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The Other Christs: Imitating Jesus in Ancient Christian Ideologies of Marytyrdom

In Candida R. MOSS, Fiona Kao, Imitatio Christi, Martyrdom, Oxford University Press, Patristics on May 29, 2012 at 8:24 am


2012.05.11 | Candida R. Moss. The Other Christs: Imitating Jesus in Ancient Christian Ideologies of Martyrdom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. 334 pages. (HB) £50. ISBN: 9780199739875

Reviewed by Fiona Kao, University of Cambridge

RBECS would like to thank OUP for kindly providing us with a review copy.

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Imitatio Christi has been overlooked by scholars since it is so ubiquitous in early Christian and medieval works. This book investigates what this imitatio entails and how the martyrs are similar to and different from Christ. Read the rest of this entry »


The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology

In Edgar Ebojo, Oxford University Press, Papyrology, Roger S. BAGNALL, Textual Criticism on May 28, 2012 at 9:07 am

2012.05.10 | Roger S. Bagnall, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.  Xxiv + 688 pages. £95.00 (hardback) and £32.50 (paperback). ISBN: 9780199843695.

Reviewed by Edgar Ebojo, University of Birmingham. 

RBECS would like to thank OUP for kindly providing us with a review copy.

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One of the most outstanding inventions of ancient Egypt was the making of a writing material manufactured from the papyrus plant—an indisputable natural treasure of ancient Egypt. As early as 3000 B.C., hand-processed sheets and rolls of papyrus provided an ideal surface for writing with reed pen and cakes of carbon black and red ochre pigment. Read the rest of this entry »


The Art of the Sacred: An Introduction to the Aesthetics of Art and Belief

In Christian Art, Early Christianity, Graham HOWES, I. B. Tauris, Iconography, Leonard Aldea, Reception history on May 19, 2012 at 8:28 pm

2012.05.09 | Graham Howes. The Art of the Sacred: An Introduction to the Aesthetics of Art and Belief. London: I.B.Tauris, 2010. ix + 190 pages. (PB) £18.99. ISBN: 9781845110062. (HB) £52.50 ISBN: 9781845110055.

Reviewed by Leonard Aldea, Durham University. 

RBECS would like to thank I.B. Tauris Publishers for kindly providing us with a review copy.

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The present volume is the 2010 reprint of the 2007 first edition. However, parts of the book itself and the research behind it are much earlier than that, as the author’s 1988 copyright attests. This is worth keeping in mind if one uses the book for research purposes.

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Genesis (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)

In Abraham, Biblical Criticism, Bill T. ARNOLD, Cambridge University Press, Genesis, HB/OT, Hermeneutics, Kerry Lee on May 4, 2012 at 3:54 pm

2012.05.08 | Bill T. Arnold. Genesis. The New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. xxii + 409 pages. (PB) £16.99. ISBN: 9780521000673. (HB) £50. ISBN: 9780521806077.

Reviewed by Kerry Lee, University of Edinburgh.

RBECS would like to thank CUP for kindly providing us with a review copy.

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Note to the reader: the following review is a good deal longer than what I would submit to an academic journal. In the process of reviewing this commentary, my own professional interest in the book of Genesis and in general hermeneutical method compelled me to address some issues in greater detail. Read the rest of this entry »


These Are The Generations: Identity, Covenant, And The ‘Toledot’ Formula

In Bloomsbury, Genesis, HB/OT, Kerry Lee, Matthew A. THOMAS, Pentateuch on March 9, 2012 at 9:05 pm

2012.03.07 | Matthew A. Thomas. These Are The Generations: Identity, Covenant, And The ‘Toledot’ Formula. Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 551. New York: T&T Clark, 2011. xviii + 153 pages. £65. ISBN: 9780567151414.

Reviewed by Kerry Lee, University of Edinburgh.

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In this published version of his PhD thesis, Matthew Thomas, who serves as adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University, has engaged the problem of the relationship between the macro-structure of Genesis (and indeed, of the whole Pentateuch) and the toledot formulae, a long noted recurring feature with particular density in Genesis. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Reader’s Greek New Testament. Revised Edition

In Albert L. LUKASZEWSKI, Michael A. Clark, New Testament, Richard J. GOODRICH, Scripture, Textual Criticism, Zondervan on March 6, 2012 at 8:26 pm

2012.03.06 | Richard J. Goodrich and Albert Lukaszewski. A Reader’s Greek New Testament. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Pp. 576. ISBN: 0310273781.

Reviewed by Michael A. Clark, University of Birmingham.

RBECS would like to thank Zondervan for kindly providing us with a review copy.

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THE PURPOSE OF THIS VOLUME

The stated aim of A Reader’s Greek New Testament (herein RGNT) is to facilitate reading the Greek New Testament for those with a limited vocabulary, and thereby to provide “an inductive approach to vocabulary acquisition” as an alternative to flashcards and rote memorization (pp. 8-9). Read the rest of this entry »


Manuscripts and their Texts: Perspectives on Textual Criticism – The 2012 St Andrews Graduate Conference for Biblical and Early Christian Studies

In Call for papers, Grant MACASKILL, Johannes MAGLIANO-TROMP, Karla POLLMANN, Kristin De TROYER, Peter M. HEAD, St Andrews Graduate Conference for Biblical and Early Christian Studies, Textual Criticism on March 1, 2012 at 9:10 pm

8-9 June 2012, St Mary’s College

The 2nd St Andrews Graduate Conference for Biblical and Early Christian Studies is aimed at graduate students and early career scholars. Contributors are welcomed from the following fields of research: Old Testament / Hebrew Bible, Pseudepigrapha & Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament, and Early Christianity.

We are glad to have with us the following plenary speakers:

  • Prof. Kristin De Troyer (St Andrews)
  • Dr. Johannes Magliano-Tromp (Leiden)
  • Dr. Peter M. Head (Cambridge)
  • Prof. Karla Pollmann (St Andrews),

In addition, we will also have a special invited lecture from Dr. Grant Macaskill (St Andrews), on his edition of the Slavonic text of 2 Enoch.

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A Celebration of Living Theology: Engaging with the work of Andrew Louth

In Andrew LOUTH, Call for papers, Durham, Early Christianity, Justin A. Mihoc, Patristics, Reception history on March 1, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Durham University in conjunction with the Department of Theology and Religion will be hosting the conference ‘A Celebration of Living Theology: Engaging with the work of Andrew Louth’ on 9-12 July 2012 at Durham University. The conference aims to celebrate the work of Prof. Andrew Louth in the areas of Patristics, both Western and Eastern, Modern Theology and Theology as Life, as well as explore its reception outside the English-speaking world.

Confirmed plenary speakers are Antoine Arjakovsky, Lewis Ayres, Jane Baun, John Behr, Augustine Casiday, Mary Cunningham, Pavel Gavrilyuk, Thomas Graumann, Cyril Hovorun, John Milbank, Kallistos Ware and, of course, Andrew Louth. Read the rest of this entry »


The 2nd University of Birmingham Biblical Studies Postgraduate Day Conference

In Birmingham, Call for papers, Edgar Ebojo, Reception history on March 1, 2012 at 12:29 pm

Do join us at the University of Birmingham in exploring the rich diversities of looking at/reading the biblical texts through the centuries, and what implications they present for postgraduate studies in the UK in particular and elsewhere in general. Download the announcement from here. For more details, see…


James Carleton Paget, “The Reception of F. C. Baur in Victorian Britain”

In Biblical Criticism, Cambridge, F. C. Baur, James CARLETON PAGET, Peter Malik, SEMINAR REPORTS on February 25, 2012 at 11:25 pm

This is a report on a paper presented by Dr. James Carleton Paget, Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies, and Fellow and tutor of Peterhouse, at the New Testament  Seminar, Cambridge, 21 February 2012.

The list of forthcoming papers in the New Testament Seminar at Cambridge can be found here. RBECS is also on facebook, here.

Everyone familiar with the work of Dr. James Carleton Paget is aware of his formidable grasp of the history of biblical interpretation in general, and the 19th century biblical scholarship in particular. Therefore, it was a real treat to hear him present on this particular topic at the Senior NT seminar at the Faculty of Divinity in Cambridge. What follows is a brief reflection on the main issues raised by Dr. Carleton Paget, whose paper covered an incredible breadth of information with, I should add, his typical eloquence and unparalleled sense of humour.

First of all, the reception of and reaction to Baur’s work in the Victorian Britain was in many ways analogous to the reception of German theology in general. This was due to several factors. Not only was the knowledge of German amongst English divines limited, but when German theology actually made its way to English theological circles, it was frequently mediated via conservative lenses (and thus often not presented in toto). Read the rest of this entry »