldom offensive or detracting. Indices of names,
subjects, and pericopes from Matthew add to the usefulness of the
book for reference purposes, although it is to be regretted that
the English version has omitted the general NT index as well as
the separate bibliography which appeared in the original.
One hesitates to comment on the translation technique since
translating is such a thankless and frustrating task in itself.
Translations are always welcome. But this one is not
particularly well done. It frequently gives a misleading or
false image of the German idiom -- e.g., Gemeinde> usually
is rendered by "congregation," thus producing references to the
"congregation of Jesus" (p. 21, etc.), "congregational
discipline" (p. 20), "congregational theology" (p. 49);
Nachfolge> frequently becomes "imitation" of Jesus
(although the index, following the German index, lists such
passages under "following Christ"); Matthew's
Vorgeschichten> become the "prehistorical stories" (p. 35);
the "Sektenregel>" allusion on p. 39 (i.e., the Qumran
Manual of Discipline>) has been completely missed by the
translation "rules for the sect"; the English of p. 35, n. 2
claims that Matthew "puts sayings from the Wisdom literature
[+Sophia-Worte>!] into the mouth of Jesus";
Spruchquelle> (the Sayings-source, Q) once appears simply
as "the Source" (p. 19) or worse, "the source" (p. 37);
urchristlicher Para%nese und Paraklese> becomes "primitive
Christian exhortation and comfort" (p. 27). Nor is nonidiomatic
English lacking (e.g., p. 53, "The disciples' question ... has no
kind of pious sound; it runs quite profanely ..."). Finally, the
translation includes its share of typographical mishaps, although
they are seldom serious -- cf. p. 63, n. 2, where syr\cop/ would
indeed be a "mixed" text type!; p. 66, n. 3, Gingrich is
preferable to Gingrech; and the relatively lengthy Hebrew
quotations on pp. 78, n. 1; 97, n. 2, and 155 (twice) have become
rather garbled in transmission. Still, for the most part the
translation is adequate -- and despite its many shortcomings, we
should be grateful that it has been made available.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
2. From Journal of Ecclesiastical History> 16 (No. 1, April
1965)
The Authentic Writings of Ignatius: a Study of Linguistic
Criteria>. By Milton Perry Brown. (Duke Studies in Religion,
ii). Pp. xvi + 160. Durham, N.D.: Duke University Press, 1963.
$7.50.
In this excellently printed and surprisingly readable revision of
his doctoral dissertation, Brown compares the language of the
seven acknowledged epistles by Ignatius of Antioch with that of
the five "Ignatian" epistles which are generally regarded as
forgeries (to Mary, Hero, Antiochenes, Philippians, Tarsians).
Only occasionally does he introduce evidence from the
"interpolated" form of the genuine epistles, although his more
recent article in the Journal of Biblical Literature>, 83
(1964), 146-152, helps to fill this gap. Brown's primary purpose
is neither to challenge the traditional critical view which
differentiates between the authentic Ignatius and Ps-Ignatius,
nor to argue in its defense. Rather, he accepts it as the
"working hypothesis" from which to begin his examination (xiv),
and proposes to use the Ignatius/Ps-Ignatius situation as a
control by which to evaluate various methods used in "linguistic
criticism" of ancient literature. In the course of a controlled
"experiment," Brown does indeed present evidence which supports
the commonly accepted view that Ps-Ignatius wrote about the mid-
fourth century, but this is not the goal of the investigation.
He also provides a great deal of information about the respective
thought-worlds of Ignatius and his imitator, along with the data
concerning their use of words.
The linguistic analysis itself is divided into two main
categories: (1) Vocabulary>, dealing (i) with words
"peculiar" to Ignatius and/or Ps-Ignatius as compared with other
"Apostolic Fathers" (see the appended lists, 144-156; some
unfortunate methodological shortcomings which mar this portion of
the study are noted by R. M. Grant, JBL>, 83 (1964), 184
ff.), and (ii) with the "most habitual and characteristic
expressions" of each writer; (2) Grammar and Style>,
comparing the two writers in their use of prepositions,
particles, clauses and sentence structure, modes and tenses,
figures of speech, and literary sources. Brown concludes (138)
that the most valuable of these tests for determining difference
of authorship are those dealing with literary obligations
(quotations, allusions), characteristic diction, and figures of
speech. Least helpful is the examination of modes and tenses,
and of particles. No attempt is made at comparing word-order or
sentence-length because preliminary trials proved these "to be
less decisive than ... any test included here" (139). "In short,
several tests -- preferably of widely different aspect of style
or language -- used together promise the surest results. ... A
merely statistical analysis of linguistic or stylistic features
can very often be misleading" (140).
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
3. From JBL> 85 (1966) 109f.
The Date of the Last Supper>, by Annie Jaubert, tr.
by Isaac Rafferty. Staten Island (N.Y.): Alba House, 1965. Pp.
171 + 3 tables. $3.50.
Chronology of the Last Days of Jesus>, by Eugen
Ruckstuhl, tr. by Victor J. Drapela. New York: Desclee, 1965.
Pp. x+143. $3.95.
Translations are always welcome. Unfortunately, however, the
quality often leaves much to be desired. The difference between
an adequate job and a good job often is not very great, and often
could be eliminated by insuring that the translation is done by,
or at least examined by, someone intimately familiar with the
material> as well as with the language> being
translated. The translator's lot is not a happy one. But it
could, and should, be made easier by such a safeguard.
Both of the translations here considered, which cover roughly the
same ground, are "adequate" -- that is, the reader is able to
follow the drift of the argument without too much trouble.
Neither, however, is a good translation, although for different
reasons. In his attempt to render Jaubert's La date de la
Ce\ne: calendrier biblique et liturgie chre/tienne> (E/tudes
Bibliques, 1957) into English, Rafferty obviously is almost
completely befuddled by the subject matter, as the following
samples illustrate: we read of the new "alliance" (covenant);
the scribes and the "ancients" (elders); the departure of the
"Spouse" (bridegroom); the "Writing of Damascus" (CDC); the "Slav
Henoch" (II Enoch); the "Therapeuts"; George "the Chancellor"
(Syncellus), etc. This unfamiliarity, I suspect, also
contributed to such translation errors as "Books of
Paralipomenon" (p. 35, for "l'oeuvre du Chroniquer"), "zeta" (p.
106, for "e/pise/mon" = digamma, the old Greek symbol for 6),
"Greek chain" (pp. 107 and 166, n. 7, for "chai^ne grecque" =
Greek catena), and "Armenian" (p. 156, n. 40, for "arame/en =
Aramaic), as well as some botched Greek words (pp. 86, 88).
Several typographical errors also mar the book, including the
listing of notes 13-15 on pp. 152 f. under the number 14 (=13)
and 15 (=14-15).
Drapela's translation of Ruckstuhl (see the previous review) is
significantly better in quality. Nevertheless, in his attempt to
chop up (often unnecessarily) the German sentences into simple
English, he often loses the precision of the original and raises
questions in the reader's mind concerning Ruckstuhl's competence.
But Ruckstuhl seldom is at fault -- for example, he does not
claim that the hearing before Annas "is generally considered a
historical fact" ("gilt allgemein als geschichtlich>"), nor
that Luke was familiar with "John's narrative" ("die
johanneische U%berlieferung>") of this incident (p. 39); it is
the translator who has confused the passage about the
similarities between the numbers 3 and 6 in old Greek MSS (p.
48), and has made the "Folge von urspru%nglichen Einzelstu%cken"
in Mark 12 into "a series of original reports" (pp. 126 f.). On
the whole, however, Drapela shows more familiarity with the
material than did Rafferty, and typographical errors are few.
Although the dust jacket of the English Jaubert claims that the
author has made "some slight revisions," the only obvious change
is the addition of a note on Abraham's journey in Jubilees 18 1-
17 (p. 149, n. 18). The format has been changed by moving
footnotes to the back, and the tables no longer fold out for
convenience.
Conversely, although the English Ruckstuhl does not claim to
include any changes, it omits, without note, pp. 100-105 of the
original (at ET p. 114/115) concerning the testimony of Aristides
mentioned by the seventh-century Armenian chronographer Ananias
Aharakuni (the cross-reference to this material on p. 18, n. 8 =
ET 8, n. 8 also is excised), and rearranges the prefatory
materials (adding W. Rordorf to the bibliography and to p. 87, n.
104). It also adds an imprimatur> and nihil obstat>,
which I did not find in the German.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
4. From JBL> 85 (1966) 258f.
The Old Testament of the Early Church>, by Albert C.
Sundberg, Jr. ("Harvard Theological Studies" 20.) Cambridge
(Mass.): Harvard Univ. Press, 1964. Pp. x+190. $3 (paper).
Sundberg, associate professor of NT at Garrett, here presents a
revised form of his 1957 Harvard doctoral dissertation which he
earlier summarized in HTR>, 51 (1958), pp. 205-226. The
problem discussed is an old one: How is it that the early church
came to accept an OT canon which differed from the canon of
Judaism by including the apocrypha?
In part 1 (pp. 3-48), Sundberg discusses at length the
development since the Reformation of the so-called "Alexandrian
canon hypothesis" which, in one form or another, has come to be
widely accepted as the best solution to the problem -- the theory
that early Christianity adopted its larger OT canon from the
practice prevailing in the hellenistic Jewish diaspora, led by
Alexandria, rather than from Palestinian Judaism. He also argues
that proposed "alternative" explanations actually are little more
than variations of it.
Parts 2 ("The Jewish Legacy"; pp. 51-103) and 3 ("The Closing of
the Canon"; pp. 107-69) contain a detailed refutation of the
hypothesis and its assumptions in the light of contemporary
knowledge, and an attempt to provide a more adequate explanation
of the evidence. In the period before Jamnia (ca.> 90
C.E.), argues Sundberg, both Palestinian and diaspora Judaism
recognized as holy scripture "closed collections of Law and
Prophets" plus a wide and undefined group of other religious
writings. Because the earliest church received this heritage, it
made use not only of what we now call the Jewish OT and the
apocrypha, but of certain Jewish pseudepigrapha as well (e.g.,
Enoch). Near the end of the first century, partly for
antiapocalyptic reasons, Judaism narrowed its canon and fixed its
present limits. But the church at that time had become distinct
enough from Judaism not to be immediately affected. Rather, it
was in later developments (esp. third-fifth centuries) that the
church came to reduce the extent of its own OT canon, restricting
it to the Jamnia OT plus apocrypha (see pp. x, 103, 129 f.).
On the whole, Sundberg's critique of the "Alexandrian canon
hypothesis" is well founded. He puts to good use the manifold
evidence against the widely influential but overly simple older
pictures of Judaism (e.g., Palestinian vs> Hellenistic,
Semitic vs> Greek). Unfortunately, he does not completely
avoid the pitfalls of overgeneralization himself, as when he
frequently speaks of "the (early) church" as though it were a
single unified phenomenon; note, for example, his appeal to the
passages from "noncanonical" Jewish literature listed in the
margins of Nestle's 22nd ed. of the NT (!) as evidence for "the
canon" received by "the church" from Judaism (pp. 53 ff.). Do
alleged parallels in wording and thought indicate actual use?
Does actual use indicate "canonical" status (a perennial problem
which Sundberg should have treated with precision at some point)?
Does canonical status for Jude necessarily indicate the same for
Paul, or for the whole of early Christianity? Despite these and
other specific queries that could be raised by specialists in the
particular areas covered by the study (LXX, Qumran, Judaism,
Patristics), Sundberg's express intention of taking a new "first
step toward a more full exploration of the process of OT
canonization in the church" (p. 163) should be commended and
accepted with gratitude.
The presence in the bibliography (pp. 177-84) and footnotes of
some sixteen items published between 1957-1961, many dealing with
Qumran, suggests the extent to which the original dissertation
has been updated. The fact that the preface was finished in
April of 1962 explains why more recent relevant materials, such
as the Psalm scroll from Qumran cave 11 or the suggestions of D.
Barthe/lemy about pre-Jamnia Palestinian Greek OT recensional
activity, are not discussed. The standard of proofreading is
fairly high, but some significant minor errors appear: pp. 57
and 145 disagree on the exact contents of "Chrysostom's"
Synopsis>; pp. 59 ff. should read I, IV Macc (not I-II) for
codex Sinaiticus -- thus codex A "adds" II-III Macc, not III-IV
(p. 60); pp. 140 (and n. 28), 143, and 168 should read I Esdras,
not II (IV) Esdras. The monograph also includes an excursus on
early patristic references to the legendary origin of the LXX
(pp. 171-76), and is indexed.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
5. From JBL> 85 (1966) 392ff.
A History of Early Christian Literature>, by Edgar J.
Goodspeed, rev. by Robert M. Grant. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago,
1966. Pp. ix+214. $5.95 (cloth); $1.95 (paper).
Goodspeed's survey of ante-Nicene noncanonical early Christian
literature originally appeared in 1942 (its pages are designated
below by *), and received detailed review by P. Schubert in
JBL>, 62 (1943), pp. 127-31. In the 1966 edition, Grant
has added pertinent information from recent discoveries (e.g.,
Qumran, Nag Hammadi, Bodmer and other papyri, Morton Smith's
"Letter of Clement"), and from continuing research (e.g., Audet
on Didache>, Giet on Hermas>, Prigent on Justin).
More than that, he has so extensively rewritten the first half of
the book (to the time of Irenaeus) as almost to produce a new
work (see below); and has revised the historically less
problematic second half, from Irenaus to Eusebius, mainly by
supplementing it (e.g., a section on certain minor writers of the
third century [pp. 157f.], a new chapter on "Eusebius and Early
Christian Literature" [pp. 189-95]), and by rearranging some of
the material into larger units (e.g., "The Alexandrians," "Latin
Christian Writers") instead of retaining Goodspeed's rather
atomistic chronological sequence, author by author.
A few examples will suffice to illustrate the nature and extent
of Grant's changes in the earlier materials. Frequently,
Goodspeed's critical preferences and pet theories are either
toned down, inconspicuously changed/omitted, or pointedly cast
aside: e.g., one no longer reads the Pastoral were written
against Marcion (pp. *6 g., *155), or that II Peter dates from
ca.> 140-160 (pp. *54, *112); the idea that the Pauline
corpus was collected ca.> 90 is deemphasized (p. 9), as is
the theory that the widely influential "fourfold gospel" was
published ca.> 115-120 (contrast pp. 42 f. with *60 f.);
the "logia" of Papias to not refer to the "oral gospel"
(p. 2; but cf. p. 91 = p. *162), Barnabas> and
Didache> probably did not use a common Christian source (p.
12), and Marcion was not responsible for the ideas (later adopted
by "orthodoxy") of a scripture that included Paul and of a church
with world-wide organization (p. 111; but cf. p. 109 = *153);
Papias flourished ca.> 120 (not 135-140), II Clement dates
from 125-150 (not 150-175), the Book of James appeared ca.>
150 (not 200), Polycarp died 116/67 (not 155/56), Celsus wrote in
178 (not 150), Tatian's Address> dates from 187 (not
152/55).
On the whole, Grant's revision has produced a much more useful
volume. What is lost in critical daring is regained many times
over in a more balanced perspective. The style remains
enthusiastic and popular ("for continuous reading," p. viii =
*x), and some (but by no means all!) of the numerous unnecessary
repetitions of the original have been eliminated. The "Select
Bibliography" (pp. 203-10) is up-dated, although the serious
novice might wish for more help from the footnotes.
Unfortunately, Goodspeed's convenient chronological charts (pp.
*309-12) have been eliminated, and the revised indices (ancient,
modern authors) cover much less material than did the single
general index of the original, and cover it incompletely. In sum,
both Grant and the publisher are to be commended for providing us
with this "new Goodspeed" -- an up-to-date survey, worthy of the
original. Hopefully, in a few more years, some of the remaining
difficulties can be cleared up by the appearance of a third
edition.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
6. From JBL> 85 (1966) 486-489.
Holy Bible>, RSV Catholic Edition. Camden (N.J.):
Nelson, 1966. Pp. xvi + 1005 and iii + 250. $6.50.
The Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha> (RSV
"Imprimatur" Printing 1966), ed. by H. G. May and B. M. Metzger.
New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1965. Pp. xxiv+1544 and xxi + 298
+ 14 maps. $10.50.
By two quite diverse routes the RSV translation has come to
receive official approval for Roman Catholic use in these
annotated editions of the Bible. The Oxford Annotated> RSV
(=OABA) originated in various stages (Protestant Bible, 1962;
Apocrypha, 1965; combined, 1965) and represents a sort of
consensus view of Protestant critical scholarship (see
JBL>, 82 [1963], pp. 238 f.). The new "imprimatur" edition
is, for all practical purposes, a reissue of the 1965 OABA
adjusted to include a few editorial modifications in the
annotations -- the pagination, RSV translation and footnotes,
entire Apocrypha section (including annotations), and the various
supplementary sections remain completely unchanged. An added
portion in the Foreword informs the reader that Richard Cardinal
Cushing has endorsed the edition and granted it an
imprimatur>, although there is no separate
imprimatur> page.
The RSV Catholic Edition (=CE), on the other hand, is the work of
a committee of the Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain
and bears both nihil obstat> and imprimatur> on the
copyright page. The CE NT, with several relatively small changes
in the translation and footnotes as well as a 12-page appendix of
explanatory notes, appeared in 1965], p. 469). Now the
committee's OT edition takes its place alongside of the reprinted
CE NT. The Introduction has been adapted from the CE NT and is
expanded to include a discussion of the problem of the
apocrypha/deuterocanonical books. Except for the addition of a
few lines in Ester 4 8b (from LXX = Vulgate 15 1-3), which were
overlooked in the original RSV "Additions to Esther," CE
reproduces RSV translation and footnotes without change for each
OT and deuterocanonical book, but arranges the books according to
the traditional sequence and limits of the Vulgate. Thus I-II
Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh are not included in CE at all,
while the "additions" to Esther and Daniel, printed in italics,
are incorporated into the consecutive texts of these books.
Traditional Catholic names/spellings for books are added in
parentheses where necessary, as is the Vulgate/LXX numbering of
the Psalms.
Unlike the CE NT, the "Explanatory Notes" appended to the CE OT
(pp. 985-1005) include general comments on each book as well as
notes on specific passages (indicated by an \|*/ in the text).
In many cases where the Vulgate has a longer text than RSV, these
notes supply the Douay version -- interestingly, this is not done
for Sirach (see p. 998). It is uncompromisingly clear from the
interpretative notes that the committee fully intends to take its
stand with the mainstream of modern critical biblical
scholarship. Biblicistic fundamentalists, whether Protestant or
Catholic, will find little solace from such notes as these: Gen
1-2 reflects two different sources, does not aim at presenting a
scientific picture, and does not "exclude the evolutionary
hypothesis"; Gen 6 2 may be "an old story or myth"; the flood
story has "repetitions and discrepancies" because it is made up
from "two almost parallel accounts"; Numbers was "edited finally
by the priests after the Exile"; the account of the conquest in
Joshua cannot be taken at face value; Tobit, Judith, and Esther
are "religious tales" with little relation to history in a modern
sense; Job (probably), some Psalms, and Ecclesiastes are
postexilic; neither Ecclesiastes nor Song of Solomon were written
by Solomon -- the latter "is a love song or collection of love
songs written probably in the fifth century B.C.": Isa 40-55 was
written by a prophet "at the time of the Exile" and chs. 56-66
are a collection of prophecies from the same period; Jeremiah
probably did not write Lamentations; Ezek 26 is "rhetorical
rather than historical"; Daniel comes from "a rather late date,"
probably "second century B.C."; the story of Jonah and the fish
probably should "not ... be taken historically," and its use by
Jesus "is not a testimony to its historical character"; Zech 9-14
dates from the fourth century; etc.
The "Imprimatur" OABA makes only two slight changes in the OT
annotations, for the sake of clarity and accuracy (Gen 3 19;
Introduction to Ecclesiastes). A number of NT annotations have
been modified, sometimes requiring the elimination or reduction
of nearby notes in order to preserve the original pagination
(e.g., the explanation of "manger" in Luke 2 7 has disappeared).
In three instances, the added annotations call attention to the
traditional status as "inspired Scripture" of text-critically
suspect passages (Mark 16 9 ff; the longer text at Luke 22 19b-20
and 24; John 7 53-8 11). Several changes occur in passages of
interest for discussions of the "perpetual virginity" of Mary --
at Mark 6 3 the claim that "the language implies that the
brothers> and sisters> were all Mary's children" is
dropped, while the Protestant and Catholic positions are
explained at Matt 13 55, with appropriate cross-references to
that note inserted at the other relevant passages. Similarly,
annotations are introduced at Matt 1 25 ("until>") and Luke
2 7 ("first-born son>") to explain the Catholic
interpretation. Otherwise, characteristically Catholic interests
seem to appear only in the notes to Matt 5 31 f. (more "neutral"
wording concerning the divorce logion), Matt 16 19 ("the keys
of the kingdom> are a symbol of Peter's power as the leader of
the church"), and Jas 5 13-15 (anointing the sick, "formerly
called the sacrament of Extreme Unction by the Roman Catholic
Church").
The almost simultaneous appearances of these Catholic approved,
annotated RSV editions is an awesome milestone in our ecumenical
era and provides a common ground for intelligent biblical study
and discussion at a nontechnical level in most of the English
speaking Christian world. In his brief foreword to the RSV CE,
Richard Cardinal Cushing urges "all to read again and again these
holy words." It cannot be objected that up-to-date tools have
not been provided.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
7. From JBL> 86 (1967) 232-234.
Septuaginta, Vetus Testamentum Graecum 12/2 Sapientia
Iesu Filii Sirach>, ed. by Joseph Ziegler. Go%ttingen:
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1965. Pp. 368. DM 58.
Although volumes of the "Go%ttingen LXX" have been appearing for
more than 35 years, and are acknowledged as the most competent
critical editions available for the material covered, they have
scarcely received notice in the review pages of this journal.
(The sole exception I have found is H.S. Gehman's review of
Ezekiel> in JBL>, 71 [1952], pp. 254-57; see also J.
W. Wevers on Ziegler's Beitra%ge> to Jeremiah in
JBL>, 80 [1961], p. 98.) Thus it seems appropriate here to
survey the present situation with respect to available editions
of Greek OT materials containing extensive critical apparatus.
The Go%ttingen editions are the fruit of a long tradition that
goes back to the days of Paul A. de Lagarde, and were formally
initiated by Alfred Rahlfs, whose minor critical edition of
Genesis> appeared in 1926 under the sponsorship of the
Go%ttingen LXX Commission (see also his experimental edition of
Ruth> in 1922). The first officially recognized member of
the series, however, appeared in 1931 (as "volume 10") -- Rahlfs'
Psalms with Odes>, which is currently being revised. Vol.
9 was to deal with 1-4 Maccabees>, respectively, in 4
parts: 9/1 appeared in 1936, edited by W. Kappler (it also is
being revised); 9/2 in 1959, by Kappler and R. Hanhardt; 9/3 in
1960, solely in Hanhardt's name; and 9/4 has been promised in the
near future. In the past few months, Hanhardt also has produced
vol. 8/3, Ester> 1966). The majority of the Go%ttingen
volumes, however, have been the responsibility of Ziegler: 14,
Isaiah> (1939); 13, Minor Prophets> (1943); 16/1,
Ezekiel> (1952); 16/2, Susanna-Daniel-Bel and the
Dragon> (1954); 15, Jeremiah-Baruch-Lamentations-Epistle of
Jeremiah> (1957); 12/1, Wisdom of Solomon> (1962); and
the present volume.
Between these Go%ttingen volumes and the "Larger Cambridge LXX"
(edited by A. E. Brooke and N. McLean: Octateuch>, 1907-
17; Later Historical Books>, 1927-35; Ester-Judith-
Tobit>, 1940), extensive critical apparatus are now available
for all LXX books except IV Maccabees> (in preparation),
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, Job, and Psalms of
Solomon> (if considered "LXX"). For these, one must still rely
on the older "Oxford LXX" edited by R. Holmes and J. Parsons
(1798-1827), and on such shorter editions as those by Swete
(1887-94) and Rahlfs (1935).
Ziegler's Sirach> continues the high standard of critical
workmanship to which we have become accustomed in his previous
volumes. From a point of view of text criticism, Sirach>
is exceptionally challenging. Fragments of at least two Hebrew
recensions (plus a "prosodic version" and a collection of
excerpts) have been preserved; Ziegler catalogues the main
literature on this material to 1963/64 (pp. 81-84) -- the
fragments from Qumran and Masada must now be added to his
summary. Behind some of the Greek MSS, and even more forcefully
behind the "Old Latin" version, two different Greek renderings
have made their impact felt in the form of doublets, "additions,"
and the like. Sometimes it can be demonstrated that the variants
in the Greek of a passage correspond to differences present in
the variant Hebrew traditions (p. 83). The Old Latin evidence
further complicates the picture by preserving additional variant
material that undoubtedly derives from Greek traditions, but is
no longer extant in Greek this suggests that more than two Greek
recensions may have been in circulation, cross-fertilizing on
another, in antiquity (p. 74).
For this edition, all available Greek MSS have been consulted,
including 4 fragmentary papyri, 5 uncial and 57 miniscule MSS
that have been collated anew. Of these, 3 papyri (928, 938, 964)
and 4 minuscules (705, 795, 797, 798) were not listed in Rahlfs'
standard Verzeichnis der griechischen Handschriften des Alten
Testaments> (1914), unless one of them is the mysterious,
unnumbered "Sir. fragm." from the Grottaferrata collection
mentioned by Rahlfs (pp. 77, 414). Ziegler also uses extensive
patristic and versional evidence, and especially the Old Latin
traditions (for which the Benedictine edition, Biblica
Sacra> 12 [1964], was available to him; on this, see my review
in Gnomon>, 37 [1965], pp. 777-81). Earlier editions of
Sirach> in Greek also are discussed (pp. 40-53).
In conformity with the Go%ttingen practice, Ziegler's text is
eclectic in nature. He groups the witnesses carefully into
families, but is not afraid to accept into this text patristic or
verisional readings that are unsupported by actual Greek MSS, or
even to resort to conjectural emendations of his own or of others
where they seem justified (he is, however, extremely cautious
here; see pp. 75-80). He finds that the "Origenic" (253-Syh, V
S\c/ Arm) and "Lucianic" (248-493-637, 106-130-545-705)
recensions contain a selection of readings from the "second"
Greek rendering (Gr II), which he considers to be an attempt to
bring the "first" translation (Gr I) into closer conformity with
the Hebrew text known to Gr II (pp. 73-75). Despite his
conclusion that the "additions" of Gr II are thus secondary,
Ziegler includes them in his text in petit type, rather than
consigning them to the apparatus, in order to emphasize their
significance (see p. 69).
The lengthy introduction also includes a detailed section on
"Grammatica (Orthographika)" of interest to grammarians (pp. 84-
112). As usual, the symbols and abbreviations are not only
discussed at length in the introduction, but are summarized for
ready reference on a separate card. The text of Sirach> is
arranged in poetic form (pp. 123-368), and the printing job is
superb for all parts of the volume. We are deeply indebted to
the editor and his staff, to the publisher, and to the Societas
Litterarum Gottingensis for this fine addition to their
continuing series of tools for biblical studies.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
8. From JBL> 86 (1967) 329f.
The Jewish Christians of the Early Centuries of
Christianity according to a News Source>, by Shlomo Pines.
(Proceeding of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, II,
13.) Jerusalem: Central Press, 1966. Pp. 74.
In this "enlarged version of [a] lecture read 14 June 1966" which
received notice in the popular press (e.g., Time Magazine>,
July 15, 1966, p. 64), Pines previews a text that he intends to
publish fully in the near future. This "new source" is a chapter
of "nearly 60 folios" from an Arabic MS of a polemical treatise
attributed to the late-10th-century Muslim theologian, 'Abd al-
Jabba-r. Pines believes that the "greater portion" of this
chapter on Christianity must be non-Muslim in origin, and "could
only derive from a Jewish Christian community" (p. 2; cf. p. 33).
He finds basically three categories of subject matter in the
chapter, apart from Jabba-r's additions and interpolations (cf.
pp. 33-36): (1) "doctrinal-polemic" and (2) "historical":
materials, which he thinks may derive from a single treatise
composed in Syriac "either in the 5th or the 6th or the beginning
of the 7th century" (p. 35), and (3) "satirical and other
stories," which may come from various periods and sources.
Indeed, Pines would like to think that some portions of the
material transmit "an independent, otherwise quite unknown
tradition" (p. 21), the nucleus of which, despite distortion
through transmission, may go back "without a break in its
continuity ... to a period when the Jewish Christians had
memories of the Jerusalem community and of the flight from
Jerusalem" (p. 32 or, "... to the first period of Christianity,"
p. 21).
The text does, indeed, preserve some interesting materials, and
Pines translates or summarizes several long and numerous shorter
passages from almost every section of the source in support of
his presentation. Jesus is pictured as a torah-observing prophet
who prayed towards Jerusalem and gave many memorable teachings in
Hebrew. The crucifixion is not treated consistently: one series
of passages is used by Jabba-r to show that it was not Jesus, but
some innocent person who was handed over by Judas and killed (pp.
53-58; cf. Qur'an 4 157 f.); in another section, however, the
torture and crucifixion of Jesus is narrated with details similar
to the canonical accounts (especially John; pp. 58 f.). Pines
gives no indication that the new source displays any interest in
traditions about Jesus' resurrection.
Paul is depicted in an antagonistic manner (pp. 26-28) as a
domineering Jew who becomes Christian (roughly as in Acts 9) and
advises Christians to align themselves with the enemies of the
Jews. He is sent as a prisoner to Constantinople (sic>),
where his magical talents gain him popularity, and adapts
Christianity to Roman customs by abandoning Jesus' practices and
attacking Jewish torah. When Nero discovers Paul's duplicity, he
crucifies him (horizontally).
The original Hebrew Gospel of Jesus' faithful, early followers
becomes lost to Christianity when, because of antagonism from
Judaism and from Romanized Christianity, that group is forced to
flee Jerusalem. Thus the Romanized Christians created their own
gospels (80 in number, but soon reduced to the canonical 4) in
various languages other than Hebrew, and surviving Christianity
is, for the most part, the product of the corrupted form of
Jesus' religion thus transmitted, far removed from the teachings
of the original Hebrew Gospel (pp. 14-19). In a lengthy
historical section, the emperor Constantine and the council of
Nicea also receive a bad press (pp. 28-32), while two passages
depreciating Mani and his followers are translated by Pines in an
excursus (pp. 66-69).
Every bit of fresh light on history is welcome, and Pines'
enthusiastic attention to this new source is greatly appreciated.
Whether the source is as significant for the period of Christian
origins as Pines would like to believe must await its full
publication and systematic examination. The materials covered in
this preliminary presentation could, it seems to this reviewer,
be explained satisfactorily without recourse to any hypothesis of
a direct> continuity from earliest Jewish Christianity;
indeed, as Pines shows (pp. 41-50), many of the characteristic
approaches of his source can be paralleled in medieval Jewish
attitudes that are more sympathetic to Jesus than were the
rabbinic leaders of that time. The source's wide dependence on
canonical traditions (as well as some extracanonical; see
especially pp. 51-65 for both types), and its failure to ascribe
any special place of importance to James the Just (pp. 61 f.) are
especially noteworthy. Whatever its value for Christian origins,
however, the source certainly is highly significant for a better
understanding of the complex situation of Christian and Jewish
relations around the time when Islam arose. Pines is to be
thanked for a provocative presentation, including an excursus
discussing some similar material in the Gospel of Barnabas (pp.
70-73). Unfortunately, the essay has neither table of contents
nor indices to assist the reader.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
9. From JBL> 88 (1969) 363f.
Ju%dische Lehre und Fro%mmigkeit in den Paralipomena
Jeremiae>, by Gerhard Delling. Berlin: To%pelmann, 1967. Pp.
77. DM 24.
For some years, Professor Delling of Halle has been involved in
gathering materials from Jewish postbiblical (OT), pre(non)-
rabbinical literature for the "Corpus Hellenisticum Novi
Testamenti" project (see ZNW>, 54, 1963, pp. 1-15). In
this brief monograph, he turns his attention to a little-known
document from the Jeremiah-Baruch cycle of materials, called
variously "the matters left aside concerning Jeremiah the
prophet" (TA\ PARALEIPO/MENA IEREMI/OU>), or, in the
Ethiopic version, "the rest of the words of Baruch" -- Moderns
have also dubbed it both "3 Baruch" (so M. R. James in 1897), and
later, "4 Baruch" (R. H. Charles and H. M. Hughes in 1913), to
avoid confusion with the newly edited Greek apocalypse of Baruch
(= "3 Baruch"). Although Eastern Christians preserved the
document (in longer and shorter Greek forms, as well as Ethiopic,
Armenian, and Slavonic versions), and to some extent edited it (9
10 ff. usually is considered a Christian addition), it is clearly
based on Jewish materials. The only published critical edition
of the Greek text is that of J. R. Harris (1889); a re-edition is
sorely needed, and is being undertaken in the "Pseudepigrapha
Veteris Testamenti Graece" project under the supervision of A.-M.
Denis and M. de Jonge (see NoveTest>, 6, 1963, pp. 310-19,
and 7, 1965, 319-28).
Delling's primary purpose is to examine the Jewish terminology
and texture of the document. After a brief but incisive overview
of the structure and contents of "par Jer," in which major
parallels from other literature also are noted (pp. 4-17), he
examines various themes and phrases that seem to reflect a
strongly Jewish orientation: the titles given to Jeremiah and/or
Baruch, such as E)KLEKTO\S PAI=S, DOU=LOS, PATH/R,
OI(KONO/MOS> (ch. 2); predications concerning the deity in the
prayers (ch. 3); the accent on Jewish particularism (ch. 4); and
the expectations concerning the future (ch. 5). Delling presents
his conclusions on pp. 68-74, as follows: the document is
clearly Jewish up to 9 9, as is shown by its concern for the
temple and its equipment, the necessity of separation from the
gentiles, and the hope of restoration for the people as well as
resurrection for the righteous. It is a book of edification, to
a large extent, as the frequent prayers suggest. The thought
world of the author is close to that of (later) Pharisaic
Judaism, and has few characteristic contacts with Qumran or with
Jewish apocalyptic. Behind the preserved Greek text of "par Jer"
stands a document written in the Palestinian vernacular; the
Greek translator often produced semitized Greek of a type not
particularly close to "LXX" techniques. Finally, "par Jer"
presents many parallels in language, concept, and approach which
can contribute to a better understanding of NT passages.
Delling's book provides a mine of information, often presented in
lengthy footnotes, on particular words and expressions, and is
enhanced with a brief index of those Greek words "dealt with in
depth" (only 17 are listed, but more might have been; a
concordance of all the words in the document would have made a
very helpful appendix), along with a more extensive index of
passages from nonbiblical Jewish writings. While at certain
points, one might wish to criticize Delling on such matters as
his failure to pay careful and consistent attention to the often
acute textual problems of "par Jer" or on his occasionally
simplistic and/or misleading presentation of LXX and related
evidence, the book is a first-rate contribution to the study of
one of the many faces of Judaism in the hellenistic era. It will
be especially welcome to specialists in so-called
"intertestamental" Judaism (including LXX studies) and in
Christian origins, as well as to philologists in general.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
10. From The Catholic Biblical Quarterly>, Vol. 31, 1969.
Willy Rordorf, Sunday: The History of the Day of Rest and
Worship in the Earlier Centuries of the Christian Church>
(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968). Pp. xvi-336. $8.50
Prof. Rordorf (Neucha^tel) has not felt it necessary to make
"substantial alterations" for this ET of his 1962 German
monograph (based on a 1961 Basel dissertation under O. Cullmann)
beyond correcting a few errors (at least one remains: on p. 211,
n. 1, read "Armenian" for "Aramaic") and addition references to
recent relevant publications in the notes and bibliography (pp.
308-311). The translators of works mentioned by R. (add the
partial ET of Goppelt's Christentum> [= Jesus, Paul and
Judaism>, 1964], on p. 127, n. 3, and the ET of Jaubert,
Ce\ne [The Date of the last Supper>, 1965], on p. 132, n.
1), and adds a "Select Index of Subjects" to the extensive
indexes of the original (references, modern authors). The
translation is readable and adequate, for the most part, although
some unfortunate renderings occur (e.g., p. 83, aus der
Distanz> seems to mean "without direct contact," not "after a
considerable lapse of time"; p.98, n. 2, von den chr. Va%tern
aufgenommen> must mean "by," not "from"; p. 194, hat das zu
geschehen> suggests that "it is to occur," not "it has to
happen"; p. 287, Jeremia-Apokryphon> is not best
represented by "apocryphal oracle of Jeremiah"). In addition to
a few typographical errors, the ET sometimes creates confusion in
noting references from the Apostolic Tradition of
Hippolytus> and related documents (e.g., p. 146, n. 4; p. 175,
n. 2; etc; see Index).
The investigation has a twofold trust: (1) R.'s primary goal is
to examine "objectively" the historical> questions
concerning the origins and development of Sunday observance in
early Christianity to the time of Constantine. After an
introductory chapter on "The Seven-Day Week" in the ancient world
(pp. 7-42), this task is pursued in two main sections: Sabbath
and Sunday as days of rest> (pp. 43-174), and Sunday as a
day of worship> (pp. 175-273), to which is appended a
chapter on "The Names for Sunday and Their Significance" (pp.
274-293). (2) But this goal is pursued also with an eye to
modern theological> relevance concerning the significance
of Sunday for contemporary Christendom (see "Retrospect and
Prospect," pp. 294-307). R. concludes that "Sunday as the day
for worship is nothing less than one of the central elements in
the Christian life" (p. 304), having been "instituted"
(indirectly) when Jesus "instituted" anew the Lord's Supper on
Easter evening (p. 303; see p. 237). Thus from the very
beginning, Sunday replaced Jewish sabbath (Saturday) as a day for
worship> (eucharistic); but it did not come to be
considered a day of rest> among Christians until the time
of Constantine, and contemporary Christendom need not feel
obligated theologically> to maintain Sunday as a rest day
(although for other reasons, this might be acceptable; see pp.
299-301). Early Christians came to understand that the
commandment of sabbath rest> "had been fulfilled and
abolished> in Jesus" (p. 298).
The book is a mine of information, collecting passages,
inferences, and arguments of various sorts as they related in
various ways to the problems discussed. For this reason alone,
it is a significant work. R. is well aware of the difficulties
involved in attempting to interpret the materials; because
precise and unambiguous evidence from the early history of
Christianity is scarce, "we cannot help taking refuge in
conjectures and ex post facto> judgments. Many question
marks must remain.... We shall make no secret of it whenever,
here and there, we venture into the field of pure hypothesis"
(pp. 3-4). Nevertheless, R. feels that "a fairly consistent
picture" emerges from such study, and "the main outlines of this
picture are firmly established" (p. 4). At several key points,
however, R. presents what he claims are relatively firm and
acceptable conclusions, on which he build further, while a close
examination of his evidence and argument reveals that these
conclusions often rest on little more than the shifting sands of
strained hypothesis. He often uses highly questionable methods
and materials to obtain his "fairly consistent picture." The
book abounds with non-historical generalizations and special
pleading about, e.g., what could or could not have occurred in
Judaism (pp. 53, 72, 84, 101, 124, etc.), or what must have been
true for the early (Gentile) church in general (as though there
were a uniform outlook! see pp. 80, 86f., 109, 125f., 219,
etc.). Again and again, we are told that "it could have been"
(pp. 211, 278), "it would not be surprising if" (p. 127), "we may
suppose/assume/infer" (pp. 130, 195, 203, 221), "it is not
impossible that" (p. 252), etc. But what solid> evidence
is available?
R.'s central claim, that "the Gentile Christian churches
originally did not observe the sabbath" (p. 149); see p. 119) has
not a single, solid piece of evidence behind it, but rests on
such argument as the silence of Acts 15 about this issue (see pp.
130, 218, n. 1; on p. 127, R. appeals similarly to the silence of
Stephen to suggest that the Hellenists may have attacked sabbath
observance !), and the vague allusions to calendric observances
in Gal 4,10 Col 2,16, and Rom 14,5 (pp. 130ff.). The fact that
Paul nowhere mentions Sunday in opposing Judaizers is presented
by R. as "most eloquent proof that the observance of Sunday had
been recognized by the entire apostolic Church [!] and had been
adopted by the Palestinian churches" (although previously the
latter observed sabbath "at least outwardly" [p. 119], as
stricter Jewish Christian groups continued to do [p. 128]) -- in
short, Sunday observance is pre-Pauline (pp. 218f.). Thus
references to sabbath observance in Gentile Christian sources
from the late second century and later are taken to indicate the
emergence of a new> practice, not a continuation of the old
(pp. 142, 148).
R. supports this hypothesis also by reference to 1 Cor 16,2 (pp.
193-196) and Acts 20,7-12 (pp. 196, 200), and concludes that
there is "good reason for supposing that in the primitive
community the breaking of bread ... took place weekly on Sunday
evening" -- a practice that "reaches back into the oldest period
... and even to the intention of the risen Lord himself" (p. 237;
see p. 179). Acts 20 must refer to a Sunday evening eucharist
service (not Saturday) because "in no primitive Christian
document is there ever any mention of weekly worship on Saturday
evening" (p. 205) -- Pliny's letter to Trajan is interpreted to
support R.'s hypothesis (pp. 202-204), as is the tradition of an
Easter evening mean-appearance of Jesus (p. 205). But should it
not also be stated that no early document refers clearly to the
sort of Sunday evening> worship envisioned by R. Pliny's
letter neither specifies the particular day as Sunday>, nor
explicitly mentions an evening> service, nor refers clearly
to an evening Eucharist> (despite pp. 107, 202f., 251-270)
! Finally, R. argues that Ap 1, 10 must refer to a weekly Sunday
(not to sabbath, nor eschatological last day, nor Easter) because
other uses of the term kuriakh h(mera> support that
interpretation (pp. 205ff.); but it is only through a very>
arbitrary treatment of Didache> 14,1 Ignatius To
Magnesians> 9,1, and Gospel of Peter> 35 and 50, that
such a generalization can be drawn! From the viewpoint of this
reviewer, such arguments as these hardly reflect satisfactory
historical methodology, and seriously detract from what in many
other respects is a useful work.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
University of Pennsylvania
11. From JBL> 89 (1970) 494.
A New Testament Commentary>, ed. by G. C. D. Howley
with F. F. Bruce and H. L. Ellison. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
(Pickering & Inglis), copyright 1969. pp. 666. $7.95.
Written primarily for "the lay student who wants to be informed
... without a great burden of technical discussion" (jacket),
this is a significant contribution to a "conservative" approach
to scriptures, based on "the historical and orthodox belief in
the authority of Holy Scriptures" (p. 5). Book-by-book commentary
(based on RSV) follows 124 pages of general articles on such
matters as NT text and canon, environment, development of
doctrine, history, and literary issues. Each article or section
has a selected bibliography, but there are no indexes. No attempt
is made to impose uniformity on the contributions of the 25
collaborators (mostly British) -- e.g., Gal 2 is identified with
Acts 11 by F. R. Coad (pp. 447 ff.; see also Howley on pp. 118
f.), but with Acts 15 by E. H. Trenchard (p. 317). Some
noteworthy trends: an emphasis on "authority" of the NT
rather than on its "inspiration" or "infallibility" as such (see
esp. Howley on authority); concession that "the case against the
apostolic authorship [of II Peter] is strong" (D. F. Payne, pp.
599 f.; see also Howley, p. 19, and esp. F. F. Bruce on pp. 127
f., who seems to separate it from I Peter and dates it with the
Johannine letters and Jude to "the later decades of the first
century and beginning of the second"). Otherwise, Paul is
affirmed as author of all 13 NT epistles in his name; Rev is from
a Johannine milieu, if not from the same apostolic hand as the
fourth gospel and the epistles (R. W. Orr opts for apostolic
authorship even of Rev; F. F. Bruce and D. J. Ellis are more
cautious). Although the commentators often attempt harmonism in
dealing with problem passages in the gospels, some important
issues are left open -- e.g., L. E. Porter allows that despite
differences in detail between Luke and Mark, "the truth of the
story of the empty tomb does not depend on our ability to devise
a satisfactory scheme of harmonization, but in the tremendous
effect that the event had" (p. 249); D. J. Ellis leaves open the
question of whether there were one or two temple cleansings (p.
259); the problem of how Judas died is not discussed (Matt 27 3
ff., H. L. Ellison; Acts 1 18 f., Trenchard).
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, 19104.
12. From JBL> 91 (1972) 126-128.
Theophilus of Antioch: Ad Autolycum>, ed. and tr. by
Robert M. Grant. Oxford Early Christian Text. Oxford: Clarendon,
1970. Pp. xxix + 153. $6.50.
A quarter of a century has passed since Professor Robert M.
Grant's doctoral dissertation entitled "Studies in Theophilus of
Antioch" was accepted at Harvard (1944). In the meantime, he has
produced numerous books and articles touching directly or
indirectly on various aspects of this subject. Thus it is
especially gratifying now at long last to have Grant's own
edition and English translation of Theophilus available in this
new and promising series of early Christian texts under the
general editorship of Prof. Henry Chadwick.
In his brief treatment of introductory matters, Grant summarizes
what is known of the life and work of Theophilus, emphasizing the
close relation of Theophilus to hellenistic Judaism. The problem
of what sources were employed by Theophilus has been of special
interest to Grant over the years and receives special attention
in the introduction: e.g., in addition to Christian scriptures
and catechetical materials, Grant speaks of Jewish sources
(history, scripture, and exegesis) and of handbooks of quotations
from ancient poets (as well as a direct knowledge of Homer and
Hesiod). Grant concludes that Theophilus' exegetical methods ...
like his thought in general reflect a confluence of Greek and
Jewish ideas on a common ground of Hellenistic Judaism and
Christianity" (p. xv). His theology is radically monotheistic;
he speaks of Logos and calls himself "Christian," but never
mentions Jesus Christ by name. "In almost every respect his
apology is a defense of Hellenistic Judaism as well as of Jewish
Christianity" (p. xviii).
In his discussion of the text and editions of the three books to
Autolycus (pp. xix-xxiii, with additional bibliography on pp.
xxvii-xxviii), Grant explains how difficult the textual situation
is because of the paucity of witnesses. Only one primary source
for the text exists -- the eleventh century Venice MS Marcianus
gr. 496 (two later copies of this text are also preserved). Thus
conjectural emendations by various earlier editors are frequently
accepted, along with a number of Grant's own emendations. Grant
has made extensive adjustments in the chronological summaries
given by Theophilus (especially in 3.20 and 3.27) in order to
bring them into closer agreement with other ancient chronological
schemes (a convenient summary of the chronological material is
supplied on pp. xxiii-xxv).
The translation is a very readable rendering of the critical
Greek text and is printed on the odd numbered pages, facing the
respective portions of the Greek text. In a few passages,
Grant's translation leaves the printed Greek text in favor of one
of the variants noted in the apparatus -- e.g., 2.1 n. 1 Greek
"Our"/translation "my"; 2.8 n. 2 Greek "and"/translation "while
still others"; 2.28 n. 3 Greek "his wife"/translation "woman";
2.38 n. 4 Greek "they were constrained to say"/translation "all
of them said."
The divisions of the text follow those of earlier standard
editions (Ott) or translations (Dods in Ante-Nicene Fathers); it
is a pity that Grant did not introduce verse subdivisions for
each chapter so as to simplify the task of locating passages (in
his cross references, Grant occasionally refers to the book,
chapter, and line of his edition -- see, e.g., the notes on pp.
80, 104, 116, 128). In addition to the critical apparatus for
the Greek text, Grant has provided beneath the translation
sporadic notes on the meaning of the material, its relationship
to other traditions, noteworthy bibliography on the passage, and
the like.
The volume concludes with indexes of biblical quotations and
allusions as well as of non-biblical sources and parallels.
Typographical errors are infrequent throughout the book, which is
a convenient and welcome tool for students of early Christian
literature and thought.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104
13. From The Classical World> February 1975.
Edouard des Places. S. J.> (ed. tr.). Oracles
Chaldaiques. Avec un choix de commentaires anciens. (Collection
des Universite/s de France publie/e sous le patronage de
l'Association Guillaume Bude/.) Paris: Socie/te/ d'Edition "Les
Belles Lettres," 1971. Pp. 253 (66-121, 162-186, 189-195, 198-
201, 206-212, 214-224: double). F 40 (paper).
The "Chaldrean Oracles" apparently were published in the latter
part of the second century of the common era and became very
popular among neo-Platonic and Christian authors from the late
third century onward. No complete copy of the oracles is known
to modern scholarship, but numerous quotations and allusions have
been recovered from the works of Porphyry, Iamblichus, Arnobius,
Marius Victorinus, Synesius, Proclus, and, much later, Michael
Psellus (d. 1082). The oracles purport to be revelations given
by the gods, particularly Apollo and Hecate-Psyche, in Greek
hexameter. The preserved fragments reflect a variety of
"philosophical-theurgic" concerns such as distinctions and
relationships in the godhead (primordial fire = ineffable fire
effulges his Source of Ideas which in turn generates Nous-
Demiurge, etc.) and among angelic-demonic beings, the nature of
the cosmos, the human predicament and means of "salvation." The
oracles are not nurtured in Jewish and Christian settings, A.D.
Nock once described the Chaldean fragments as "a collection of
abstruse utterances in verse" and elsewhere observed that "it is
very hard to be sure of the meaning of anything in the
Oracula>" (collected writings ed. Z. Stewart, pp. 950 and
446 n. 6).
A new edition of the fragments and related materials has long
been awaited. Kroll's 1894 edition (reprinted by Olms:
Hildesheim 1972) has served well, but many additional fragments
have since come to light and better text editions of some of the
sources of the fragments are now available. In des Places' new
edition, more than thirty new items not found in Kroll are
included among the total of 226 fragments (186 fragments of
oracles, plus 24 entries on "Chaldean vocabulary," plus 16
"doubtful fragments"). Careful cross-references to Kroll's
edition are included, along with indices of Greek words and of
the primary sources which preserve the fragments.
In addition to the fragments proper (accompanied by French
translations on facing pages), this new edition contains a brief
introduction that mentions the background and outlook of the
oracles (pp. 7-18) and their influence on later writers (pp. 18-
52), as well as the expected introduction to the text and
translation (with bibliography). The last part of the volume
also contains a lengthy appendix containing texts-translations
(often based on new collations of manuscripts) for materials from
Psellus and others which illuminate the conceptual world of the
oracles. There is a lengthy, separate section of "added notes"
to the fragments (pp. 123-52) and two pages of such notes to the
appendix. The placing of these notes at such a distance from the
texts to which they relate may prove somewhat of an inconvenience
for the reader (there are also notes of a similar nature on the
pages where text-translation appears).
On the whole, des Places has produced an extremely useful tool.
This claims to be the first full translation in French. An
idiosyncratic English rendering appeared in 1908, by G. R. S.
Mead; a more careful treatment in English is found in Hans Lewy's
posthumous volume entitle Chaldean Oracles and Theurgy:
Mysticism, Magic and Platonism in the Later Roman Empire>
(1956), where translations of particular oracles appear at
appropriate places throughout the unindexed work. Would that
the English speaking world had a "Loeb-style" edition like the
one des Places has produced! Although details of the new edition
will doubtless be open to various criticisms, the total effect of
des Places' work is to provide a long step forward in the study
of this difficult and fascinating material from Greco-Roman
antiquity. The primary editor, his appointed pre-publication
review-critics (P. Thillet and J. Trouillard), and the entire
Bude/-edition organization are to be thanked and congratulated
for this contribution to the advance of scholarship.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
University of Pennsylvania
14. This review is from Journal of Theological Studies> ns
26.1 (April 1975) 184-187.
La Bible et les Pe\res: Colloque de Strasbourg (1\er/-3
octobre 1969).> Pp. 280. (Bibliothe\que des Centres d'E/tudes
Supe/rieures Spe/cialise/s.) Paris: Presses Universitaires de
France, 1971. F. 50.
This collection of essays represents thirteen papers delivered at
the conference on 'The Bible and the Fathers' held on 1-3 October
at Strasbourg, sponsored by the Centre de Recherche d'Histoire
des Religions of the University of Strasbourg. The papers are
printed in the order in which they were originally delivered, and
no attempt is made to summarize the discussion which each
engendered. The brief preface by A. Benoit and P. Prigent
attempts to put the collection into proper historical and
conceptual perspective (pp. 7-8). Most of the essays are in
French, but two are in German (nos. 4 and 10) and one and a half
are in English (nos. 9b and 13). Unfortunately, the volume
contains no indices and only a brief table of contents supplying
the name of the author(s) and the title of each contribution; it
would have been helpful if the sub-headings found in the various
essays also could have been supplied in the table of contents.
The Strasbourg Colloqium addressed itself to two main themes:
The Bible in the Fathers> -- that is, what biblical text is
used by a particular patristic author, and how does this datum
contribute to the history or criticism of a biblical text or
version as well as to a literary appreciation of the patristic
work(s) investigated? The Fathers' use of biblical texts and
ideas> -- that is, how is the biblical text interpreted and
used in the development of Christian doctrine and thought in the
period under consideration? The essays thus tend to focus on
such matters as textual criticism (biblical and patristic) and
the history of biblical canon, as well as on Christian
literature, exegesis, and thought in relation to the biblical
materials.
The particular essays do not always fall into neat categories.
Three focus especially on biblical textual criticism proper:
No. 4. "Bibelzitate bei Kirchenva%tern: Beobachtungen
beider Herausgabe der Vetus Latina>>", by H. J. Frede, a
description of procedures used in gathering material for the
Beuron edition of the "Old Latin" Bible.
No. 9. "Les citations grecques et la critique de text
de Nouveau Testament: la passe/, le pre/sent et l'avenir>",
with a description by J. Duplacy of past work in the field and
future prospects, surrounding a report (in English) by M. J.
Suggs on the collecting and use of patristic evidence for the
International Greek New Testament Project.
No. 13. "The Syriac New Testament in early patristic
Tradition", by M. Black, which examines quotations from
especially Aphraates, Ephraem, and the Liber Graduum>
relating to a pre-Peshitta Syriac New Testament text type.
Two other essays grapple with aspects of the general problem of
the authority and/or inspiration of the scriptural text
(including its interpretation) as viewed by particular fathers:
No. 2. "Euse\be, la Septante et 'les autre'>," by D.
Barthe/lemy, which argues that Eusebius found a way to accept
both the (sometimes obscure) "LXX" translations and the (more
faithful, in relation to the available Hebrew text) later work of
Aquila, Theodotion, Symmachus, and the "Quinta" -- a theological
synthesis of significance in both textual and exegetical matters!
No. 3. "Relativite/ et transcendance du text biblique
d'apre\s Jean Chrysostome>", by J.-M. Leroux -- for Chrysostom,
scripture originated from God as a means by which man may reach
God and be guided to contemplation despite the imperfections of
human reasoning.
Two essays deal with the question of "testimonia>"
collections in particular partristic texts:
No. 7. "Les citations bibliques du traite/ athanasien
Sur l'Incarnation du Verbe et les Testimonia>", by C.
Kannengiesser, which focuses on anti-Jewish testimonia in
sections 33-40 of the tractate as well as discussing more broadly
how biblical material is cited throughout the work.
No. 11. "L'hypothe\se des Testimonia> a\
l'e/peuve des Stromates: Remarques sur les citations de l'Ancien
Testament chez Cle/ment d'Alexandrie>", by A. Me/hat, with
emphasis on Clement's frequently untraditional use of scripture
and his wide dependence on secondary sources (including
"testimonia>" collections) for scriptural citations.
For the most part, however, the majority of the essays can most
conveniently be categorized into two types -- (1) those which
focus on a biblical figure or passage or portion:
No. 1. "Dossier patristique sur Jean, XIX, 23-24: la
tunique sans coutre du Christ>", by M. Aubineau, in which the
imagery of church unity and the unity of Christ's two natures is
explored in patristic use of the text.
No. 5. "La figure de Jonas dans les textes
pre/constantiniens ou l'historie de l'exe'ge\se au secours de
l'iconographie>", by J. Allenbach, which includes analysis of
pictorial representations as well as literary citations and
allusions.
No. 8. "Le "Juste" de/fie/ par les impies (Sap. 2, 12-
21) dans la tradition patristique africaine>", by A.-M. La
Bonnardie\re, dealing with Augustine and his African predecessors
and successors as well as with liturgical use of the passage.
No. 10. "Zitate aus den katholischen Briefen bei den
koptischen Kirchenva%tern>", by K. Schu%ssler, with primary
focus on fourth and fifth-century figures such as Pachomius,
Theodore, Shenoute, and Besa.
No. 12. "Y a-t-il une influence du "grec biblique" sur
la langue spirituelle des chre/tiens? Exemples tire/s du psaume
118 et de ses commentateurs, d'Orige\ne a\ The/odoret>", by M.
Harl, a probe into how Greek scriptural language affected
patristic commentators in the third to fifth centuries.
(2) those which focus on a particular patristic work or author
(or group of authors):
No. 2. Eusebius (see above).
No. 3. John Chrysostom (see above).
No. 6. "La Bible et les Pe\res du de/sert d'apre\s les
deux collections arme/niennes des Apophthegmes>," by L. Leloir,
dealing with biblical influences and citations in Armenian
collections of sayings of the desert fathers.
No. 7. Athanasius, De incarnatione> (see above).
No. 10. Coptic Fathers (see above).
No. 11. Clement, Stromateis> (see above).
The various essays are, of course, sometimes open to criticisms
of various sorts from specialists in the particular subjects
treated. But the high quality of scholarship represented, plus
the wide variety of subject matter and approach make this an
interesting and valuable contribution to the subject(s) to which
the volume addresses itself.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
15. From JAAR> September 1975
Eupolemus: A Study of Judaeo-Greek Literature>
(Monographs of the Hebrew Union College, no. 3). By Ben Zion
Wacholder. New York: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion, 1974. xi+332 pages. $15.00. ISBN 0-87820-401-6.
The author neatly summarizes his work in the Preface (pp. x-xi).
"This work is the first book length study of the surviving Greek
fragments of Eupolemus, including an analysis of the man and his
time. ... In this study, ... Eupolemus' history of the Jews from
Moses to 158 B.C. ["a continuance of the traditions of the Books
of Kings and Chronicles"] serves as a springboard to explore the
nature of a Graeco-Judaen literature that flourished in Palestine
from the 2nd century B.C.E. to ... about A.D. 93.
"Ch. 1 traces Eupolemus' somewhat blemished priestly ancestry,
the tradition of diplomatic service [he "brought back a promise
from the Roman Empire to aid Judah Maccabee ... against the
Seleucid rulers"], and the works attributed to [him]. Ch. 2
examines the evidence that the passages ascribed to Eupolemus are
in fact his writings [translations of five fragments considered
authentic, and two from a "pseudo-Eupolemus," are provided in the
appendices]. ... The next two chs. analyze the Hellenized image
of Moses and the date of the exodus from Egypt found in
Eupolemus' fragments. ... Chs. 5-9 present a commentary on
Eupolemus' account of Solomon's Temple. The concluding two chs.
describe Eupolemus' sources and style and the emergence of the
Graeco-Judaen literature." Indices are provided for ancient
passages, subjects, and modern authors.
Over and above the information about Eupolemus and his work,
Wacholder's monograph is especially valuable for the suggestions
it makes about (1) the range of attitudes towards
"Hellenization" at the time of the Maccabean rebellion, even
among the Jerusalem priesthood, and (2) the extent of Greek-
language literary activity, with its own characteristic outlook,
in Palestine (especially among Jerusalem priests), from about 200
B.C.E. to 100 C.E. (chap. 11). While Wacholder sometimes seems
to overstate his case, and occasionally neglects pertinent data
(e.g., Bathe/lemy's reconstuction of a Palestian "KAIGE" school
of translation into Greek), his warning against Alexandrian
domination in the question of Greek-Jewish literature and thought
is very well taken. This volume is rich in detail and in its
general implications, and deserves careful attention from all
serious students of Judaism in the Hellenistic era.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
University of Pennsylvania
16. From JBL> 95 (1976) 684f.
Gospel Message and Hellenistic Culture>, by Jean
Danie/lou, tr., ed. with a Postscript by John Austin Baker. A
History of Early Christian Doctrine before the Council of Nicaea,
2. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1973. Pp. x+540. $17.50.
In 1958, the first volume of Jean Danie/lou's projected "History
of Early Christian Doctrine before the Council of Nicaea"
appeared and soon became available to English readers in a
slightly revised form (The Theology of Jewish
Christianity>, tr. by J. A. Baker [1964]). That volumes was
widely reviewed and discussed in the English-speaking world as
well as on the Continent -- for a partial assessment of its
impacts see the articles which are dedicated to Danie/lou in
RSR> 60/1-2 (1972).
Now vol. 2, which originally appeared in French in 1961, has been
made available in English translation by J. A. Baker. The
English edition makes no claim (except in a very general way on
the rear dust jacket!) to contain revisions by the author, but
the English introduction is significantly different from the
French and the bibliography (pp. 5-7-13) has been reorganized and
considerably expanded (including a few items published after
1961). I have not attempted to evaluate systematically the
accuracy of the English translation, but spot checks here and
there indicate that it tends to be more loose than literal.
Danie/lou's 1961 "Conclusion" (p. 460) has been incorporated into
the expanded English "Introduction" (pp. 1-3), and Baker has
added his own brief English "Postscript: The Permanent
Significance of the Fathers of the Second and Third Centuries"
(pp. 501-6), which I found to be superfluous and even a bit
offensive for its traditionalist-ecclesiastical apologetic
thrust. (Strangely, Danie/lou's 1961 references to the work of
H. E. W. Turner, The Pattern of Christian Truth> [London:
Mowbray, 1954], have disappeared in the English version.) A
helpful new general index complements the 1961 index of ancient
passages to enhance the usefulness of this publication.
Although a few major reviews of the 1961 French original appeared
in English -- notably by Marcel Simon in JTS> 13 (1962)
416-19 and by J. H. Waszink in VC> 20 (1966) 116-18 -- the
1973 English translation has received little notice thus far in
the reviewing periodicals. This is unfortunate since a general
ignorance of the material treated in this volume seems to plague
many students of Christian history (especially in America),
whether they operate from the perspective of the NT and Christian
origins, or from that of patristic studies. Danie/lou focuses on
the thought worlds of Justin and the apologists, Irenaeus,
Clement and Origen of Alexandria. He "deals with three main
topics: the presentation of the Christian message to the
Hellenistic world; the statement of the faith in the catechetical
literature and in the exegesis of Scripture; and the use of
philosophical thought and Judaeo-Christian apocalyptic ideas to
construct, in the great systems of Clement and Origen, a more
profound presentation of the faith" (p. 1). He does not attempt
a systematic exposition of every aspect of Christian thought and
practice in this literature -- "it has not been possible to deal,
for example, with the theology of the Church and sacraments, or
with Christian spirituality" (p. 3). Heterodox tendencies in
this period also receive only passing notice. Furthermore, the
world of the Latin authors of the same period has been reserved
for presentation in a planned third and final volume of the
series -- which, unfortunately, has not yet appeared. (I do knot
know whether Danie/lou completed, in some manageable form, that
volume prior to his untimely death in May 1974.) What Danie/lou
does do, quite skillfully, in the volume under review is to
sketch in some detail the developments, adjustments, reactions,
appropriations -- in short, the overall impact felt when
basically less-Hellenized Jewish forms of early Christian thought
came into closer contact with a more pervasive (less "Jewish")
Hellenistic Greek climate. There are discussions of Christian
attitudes to "pagan" wisdom and culture -- to Homer, Plato,
Aristotle, etc. (part 1: "Preparation for the Gospel");
tradition, catechesis, and scriptural exegesis are treated in
parts 2 and 3 ("Expounding the Faith" and "The Proof of the
Gospel"). A section on "Theological Problems" (part 4) --
focusing especially on God, the Word, anthropology, and
demonology -- is capped off with a concluding and timely (in
relation to contemporary interests in "gnosis/gnosticism")
discussion of "Christian Gnosis" according to Clement and Origen
(part 5). The student who was stimulated by Danie/lou's daring
probes into a so-called Judeo-Christian theology in vol. 1 of
this series will be pleased to find that such themes as
apocalyptic thought, demonology, esoteric lore, and ancient
scriptural exegesis, so prominent in the earlier volume, also
receive a great deal of attention in vol. 2, along with the more
strictly philosophical and theological themes.
It is inevitable that various criticism could be leveled from
various perspectives at a book of this scope and nature, but
apart from such questions of detail and specific judgments, the
overall learning and enthusiasm that pervades Danie/lou's work
have produced an extremely valuable guide to the study of early
Christianity -- a book that deserves repeated attention and
offers its users rich rewards.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104
17. From Interpretation> January 1977.
The Use of the Old and New Testaments in Clement of
Rome>, by Donald A. Hagner. Supplements to Novum
Testamentum>, 34; E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1973. 393 pp. 88
guilders.
The Setting of Second Clement in Early Christianity>, by
Karl Paul Donfried. Supplements to Novum Testamentum>, 38;
E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1974. 240 pp. 58 guilders.
Hagner's virtually unrevised> 1969 Manchester dissertation
and Donfried's "substantially revised" 1968 Heidelberg
dissertation share an interest in the uses of Jewish and
Christian sources by the two early Christian writings attributed
to Clement of Rome (see Donfried, Chap. 2, "Quotations from
Authoritative Sources"). Both studies are carefully researched
and readably presented, with appropriate indices and
bibliographies.
In a number of ways, however, the monographs are quite
dissimilar. Hagner focuses almost exclusively on somewhat
traditional questions of how the scriptural quotations and
allusions in First Clement related to discussions of text, canon,
and scriptural interpretation (briefly) in early Christianity.
Donfried is more interested in questions of the structure and
intent/content of Second Clement, which he describes as a
"hortatory discourse" delivered at the end of the first century
by those presbyters at Corinth who had been reinstated partly as
a result of First Clement's intervention. He finds in Second
Clement a threefold structure consisting of a foundational
theological section which builds on a "hymnic confession" used in
the community (1:1 -- 2:7), followed by ethical paraenesis (3:1 -
- 14:5) and an eschatological application (15:1 -- 18:2). In the
course of his study, Donfried produces a lucid chapter by chapter
commentary on Second Clement.
Hagner wrestles with the question of textual variation between
the scriptural quotations/allusions in First Clement and
preserved texts of Old Testament and New Testament literature.
His relatively brief (pp. 21-132) treatment of Old Testament
("LXX") material is especially weak since he fails to incorporate
recent insights regarding manuscript family groupings within the
Greek tradition. Regarding New Testament materials, Hagner
concludes that the author of First Clement probably derived his
two sets of sayings attributed to Jesus from oral tradition, but
knew most of Paul's letters (probably already collected in a
single codex and perhaps including the pastorals), Hebrews, Acts,
First Peter, James, and possibly the three Synoptic Gospels as
well. Hagner also attempts to relate the evidence from First
Clement to the broader picture of canonical (etc.) developments
reflected in other apostolic fathers. From the perspective of
this reviewed, his results are seriously compromised by the
primarily literary-canonical orientation of his investigation. In
almost every instance, apart from the sayings of Jesus,
deviations of quotations/allusions from extant canonical wording
are explained as "quotations from memory," which seem to mean
(imprecise) memory of the canonical texts that have come down to
us. To me, this simply hides (or postpones) a whole range of
questions pertaining to what it was really like to be a
remembering Christian author around the year A.D. 95-96. What is
being "remembered" in such quotations/allusions? The presence of
secondary "scriptural" formulations in the liturgical and
paedagogical (not to mention private) life of early Christians
provides as likely (or perhaps, more likely) a focus for memory
as does an actual scriptural text. The living "environmental
setting" of First Clement (along the lines pursued by Donfried
for Second Clement) would seem to deserve more attention than
Hanger has provided in this otherwise instructive and detailed
analysis.
ROBERT A. KRAFT
University of Pennsylvania
18. COLLECTED ESSAYS
One recurring problem in reviewing books is what to do about
those works which have no real coherent unity, like
encyclopedias, festschriften, and other such collections of
essays. The problem is even more difficult when each of the
collected essays has already appeared in print previously.
Nevertheless, it is often helpful to know that certain essays are
available in such collections. It is with this in mind that the
following descriptive notices have been prepared. They are
intended to provide a simple listing of the relevant contents of
each volume, with a certain amount of background as available.
This is presented as an experiment, which does not preclude the
assignment for critical review of other similar works, where that
seems justified.
R.A.K., J. R.
18.1 Exe/ge\se et The/ologie>, vol. 3, by Pierre Benoit.
Paris: E/ditions du Cerf, 1968. Pp. viii + 446 (including indexes
of biblical passages and modern authors). F 38 (paper).
Vols. 1 and 2 were reviewed by E. O'Doherty in JB>>, 80
(1961), pp. 300 f. This third volume contains 22 articles and
reviews in French, published between 1956 and 1966 in various
periodicals, festschriften, congress volumes, and the like. Some
of them are readily accessible to the general scholarly public
(in NTStud, CBQ, RB, Biblica>; and in the Cullmann,
Jeremias, and Schmid festschriften), while others are more
difficult to find. Two were originally published in Latin, and
are here presented in French for the first time.
After an opening essay on "Exegesis and Biblical Theology," the
materials are subdivided into four sections as follows: (1)
SCRIPTURAL INSPIRATION AND HERMENEUTICS, with five essays
including one on "The Inspiration of the Septuagint according to
the Fathers": (2) GOSPEL (eight essays) -- reviews of X. Le/on-
Dufour's 1963 book, Les E/vangiles et l'histoire de
Je/sus>, and of Paul Winter's 1961 work, On the Trial of
Jesus>, and articles on the birth of John Baptist in Luke 1,
the annunciation (Luke 1 26-38), the sword saying in Luke 2 35,
the pericope of the plucking of the grain in Matt 12 1-8 par.,
the taunts that Jesus prophesy in Mark 14 65 par., and Mary
Magdalene and the disciples at the tomb according to John 20 1-
18; (3) PAUL (four essays) -- Paul's second visit to Jerusalem,
a comparison of Pauline and Johannine outlooks, the literary
relationships between Colassians and Ephesians, and the unity of
the church according to Ephesians; (4) JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY
(four essays) -- a review of Gregory Baum's 1961 book, The
Jews and the Gospel>, and articles on Qumran and the NT, the
precise significance of Israel in the history of salvation, and
the church and Israel.
18.2 Des sources de l'Evangile a\ la formation de la
the/ologie chre/tienne>, by Oscar Cullmann. Bibliothe\que
The/ologique. Neucha^tal: Delachaux et Niestle/, 1969. Pp. 188
(including indexes of biblical passages and modern authors). F 20
(paper). )
This collection consists of eight essays in French, with two
meditations from the SNTS meetings of 1964 and 1965 appended (on
I Cor 1 10-13 and I Thess 5 19-21). All of these essays have
appeared elsewhere in one form or another (the book does not
provide any indication of such publication details): "The
Significance of the Qumran Texts for Research into the Beginnings
of Christianity" (first in English in JBL>, 74 [1955], pp.
213-26; reprinted in K. Stendahl (ed.), The Scrolls and the
NT> [1957], pp. 18-32); "Opposition to the Jerusalem Temple --
a Motif Common to Johannine Theology and to its Environment"
(French original in NTStud>, 5 [1959], pp. 157-73; see
ExpTimes>, 71 [1959], pp. 8-11 and 39-42); "Samaria and the
Origins of the Christian Mission, -- who are the alloi> of
John 4 38?" (first appeared in the 1953-54 annual of the E/cole
Pratique des Hautes E/tudes; Eng. tr. in The Early Church>
[1956]; "The Eschatological Character of Paul's Missionary
Activity and of his Apostolic Consciousness -- a Study of the
katexon -wn> of II Thess 2 6-7?" (first appeared in
Revue HPR>, 16 [1936], pp. 210-45); "Eiden kai
episteusen> -- the Life of Jesus, object of 'sight' and of
'faith' according to the fourth gospel" (first appeared in the
Goguel festschrift [1950], pp. 52-610; The Proleptic Deliverance
of the Body according to the NT" (first appeared in the Barth
festschrift [1946], pp. 31-40; Eng. tr. in The Early
Church>); "Infant Baptism and the Biblical Doctrine of Baptism"
(this has appeared as a separate French publication; see also the
separate treatises in German [1948] and in English [1950] = SBT
1); "Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?"
(appeared in French and in English in 1956 = VigChr> 10 and
Harv Div School Bulletin; also has been published separately in
both languages). Essays 1, 3, 4, and 6 in this list appear in
the German edition of Cullmann's collected essays, reviewed in
JBL>, 86 (1967), pp. 488 f.
18.3 Zur Theologie des Neuen Testaments und zur Dogmatik:
Kleine Schriften>, by Adolf Schlatter, with introduction by
Ulrich Luck. Theologische Bu%cherei, 41. Munich: Kaiser, 1969.
Pp. 272 (no indexes). DM 17.50 (paper).
A collection of six essays, five of which were originally
published between 1897-1909, and the sixth in 1931. For the most
part, the essays tend to be more theologically than exegetically
or historically oriented. They are preceded by Luck's treatment
of the life and work of Schlatter. Subjects include: Christian
worship (Dienst>) in older dogmatics; a further word about
Christian worship (DienstNew Testament Questions of Today>, by Ernst
Ka%semann, tr. by W. J. Montague. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1969.
Pp. xiii + 305. $6.95.
The second volume of Ka%semann's collected essays in German
(1964) was hailed as "a major contribution to contemporary NT
scholarship" by Norman Perrin's review in , 84 (1965),
pp. 462f. Only two items in that volume are omitted in this
translation: a review article (, 86 [1961]) on
problems in interpreting Ephesians, focused on Schlier's
commentary, and an essay on the interpretation of John in English
literature, which it would be somewhat superfluous to translate.
Included are the 1957 essay which gives the volume its title; an
original for the 1964 Gesammelte Aufsa%tze> on blind alleys
in historical-Jesus research; significant discussions on
"sentences of 'holy law'" in the NT, the prologue to John, "God's
righteousness" in Paul, Rom 12, Rom 13, and I Cor 9 14-18
(amor fati); presentations which turned scholarship in
new directions, on the beginnings of Christian theology in
apocalyptic (two treatments also included, by a different
translator, in JThC> 6 [1969]), Paul and "early
Catholicism" (, 3 [1967], called in "nascent
Catholicism"), and Ka%semann's address to Faith and Order at
Montreal on "Unity and Multiplicity in the NT Doctrine of the
Church," the Catholic counterpart to which, by Raymond Brown,
can be consulted in the latter's New Testament Essays>
(1965). Two "kirchliche Reden," on scriptural interpretation and
"theologians and laity," and a radio talk on Paul and Israel
round out a varied and stimulating collection.
18.5 Me/langes Bibliques en hommage au R. P. Be/da
Rigaux>, ed. Albert Descamps and Andre/ de Halleux. Gemblous,
Belgium: Buculot, 1969. Pp. xxviii + 618 + 1 photo (with index of
ancient and modern authors/sources). FB 700.
After a biographical sketch (by Descamps) and bibliography of the
work of Rigaux, some 35 hitherto unpublished articles on various
biblically related subjects appear in French, English, German,
Italian, and Spanish: General>, -- Jesus and the
Spirit (G. R. Beasley-Murray); significance of "hand" in the NT
(K. Grayston); parallelismus membrorum in NT (O.
Linton); lectionaries and the Greek NT (J. Duplacy); biblical
inspiration in Spanish biblical theology of the 19th cent. (L.
Arnaldich).
Articles on specific books, passages, or biblical
problems>. -- Matthew as teacher (P. Bonnard); the beatitudes
in Matthew and Luke (S. Agourides); Matthean concept of office
(W. Trilling); Matt 19 11-12 and Justin Apol 15 4 (J. Blinzler);
some "Aramaised" words in the gospels (M. Black); Mark 2 15-17
(R. Pesch); Mark 13 34-36 (J. Dupont); the use of kurios> applied to Jesus in Luke (I. de la Potterie);
parallels between Jesus and John "Baptist in Luke 1-2 (A.
George); Luke 2 7 (P. Benoit); Luke 4 16-30 (H. Schu%rmann); Kyje
16 16 (P.-H. Menoud); Luke 17 20-37 (R. Schnackenburg); brotherly
love in the Johannine gospel and epistles (H. Schlier); John 4
10-14 and 7 37-39 (F.-M. Braun); John 5 19-30 (A. Vanhoyte); John
16 8 and 10 (B. Lindars); "speeches" in Acts (C. F. Evans);
midrashic features in speeches of Acts (E. E. Ellis); imitation
of Christ during the last days of Paul (C. Spicq); Pauline
antitheses in Rome 1-8 (A. Feuillet); Rom 8 19-22 (A. Vo%gtle); a
note on the dative in the idea of death "to sin/law/the world"
(C.F.D. Moule); II Cor 11 13 (C. K. Barrett); parenetic
traditions in Eph (J. Gnilka); Phil 3 10 (J. A. Fitzmyer); Co l 2
13c-15 (E. Lohse); I Thess 1 5 and I Cor 2 4-5 (P. Rossano); the
background of Rev 5 (W. C. van Unnik).
//end//