EP Sanders delivers a memorable and convincing book on the subject of traditional Palestinian Judaism and Pauline theology. The major thrust of this book revolves around the idea that Judaism was not a works-righteousness legalistic religion which many 20th century scholars have attempted to prove; Instead, Sanders argues that traditional Judaism is a covenant religion where one maintains his status within the elect group through his piety and obedience.

To bolster and support his argument Sanders relies on textual support from Rabbinical sources, Qumran literature, and several apocryphal texts. Sanders argues that Jews believed their obedience did not earn their salvation but maintained their status within the covenant group. In other words, obedience was the condition and not the cause of salvation. This covenantal nomism as Sanders dubs it makes for an interesting argument and deconstructs the idea that Judaism is a works-righteousness religion.

Although Sanders' treatment of Paul leaves something to be desired, he does devote some serious time to reworking and understanding Paul's beliefs. Sanders sees many similarities between Paul and traditional Judaism, but also many huge differences that separate the two camps. According to Sanders, Paul believes that the only righteousness that matters comes from Jesus. Paul doesn't believe that the law cannot produce righteousness, but that the righteousness it produces isn't adequate. Paul's soteriology is extremely Christocentric and because of this the law has become irrelavant.

Also striking is Sanders' belief that Paul argued for a participatory function in Christ's death and resurrection. Sanders sees more than just an expiatory or forensic meaning in Paul's theological language. Unlike traditional Judaism which believed that righteousness was forensic and legal based on the law, Paul sees the Christians role as one of suffering and participating in Christ's life. The believer is mystically joined with Christ and through this union the believer dies and and will eventually rise with Christ. As Sanders notes the idea of being a member of corporate Israel and being a member of Christ are two starkly different concepts.

Although this books is a bit lengthy and does devote more time and study to Judaism in comparison to Paul, it is still a welcome addition to any library. This book is valuable simply for it's deep study of the Jewish faith and what the Rabbis and early 1st century Jews really believed.

In his thorough, Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977), E. P. Sanders attacked two of the most sacred views of Pauline scholarship. The first was the view that Rabbinic Judaism as a legalistic religion based on works righteousness. Second, was the idea that St. Paul's thinking is Jewish. The power of this book has not diminished after nearly thirty years. It is without doubt the greatest and most important work on the theology of Paul in the latter half of the 20th century. This is compulsory and compulsive reading.

Riesner's work is very helpful in the study of Pauline chronology. There are several reasons to buy this book: 1) his clear survey of chronological constructs by other Pauline scholars, 2) his thorough bibliography, 3) his excellent treatment and background study of numerous events in Paul's early ministry, and 4) the clarity, thoroughness, and balance of his arguments. Riesner sets a new standard with this study, and it is very high. It ought to be utilized by all involved in Pauline studies.

Riesner contends (and rightly so) that the interpreter's view of the chronology of the early church will influence how the interpreter understands the theology of the early church. With this thought in mind, Riesner seeks to define, with as much supporting evidence as possible, the early chronology of the church, which is essentially a chronology of the early ministry of the Apostle Paul.

Riesner begins by surveying contemporary scholarship's contributions (and confusions) over the chronology of Paul's ministry. Two groups in scholarship emerge. One group suggests that Acts is essential to developing a correct chronology of Paul's ministry. Acts is able to do so, since it is essentially accurate in historical details. A second group tries to do with Acts, since Acts (in their view) is essential inaccurate concerning historical details. Riesner points out that nearly everyone depends, at least at some point, upon details in Acts.

Riesner recognizes a problem in the chronologies proposed in the literature he surveys: often one or two 'absolute dates' are given, and the rest of the chronological details follow from those few established dates. In the next section Riesner seeks to go point-by-point through a chronology of the early ministry of Paul, discussion the evidence at each point for particular events in Paul's life and ministry. He is wary not to merely fit a date into a chronological scheme without providing good support for that date independent of other chronological markers (if possible).

Riesner interacts with both conservative and non-conservative literature. The bibliography is massive (80 pages, with approximately 30 sources per page!), and footnotes in the volume indicate that Riesner is, indeed, familiar with the literature. He acknowledges that Acts must be used as an historical source for reaching conclusions concerning a chronology for Paul's ministry. As one example where he isn't afraid to reach a conclusion typically reserved for conservatives, Riesner accepts the South Galatian view for the destination of the letter to the Galatians.

In this review's opinion, Riesner has admirably accomplished his purpose. He has constructed a well-supported chronology of Paul's early ministry. This work is only for the serious student or scholar-it is not light reading! Riesner expects that the student knows Greek and other languages, though the work can be read profitably by English-only students. This work is a must-read for New Testament professors and any seminary students doing work on the chronology of Paul's ministry. Without doubt, this book earns a five-star rating.

Glenn L. Weaver glweaver@mninter.net Adjunct Professor, Central Baptist Theological Seminary

I am a youth pastor in a local church. I have often struggled with the current model we have of the American church. The traditions we hold so dear are so often not based on clear New Testament teachings. I have longed for a church where "one another" passages are lived out, where accountability is strong, where the pastor is not a CEO but a servant, where leaders are biblically chosen and where the Church is not divided on various theological camps. The only place to usually find this, sadly to say, is in cults (where the gospel is not preached in its power or truth).

Banks will offer you hope if you are like me and you are burned out on "church as usual." He will challange you to examine Scripture with fresh insights into house churches in their historical context. He will challange your notion of "Church" in our westernized thinking and will lead you to a biblical and fresh restoration of the true Church of Jesus Christ. We must move away from the Institutionalized church and return to the New Testament pattern that Banks gives in detail in this book.

Robert Banks interpritation of the Apostal Pauls view of the Church is enlightening to the modern reader of the New Testament. Banks presents a contextual historical account of St. Paul's understanding of the Church of his day, which in return spurs the thoughts of the reader to contemplate the state of the Church in this day and age. This is an excelent book for those interested in understanding the historical beginings of the Church as well as what Paul understood the church to be. I recommend this book to all who are contemplating what the Church is called to be in this day and age, by looking at what it originaly was.

If you are looking for a definitive study of the life of Paul, this would be a good place to start. Beth Moore begins by reconstructing what Paul's early life must have been like, based on studies of Jewish life in those times. She then proceeds to the Biblical accounts in Acts which describe his conversion, and subsequent ministry. She then proceeds to the letters Paul wrote to his disciples, such as Timothy. Moore teaches us what a truly inspiring figure Paul is and applies his example of faithfulness into what God would have us aspire to today.

I first became aware of the vibrancy of Beth Moore's teachings at my church's women's group. What an awesome teacher of God's word she is,and this book did not disappoint me. Beth takes a look at the life of Paul, from his birth, conversion from a zealous Jew to a humbled Christian, and the missionary journeys he undertook in Christ's name and brings them to life on these pages. She has a way of pondering aspects of the biblical narratives that really open one's eyes, and gives you a depth and breadth and taste of what life might have been like for the apostle Paul that one normally wouldn't realize, and then encourages and challenges us to live our lives for Christ in similar ways. I did not read this book in one sitting, but read a little every day, and came away delighted to have "tasted" each morsel she offered. I love Beth Moore's devotion to the Lord, and she has inspired me.

Mr. Peterson is so great at modernizing the words of Paul. As a result of reading this book, it would be difficult to misunderstand the truth intended in Paul's letter to the Galatians throughout the centuries. These pages exemplify freedom upon freedom. Truly, I believe Mr. Peterson is one of the best Christian authors of our time.

Peterson develops his devotional commentary around the relevant central theme in Galatians of FREEDOM. Contains simple and powerful insights to aid any who feel pressured to conform to external religious standards in order to find acceptance with God or the religious community. Peterson delivers with conviction and passion. Full of excellent illustrations and applications. An aid both to understanding each passage and flow of this Bible book (notable are his well thought out chapter divisions and contemporary textual paraphrase), but also grasping and applying its central theme. Very readable.

My copy is well worn for my frequent return trips. Buy it! You won't be disappointed.

Once again Tom Wright has demonstrated that he has the most definitive grasp of the New Testament of anyone in Church history. If you read anything on Paul, read this book!!

N. T. Wright is a brilliant scholar and deserves to be read my Christians and skeptics alike. Wright has excellently stood in the middle ground of Christian scholarship--unlike Fundamentalists he does not see the need to take everything in Scripture completely literally and unlike Liberals he does not dismiss (or, as Liberals are fond of doing, "reinterpret") the large portions of the Pauline epistles. Instead Write views these letters as God's word to us, transmitted through the hand of one who was used by God in a mighty way. His scholarship is excellent, he writes extremely well, and he gives excellent responses to Liberal critical "scholars" like A. N. Wilson. Most importantly, Wright shows that it was Jesus Christ, not Paul who was the true founder of Christianity, and Paul faithfully preached the Gospel of Christ. Read this excellent book!

In this book the two authors have gotten together to write some very profound truths and yet they have done so very simply. This book emphasizes the need for Christians to be grounded and balanced in both the scriptures and the Holy Spirit. They also talk about what it will take to get Christians to the next move of God like unity and humility.

Don't be foold by the length of this book. Within its less than 100 pages is some of the most important and weighty issues of the modern and future Christian Chruch. With the convergence of these two great men, a work has been produced that hopefully will open the eyes, hearts, souls, and minds of all who read it, and then encourage their friends to read it as I have. Please read this book. These are not flighty ideas to be brushed aside or swept under a rug but brought to the forefront, examined, meditated on, and then reexamined. Let the message of this book impact you and hopefully, shift your paradigme of what you percieve the future of the Christian chruch to be.

I found Winter's book fresh and insightful. He relies upon archaeology and Roman classical writings to seek meaning throughout the book of 1 Corinthians. He focuses on Corinth as a new Roman colony and seems to reject much of the older studies, which place AD Corinth in a Greek context for the early church. He attempts to understand the book in its first-century social and religious settings (xiii). He suggested that Paul may have provided no apostolic tradition for the problems raised in 1 Corinthians while he was there, except for those in 11:17-34 and 15:3-4.

Winter divided the book into two sections. The first, "The Influence of Secular Ethics," discusses the ethics of the Roman elite. Winter pointed out that first-century AD discipleship, among the upper class, required disciples to be loyal to their teachers but critical of others. He applied this model to 1 Cor. 1-4. The Christians battled for loyalty among their teachers and rejected others. Paul reminded the Christians that God uses leaders in different ways, yet they are all important together.

Winter then discussed Roman law and its condemnation of incest (1 Cor. 5), its corrupt judges, and argumentative lawyers (1 Cor. 6). In both texts Paul tried to avoid shaming the church as well as another Christian. Winter finally discussed the permissiveness and excesses of the Roman elite. These ethics led to immorality (1 Cor. 6:12-20), homosexuality (6:9-12), feasting and excessive eating (10:23), and drunkenness. Paul was concerned about the elite Christians' acceptance of this type of permissiveness due to a belief in the dichotomy of body and spirit. These elite Christians may also have been invoking Jesus as a curse (12:3) and removing toga hoods (veils) as a sign of their new freedom. Secular ethics had affected the new Christian's view of unity, lifestyle, and faithfulness.

The second section, "The Influence of Social Change," covered the issues of marriage and meals. In the section on marriage (1 Cor. 7) Winter discussed the interpretation of "this present crisis" or "distress" (7:26). He overviewed the historical literature concerning the famines in and around Corinth (AD 45-55) and discussed the impact on families. He suggested that the church was concerned about bearing children and forming new families in a city with economically hard times. He also discussed the Roman view of marriage and family as the glory of life. This was compared to Paul's view that a relationship with the Lord was to be the goal of all, regardless of their condition in the world (7:35).

Winter also discussed the presence of the Imperial cult and the Isthmian games, which were both active in Corinth. In some ways they worked together to promote peace and loyalty to the Roman Empire. The Roman elite would have had special invitations, from the procurator of the games, to attend the feast and worship, in order to promote the Isthmian games and Roman rule. The elite Christians had the right to attend and join the celebration, yet Paul's concern was not for their rights but for the spiritual condition of the weak brethren (9:11,15).

Winter has suggested a context that was growing after Paul had left Corinth. There were developments among the upper class Christians which gave them increased pressure to conform to society's standards of materialism, immorality, elitism, and permissiveness. These standards were strong and pressed upon the Christians in their relationships and ethics in the church. Their fear of starvation from famine would have also increased their concerns about family stability, ethics, and values. The presence of the Roman cult and Isthmian games in Corinth also placed pressure upon their ethics and values. First Corinthians, according to Winter, is a letter that addressed issues which developed while Paul was away. Paul did not leave the Corinthians unprepared for these issues. Paul left them with two standards, communion (11:17ff) and the resurrection (15:1-8). While the pressures and standards of society pressed upon the church, Paul guided them in their manifestation of the death and forgiveness of Christ. Winter seems to suggest that Paul's leadership was not about controlling their behavior, but empowering them to apply Christian unity and death to their value system. 1 Corinthians is a letter that guided the early Christians to examine their death and burial with Christ in light of the many social influences that they faced.

I enjoyed this book as it provided insight to a growing area of research which involves social and anthropological studies. I felt that Winters had to stretch his model in the texts concerning veils (11:1-16) and baptism of the dead (15:29-34) but he nevertheless, gives a strong argument for his interpretation. I am surprised that he has not taken into account Rick Oster's work in the veil area of 1 Cor. 11:1-16. I would like to see his discussion of this issue with Oster's model in a more detailed manner. In spite of this I am amazed that he was able to bring the large amount of research to the text and present his points in a clear and concise manner. All this in three-hundred pages!

I would recommend this book for graduate studies in 1 Corinthians, ministers seeking an application from Corinthians, and anyone working in the social science area of New Testament studies. This also is a valuable resource to ministry issues that churches face when confronted with cultural and moral issues. Winter's book can be a great contribution to the Stone-Campbell movement with its emphasis on context and cultural application. It provides us with fresh insight to a culture that we have neglected for so many years. Greek Corinth was not the context of the Corinthian church. Roman Corinth brought immorality but also a struggle for power among the elite and the spiritual leaders of the church.

In his first book "An American Bible", Dr. Paul Gutjahr examines the effects of the changing nineteenth century print marketplace on the "good book." With ample references, both period and contemporary, and many helpful illustrations, "Bible" tracks American Bible production from 1777 until 1880 with an eye toward material conditions (price, binding, production and distribution, use/absence of illustrations and commentary, and forms of presentation). He also considers the effect of such conditions (as well as doctrinal, philological, and apologetic controversies) on the Bible's visibility, authority and popularity in America. Highly readable and informative for readers interested in religion, literacy, or popular culture.

Written by true men of God, this book not only dispels myths concerning its subject matter but also proclaims, through Scripture and modern day accounts, the unique power and authority bestowed upon us to the Glory of our Precious Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. If you are a true child of God, I highly recommend the purchase of this book...it's all very real...and you may be "astounded". Praise God!