Shorter Reviews

and Notices

texts. Luke-Acts is the test case. The Romans Debate, edited by Karl
The work is divided into three sec- P. Donfried. Revised and expanded edi-
tions. Following an introductory essay on tion. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody,
reading theory, there are three essays 1991. 372 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-
that deal with aspects of social psychol-
943575-42-7.
ogy including values of honor and
shame, first-century personality, and con-
flict. The second section examines social THIS SECOND and significantly enlarged
institutions such as the preindustriai city, version of a book that originally ap-
the countryside, the health-care system, peared in 1977 has greatly increased its
temple-household relations, and patron- value both for scholars and for general
client relations. T h e final section deals readers. Continuing the practice of the
with social dynamics and includes essays first volume, the articles that are here
on rituals, ceremonies, Luke's symbolic collected have all been printed in other
universe, and the social location of the places, either in volumes by their author
implied author. or in periodicals. Whereas the first vol-
Each essay in the volume begins by ume concerned itself principally with
outlining an abstract social-scientific pieces that debated the reason for the
model. T h e text of Luke-Acts is then writing of Paul's letter to the Romans,
read with the particular model in view. this second edition adds sections on
In this way the model is tested and the "Historical and Sociological Factors,"
social world of Luke the writer is expli- "The Structure and Rhetoric of Ro-
cated. Finally, brief suggestions for the mans," and "The Theology of Romans:
further application of the model are Issues in the Current Debate." In that
provided. way it presents readers with a conspectus
of those elements that are currently at
The first four articles draw on com- the forefront of the debate not only
parisons with modern American culture about the purpose but also about the
to underscore the fundamental differ- meaning of this most important of New
ence between the social world in which Testament epistles.
Luke-Acts was written and the social
world in which it is often read today. In keeping with the intent of the
This is most helpful for the modern first volume, all of whose articles are also
reproduced here, the additional con-
American reader as she or he strives "to
tributors represent international schol-
understand what the author says and
arly community and present a variety of
means to say to his Mediterranean hear-
viewpoints. Perhaps most helpful are the
ers in terms of their culture and within
articles on the theology of Romans, par-
their social setting" (p. 22). This work
ticularly the one by James D. G. Dunn
should be a principal resource for any-
("The New Perspective on Paul: Paul and
one seeking an introduction to the appli-
the Law"), which shows the revolution in
cation of the social sciences in New Tes-
understanding Paul's relationship to the
tament studies and anyone wanting to
Judaism of his time, begun by the semi-
understand Luke-Acts better.
nal work of E. P. Sanders, continues
Richard S. Ascough apace; and the one by J. Christiaan
Beker ("The Faithfulness of God and the
Toronto, Ontano
Priority of Israel in Paul's Letter to the
Romans" ), which illustrates Paul's con-

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tinumg positive valuation of Israel in mascus experience in terms of the "con-
God's salvific plan for all humankind version of God," that is, from a position
That is by n o means to denigrate of transcendent superiority to a relation-
the worth of the other articles All are ship of solidarity with sinful humanity
stimulating and well worth reading The Georgi then tests his hypothesis of a
volume has been greatly improved and "transformed God"—and thus a trans-
will now be all the more valuable for formed social order—with a brief survey
those who read and ponder what its vari- of First Thessalonians In Chapter Three
ous authors have to say he surveys four more letters (Gal , I and
II Cor , and Phil ), emphasizing the de-
Paul J A c h t e m e i e r mocratizing implications of Paul's mes-
Union Theological Seminary in sage and its implicit challenge to the es-
tablished social and political order The
Virginia
book concludes with a discussion of Ro-
mans, the letter in which, according to
Georgi, Paul's message becomes most de-
Theocracy in Paul's Praxis and fiantly and aggressively political
Theology, by Dieter Georgi Translated Reading these letters, as Georgi
by David L Green Fortress Press, Min- does, against the political circumstances
neapolis, 1991. 112 pp $8 95 (paper) and theories of Paul's age is rather like
ISBN 1-8006-2468-8 looking at them through polarized glass
Many familiar aspects of Paul's message
are screened out and those that come
THIS SHORT BOOK originated as a series of through assume unfamiliar contours and
theses presented at a conference on the- strange hues Yet the political overtones
ocracy Later, it was expanded into an es- of Paul's thought are rarely investigated,
say ("Gott auf den Kopf stellen") and and it is helpful to have these high-
published with other papers from the lighted and to be reminded that even
conference in a volume edited by Jacob words such as pistis, eirënê, and euangehon
Taubes ( Theokratie, Rehgionstheone und would have had political as well as reli-
politische Theologie [Munich Ferdinand gious nuances in the Greco-Roman
Schoningh u n d Wilhelm Fink, 1987]) world
The main thesis of Georgi's book is that
This book draws hea\ilv on Georgi's
in his letters Paul challenges not only
earlier work, especially in the opening
the religious presuppositions of his day
chapters, and overall it retains the char-
but the political and social ones as well
acter of a sketch rather than a full-blown
Indeed, religious issues and language of-
treatment of the subject Yet it is a pro-
ten provided a protective cloak for the
vocative sketch and will hold the reader's
radical political agenda that was the
attention, especially in the final chapter
heart of Paul's message
with its rather startling hypotheses con-
Georgi begins this study with a brief cerning Paul's letter to the church m
survey of the democratizing tendencies Rome
of Israel's wisdom tradition, a tradition
This is n o dry, arcane analysis of
that—in the form of apocalypticism, Jew-
Paul's theology It is an interpretation
ish missionary theology, and gnosti-
with dramatic implication for Paul's
cism—influenced Paul's thought In the
world and for ours Georgi has given us
second chapter he discusses Paul's Da-
a thought-provokmg work that deserves

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