Abstract
This volume brings together thirteen essays that emerged from a series of conferences held at Acadia Divinity College and Mid western Baptist Theological Seminary, concerned with the early Jewish and Christian communities of faith. The essays proceed in two sections, moving from the ways these communities understood and defined themselves to how they interpreted Scripture.
The first section begins with John J. Collins's instructive analysis of the literature and archaeology of Qumran, which challenges long-held traditional assumptions still held by world-class Dead Sea Scrolls scholars (pp. 9–22). Collins shows skepticism towards the idea that the Community Rule was written for a community at Qumran, or that the yahad originated from a clash between the Wicked Priest and the Teacher of Righteousness. His main thesis that Qumran was simply one settlement of the yahad, and not the yahad in its entirety, urges the academic world to stop referring to the yahad as “the Qumran community,” and not to tie the interpretation of the scrolls too closely to the site.
Readers who have an interest in apocalyptic themes can turn to Torleif Elgvin's essay on the heavenly temple and its place and significance in both Jewish and Christian tradition (pp. 23–36). Dorothy Peters's study, which scans the Dead Sea Scrolls corpus in order to reveal the broad range of Jewish writings that received authoritative status, will be of interest to canon scholars (pp. 37–52). The essay by Mark A. Chancey is pertinent for historical Jesus scholars interested in the economic climate of Galilee. Readers will be introduced to several competing models, but then invited to conclude that the present archaeological and literary data are insufficient to form a definitive economic model (pp. 53–67). Margaret MacDonald's interaction with Greco-Roman household codes will help students of the New Testament gain a better picture of the education and activities of Christian children in the Roman world (pp. 69–85).
Inquisitive readers will want to explore the essays that use archeological and literary evidence to illuminate key aspects of the circumstances surrounding the passion of Jesus. The study of Craig A. Evans looks closely at Jewish funerary rituals and shows that even executed criminals were buried in their family tombs (pp. 87–96), while Shimon Gibson's essay shares previously un published evidence relating to the western gateway of the praetorium where Jesus’ trial before Pilate took place (pp. 97–119).
Section Two commences with an essay by George Brook that analyzes the diverse methods of scriptural interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls (pp. 121–40), and is followed by Keith Bodner's work on the Samuel scrolls at Qumran that no serious narrative critic can afford to miss. The author illustrates how the scribes of these scrolls were actively engaged readers who appreciated the aesthetic nature of biblical stories and were familiar with analysis of plot, characterization, temporal settings, and the role of the narrator (pp. 141–51).
Next comes Stephen Andrews's examination of the Kirbet Qeiyafa inscription that should be widely read in biblical scholarship. Upon its discovery in 2008, the inscription caused considerable excitement, as it was believed to represent the oldest evidence of a Hebrew text, one that in fact quotes Scripture. Andrews, on the other hand, settles the matter once and for all. He rightly rejects the exuberant assumption that the inscription contains indirect quotations or biblical allusions. It still remains an extremely important discovery that points to early cultural Canaanite literacy, but it does not compare in value with the Nash Papyrus or the silver amulets from Ketef Hinnom that attest to the existence of canonical Scripture (pp. 153–68).
I suspect that many Old Testament academics will find James Sanders's review of the progress of Biblia Hebraica Quinta very useful (pp. 169–78), and students of Early Christianity will welcome Larry Hurtado's discussion of the physical and visual features of the early Christian manuscripts (pp. 179–92).
But if there is one essay that almost all New Testament scholars must read, it is the concluding one by Paul Foster, who overturns many of the existing arguments regarding a precise dating for Papyrus Egerton 2 and P52 (pp. 193–211). The well-needed reminder is that paleographic dating is a serendipitously intriguing discipline that provides only a broad range for dating manuscripts. So scholars who advocate precise dates, such as 125
The largely “all-star cast” of authors of this volume alone ensures a satisfying read for thirsty academics looking for a scholarly oasis. The volume brings to life new archeological and textual discoveries, challenges decades-old theories, and produces new ones that will stand the test of time. For these reasons and because it draws attention to areas of scholarship with which many of us are insufficiently familiar, it is a must-have for any library supporting the study of the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament.