Greco-Roman World Research Articles

The Art and Archaeology of Bodily Adornment: Studies from Central and East Asian Mortuary Contexts ed. by Sheri A. Lullo and Leslie V.Wallace

Reviewed by: The Art and Archaeology of Bodily Adornment: Studies from Central and East Asian Mortuary Contexts ed. by Sheri A. Lullo and Leslie V.Wallace Yoko Nishimura The Art and Archaeology of Bodily Adornment: Studies from Central and East Asian Mortuary Contexts. Sheri A. Lullo and Leslie V. Wallace, eds. Routledge, 2019. 204 pp., 48 b&w illustrations. Hardcover US $155, ISBN 978-1-138-57693-3. The Art and Archaeology of Bodily Adornment centers around the role of bodily adornment in visualizing and constructing individual identities in mortuary contexts in Central and East Asia. This edited volume intends to show how, as a visual language for communication, ornamentation using jewelry, dress, and hairstyle constructs the social body and conveys personal information such as status and affiliation. This book primarily consists of papers that were presented at the 2016 conference of the Society for East Asian Archaeology hosted by Harvard and Boston Universities. The authors of the nine essays are archaeologists or art historians that have examined artifacts worn by or placed near deceased bodies or the images and sculptures that reflect adorned bodies in antiquity. The [End Page 447] case studies are drawn from a wide geographical area covering modern Turkmenistan, Russia, China, Korea, and Japan and prehistoric and early historical contexts from about the mid-fourth millennium b.c.e. to the mid-first millennium c.e. The editors' introduction is concise and clear. They touch on a few existing theoretical models, including "transculturation" (p. 6) and "embodied identity" (p. 11), that pervade the contributing essays to broaden the reader's perspectives on the topic of adornment. Aside from the introduction, the book is divided into three sections, each of which comprises three essays, titled: "Gender and social status," "Transcultural contexts," and "Assemblage." The second section corresponds to the "transculturation" perspective by pointing to "the integration and convergence of cultural elements" (p. 6), while the third section takes the "embodied identity" approach to adornment as the body's lived experience. However, it is not immediately obvious how these sections relate to one another in the overall framework of this book, since they highlight different and often overlapping perspectives in terms of the significance of adornment. Furthermore, in contrast to the volume's stated focus on body ornaments as reflections and constructions of the identities of the deceased, the second and third sections seem more concerned with dimensions beyond the presentation of personal identity. The three essays in the "Gender and Social Status" section explore how grave goods, especially bodily ornaments, reflect different sets of identities involving gender, status, and cultural affiliation. Bausch's and Miniaev's essays largely revolve around questioning existing interpretations of the funerary ornaments in, respectively, an Early Jōmon site in Toyama Prefecture in Japan and at Xiongnu sites in Russia. Nelson's essay then explores various aspects of the sumptuous goods from the Silla royal tombs in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. These three works have great potential for advancing the methodology for examining the significance of body ornaments. The second section on "Transcultural Contexts" shifts focus on the cultural contexts within which certain types of body ornaments (or their three-dimensional imagery) were developed and distributed before ending up in burials. Tanizawa's essay examines the development of exchange networks and distribution patterns of certain bead types as part of the "prestige goods system" (p. 96), which operated from the Late Yayoi to Early Kofun periods in western Japan. Rubinson argues that earrings in the shapes of dolphins or amphorae that were recovered from first century b.c.e. to first century c.e. burials in the Amu Darya River region were status symbols and referenced the Greco-Roman world. Gerhart and Linduff investigate the symbolic meanings of clothing and accessories seen on haniwa figurines from a sixth century c.e. mound tomb in Gunma Prefecture. Assuming that the haniwa represented participants at mortuary rituals, they suggest that their bodily ornamentation would have reflected the status of the deceased chieftain. These three essays propose that certain imported goods (or their three-dimensional imagery) at burial sites reveal the personal status of each tomb occupant and his or her sociopolitical...

Subversive Faith and Competition in Patronage: A Note on ΠΙΣΤΙΣ in Mark

Abstract In her influential monograph Roman Faith and Christian Faith: Pistis and Fides in the Early Roman Empire and Early Churches, Theresa Morgan has convincingly shown how closely the early Christian discourse on ‘faith’ was bound up with similar notions in the broader Greco-Roman world, particularly in relation to the system of patronage, with both humans and deities fulfilling the role of (trustworthy and trusted) patrons. Thus, she has shifted attention from πίστις/fides as a primarily ‘theological’ notion to an interpretation along more ‘social’ lines and situated it in realm of human and divine/human relations. She also analyses this in relation to the Gospel of Mark, showing how Mark also fits this general picture. This note builds on Morgan’s work and will further develop one aspect of Mark’s use of the language (and concept) of patronage and πίστις. This is its subversive character, which is present to a lesser extent in Morgan's work; by calling for πίστις directed to him on the part of the people that he encounters, Jesus also draws these people away from other allegiances and ‘πίστις commitments’, that is, intersubjective relationships based on trust and leading to personal allegiance.

Icelandic Kami

Utamakura is a traditional Japanese technique of recognizing, interpreting, and utilizing the web of intertextual meanings which have accrued around particular place names over centuries of poetic practice. In general, these utamakura places were originally (in the 7th-9th centuries) associated with Shintō gods (kami), though in later periods the web of meanings in most cases came to include (and often became dominated by) secular rather than spiritual associations. Japanese poet Takahashi Mutsuo, who has published both poetic and theoretical works on the subject of utamakura, seeks to recover the original spiritual power of utamakura place names. He has also expanded the concept to include places of mythic spiritual importance outside of Japan, mostly in the Greco-Roman world.
 Taking inspiration from Takahashi's revivification of this mediaeval poetic device, I am currently in the midst of a three-year project to write a series of (at this point seven) multimedia chamber music pieces called the utamakura series, pieces inspired alternately by traditional Japanese locations and locations in Northern Europe. My 2018 piece utamakura 2: Arnardalar for violin, piano, and fixed audiovisual media is an exploration of the Icelandic valley of Arnardulr in the Westfjords, the setting of a key early scene in the Fóstbræðra saga. My work draws on both the saga's descriptions of the place and the current place as it is today, highlighting the flux of time and exploring the power of art to infuse itself into – and change perceptions of – physical locations.
 In this paper, I will explain the conceptual processes involved in writing the piece, with an emphasis on the intercultural aesthetic of my work and how Japanese philosophy of art and religion can offer a creative new perspective on the Scandinavian lands which are the settings of the North's oldest literature.

JEWISH FICTIONAL LETTERS FROM HELLENISTIC EGYPT: THE EPISTLE OF ARISTEAS AND RELATED LITERATURE. Translated by L. Michael White and G. Anthony Keddie. Writings from the Greco‐Roman World 37. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2018. Pp. xxiii + 462. Paperback, $59.00.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 46, Issue 4 p. 559-560 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: Judaism: Hellenistic Through Late Antiquity JEWISH FICTIONAL LETTERS FROM HELLENISTIC EGYPT: THE EPISTLE OF ARISTEAS AND RELATED LITERATURE. Translated by L. Michael White and G. Anthony Keddie. Writings from the Greco-Roman World 37. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2018. Pp. xxiii + 462. Paperback, $59.00. First published: 09 January 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.14982Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume46, Issue4December 2020Pages 559-560 RelatedInformation

Awaking to Mutual, Reciprocal Need in Plague and Epidemic Disease: The Origins of Early Christian Health Care.

While the early Christian Church demonstrates a deep desire to relieve physical suffering, the Greco-Roman world in which it developed lacked the same impetus to respond to human need, especially in the context of epidemic or communicable disease. Christianity's dedication to health care, and its belief that assisting the sick constituted an absolute obligation, distinguished early Christianity from its contemporary cultural milieu which regularly ignored and excluded the sick. The novelty of the Christian approach to healing can be traced to the early church's unique recognition of human need. This vision of human need, which ultimately replaced the secular Greco-Roman emphasis on reciprocal philanthropy and providing assistance only to the worthy, is clearly exemplified in the life of Christ, in responses to plague and in the writings of John Chrysostom and the Cappadocian Fathers Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus. An analysis of these sources demonstrates that the early Christian Church viewed the sick not only as persons to be assisted insofar as they shared a common human nature but also individuals necessary for the salvation of the broader community as a whole. The early church's emphasis on reciprocal interdependence between healthy and sick eliminated the boundaries traditionally established between these two groups and transformed long-standing notions of contagious disease. Ultimately, the development of these attitudes toward the sick originates in a deeper truth which underlies the Christian healthcare tradition both in the ancient world and in the modern era: humanity's profound and mutual need of God, before whom all are spiritually ill.

방언의 음성학적 특징에 관한 새로운 이해 - 그레코-로마 세계에서 방언과 유사 언어 비교를 중심으로

바울 서신에서 방언의 음성학적 특성이 가장 잘 설명된 본문이 고린도전서 14:7-11이다. 전통적으로 이 본문은 방언에 관한 바울의 부정적인 견해를 반영하는 본문으로 잘 알려졌다. 그러나 본 논문은 고린도전서 14:10-11의 구문론에서 방언의 음성학적 특성을 새롭게 해석하면서 그레코-로마 세계에서 방언의 음성학적 특성이 가지는 의미를 살펴볼 것이다.BR 본 연구는 방언과 필로의 예언적 언어의 비교 연구를 통해서, 고린도전서 14:10의 ἄφωνον과 로마서 8:26의 στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις 그리고 고린도후서 12:4의 ἄρρητα에 반영된 음성학적 특성을 모두 비가청적인(inaudible) 것으로 해석할 것을 제안한다. 바울은 자신이 계시로 받은 말씀의 음성학적 특성을 ἄρρητα로 묘사하는데 그것은 헬라 유대교에서 비가청적인 특성으로 이해되었을 것이다(Opif. 1:126; Det. 1:102; Abr. 1:20). 그렇다면, 바울서신에서 그 세 평행본문의 통일성을 고려할 때, 바울이 방언의 음성학적 특성 중에서 유독 비가청적인 것을 강조한다는 것을 알 수 있다.BR 방언의 음성학적 특성에 대한 새로운 이해는 고린도전서 14장에서 방언에 대한 불신자들의 반응을 새롭게 해석할 것을 요구한다. 14:9b의 ἔσσθε εἰς ἀέρα λαλοῦντες(이는 허공에다 말하는 것이라)와 14:11의βάρβαρος(외국인)는 방언에 대한 부정적인 반응을 보여 준다. 반면에, 14:23의 μαίνεσθε는 최상급의 긍정적인 의미로 해석될 수 있다: ‘너희가 하나님의 영으로 은사를 받았다/너희가 하나님의 영을 받았다.’BR 그러므로 초기 기독교 이전의 시기에 헬라 종교나 유대교 문헌에서 방언과 동일한 은사가 발견되지 않지만, 바울이 설명하는 방언의 음성학적 특성을 고대 그레코-로마 세계에서 발견되는 유사 언어와 비교하는 것은 가능하다. 본 연구가 제안하는 방언의 음성학적 특성에 관한 새로운 이해는 방언의 은사가 가지는 계시적 성격을 설명할 뿐만 아니라 또한 방언과 통역 사이의 직접적 관련성을 설명한다.

READING AND TEACHING ANCIENT FICTION: JEWISH, CHRISTIAN, AND GRECO‐ROMAN NARRATIVES. Edited by Sara R.Johnson, Rubén R.Dupertuis, and ChristineShae. Writings from the Greco‐Roman World Supplement Series, 11. Atlanta, GA: SBL, 2018. Pp. xv + 320. Cloth, $55.95; paper, $40.95.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 46, Issue 3 p. 406-406 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: Christian Origins READING AND TEACHING ANCIENT FICTION: JEWISH, CHRISTIAN, AND GRECO-ROMAN NARRATIVES. Edited by Johnson, Sara R., Dupertuis, Rubén R., and Shae, Christine. Writings from the Greco-Roman World Supplement Series, 11. Atlanta, GA: SBL, 2018. Pp. xv + 320. Cloth, $55.95; paper, $40.95. First published: 11 November 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.14784Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume46, Issue3Special Issue: Religion and SexualitySeptember 2020Pages 406-406 RelatedInformation

The Discourse of Marriage in the Greco-Roman World ed. by Jeffrey Beneker, Georgia Tsouvala

The Discourse of Marriage in the Greco-Roman World ed. by Jeffrey Beneker, Georgia Tsouvala

The Concept of Atonement in the Old Testament, Greco-Roman World and the New Testament

The Concept of Atonement has been an old concept in the biblical world. The Old Testament speaks of it using mainly the Hebrew word כפר (kphr), with its attendant various implications. This concept wasn’t alien in the Greco-Roman world which formed part of the New Testament background. The New Testament writers pushed the concept of atonement beyond the level of animal sacrifice in the Old Testament, and the gods allowing themselves to be reconciled to sinful humanity in the Greco-Roman religious context, to the point of Jesus Christ being viewed as the Lamb of God, i.e. both the sacrificial lamb and the priest that offers the sacrifice. In this way, Christ is presented both as the offering and the offeror. The New Testament uses two main Greek words καταλλαγή/ (katallage) and ἱλασμός (hilasmos) in driving home this important concept which stems from God’s love towards the creation and results in forgiveness, restoration of estranged relationship, maintenance of divine justice and expression of divine mercy. The work used content analysis method of research and comparative theory in the study of religion in dealing with the subject of atonement in the Old Testament, Greco-Roman Context and the New Testament. Significantly, the work draws a thread of thought from Old Testament through Greco-Roman thought on atonement to that of the New Testament. It therefore also serves a point of comparative religious study of this thought among these three world views.

Żołnierze a dzikie i obce zwierzęta na linii frontu wojennego w ujęciu autorów antycznych

The aim of this paper is to analyze antique testimonies documenting the relationships between soldiers and the wild and strange animals that armies encountered on the march, in military camps, on the battlefield and during clashes at sea. Also, the author attempts to discuss the numerous problems of reconstructing such relationships. The wild and strange beasts on the frontline drew the attention of writers for several reasons: they were attributed the role of divine omens, and therefore their spontaneous appearance may have had an impact on the course of military action; when soldiers saw an animal of a particular species, things were discussed; one would also describe the animals the soldiers observed, hunted, or played with. Thus the paper highlights one of the aspects in the daily life of soldiers of the Greco-Roman world. In a broader sense, the study combines historical research with ethological inquiry.

O TRABALHO LITERÁRIO PRESENTE NO POEMA MODERNISTA COBRA NORATO: UMA LEITURA DA TRADIÇÃO NA RUPTURA.

Além de empenharem-se por uma autonomia cultural brasileira, é sabido que as obras nascidas sob a égide ideológica da Semana de 22 esforçaram-se em desprezar convictamente a tradição e os cânones formais. Cobra Norato, poema maior de Raul Bopp, publicado pela primeira vez em 1931, pretendeu confirmar tais premissas. Entretanto, no substrato do folclore amazônico que permeia esta poesia, podemos observar um trabalho literário que recupera metáforas e insumos clássicos. Solicitando a noção de pathosformel (Warburg, 2010), o presente artigo investiga como a linguagem poética de Cobra Norato (1931) repete magistralmente o imaginário mítico em sua macro e microestruturas, apontando para uma noção secular sobre arte – e por conseguinte sobre a Literatura - como artefato estético. Em paralelo a tal questão, este trabalho analisa como signos comuns à cultura clássica atravessam esta poesia de corrente modernista. Veremos assim, que o modo de refazer poeticamente o mito serpentário não se furtará ao diálogo com a antiguidade greco-latina, sugerindo a sobrevivência da tradição na ruptura.

Empty Tomb, Resurrection, Apotheosis

Empty Tomb, Resurrection, Apotheosis

L. ANNAEUS CORNUTUS: GREEK THEOLOGY, FRAGMENTS, AND TESTIMONIA. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by G. Boys‐Stone. Writings from the Greco‐Roman world 42. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2018. Pp. xiv + 242. $35.95.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 46, Issue 2 p. 226-226 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: Greece, Rome, Greco-Roman Period L. ANNAEUS CORNUTUS: GREEK THEOLOGY, FRAGMENTS, AND TESTIMONIA. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by G. Boys-Stone. Writings from the Greco-Roman world 42. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2018. Pp. xiv + 242. $35.95. First published: 03 July 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.14592Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume46, Issue2June 2020Pages 226-226 RelatedInformation

Ephesian Women in Greco-Roman and Early Christian Perspective

Elif Hilal Karaman is Research Associate in the Department of History of Religions at Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir, Turkey. She is part of a growing community of scholars who are seeking to bring female voices and perspectives to the study of the ancient world, NT, and archeology. In this regard, Karaman seeks to examine the different roles of women in Greco-Roman and Christian worlds and to discuss the presentations and changing perceptions of these women. The research contained herein is based on Karaman’s doctoral dissertation, “A Change in Perspective: A Comparison between Early Christian Literature and Greco-Roman Evidence on the Lives of Ephesian Women,” completed at the University of Manchester.The volume begins with an important chapter on research samples. This chapter clarifies the scope of the project and focuses the reader on the locale of Ephesus. Karaman helpfully shows the importance of Ephesus for both the Greco-Roman and NT worlds. The chapter also clarifies the stratification of women in terms of socioeconomic categories. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the history of scholarship concerning both Ephesus and the history of women in the Roman and Christian worlds. Chapter 3 gives a social history of Ephesus, focusing on the domestic, public, ancient, and imperial. Chapters 4–7 begin to explore the social relationships of women in the ancient world. Each chapter begins with an explanation of the topic. This introduction is followed by an analysis of the topic from the perspective of the Greco-Roman evidence and then a similar treatment within the Christian writings. Chapter 4 addresses marriage. Karaman argues that the Greco-Roman and Christian evidence show more agreement of thought than previously acknowledged. In both cases, the submissive-wife motif is pervasive, but with one caveat. Whereas submission in Greco-Roman culture was for the purpose of societal praise, Christian submission was exclusively for the approval of God. Chapter 5 examines the role of widows and single women in ancient culture. Here, Karaman points out that the Christian way of living was driven by faith. Widows and single women operated within social boundaries similar to those of their Greco-Roman counterparts but with different motivations. Unlike chs. 4 and 5, which examined women in the domestic sphere, chs. 6 and 7 explore the role of women in the social sphere. Particularly interesting is the discussion of apparel with the accompanying pictures (pp. 130–31). Karaman concludes that Christian views towards head coverings and marriage were an attempt to, once again, Christianize Greco-Roman norms. Women’s attire were important markers of identity and reputation, and therefore, Christians were to be mindful of an appearance that honored God. Chapter 7 examines the role of women as teachers. The main takeaway from this chapter is the role of women to remain visual but not verbal. Karaman argues that Paul’s admonitions of women’s teaching were purposed to protect their husband’s reputations and not to condemn female public speaking in general.The monograph bears marks of both the academy and personal notes. Growing up near Ephesus, Karaman is able to provide a vibrancy to her research that speaks to her interests in the subject. Karaman is also conversant with a variety of sources. Her use of inscriptions is admirable given the difficulty of drawing conclusions from such a wide sample set. One overall benefit of this study is in showing the continuity between Greco-Roman norms and early Christian witness. Karaman is able to show that both worlds were conversant with one another and that Paul’s concern was that Christians have the proper posture in their Greco-Roman world.

Paulus beispiels-weise: Selbstdarstellung und autobiographisches Schreiben im Ersten Korintherbrief

Paulus beispiels-weise: Selbstdarstellung und autobiographisches Schreiben im Ersten Korintherbrief

City of Dog

To be fully human in the Greco-Roman world was to be a member of a city. This is unsurprising as cities were the building blocks of Greek and Roman culture and society. The urban landscape of post-Roman Western Europe looked dramatically different, with smaller, less economically diverse cities which played a smaller role in administration. Despite this, Greco-Roman ideas of humans as city-beings remained influential. This article explores this by investigating early medieval descriptions of cynocephali, which sought to determine whether the dog-headed men were human or not. Accounts of the cynocephali that presented them as human showed them living in urban settlements, whereas in reports of non-human cynocephali there are no cities. In exploring interactions between cynocephali and urban settings through ethnographic portrayals and hagiography, this article traces the lingering importance of the city for concepts of humanity.

T&T Clark Handbook to Early Christian Meals in the Greco-Roman World, edited by Soham Al- Suadi / Peter-Ben Smit

T&T Clark Handbook to Early Christian Meals in the Greco-Roman World, edited by Soham Al- Suadi / Peter-Ben Smit

Средневековье (от Рождества Христова к XIII столетию). Восток и Запад

The essence of the series of essays published by the journal is that with a maximum compactness of the presentation, it provides a summary of the main phenomena of world artistic culture, covered in its entirety both from the point of view of the general historical process, and in relation to the various arts (literature, the fi ne arts, architecture, music, theater and cinema). At the same time, the customary categorization according to national schools and the division into the separate respective arts with the genre specifi cation inherent in each of them are overcome, which answers the positive trends of globalization and provides a holistic view of artistic phenomena. The following artistic and historical periods are considered in stages: the Ancient world, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance era, the Baroque period, the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Post-romanticism, the fi rst, second and third Modern periods, Postmodernism, and, as an afterword, — “The Golden age of Russian artistic culture.”

The Young against the Old: Generational Conflict in First Clement by L. L. Welborn

Reviewed by: The Young against the Old: Generational Conflict in First Clement by L. L. Welborn David L. Eastman L. L. Welborn The Young against the Old: Generational Conflict in First Clement Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2018 Pp. 276. $110.00. In this volume Welborn attempts to reconstruct the historical and ecclesiastical contexts for the writing of 1 Clement. Chapter One ("Prolegomena") critiques previous scholarship and sets forth Welborn's hermeneutical principles. He rejects suggestions that the author did not know the situation in Corinth, that the author misrepresented the situation, or that the letter was not written in response to a real situation. Instead, he believes the letter can and should be read in light of a particular historical circumstance. His reconstruction will seek to address "the context of the conflict, the object of strife, the motives of the rebels, and the identities of the instigators" (3–4). Failure to deal with these details has characterized previous scholarship and led to overly generalized results. In addition, he argues that the context for the letter should first be reconstructed from internal evidence, rather than from theorized models of early Christian history (e.g., debate over charismatic authority or controversy over the developing role of the bishop). The best theory should explain the greatest number of features of the text. Although critical of some aspects of previous scholarship, Welborn agrees that certain historical elements have been definitively established: the author's [End Page 153] heavy reliance on the Old Testament but complex use of Paul; governance of the church by a group of presbyter-bishops appointed by the church body, not by a single bishop; organization of the church in Corinth into house churches led by wealthy patrons; and the relevance of the leadership structures of Greek and Roman private associations. The letter is not from a monarchical Roman bishop, and the date and authorship remain uncertain. In Chapter Two ("Hypothesis"), Welborn examines theories about the instigators of the uprising. Although Hans Lietzmann is typically credited with the hypothesis that the conflict involves young men rising up against older men, Adolf von Harnack had suggested this idea earlier. Most scholars have taken the generational conflict for granted (based on 1 Clem. 3.3), yet no one has engaged in a full study to confirm this hypothesis. This is part of Welborn's project. He also finds evidence in the text to suggest that women may have played a role in the uprising. Chapter Three ("Context") is the longest chapter in the book. Welborn explores numerous aspects and examples of intergenerational conflict from the Greco-Roman world. He pays particular attention to legal and cultural evidence of conflict between young and old and fathers and sons involving access to power and control of property. Welborn presents an impressive array of evidence from authors that include Xenophon, Plato, Cicero, and Sallust. He also suggests that the Pastoral Epistles support a traditional ideology of respect for the elders. However, certain texts—including Plutarch, Musonius Rufus, and the biblical examples of Timothy and Titus—might suggest a more egalitarian view of power allocation among different generations. In Chapter Four ("Application"), Welborn explores a number of motifs used by the author of 1 Clement: charges of sedition, jealousy, and envy; and appeals for obedience, humility, and piety. He characterizes the letter as "a deliberative discourse on concord" that is designed to "reinforce the hierarchical structure of the ecclesia under the rule of the appointed elders" (129). The author juxtaposes the current sedition with a previous golden age in which young men and women knew their place. Welborn suggests that 1 Clement's emphasis on concord is comparable to speeches by Dio Chrysostom and Aelius Aristides on the topic of homonoia. In the final chapter ("Reconstruction"), Welborn presents his picture of the situation. It must account for four factors: 1) The setting was house churches, and the owner of the house would have served as the patron of the assembly, as was the case in private associations. 2) The church was governed by a college of presbyter-bishops, not a single bishop. In keeping with New Testament usage, these figures are best described in English...

Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Historical and Theological Reflections by Matthew Levering

Reviewed by: Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Historical and Theological Reflections by Matthew Levering Glenn B. Siniscalchi matthew levering, Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Historical and Theological Reflections (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). Pp. ix + 255. $99. Today scholarly publications on the credibility of the resurrection of Jesus are not difficult to find. Many NT historians appeal to three reported facts as evidence for the resurrection: (1) the series of postmortem appearances of Jesus to friend and foe alike, (2) the discovery of the open and empty tomb by a group of his women followers, and (3) the origin of the disciples' faith in the resurrection despite having predispositions to the contrary. Some critics add to or nuance the evidence, but in recent years a consensus has emerged in support of the facts. The hesitancy in affirming Jesus's resurrection as an event of history has more to do with philosophical issues related to defending the historicity of miracles rather than establishing what should count as evidence. One of the best features of Matthew Levering's new book is that he makes several genuine contributions to a field that seems to have been nearly exhausted. For example, after surveying the most recent arguments and positions among prominent NT scholars who write on the subject, he draws from Thomas Aquinas's interpretation of selected OT passages that, "when viewed as an assemblage, instruct us profoundly about the context in which Jesus' resurrection is credible" (p. 13). The OT witnesses go beyond the presupposition of God's existence for ensuring the possibility of miracles (or even the probability of miracles). Thus, L. summarizes other presuppositions for taking the resurrection seriously: "The needed foundations for believing in Christ's Resurrection are here. We must believe that God is creator; that God loves humans in to existence; that God wishes to draw near to his fallen human creatures; that God wills to establish a 'ladder' between his dwelling and ours; that God will restore his fallen creatures through the sacrifice of his beloved son" (p. 105). Another major contribution focuses on the strangeness of the resurrection as evidence. Undoubtedly, there is a sense in which this argument has been utilized in resurrection studies (it is most notably found in N. T. Wright's monumental The Resurrection of the Son of God [Christian Origins and the Question of God 3; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003]), but L. [End Page 323] does not so much focus on the unicity of the resurrection against the Jewish matrix from which Easter faith emerged as appeal to the peculiarity of the NT writers' depiction of the risen body. A spiritual view of the afterlife would have been much easier to promote in dialogue with potential converts in the Greco-Roman world, but the early Christians never compromised about the risen body in their preaching. Though some contemporary exegetes may highlight the spiritual view in order to make the afterlife credible in the modern world, L. reminds us that the ancient world had the same trouble with accepting the bodily resurrection. Yet the early Christians proclaimed that Jesus was raised from the dead, not assumed or immortalized. Third, L.'s chapter on faith, reason, and history outlines the Catholic perspectives of Joseph Fenton, Bernard Lonergan, and Pierre Rousselot. Although L. recognizes the indispensable role of reason in matters of defending the faith, he does not overstate the case for reason in the next chapter, which shows the need for contemplative engagement and love to pinpoint an answer to the truth concerning the risen Jesus. As a case in point, L. shows how Hans Urs von Balthasar's apologetics of love (see his Love Alone Is Credible [trans. D. C. Schindler; San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004]) is congruent with historical approaches: "While I think von Balthasar's position is too quick to dismiss the contemplative work of reason unaided by faith, the strengths of his position should be evident. Lacking appreciation for divine self-surrendering love, we are unlikely to perceive the truth of Christ" (p. 182). Finally, given the assumption that Jesus made himself seen to the disciples, skeptics, individuals, and even large groups of people under radically different circumstances...