Jan 2013 issue of Interpretation on "Body" theme

The latest issue of Interpretation features the theme “body” with a nice theological article by Nancey Murphy arguing in favor of “nonreductive physicalism” (the idea that the “soul” and “body” are not separable entities). I think that what Murphy (and also Joel Green) argue is sensible theologically, but I have yet to figure out what to do with all the “soul” language in Scripture. I suggest you read Murphy’s article and pay attention to what she says about the aspective use of soul and spirit language (with insight from JDG Dunn). That may be an important key for unlocking this mystery.

In this issue, I have two book reviews, one longer review on Ken Bailey’s book on 1 Corinthians (a decent commentary with an unfortunate emphasis on chiasms), and a short review on James Thompson’s study of Moral Formation According to Paul  – a remarkable little book that makes a helpful contribution to the burgeoning field of Pauline ethics.
A nice treat in this issue is a lengthy review by Walter Brueggemann of two major works on Biblical Theology – one by Reinhard Feldmeier/Hermann Spieckermann, and the other by Greg Beale. Unsurprisingly, Brueggemann found little to praise in Beale’s work. I do not share Brueggemann’s opinion that Beale’s work is supersessionistic. I was trained in the same kind of Ladd/Ridderbos/Vos school of Biblical Theology as Beale and I would not link it with supersession.
John T Carroll reviews LT Johnson’s Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church and recommends it for use in adult Sunday School courses especially during the “C” (Lukan) year – this is a good idea for reviews, to flag up books that would be good for church use. Enjoy!