BR: Tongue of the Prophets

Tongue of the Prophets

Author: Robert St. John

Publisher: Barnabas, 2010 (Dutch version)

Pages: 320

It takes quite a bit to make me read fiction even if based on historical events but after scanning the first page of this book I couldnt stop reading.

Short summary:

In short this book covers the life of Eliezer ben Yehuda, who is the founder of Modern Hebrew. It details his journey from his family’s house through Poland, France and eventually the land of Israel. The way he built up his vision and how he worked tirelessly to implement it. His victories and losses. It is mainly based on the biography that his wife authored with her daughter and in that sense provides very unique insights into his and their life.

My thoughts:

The book greatly inspired me. It was beautiful to see a man pursue his vision with such a strong dedication and without swerving to the right or the left. What stunned me was that this all took place before the second world war, that even before that time, people were building the land of Israel and that his efforts paid off so well.

Grade:

9 out of 10

BR: Exploring Exodus

Exploring Exodus

Author: Nahum  M. Sarna

Publisher: Schocken, 1986

Pages: 277

This book is essentially a commentary on Exodus but framed in such a way that it can be read without having the text constantly in front of you. The main sources for the commentary are the results of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern scholarship which he uses to place the narrative in its context and supplement on what is found therein.

He admits at the outset that “the Torah is not a book of history but one that makes use of history for didactic purposes” (xi) and tries to show by means of this background material what these purposes were.

In 9 chapters he does this and very succesfully. His suggestions based on similarities (or differences) between other ancient material are at the very least fascinating and in many cases quite persuasive.  His approach is critical but not overly so, he is careful in his suggestions and generally engages the primary sources without making sweeping generalizations. Especially the chapter that compares laws from the Torah with that of other cultures I found very interesting.

I would recommend the book to people interested in looking at parts of the narrative from the perspective of the Ancient Near East. Both the similarities and differences yield a very interesting picture.

Grade:

8 out of 10

BR: Constantine’s Sword

Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews

Author: James Carroll

Publisher: New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002

Pages: 756

In search for an overview of the relationship between the Church and the Jews I came across this book online and it didnt take me long to buy it. What follows below is a short overview and some of my own thoughts on it.

Short summary:

The book is divided in 8 parts of which the bulk is focused on tracing the history between the Church and the Jews with some personal additions such as the author’s own quest and a call to Vatican III. The first 50+ pages the author, who is himself a Catholic, spends on explaining where he is coming from and how he ended up writing this book. The story he relates is not only focused on biographical details but is frequently placed in context to the theological currents that were around and his own response to these.

He then proceeds to discuss the NT origins of Jew hatred, which to some extent is still part of his introduction. His approach is dominated by scholars like Sanders, Fredriksen, Crossan and quite a few others. This section is mainly a literature overview of Historical Jesus studies which he uses to locate passages that reflect hostility on the part of the early church. He is careful to note that these passages were written by Jews so that it is only when non-Jews start to use these arguments that they become problematic.

After finishing this he starts with the main task and the reason I bought the book; a detailed overview for the non-specialist of the relationship between the Church and the Jews. He discusses all the main actors, the background; socially, politically and theologically, and is in general quite careful, drawing on many scholars but presenting the material in a way accessible to the average reader. He admits at the outset that he is not writing as a ‘detached’ author, but as someone invested both intellectually as well emotionally. And given his subject I think it is very hard to speak detached of the horrors that took place.

He treats most of the history chronologically though he returns in many cases to on one end Constantine and on the other end the Shoah, in order to compare and put events in their overall context. What follows is a comprehensive but very readable account. He moves from Constantine to Ambrose and Augustine, to the groundwork for the Crusades and the Crusades themselves. From there he moves south to Conversionism and the Inquisition, to what seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel; the Enlightenment. Unfortunately it was not all light, and he discusses the position of the Jews between Communism and the Church all leading up to modern Anti-Semitism, with the culmination being the Shoah.

Specific content is hard to summarize, not only because the review would be very lenghty but more so because after reading the developments of anti-semitism and the events that it brought about, I think its important for people to read these events in their societal and theological context as only then is brought to full force the deeply problematic nature and roots of it. Hence a review that glosses over some of the events without placing these in their wider context would frustrate the purpose of the book as I see it.

In the last part the author presents his call to Vatican III where he proposes areas of reform for the Catholic Church. To what extent this call would be treated by people that can influence such a council seriously is doubtful but nonetheless after all he has written and his admission of being a Catholic himself it seems the least he can do. The conclusion of the book also deals with this question, it is titled ‘The Faith of  a Catholic’, in which explains why he remains a Catholic despite all the horrors that were committed by Catholics and the Church ‘as such’.

My thoughts:

In my opinion Carroll did a very good job, he has a massive bibliography and seems to prefer quoting authors instead of paraphrasing them. In some ways he seemed to resemble an enthusiastic tourguide; relating the overall story but at the same time adding life to the story with interesting anecdotes. I did feel at times that he was writing too much about his personal life and quest but the ‘body’ of the work makes up for that.

Despite having read my fair share about Anti-Semitism, after having read this book it feels like the puzzle pieces have come together, the result of which was very troubling. The hatred and violence is dazzling and puzzled me as to how people can claim God’s stamp of approval on the Church because of the conversion of the empire without taking into account this side of history. But I suppose the larger question of how to see Providence is even more pressing when reading this history. There were of course a few sparks of light in this period as well, which he certainly discusses but theres no doubt that on the whole the relationship was extremely negative for the Jews, a lesson that alot of people, apart from the Jews, seem to have forgotten.

Grade:

8 out of 10

BR: Marital Relations, Birth Control, and Abortion in Jewish Law

Marital Relations, Birth Control, and Abortion in Jewish Law

Author: David M. Feldman

Publisher: New York, Schocken Books, 1978

Pages: 322

A good friend gave me this book as a gift and after completing it I can say I could not have wished for a nicer gift. What follows below is a short summary and my thoughts.

Short summary:

The book is divided in 4 parts, the first being a summary of the structure of Jewish Law, from the Talmud up to the Responsa literature, which is quite helpful because the subsequent chapters assume an awareness of these sources and their order of importance. The second part is concerned with marital relations, the idea of marriage independent of procreation in both Jewish and Christian tradition, procreation itself, marital sex and the legitimacy of pleasure. Already in this part a strikingly different pattern emerges between the Jewish and Christian tradition, the former appearing quite accomodating to humankind’s desires and limitations, while the latter seems very much characterized by austerity and ascetic ideals. This difference in broad lines persists in the other two domains that make up the third and fourth part of the book as well.

The third part comprises questions and topics that deal directly and indirectly with the question of birth control. Discussions included are on improper emission of seed, the existence or non-existence of female seed and the destruction of seed as found in ‘the act of Er and Onan’. In all of this Feldman shows a familiarity with the sources (both Jewish and Christian) that is daunting, the footnotes are full with pearls and reveal a level of investigation that is hard to reach. The remainder of the third part is more directly focused on birth control; a classic passage from the Talmud is looked at from all directions and he spends no less than 30 pages detailing the responses of many Rishonim and Acharonim to it. This is because the talmudic passage lays the basis for other discussions on birth control and allows him to discuss variations on the principle he extracts, such as the use of a Diaphragm, Condom, Douche, the Pill, etc. In all of this he is careful to zoom in on issues but at the same time to put these particulars in their broader context. By doing this, he successfully provides a high-level of treatment of the topic but not one that is outside of the reach of the student who is less familiar with the way the Jewish legal process works.

The fourth and last part deals with the question of abortion. He starts by looking at the place of the foetus in Judaism and in Christianity and how foeticide has been dealt with. He then continues by discussing warrants for abortion, in particular therapeutic abortion (to save life) and ends with a discussion on non-therapeutic abortion. Much of this yields some very interesting insights and approaches that are often absent in today’s discussions on abortion.

The postscript contains a short excursus on birth control in which he veers from the strong focus on the legal considerations to a stronger focus on the moral realm and the following quote of his seems fitting to end this summary with: “”permitted” or “forbidden” in the final judgement of Jewish law codes tells only a small part of the story of Judaism’s attitude towards birth control. Much more significant material for the Jewish philosophy of marriage, sex, and moral decisions emerges from the process of the law, with its discussion of principles and analysis of factors involved.” (297) And this he successfully shows page after page.

My thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it to anyone interested in Jewish Law, comparative reference between Jewish and Christian tradition, or just interested in the topics he deals with. He covers about every source that one could think of and in all of this displays a remarkable sense of nuance and balance. This makes it in my opinion a work of great value and besides that probably the closest one can come to experiencing the halachic process in english, which alone makes it worth reading.

Grade:

10 out of 10

BR: From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God

From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God

Author: Maurice Casey

Publisher: Louisville, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991

Pages: 197

This book had been for a long time on my wish list and I finally bought it. In some ways the things he wrote came at the right time though in other ways I wish I read it earlier.

Short summary:

After a short introduction Casey starts with the methodological assumptions and ways he intends to proceed his analysis. He explains that his method is very similar to that of modern historians of Judaism, which base their analysis on identity. The reason he uses this is because he wants to examine to what extent the authors behind the texts were Jewish/Gentile and what their relationship to the development in Christology was.

He identifies 8 points that made up/approximate the identity of Jewishness and uses this in looking at the texts, starting with John’s Gospel and proceeding with the Synoptics. He tries to remove what he calls the secondary christology and look for what these layers tell us about the communites behind the texts. In chapter 5 he then looks at Jesus, his mission, conflict, concept of the kingdom of God, death and vindication, the movement following him, etc.

Chapter 6 moves on to Messianic and Intermediary figures in 2nd Temple Judaism which is all quite useful before discussing the applications found in the NT, which he does in the three chapters following. He makes some very good observations, especially that the intermediaries often reflected the need of the community.

In chapter 7-9 he discusses, 7. From Jesus to Paul, 8. The Christology of St. Paul and 9. From Paul to John. The discussion is very thorough and his conclusion that developments about intermediaries often reflected the need of the community, arises with strength in his treating of the NT documents.

In chapter 7 he also discusses the vindication of Jesus and places it in its proper context. In his view the claims of the disciples about the resurrection of Jesus sprang forth from resurrection appearances and scripture. He writes: “Their belief did not require an empty tomb for its verification, partly because the normative modes of verification were dreams or visions and scripture… thus we find in our earliest sources that it is precisely resurrection appearances and the witness of scripture that are put forward as proofs… it must be inferred that the story of the empty tomb is secondary. (103)

This concept of secondary legitimation is one that Casey often alludes to. In his discussion of the development of Christology he explains that for the disciples Jesus embodied Jewish identity and Judaism. Instead of the Torah, Jesus was the focal point of the community, and the pillar that sustained the increasingly mixed community. The Torah usually had (and to this day has) this function, it provided the focal point of the community and where there was a decrease in observance, often one found an erosion of the community as well. In the Christian communities, especially those formed or sustained by Paul, the emphasis on observance of the Torah was relatively weak (to put it lightly) and thus  a greater devotion to Jesus was necessary to keep them together. This Casey describes as one of the main factors in the development of Christology: “the development of Jesus was highly functional, because he might hold the community together” (136).

To the community behind the Gospel of John he ascribes the full incarnation: “here Jesus is raised up to deity” (156). His discussion of John’s Gospel is in this chapter more focused on the relationship with “the Jews” and the community and not really necessary to elaborate upon. His closing remarks on the chapter: “Jesus was now a figure so elevated that observant Jews such as Jesus of Nazareth and the first apostles could not believe in him” (159).

The last chapter is titled ‘History, Culture and Truth’. In this chapter he discusses some of the implications of certain christologies, and especially how Jews have consequently been viewed and outright persecuted for not accepting Jesus. His discussion is quite frank containing strong remarks, but nothing without justification. He makes one point that particularly struck with me: “the development of New Testament christology cannot be an example of the Holy Spirit guiding the church into all truth. The Holy Spirit could hardly lead the church into an evaluation of the Jesus of history which Jesus in his revelatory ministry could not hold, and which leads directly to the condemnation of the chosen people because they have cherished the revelation of God’s oneness to them” (176). (emphasis mine)

My thoughts:

I enjoyed Casey’s book a lot and must say that I am surprised by how it has been (mis)characterized in other works as its primary case being that the inputs for the Incarnation were wholly gentile in nature. This is really a very flawed conclusion, its true that he sees an inverse relationship between the increase of non-Jews in the early Christian movement and the restraining factor of monotheism but his description of the development towards the Incarnation, or from prophet to God is by and through Jewish sources and theres nearly no exploration of how non-Jewish sources have played a role in this. Having said that, it is a good reminder once again to take reviews, mine included, with a grain of salt, and not as a replacement to read the book.

While at first I was a bit skeptical of his methodology it was in my opinion quite helpful. His examination was very thorough and there is no doubt that he has a great grasp on the primary sources. Having read quite a few works on the Historical Jesus both those written before his was published as well as more recent one’s, I must say that the passing of time has in no way made his book redundant but presented me with new perspectives and challenges. I think his soon to be released book will be a interesting way of comparing how his understanding has developed in the last 20 years.

Grade:

9 out of 10

BR: Early Christian Doctrines

Early Christian Doctrines

Author: J.N.D. Kelly

Publisher: New York, HarperOne, 1978

Pages: 511

I purchased this book in response to the realization that I knew near to nothing about the formation of doctrines in Christianity nor the Church Fathers behind them. However upon reading the first few pages of the book I realized it was quite densely written and in order to retain some of it, read it slowly. Thus it has been now about a year since I bought this book and read every day a few pages.

Short summary:

The book is divided in 4 parts:

1) Prolegomena, consists of chapters dealing with the background in which Christianity was born and developed. He looks at Judaism, Graeco-Roman Philosophy, Neo-Platonism, etc. and does all this in a very clear and descriptive way. He also considers in this part the role of Tradition and Scripture in early Christianity, how the canon was formed, how it was read by different people, etc.

2) The Pre-Nicene Theology; in this part he delves into how God has been viewed, the relationship between Jesus and God, man and his redemption and short chapter on ecclesiology. All this he does by reviewing primary sources in the early church fathers, which is his general approach throughout the book; describing the way certain doctrines and ideas were developed and received by various church fathers, such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, etc.

3) From Nicaea to Chalcedon; this part is the bulk of the book, comprising nearly 200 pages. It details the crisis that led to the council of Nicaea, the council itself, and the aftermath of it. He provides a brief overview of the doctrine of the trinity, the contributions of Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Augustine, etc. In this chapter he also looks at fourth-century christology and how this was settled in Chalcedon. The saving work of Christ and man’s fallenness is considered, ending with Christ’s mystical body and some words on the sacraments.

4) Epilogue; the last part is dealing among other things with eschatology, the resurrection, the parousia, judgement and life everlasting. In addition to that there is a short chapter on Mary and the Saints.

My thoughts:

I bought this book in order to enhance my familiarity with the Church Fathers and the development of doctrine and Kelly’s book was more than helpful in accomplishing that. He displays an amazing affinity with the primary sources and in general provides a very balanced and nuanced picture. I liked the way he looked at subjects through various Church Fathers and interaction between them. Also it enabled me to appreciate more the development of the doctrines and the value of tradition in the Christianity.

Grade:

9 out of 10

BR: Jesus: Resurrection

Jesus: Nativity – Passion – Resurrection

Author: Geza Vermes

Publisher: London, Penguin Books, 2010

Pages: 151

While being in the first English bookshop of the European continent, I found Geza Vermes’ Nativity (2006), Passion (2005) and Resurrection (2008) combined in one version, titled: Jesus (2010).

I had read some of Vermes’ work in the past and was in general pleased so couldnt leave without buying it.

Short summary:

The book is organized in two parts; the first dealing with the ideas about the afterlife in Jewish thought before and during the time of Jesus and the second with the resurrection and eternal life as its encountered in the thoughts expressed in the NT. He is compressing quite alot of research about these ideas in short chapters and progresses rapidly through the literature. Looking at how the idea of the resurrection gradually took its place in Jewish society, in some places alongside the idea of the finality of death and in some places, especially where the Pharisees were present, taking over the idea that death was final.

The 2nd part looks first at how the idea of the resurrection figured in the teaching of Jesus, at predictions of the resurrection of Jesus, how the NT portrays the resurrection of people other than Jesus. After that he reviews how the Gospels, Acts, Paul and the rest of the NT describes the resurrection of Jesus and rounds up with noting the parallels and contradictions between the accounts.

He ends with looking at 6 alternative theories to explain the resurrection of Jesus but shows how they fail to stand up under scrutiny. And leaves it at that. The epilogue is titled: “Resurrection in the hearts of men”, which probably shows his own view.

My thoughts:

Another interesting book by Geza Vermes. I enjoyed the rapid though thorough overview he gives about the ideas before and during Jesus’ time concering the afterlife and resurrection. This was definitely helpful as a background to the second part where he treated the NT’s presentation of the resurrection. His treatment of the latter was very good and I have few comments to make, clear and convincing. I was a bit dissappointed with the epilogue and expected more of him, but at the same time appreciate that he is careful not to overstep the limits of the historian.

Grade:

8 out of 10

BR: Jewish Business Ethics

Jewish Business Ethics (The Orthodox Forum)

Editors: Aaron Levine & Moses Pava

Publisher: Northvale, Jason Aronson, 1999

Pages: 328

While searching in a bookstore in Jerusalem for a book on business ethics I was recommended this book. I had read a book by Aaron Levine before and that was a success so chose to buy this one.

Short summary:

The book contains 8 papers that were presented at the annual Orthodox Forum. Ranging from the place of Stakeholder Theory in Jewish thought to the firms responsibility to its customers to the legitimacy of the concept of a corporation in halacha. The latter was the largest issue in the book and in my opinion a very interesting one. The question first arose in the paper on ethical investment by Bressler (ch.7), where he asks in what sense a person is considered an owner of a [public] corporation and hence liable to its actions. In secular law ownership has been neatly separated but the question is asked what status this approach has in halacha. Whether  a Jew can invest in a corporation that does business on shabbat, even if the employees are mostly non-Jewish. Or if it has chametz on Pesach, or sells non-kosher food or is active in an unethical way. If the halacha does not recognize the separation of ownership these issues are hard to be avoided. Several ideas are presented in chapter 8 by Broyde and Resnicoff on this. Also the responsibility of the firm to the environment is considered.

On the whole a very relevant set of papers with strong halachic discussions.

My thoughts:

As someone who is about to graduate in economics this book was very inspiring and enlightening. In the textbooks that we use little focus is paid on ethics and naturally even less on doing business from the perspective that fits with the Hebrew Bible’s tradition. Hence this was a very welcome discussion complementing what I learn(ed) in university.

Grade:

8 out of 10

BR: The Art of Biblical Narrative

The Art of Biblical Narrative

Author: Robert Alter

Publisher: New York, BasicBooks, 1981

Pages: 195

I had heard about the work of Alter in several places and so when finding it in a second-hand bookstore for only € 6,50 I couldnt withhold myself from buying it.

Short summary:

In 9 chapters Robert Alter examines the Biblical narrative as a literary creation. This may at first sight seem a bit troublesome to those who hold the text to a higher status than ordinary literature, but the results are fascinating. Far from abolishing the relevance of the text, he actually invites the reader to look deeper into the text and extract much more than at first sight one would perceive. In doing so, he uncovers patterns, and a strong sense of purposefulness that for the modern reader, especially the one that has been exposed to biblical criticism might have been lost.

He looks at the relationship between narration and dialogue, the techniques of repetition, explains the importance of the leitwort and in a fascinating account writes about composite artistry where he argues for a compelling alternative to simply seeing certain texts as a quilt of ancient traditions.

My thoughts:

Alter’s book is very interesting and inspiring. His way of reading the texts felt very natural and true to the text and its background. It was at times as if pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together when employing his literary approach and I hope I can utilize some of his techniques myself when reading the text.

His style of writing sometimes felt in itself a literary creation and it was the first english book which made me use my dictionary at times.

I would highly recommend it for those interested in the Hebrew Bible, it opened my eyes to a new dimension of reading the Bible.

Grade:

9 out of 10

BR: Jesus: Passion

Jesus: Nativity – Passion – Resurrection

Author: Geza Vermes

Publisher: London, Penguin Books, 2010

Pages: 116

While being in the first English bookshop of the European continent, I found Geza Vermes’ Nativity (2006), Passion (2005) and Resurrection (2008) combined in one version, titled: Jesus (2010).

I had read some of Vermes’ work in the past and was in general pleased so couldnt leave without buying it.

Short summary:

The book is divided in four parts; in the first part he looks at the historical background of the crucifixion of Jesus and in particular at the Jewish legal system in force in Judea at the time of Jesus, the second part is a running commentary where he goes through the Passion story in 13 steps and at every step looks what each Evangelist wrote and compares and contrasts these with each other and other sources. The third part is essentially a wrap up of the second part where he comments on the agreements and disagreements and the fourth part his take on what ‘really’ happened 2,000 years ago on the day of the crucifixion of Jesus.

My thoughts:

I enjoyed his running commentary and the way he compares and contrasts the various accounts and found his conclusions on the whole quite plausible. Also the survey of the historical background and specifically the Jewish legal system at the time was very interesting.

Grade:

8 out of 10

BR: How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God?

How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus

Author: Larry W. Hurtado

Publisher: Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2005

Pages: 234

I had set out to review every chapter of this book but it took me too long and my interest faded (as I predicted) so here is my full and final review.

Short summary:

The book is divided into two parts. The first dealing with finding the proper approach to characterize the worship on the part of the followers of Jesus and the implications of it. The second part is mostly a further development of Hurtado’s approach and his defense. In short Hurtado proposes that the devotion on the part of the early Christians signifies that they treated Jesus alongside God as a rightful recipient of worship, and that in light of Second Temple Judaism this could be called a binitarian shaped monotheism. In his opinion this is innovative and unparalleled (at least not to that degree). He argues against the idea that overtime, with the influx of non-Jews, Jesus came to be considered God and spends one chapter exegeting the Christological Hymn in Phil. 2:6-11 to show that this devotion was present with the early Christians. He looks at first century Jewish monotheism and considers the relevant ideas that were present and how they relate to the devotion of early Christians. He also fills some pages about the Jewish opposition and wraps up with an interesting chapter where he proposes that the catalyst to the early devotion were certain revelatory experiences the followers had with the glorified Jesus.

My thoughts:

I must say that I was positively surprised with the book, both in terms of content as well as its presentation. I found his case to be very strong and wish I had read his work earlier. I had some points I disagreed with, such as his claim that the devotion to Jesus was innovative and unparalleled. In my opinion the Kings of Israel are a good parallel and also certain Principal Agents. It may not be identical but it shows a strong precedent that may have been expanded by early Christians but might entail the same implications as those precedents. I think the absence of sacrifice is important for the evaluation of what the devotion entailed and was dissappointed I couldnt find any discussion about this in the book. But these reservations aside, I must say that Hurtado’s case impressed me and made me reconsider some things.

Grade:

9 out of 10

Must-read for anyone interested in Christology

BR: Jesus: The Nativity

Jesus: Nativity – Passion – Resurrection

Author: Geza Vermes

Publisher: London, Penguin Books, 2010

Pages: 166

While being in the first English bookshop of the European continent, I found Geza Vermes’ Nativity (2006), Passion (2005) and Resurrection (2008) combined in one version, titled: Jesus (2010).

I had read some of Vermes’ work in the past and was in general pleased so couldnt leave without buying it.

Short summary:

The book is essentially a commentary on the Infancy Gospels found in Matthew and Luke. Vermes carefully looks at these passages from all different angles and can be said to deconstruct the passages as we have them by employing the historical-critical method. He compares elements and themes to Jewish & Greek literature of the time and draws some suprising and less suprising results. In his view the Infancy Gospels have been added later to the Gospels as they stand and conflict greatly among each other. To be sure he finds some similarities but on the whole they are different and contain in some places contradictory ideas.

He spends most of his time highlighting these differences and probes to what the reasons behind these are. He sees Matthew’s Infancy Gospel as being mainly driven by the idea that Jesus is the new Moses and offers various extra-Biblical readings that show some suprising parallels to the Gospel. Luke, in his opinion, concerns a miraculous birth along the lines we find in the Hebrew Bible (Sarah, Rebecca, etc.), he argues that Mary conceived Jesus, with the help of Joseph, before this was physically possible (before her first period).

My thoughts:

In general I like Historical Jesus studies in the tradition of Geza Vermes, E.P. Sanders, Paula Fredriksen, etc. They tend to be very critical and leave little trace of feeling bound to dogma. Sometimes though they can be overly critical and especially with Vermes I get this idea. Reading him at times makes me feel he is frustrated with more conservative readings. But given that this works both ways and that it does not distract the reader from his main message, its fine with me.

In short I think he does a very good job in dealing with the Infancy Gospels, it is obvious that he is among the best of scholars in Historical Jesus studies and his arguments are in many cases quite persuasive. I liked how he compresses a lot of scholarship without losing its quality and depth and think he manages in this way to make it a book that is both readable for laymen but surely interesting enough for those who are familiar with the more scholarly works of the quest.

Grade:

8 out of 10

Brief and to the point. A good read by a scholar who knows what he is talking about.

BR: How on Earth did Jesus become a God? (2)

How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus

Author: Larry W. Hurtado

Publisher: Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2005

Pages: 234

As promised here is my review of the second chapter:

In the meantime for those interested I had a short discussion overhere on my review of the first chapter.

Short summary:

This chapter is concerned with the context of the devotion to Jesus; Second-Temple Jewish Monotheistic Piety. He basically continues in this chapter with the argument that there has not been an evolutionary development with a role for pagan influences.

Chronology matters

He writes about the significance of Paul’s letters that in his view exhibit treating Jesus as divine and the fact that this was merely a decade after Jesus’ death. He focuses on Paul’s persecuting of the church and his conversion and concludes that this persecution was mainly because of the significance the early Christians attached to Jesus. This of course further strenghtens his argument that their view was out of proportions and not the endproduct of a long development.

Demographics

He notes that the early Christian movement was mainly comprised of Jews that are pictured to be devout and in no wise as open to comprising their devotion to God alone.

Monotheism in the New Testament

In this section he argues that the NT actually shows a firm resistance to idolatry and indicates no readiness to accept syncretism at all.

Jesus and God

He briefly discusses the Principal Agents and why he thinks they dont provide a full analogy and argues that instead the NT exhibits Binitarian Monotheism; “it appears that earliest extant Christian writings reflect the religious stance of people who expressed a stridently monotheistic position in the Roman-era religious scene, and yet who also incorporated a second, distinguishable figure (Jesus) into their belief and devotional practice in a novel and unparalleled way.”(48)

He shows how Jesus is included in the Shema though the distinction between him and the Father remains. That while he is described in the highest terms, at the same time he is clearly portrayed as clearly subordinated to the Father.

Subsequent Doctrinal Development

He closes the chapter by pointing out that if the early Christians had regarded Jesus simply as a prophet or as an entirely heavenly being there wouldnt have been so much discussions on Christology afterwards.

My thoughts:

I agree that Jesus was portrayed in exalted terms as early as the letters of Paul but would see this more in the sense of a royal viceroy as E.P. Sanders says on multiple occasions than the Divine Lord. And I guess we come to the same point as in my previous review, if you would read the letters in that way and place the highest terms of exaltation at the Gospel of John and afterwards, a clear development appears.

Regarding the reason why Paul persecuted the early Christians; I agree with Hurtado that “consorting with Gentiles socially or even being less observant of the Torah than Pharisees would have preferred is not likely to have generated this sort of action” (36). Sabbatai Zvi’s antagonists Sasportas and Emden came to mind but I dont think their Jewish world, which surely was diverse as well, would be comparable to the world of early Christianity.

As for the demographics I have nothing to add, indeed the early movement consisted of devout Jews.

The monotheism in the NT section too is good and I agree there is no readiness anywhere in the NT to accept pagan ideas, at least not more than we see in other Second-Temple Jewish traditions.

But the last two sections I have some problems with:

-The Principal Agents: “each of these figures appears to function as God’s vizier, distinguished from all other beings and second only to God” (47)

This is in my opinion directly applicable to how Jesus is viewed in the NT. Its true that the devotion that Jesus receives is where the analogy fails but the Messiah is supposed to be the ultimate king of Israel, the principal of principal agents and as such an increase in devotion, second to God, is only natural. He refers to at least 50 pages in his One God, One Lord, so perhaps there is more discussion on this.

-In my opinion the clear subordination that Hurtado writes about is the answer to the inclusion of Jesus into the Shema while distinguishing him from God, the Father. Hurtado emphasizes that this is only functional subordination and not ontological subordination, but I have my doubts about this. It would be much more simple to see Jesus, the royal viceroy/King-Messiah be included into the unique relationship the people have with the God of Israel, but clearly not to be confused with God Himself and therefore subordinated, not only in function but also in essence. In fact it would almost seem the other way around(!); Jesus being functionally on par with the God of Israel, by the authority that has been invested in him, but not in essence.

But besides these points I must say Im enjoying it, he presents great thoughts and you can really see that this is a giant when it comes to NT Christology.

BR: How on Earth did Jesus become a God? (1)

How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus

Author: Larry W. Hurtado

Publisher: Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2005

Pages: 234

Ive recently picked up Larry Hurtado’s book How on Earth did Jesus become a God? and plan to blog slowly through it. The reason Im not writing a short review is because this book deserves more of my attention. Usually with multiple blogposts somehow I fail to complete them and theres a possibility that after the third chapter I will, but we’ll see about that.

So today the first chapter. This chapter is about the various approaches to the worship of Jesus and is a nice recap on some of the work that has been done.

Short summary:

Worship of Jesus as an Evolutionary Development

Seeing the worship of Jesus essentially as an evolutionary development, with as its main catalysator the increasing numbers of non-Jews flocking into early Christian communities. (Bousset, Casey and Dunn (Dunn is the exception wrt the pagan influences on Christology, he sees it as originating from – though breaking through – Second-Temple Jewish traditions))

Hurtado objects to this mainly on the basis of his view that the chronological data do not support this. He reads Paul’s letters as containing the Incarnation and as these letters are the earliest documents of the NT, there is no possibility for an evolutionary development.

Worship of Jesus as Jewish “Cult” of Messiah and Martyrs

Seeing the worship of Jesus “as an adaptation of the veneration of royal and messianic figures and martyrs in ancient Jewish tradition” (20). (Horbury)

Hurtado objects to this and sees the veneration of Jesus as different from the other agents in Second-Temple Jewish traditions, who he claims were not venerated in corporate and public settings.

Worship of Jesus as a Theological Inference

Placing the worship of Jesus as the result of the theological conviction that Jesus was part of the identity of God. (Eskola and Bauckham)

Hurtado objects to this as they do not provide any historical basis for this theological conviction taking root that fast (that is, before among other things the Philippians hymn). Also he points to the fact that there is no example of analogous developments in Second-Temple Jewish traditions. God’s Wisdom and Word are portrayed in highly exalted terms but we find no worship directed to them. (good point!)

Worship of Jesus: A More Adequate Approach

Hurtado’s own approach, which mainly focuses on the devotional practices and religious beliefs of the early Christian community, but more on this follows in the remainder of the book.

My thoughts:

So far I am enjoying the book. I think Hurtado is quite reasonable and Im happy he does not come across as apologetic. To be sure there are some points where I differ on (more on that below) but on the whole I think his presentation, up till now, is very balanced and nuanced.

Of the various approaches listed I personally found Dunn’s presentation most appealing though I think there is something to say for the idea of pagan influences as well. In some sense the great numbers of non-Jews flocking in must have had an impact on the movement. By converting they may have rejected their former gods but some of their conceptual backgrounds and paradigms they would inevitably have retained, though probably transformed. But I still have to read Casey so cant say much more on this.

The approach that compares devotion to Jesus to the veneration of Messiah and martyrs in ancient Jewish tradition also appeals to me. And I think this is compatible with Dunn’s approach as well. I was kind of suprised when Hurtado dismissed the praise that is bestowed on the Judean kings as a genuine analogy. I could not find a reason for this but perhaps he has written about this in his larger volumes.

As for the chronological data not lining up for an evolutionary development; I’d disagree. To be sure there is a high level of devotion to Jesus in the letters but most of these can be read as not implying Incarnation but veneration of the kind that is posited by Horbury. And if you would for a moment leave out the letters and focus on the Gospels, I think an evolutionary development is very clear.

But besides these remarks if the first chapter is representative of the rest of the book, this will be a great read.

BR: The Limits of Orthodox Theology

The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles Reappraised

Author: Marc B. Shapiro

Publisher: Portland, Littman, 2004

Pages: 221

I had been meaning to read this book for some time but it didnt make it into my Amazon cart until a few months ago. Im glad I finally did because its a very good study.

Short summary:

In short what Shapiro tries to do is show how the 13 principles of the Rambam were received though it looks like his focus is actually on how they were not received. In his introduction he goes into the fact that today they are virtually assumed and that there are few who doubt their veracity, but that this was not at all the case, and the remainder of his book is taking each principle and looking at how other Rabbi’s responded to this, both directly as well as indirectly. The sources he quotes are mainly traditionalist sources which is logical as for others it may be more natural to reject these principles.

Its quite an enligthening study and shows how diverse Judaism actually is, and how difficult it is to ask for the Jewish opinion on this or that. Shapiro shows that on virtually all principles there are deviations and that often Maimonides was expressing a minority stream in greater Judaism.

My thoughts:

I enjoyed reading the many sources he quotes and think this is a great plus for the book. He captures, to my knowledge, all the major Rabbi’s but also less well-known people and documents. Yet in some way he manages to insert his own thoughts as well making it more than simply a reference book. I did feel he was constantly trying to undermine the principles as set forth by the Rambam and show how they were not accepted but given the sources this looks inevitable.

I did feel a bit lost sometimes; it somehow seemed like anything goes and that as much as the Rambam and other rationalists may claim a particular concept, the mysticists will come up with another, which often seems incompatible. While this is the beauty of Judaism, it has something frustrating to it (and especially as Im more inclined to the rationalists ).

Nevertheless it made me realize once again how great the influence of the Rambam has been, as even though his ideas were rejected by many at first, his Mishneh Torah still remains among the greatest halachic works and any halachic decision maker has to deal with him.

I also enjoyed the parts in which he interacts with other Maimonidean scholars on what exactly the Rambam meant and what the context to these principles was. In particular the distinction between what the Rambam deemed as necessary beliefs and true beliefs. It was very interesting to read that it was probable the Rambam himself did not hold to certain of these principles but included them for the masses.

Grade:

9 out of 10

A highly illuminating work