How to Review a Festschrift?

How to Review a Festschrift?

I am currently reviewing the FS Celebrating Paul (honoring Fitzmyer & Murphy-O’Connor) for a journal and after reading through the eclectic set of essays, I wondered: what do you say in a review? Space does not really permit in-depth discussion of the 19 essays (400+ pages). There is obviously no central thesis. Each contributor makes his or her own argument towards an issue in Paul’s letters.

So, I went looking for examples. I went on the RBL page and looked at various reviews of Festschriften. Basically, everyone struggles with this and many opt to focus on a handful of interesting essays. One example, in particular, stuck out to me and made me laugh: see here. It is what I would call a “minimalist” review (if it can be called a review! Keep in mind RBL asks for a 1000-word review that aims to be analytical and “critical” in an academic sense).


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