The T & T Clark Blog

T&T Cornerstone: Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet, by Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza

Our last Cornerstone to cover out of this batch. Expect more wonderful titles in 2016. Do come and find the books at SBLAAR at booth 600. They look *stunning* and they are also available in EPDF and EPUB for the first time ever.

In Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza makes a unique contribution to two quite different discussions of Jesus the Christ. On the one hand, she looks at biblical Christology from a critical feminist perspective in the tradition of liberation theology. On the other, she examines the feasibility of a feminine Christology by considering such problems as Christian anti-Judaism, ideological justification of domination, religious exclusivism and the formation of patriarchal identity. Re-imagining the Jesus movement in a feminist key transcends the boundaries set by history, gender and doctrine. By assessing various Jesus traditions and interpretations in terms of whether they can engender liberating visions for today, Schüssler Fiorenza seeks to challenge and transform a Christianity dominated by masculinity and exclusivist theological frameworks so that it offers a vision of justice and well-being for all, the central image in which is the reign, the coming world, of God. This Cornerstones edition features a new extended introduction which takes into account the developments in the field since the work was originally published in 1994.

 Reviews of the new edition:

“This is a most welcome reissue of Schüssler Fiorenza's groundbreaking work. With analysis of women's experience as the starting point, Schüssler Fiorenza uses vivid images such as "into the hill country," and "the open road to Galilee," to invite readers into new spaces where images of Christ in the Scriptures can be explored from a different perspective and christological discourses can be reconceptualized toward liberating practice. For those willing to embark on the journey with her, the destination is no less than global well-being.” –  Barbara E. Reid, Catholic Theological Union, USA

“In this new edition of her deep and influential book, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza continues her singuar retrieval of the bibilcal figure of Sophia for contemporary theology. As this book demonstrates, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza has for many of us herself become a Sophia figure of our period continuously contributing her wisdom over and over again.” –  David Tracey, The University of Chicago Divinity School, USA

T&T Cornerstone: Sanctify Them in the Truth

Stanley Hauerwas has been Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School, USA. He has written broadly, excellently, and movingly on many of the questions that arise in contemporary ethical discussions, and in so doing his theological prowess has shone through.

His work continues, and in Sanctify them in the Truth Stanley Hauerwas provides an overview of the development of theology and ethics. He considers how the two disciplines interrelate, discusses the nature of sin, how any account of sin requires a more determinative account of moral law, the nature of sanctification, the body as a subject for Christian holiness, and the relationship between sanctification and truthfulness. The volume ends with sermons — Hauerwas emphasizes the freedom the sermons create, as they remind us that the words we use are not our words. The inclusion of sermons also underlines Hauerwas’ point that the truth of the gospel cannot be discovered apart from its embodiment in specific communities of faith. The Christian life, he argues, is not about being in possession of "the truth," defined as a set of timeless and universal principles of belief and action. Rather, it is about learning and living the life of truthfulness toward God and one another.

For this Cornerstones edition Hauerwas has provided a new preface that places his work in engagement with present debate and brings this remarkable work to a new audience.

You can buy it online here.

T&T Cornerstone: The Christian Doctrine of God

Thomas F. Torrance was a pioneer in the field of Systematic theology. Widely recognized for his brilliance, his work remains startling in its innovation: his thought on the holy Trinity is showcased here in The Christian Doctrine of God. This work really is for everyone working in systematic theology, from beginning students through to established academics. Torrance offers here a detailed analysis of the most profound aspect of the Christian faith - the Holy Trinity. He adopts a holistic approach when examining the inter-relatedness of the three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and their dynamic Communion with the being and nature of God.

Torrance manages to combine a rich wealth of learning with exciting new perspectives as he builds a bridge between the ancient and the modern, as well as between Roman and Protestant theology. He engages with the Church Fathers to discuss the ontological nature of God and, in the end, conveys a simple message: the doctrine of the Trinity is the doctrine of God.

This new edition includes a new introduction written by Professor Paul D. Molnar, St John's University, USA, in which Torrance's work is located in its modern context, and he considers the ways in which it continues to influence the way we think about the Trinity today. Find it online here.

T&T Cornerstone: Confessing God

Following on from yesterday's strong start we have the companion work to John Webster's Word and Church to tell you about today: Confessing God. Originally collated to offset the earlier volume, and first published in 2005, John Webster's essays begin to give voice to a reordered conception of the substance of Christian teaching, at the heart of which lies a discovery of the content and consequences of Christian teaching about God's perfection. In so doing, Webster presents a worked example of 'theological theology', which is Christian theology that rises from the Christian confession of the gospel which seeks to hear, celebrate and commend. A joy-filled read!

You can buy it here!

T&T Cornerstone: Word and Church

With the preponderance of Biblical Studies titles, it's a pleasure to be able to share some Theology Cornerstones titles with you. And what a way to start it off! John Webster is one of the foremost theologians of our day, and this collection of essays, first published in 2002, provides a sample of some of his thoughts and works on Christian Dogmatics, which incorporates both interpretation of 20th-century Protestant theology and doctrinal construction.

Within the essays are reflections on the modern traditions of Christian divinity, and the topics which come to the fore in making sense of these traditions: the nature of the Bible and its interpretation; the place of Jesus Christ in modern theological culture, and the basis and shape of human agency. Webster's main thesis comes clear with the cogency of the unifying idea that these topics could well be clarified though more direct employment of language about God and the gospel.

In addition to the original material, for this new Cornerstones edition, the author has provided a new preface in which he contextualizes the work within his current theology.

T&T Cornerstone: Messianism Among Jews and Christians

It is wonderful to have this volume from the great William Horbury in Cornerstones, especially as Horbury’s new introduction provides a sweeping overview of the material and draws the reader’s attention to his close observation of sources and texts. Here’s the blurb:

William Horbury considers the issue of messianism as it arises in Jewish and Christian tradition. Whilst Horbury's primary focus is the Herodian period and the New Testament, he presents a broader historical trajectory, looking back to the Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, and onward to Judaism and Christianity in the Roman empire. Within this framework Horbury treats such central themes as messianism in the Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, the Son of man and Pauline hopes for a new Jerusalem, and Jewish and Christian messianism in the second century.

Neglected topics are also given due consideration, including suffering and messianism in synagogue poetry, and the relation of Christian and Jewish messianism with conceptions of the church and of antichrist and with the cult of Christ and of the saints. Throughout, Horbury sets messianism in a broader religious and political context and explores its setting in religion and in the conflict of political theories.

 

Reviews:

“These studies form a substantial and impressive body [...] Examining a wide range of material some of it relatively obscure or little known, Horbury deftly demonstrates underlying messianic themes and undertones that would normally be hidden from a casual or less focussed reading.” –  Susan Pierce, Journal of Beiefs and Values, Vol. 25

“There is very much that is valuable in the essays. Horbury is a keen reader of texts, and he has read from an assortment of literatures that for most of us are separated by the boundaries of academic disciplines or linguistic competence.” –  W. A. Meeks, Jewish Quarterly Review

William Horbury considers the issue of messianism as it arises in Jewish and Christian tradition. Whilst Horbury's primary focus is the Herodian period and the New Testament, he presents a broader historical trajectory, looking back to the Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, and onward to Judaism and Christianity in the Roman empire. Within this framework Horbury treats such central themes as messianism in the Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, the Son of man and Pauline hopes for a new Jerusalem, and Jewish and Christian messianism in the second century.

Neglected topics are also given due consideration, including suffering and messianism in synagogue poetry, and the relation of Christian and Jewish messianism with conceptions of the church and of antichrist and with the cult of Christ and of the saints. Throughout, Horbury sets messianism in a broader religious and political context and explores its setting in religion and in the conflict of political theories. This new edition features a new extended introduction which updates and resituates the volume within the context of current scholarship. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/messianism-among-jews-and-christians-9780567662750/#sthash.p6d68ml5.dpuf

T&T Cornerstone: Neither Jew Nor Greek by Judith Lieu

A ground-breaking study in the formation of early Christian identity, by one of the world's leading scholars. In Neither Jew Nor Greek, Judith Lieu explores the formation and shaping of early Christian identity within Judaism and within the wider Graeco-Roman world in the period before 200 C.E.

Lieu particularly examines the way that literary texts presented early Christianity. She combines this with interdisciplinary historical investigation and interaction with scholarship on Judaism in late Antiquity and on the Graeco-Roman world.The result is a highly significant contribution to four of the key questions in current New Testament scholarship: how did early Christian identity come to be formed? How should we best describe and understand the processes by which the Christian movement became separate from its Jewish origins? Was there anything special or different about the way women entered Judaism and early Christianity? How did martyrdom contribute to the construction of early Christian identity?

The chapters in this volume have become classics in the study of the New Testament and for this Cornerstones edition Lieu provides a new introduction placing them within the academic debate as it is now. –

 

Reviews:

“[A] wonderfully learned volume, Judith Lieu's capacity to hold together biblical, Jewish and patrisitc material commands respect, and she is an authority on the borderland between early Christianity and Judaism” –  Stuart G. Hall, Former Professor of Ecclesiastical History at King's College, London, UK

“Anyone interested in early Christian origins would be well advised to read this text. Lieu is a very careful biblical historian, marshaling a range of evidence while also able to acknowledge the limitations and ambiguity of some of this evidence.” –  Mary Coloe, Australian Catholic University, Australia

 

 

T&T Cornerstone: Ancient Israel by Niels Peter Lemche

 

When Ancient Israel was first published, Lemche presented a new model of how we should understand Israelite society, its history and its religion. Lemche argues first that 'Israel' was the result of a social development among the Canaanite population of Palestine in the second half of the second millennium BCE. Lemche's radical reassessment of Israelite history is based on the conviction that the Old Testament contains hardly any historical sources older than the seventh century BCE. The early history of Israel must therefore be reconstructed from archaeological results and non-biblical evidence, not from the Old Testament. In this new Cornerstones edition Lemche provides an extensive new introduction and bibliography, considering how the field has developed since the work first appeared.

 

Reviews:

“When it first appeared, Lemche's Ancient Israel was the first of a new generation of Iron age histories, with its insistence on a sociological rather than theological approach, its rejection of the 'rationalistic biblical paraphrases', (as Lemche felicitously termed what had gone before). If some features of this new approach were already being anticipated, Lemche provided the first synthesis, laying the foundation for the current agenda. In this new edition, some of his own modifications and developments of that agenda are also reviewed. It remains an excellent foundation for historical research into the Hebrew Bible.” –  Philip Davies, University of Sheffield, UK

“When it was first published, this best-selling introductory textbook on the history of ancient Israel stood at the cusp of the departure from a history based on a rational paraphrase of the Bible and the construction of the critical, archaeologically based history of Palestine which is dominant today. Rooted in a social science-based perspective of Palestine's ancient past, Lemche based himself in the rapidly changing perspectives of Israel and Judah's histories of the decade preceding his textbook and set a firm foundation for the critical histories of the present.” –  Thomas L. Thompson, Professor emeritus, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

T&T Cornerstone: Solidarity and Difference by David G. Horrell

It’s great to have David Horrell’s Solidarity and Difference in Cornerstones. It’s seminal work that was really ahead of its time in terms of study of NT ethics and identity and it’s wonderful to be able to present it again with Horrell’s reflective introduction and a substantial foreword by N.T. Wright. Indeed, Wright has described the book as; “One of the most creative and innovative books about Paul I have ever read.” –  N. T. Wright, Paul and His Recent Interpreters, 2015

In the book Horrell presents a study of Pauline ethics, examining how Paul's moral discourse envisages and constructs communities in which there is a strong sense of solidarity but also legitimate difference in various aspects of ethical practice. Horrell reads New Testament texts with an explicit awareness of contemporary ethical theory, and assesses Paul's contribution as a moral thinker in the context of modern debate.

Using a framework indebted to the social sciences, as well as to contemporary ethical theory, Horrell examines the construction of community in Paul's letters, the notions of purity, boundaries and identity, Paul's attempts to deal with diversity in his churches, the role of imitating Christ in Paul's ethics, and the ethic Paul develops for interaction with 'outsiders'. This Cornerstones edition includes an extended reflective introduction and a substantial foreword from N.T. Wright.

Here are two more wonderful endorsements:

“In a global, pluralist, fractured world, may Christians hope to find a healing and hopeful word in - of all places - the letters of Paul, themselves centers of controversy and division from the beginning? Horrell answers with a resounding "Yes", After a penetrating analysis and critique of the polarized conversation among ethicists in recent decades, he proposes a new, "third way" to find a model in Paul for communities that embrace the other without losing their identity.” –  Wayne A. Meeks, Yale University, USA

“This is a bold and highly stimulating intellectual experiment...Through close study of key texts and carefully reasoned debates across multiple disciplines, Horrell reconfigures the Pauline ethic and opens it up to dialogue with public morality as never before. Both New Testament scholars and ethicists will welcome this ground-breaking work.” –  John Barclay, Durham University, UK

T&T Cornerstone: Fragmented Women by J. Cheryl Exum

It would be an understatement to say how thrilled we are to have Cheryl Exum's 'Fragmented Women' in our Cornerstones series. It is written with a true deftness of touch and the new preface that Exum has added to the volume continues in that vein and introduces the book to new readers by highlighting exactly the subtleties required in reading biblical texts.

Here are some reviews of the book:

“Cheryl Exum is remarkable for the subtlety of her interpretations. A fine literary sensibility combines with psychoanalytic finesse and an intense feminist commitment. She is very good at playing biblical characters off against each other: Bathsheba and the Levite's concubine, Jephthah's daughter and Michal. She is concerned with the androcentric agenda of the narrators, and how it may be subverted both by the text and the resistant reader. Does the depiction of rape repeat the crime or question it? For Exum, it does both; the male reader is both complicit and absolved. These brilliant, interconnected readings are as timely now as when they were first published.” –  Francis Landy, University of Alberta, Canada

“This book is a model of mature, balanced, well considered feminist criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Exum deliberately steps out of both the ideology of the text and the confines of religious exegesis, reading the biblical text as a cultural artifact, with the tools of cultural as well as traditional bible criticism. She analyses afresh fragments of biblical stories about women that are embedded in stories about men. In so doing, she affords her readers new insights and angles for understanding the texts and their influence. And by bringing the stories together, Exum manages to defragment the women, at least a little. And this is no mean achievement.” –  Athalya Brenner-Idan, Professor emerita, Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands

“Cheryl Exum is remarkable for the subtlety of her interpretations. A fine literary sensibility combines with psychoanalytic finesse and an intense feminist commitment. She is very good at playing biblical characters off against each other: Bathsheba and the Levite's concubine, Jephthah's daughter and Michal. She is concerned with the androcentric agenda of the narrators, and how it may be subverted both by the text and the resistant reader. Does the depiction of rape repeat the crime or question it? For Exum, it does both; the male reader is both complicit and absolved. These brilliant, interconnected readings are as timely now as when they were first published.” –  Francis Landy, University of Alberta, Canada

“This book is a model of mature, balanced, well considered feminist criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Exum deliberately steps out of both the ideology of the text and the confines of religious exegesis, reading the biblical text as a cultural artifact, with the tools of cultural as well as traditional bible criticism. She analyses afresh fragments of biblical stories about women that are embedded in stories about men. In so doing, she affords her readers new insights and angles for understanding the texts and their influence. And by bringing the stories together, Exum manages to defragment the women, at least a little. And this is no mean achievement.” –  Athalya Brenner-Idan, Professor emerita, Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands

- See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/fragmented-women-9780567662958/#sthash.qGPIxxc4.dpuf