Order and (Dis)order in the First Christian Century: A General Survey Attitudes. By F. Gerald Downing. Supplements to Novum Testamentum 151. Leiden: Brill, 2013. xiii + 395 pp. $171.00 (cloth).F. Gerald Downing, now retired, is an honorary research fellow at the University Manchester, with main research interests in the Synoptic Gospels. In this monograph, he sets out to survey ancient authors on the topic and disorder in the ancient world. This includes views concerning unity, peace, harmony, and order, in both the wider society and within one's local community. He does not aim to be exhaustive, but rather representative and descriptive. As noted in the introduction, he hopes the reader gains an appreciation of the extent shared opinions and attitudes across many groups; but also something the diversity even within the writings an individual author (p. 2).The volume is made up fourteen chapters divided into three main sections: Order (chaps. 1-7), Law (chaps. 8-11), and Disruptive Re-ordering (chaps. 12-14). The opening two chapters focus on the issue wider social order, the first surveying views by Greek, Roman, and Jewish authors, and the second on early Christian authors. They do achieve Downing's goal showing both unity and diversity, though at points I felt his surveys to be somewhat unsatisfying. For instance, in his treatment Christian authors, he divides the literature along critical lines rather than canonical ones; why should the pseudo-Pauline letters be read alongside 1 Peter and 1 Clement rather than the genuine Pauline letters? Chapters 3 and 4 change the focus to the order within; that is, on the excision, orderly control, or acceptance the unruly passions. Surveying the literature much in the same way as in the first two chapters, Downing demonstrates well that during this time period control one's feelings is part and parcel having one's thought-life in order.The remaining three chapters in the first section examine issues related to literary concerns for (chap. 5), issues related to verbal ambiguity (chap. 6), and the tensions and/or contradictions and disorder create for public speakers (chap. 7). The surveys in these chapters helpfully show that even though nearly all authors valued ideals such as unanimity, harmony, and concord, they nevertheless disagreed on how these ideals were achievable. The adaptability language and manner presentation, illustrated in chapter 7 through the examples Dio Prusa and the apostle Paul, demonstrates this well enough. …