Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Vol. 3.2 pp. 249-251 DOI: 10.

1177/1476869005058198 2005 SAGE Publications London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi http://JSHJ.sagepub.com

BOOK LIST

Books on the Historical Jesus

BRYAN, Steven M., Jesus and Israels Traditions of Judgement and Restoration (SNTSMS, 117; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), hb, xvi + 278 pp. ISBN 052181183X. 50.00; $80.00. This revision of a doctoral dissertation completed at Cambridge University explores Jesus proclamation of judgment and restoration within the larger context of Israels prophetic traditions. Topics from the life and teaching of Jesus that Bryan examines include the sign of Jonah, the use of vineyard and banquet imagery, the Elijah tradition, the establishment of the Twelve, the role of purity in Jesus teaching and activities, and Jesus action in the Temple, among others. Bryan concludes that, while Jesus is a prophet of Israels restoration, he did not simply appropriate the traditional features of Jewish restorationism. While continuing to announce Israels judgment, Jesus also held that Israels restoration did not remain a wholly future event (p. 243). One implication of this view is that the traditional division between views of Jesus as social revolutionary and as eschatological prophet is breaking down. In Bryans view, Jesus is both. This brief description does not do justice to the clear, rich exegesis and argumentation of this volumea notable contribution to the discussion of this important aspect of the historical Jesus. RLW

KAZEN, Thomas, Jesus and Purity Halakhah: Was Jesus Indifferent to Impurity? (CBNTS, 38; Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 2002), pb, xii + 402 pp. ISBN 9122019642. This volume is the published form of the authors doctoral dissertation at Uppsala University. After exploring the expanding role that purity regulations played towards the end of the Second Temple period, Kazen provides a detailed examination of Jesus attitude towards issues of purity and impurity through a study not only of the sayings material but also the narrative material (including healing and conict stories). Kazen chooses to focus on the fathers of impurity in particular: leprosy, genital discharges and corpse contamination. He concludes that Jesus acted with relative indifference towards these forms of impurity which led him to be in conict with current expressions of purity halakhah and its expanding role in his Jewish

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context. To this point, Kazens analysis is judicious and interesting, but his most valuable contribution is the three explanatory models he provides in an attempt to explain Jesus views: (1) Jesus actions are part of a moral trajectory in Judaism; (2) Jesus attitudes are a reaction to a Galilean dilemma on purity, and (3) Jesus was expressing an eschatological struggle against demonic evil and so was overruling impurity within the kingdom. This volume makes a signicant contribution to the ongoing discussion of Jesus and purity. RLW

Books on Subjects Related to the Historical Jesus

CHANCEY, Mark A., The Myth of a Gentile Galilee (SNTSMS, 118; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), hb, xvi + 229 pp. ISBN 0521814871. 45.00; $75.00. Since Jesus ministry and movement is largely a Galilean phenomenon, the socio-cultural context of Galilee and its features are signicant for a correct understanding of the historical Jesus. The view is frequently expressed that Galilee had a signicant Gentile presence, and perhaps they were even in the majority. By combining archaeological and textual evidence, Chancey demonstrates that the actual evidence for a Gentile presence in Galilee is very limited, and argues that discussions of the region in New Testament scholarship should always reect the Jewish identities of the overwhelming majority of its inhabitants (p. 6). After providing a political and demographic history of Galilee (ch. 2), the core of Chanceys work is a site-bysite review of the communities in lower and upper Galilee, examining the relevant archaeological and textual evidence on this issue (ch. 3). Galilee is then placed within the larger context of the surrounding regions (ch. 4). While this is a revision of Chanceys doctoral dissertation at Duke University, it is written in such a way that minimizes the use of technical archaeological jargon, thus making it accessible to a wider scholarly audiencean audience that needs to take such careful work into consideration rather than perpetuating outmoded views of Galilee in their work. RLW

MURPHY, Catherine M., John the Baptist: Prophet of Purity for a New Age (Interfaces; Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003), pb, xviii + 185 pp. ISBN 0814659330. $14.95. This rst volume in a new series explores how a biblical character interfaces with the characters world. It is intended to introduce a non-specialist audience to elements of biblical studies. Thus this volume introduces the reader to what is involved in reconstructing ancient history (i.e., historical criticism) as well as how ancient authors shaped their stories (i.e., redaction criticism). These tools are then applied to 15 texts relevant to John the Baptist in an attempt to reconstruct the historical John. Murphy then turns to an introduction of socialscientic criticism which is then applied to rst-century purication movements, like Johns. This volume does not introduce anything really new with respect to historical-John research, but it does provide a useful introduction to the methods used in historical-Jesus research. By

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applying this to John rather than Jesus, the student or introductory reader is introduced to tools in a manner that some may nd less threatening because the focus is John, not Jesus. RLW RAUSCH, Thomas P., Who Is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003), pb, xii + 217 pp. ISBN 0814650783. $23.95. Normally a volume on Christology would not receive a book notice in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, due to the focused nature of this journal. But this volume grounds its Christology in a consideration of the historical Jesus, for Rausch is convinced that a Christology not rooted in the Jesus of history cannot be the basis for the christological faith of the Church (p. 8). Thus, Chapter 1 surveys the three quests for the historical Jesus and Chapter 2 explores the methodologies used in the quests. Then Chapters 3 through 6 explore various aspects of the historical Jesus, including his Jewish background, his movement, his preaching and ministry, and his death. The second half of the volume then turns to matters traditionally related to Christology. For readers looking for a work that relates historical-Jesus research to Christology, this volume certainly merits serious consideration. RLW RLW = Robert L. Webb