Abstract
Luther’s Epistle of Straw: The Voice of St. James in Reformation Preaching
By Jason D. Lane
Historia Hermeneutica Series Studia, 16. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017. 263 pp. $103.99 (cloth). ISBN 978-3-1105-3499-3.
This work challenges the common consensus that Luther, with his commitment to Paul’s articulation of justification by faith, leaves no room for the letter of James. Against this one-sided reading of Luther, focused only on his criticism of the letter, this book argues that Luther had fruitful interpretations of the epistle that shaped the subsequent exegetical tradition. Singular concentration on Luther’s criticism of James as “an epistle of straw” has caused many to overlook Luther’s sermons on James, the many places where James comes to full expression in Luther’s writings, and the influence that Luther’s biblical interpretation had on later interpretations of James. Based primarily on neglected Lutheran sermons in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this work examines the pastoral hermeneutic of Luther and his theological heirs as they heard the voice of James and communicated that voice to and for the sake of the church.
The Epistle of James: Linguistic Exegesis of an Early Christian Letter
Edited by James D. Dvorak and Zachary K. Dawson
McMaster Linguistic Exegesis of the New Testament, 1. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2019. 348 pp. $40.00. ISBN 978-1-4982-2458-1.
This collection of essays applies to the book of James linguistic methods of analysis that are based on a theoretical framework called Systemic-Functional Linguistics. The volume is unique in that it provides a theoretically consistent and unified approach to a single New Testament book. Each essay makes its own creative use of this linguistic perspective to engage important critical questions and to pave new ground for Jacobean scholarship based on linguistic analysis. Various topics in this volume include the textual structure and cohesion of the letter, intertextuality, rhetorical strategies, ideological struggle, interpersonal relations, and other topics related to the letter’s social context and language use.
Hebrews, James
Edited by Ronald K. Rittgers
Reformation Commentary on Scripture, New Testament, XIII. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017. 300 pp. $60.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-8308-2976-7.
Both the epistle to the Hebrews and the epistle of James generated much discussion and debate during the Reformation period. The author of the former is unknown, and the latter was dismissively labeled as an “epistle of straw” by Martin Luther. Yet both of these letters have proven to be essential for Christians―during the Reformation era and today―who seek to understand the significance of the work of Jesus Christ and what it means to follow him. In this volume, Ronald K. Rittgers guides readers through a diversity of early modern commentary on them. Readers hear from familiar voices as well as lesser-known figures from a variety of theological traditions, including Lutherans, Reformed, Radicals, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics. Drawing on a variety of resources―including commentaries, sermons, treatises, and confessions―much of which appears here for the first time in English, the volume enables readers to better understand the depth and breadth of Reformation commentary.
Poor and Rich in James: A Relevance Theory Approach to James’s Use of the Old Testament
By Nelson R. Morales
Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplement, 20. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns, 2018. 304 pp. $59.95 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-57506-782-7.
The epistle of James was, for years, a forgotten book in academic circles. In recent decades, however, a renewed focus on early Judaism has generated interest in looking at James with new eyes. Poverty and wealth in the epistle continue to be a point of interest. Other topics, however, are still to be explored. One of those topics is the rhetorical study of the use of the Old Testament in the book. The present investigation focuses on how James uses the Old Testament in those passages where he deals with poverty and wealth. In particular, it focuses on how he builds his ethics of poverty and wealth.
Letters from the Pillar Apostles: The Formation of the Catholic Epistles as a Canonical Collection
By Darian R. Lockett
Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 2017. 274 pp. $43.00. ISBN 978-0-2271-7674-0.
Rather than reading the Catholic Epistles in isolation, Darian Lockett contends that a proper understanding of these seven letters must equally attend to their collection and placement within the New Testament canon. Resisting the judgment of much of the historical-critical analysis of the New Testament, namely that the concept of canon obscures the meaning of these texts, it is the canonical process by which the texts were composed, redacted, collected, arranged, and fixed in a final canonical form that constitutes a necessary interpretive context for these seven letters. This study argues that, through reception history and paratextual and compositional evidence, it is possible to discern a “collection consciousness” within the Catholic Epistles; as such, they should be read and interpreted as an intentional, discrete canonical sub-collection of texts within the New Testament. Such “collection consciousness” provides new depths of interpretation.
The Catholic Epistles and Apostolic Tradition: A New Perspective on James to Jude
Edited by Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr and Robert W. Wall
Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018. 546 pp. $49.95. ISBN 978-1-6025-8364-1.
This important collection of essays, first published in 2009 and now available in a reprint edition, addresses two questions: Can the Catholic Epistles from James to Jude be fruitfully examined in relation to each other, without contrasting them with the Pauline Epistles? And, if so, will we learn something new about them and early Christianity? The essayists here answer “yes” and “yes,” offering provocative perspectives on James, the Johannine epistles, the Petrine epistles, and Jude. Jörg Frey, Patrick J. Hartin, John S. Kloppenborg, Matthias Konradt, David R. Nienhuis, and John Painter are among the thirteen contributors.
For Theirs Is the Kingdom: Inclusion and Participation of Children in the Gospel according to Luke
By Amy Lindeman Allen
Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2019. 280 pp. $95.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-9787-0321-6.
Images of Jesus blessing children adorn Sunday schools across the globe. Nevertheless, interpreters typically flatten Jesus’s interaction with children into a handful of scenes, suggesting that children were the exception rather than the rule in Jesus’s ministry. In contrast, historical evidence suggests that Jesus’s first-century world was teeming with children. Re-reading Luke’s Gospel in this light, this volume interrogates the role and presence of children among Jesus’s early followers. Demonstrating a rich presence parallel to the Gospel’s surrounding cultures, it offers a new perspective not only on Luke’s child-centered narratives, but on the account as a whole. By drawing out the acceptance and participation of children in the Kingdom of God, Lindeman Allen places interdependence across generations at the core of Lukan discipleship.
Come and Read: Interpretive Approaches to the Gospel of John
Edited by Alicia D. Myers and Lindsey S. Jodrey
Interpreting Johannine Literature, 1. Lanham, MD: Fortress Academic, 2020. 246 pp. $95.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-9787-0747-4.
This unique volume provides insight into current interpretive practices on the Gospel of John. It takes up three different passages—John 1:1–18, John 10, and John 20—and sets four different approaches to each passage side-by-side. Each section of the book includes readings on the passage under focus from the same four interpretive perspectives: intertextual, sociocultural, rhetorical, and narrative. The book demonstrates how to use the methods effectively, illustrating not only the value of using a variety of approaches for interpretation, but also how methods impact the interpretations rendered.
Bridges in New Testament Interpretation: Interdisciplinary Advances
Edited by Neil Elliott and Werner H. Kelber
Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2018. 330 pp. $110.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-9787-0216-5.
The essays in this volume survey areas of current scholarly discussion in areas of New Testament and Christian origins where cross-disciplinary fertilization has been decisive and describe the role that interdisciplinary “bridges” have played. Topics include the socioeconomic history of Roman Palestine; the historical Jesus in political context; communication media, orality and oral performance, textuality, social memory, and social movements as they contextualize the study of Q and the Gospels; Paul’s letters in the context of Roman imperial culture; and the role of power in shaping our understanding of history, as in “people’s history” and the study of “public” and” hidden transcripts.” Contributors also address the interpreter’s engagement with the social and political concerns of our time.
Breaking Through the Boundaries: Biblical Perspectives on Mission from the Outside In
By Paul Hertig, Young Lee Hertig, Sarita Gallagher Edwards, and Robert L. Gallagher
The American Society of Missiology Series, 59. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2019. 216 pp. $38.00. ISBN 978-1-62698-318-2.
In this innovative work, four experienced missiologists draw upon biblical narratives to highlight key roles played by gentiles—those outside established Jewish/Christian religious tradition—in the service of God’s mission. The biblical sources drawn upon include stories of Abraham, Hagar, Moses and Zipporah, Ruth and Naomi, Mordecai and Esther, Matthew’s magi, and Cornelius and Peter. The authors apply missiological insights gleaned from the biblical accounts to contemporary issues such as global migration crises and interreligious strife. An important contribution to Christian mission theory and praxis for the twenty-first century, the volume is a valuable text for students, churches, and missionary leaders.
Sermons on the Parables
By Howard Thurman; edited with an introduction by David B. Gowler and Kipton E. Jensen
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2018. 208 pp. $25.00. ISBN 978-1-62698-283-3.
Howard Thurman, preacher, educator, poet, theologian and civil rights leader best known for his ethical and cultural criticism, influenced a wide audience, from Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi to young students exploring faith and social responsibility. Among the first preachers to conduct Christian services in a nontraditional way, drawing from such eastern religious faiths as Buddhism and Hinduism, Thurman’s philosophy of interfaith worship and dialogue is reflected in this collection of his essential writings. It reminds us all that out of religious faith emerges social responsibility and the power to transform lives.
God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and its Aftermath
By N. T. Wright
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020. 96 pp. $11.99. ISBN 978-0-3101-2080-3.
What are we supposed to think about the coronavirus crisis? N.T. Wright, one of the world’s foremost New Testament scholars, uses both the Old and New Testaments to help Christians think through their reactions and responses to the pandemic. Offering spiritual guidance during a time of crisis, Wright helps readers reflect on Scripture, prayer, and teachings from Jesus’s life in order to think differently about disaster and how to react to it.