My Forthcoming Book Picks

This is a small group of books I hope to get my hands on in the next few months

Dunn, J.D.G Beginning from Jerusalem (Christianity in the Making Vol. 2; Eerdmans, 2009). This behemoth volume (over 1000 pages) from Dunn is meant to cover the period 30-70CE which covers the early Jerusalem community, the Hellenists, Paul’s life, and other figures of the first century.

Campbell, D. The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul (Eerdmans, 2009). Another lengthy volume. What we first saw adumbrated in his last book on Paul, we now see in extended form.

McKnight, S. and T. Mournet (eds.), Jesus in Early Christian Memory (Continuum, March 2009). This is a second festschrift for JDG Dunn focusing on the matter of oral tradition and the gospels. The chapters are as follows.

Anthony LeDonne, ‘Frost’s Fork for the Jesus Historian: Two Approaches to Social Memory’

Samuel Byrskog, ‘From Memory to Memoirs: Tracing the Background of a Literary Genre’

Kathleen Corley, ‘Jesus’ Table Etiquette: Eating and Drinking with Tax Collectors, Sinners and Courtesans’

Tom Holmen, ‘”No Stone Upon Another’ — No ‘Temple Made with Hands’?’

Scot McKnight, ‘Telling the Truth of History’

Terence C. Mournet, ‘Oral Performance Theory and Occam’s Razor: the Principle of Parsimony and the Formation of the Early Jesus Tradition.’

Lincoln Hurst, ”Mark’s Jesus and the Servant figure’

Terrell, P. Paul’s Parallels: An Echoes Synopsis (Continuum; June 2009). Here is the official description:

Paul’s Parallels is the first and only New Testament resource text in tables format presenting Paul’s verses in column one, next to a row of parallels, echoes, or like-minded quotes from Old and New Testament resources as well as other extant biblical materials. The passages are cited in full.

This master of the epistolary writings, gives a verse by verse demonstration of Paul’s thoughts, his ethic, and his actions that were picked-up by later Christian writers, copied by pseudo-Pauline admirers. It delineates some as distinctively Christian while others remained only in Paul’s writing.

In addition, Luke’s history about Paul in Acts is presented using the same format so the reader can easily cross-reference each epistle to its chronological setting. Documenting the history of Paul’s ministry in the same text allows the reader to instantly turn to the time and place in which Paul wrote that particular message. While investigating serious textual, literary, genre, and other theological characteristics, the reader has the opportunity of simultaneously locating Acts in its historical context.

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Also, in May or June of 2009 we are meant to see the appearance of the hotly anticipated Luke-Acts commentary by Loveday Alexander (Black’s series; Continuum) as announced in their new catalogue, but not on their website…

Here is the description: Here at last is the keenly awaited new Commentary on Luke-Acts by Loveday Alexander.
In her extended introduction Professor Alexander tackles head on the key issues: Who wrote the book of Acts? For whom was it written? When was it written? Where was it written? And basically What is The Book of Acts? Acts is the second part of a two volume work which describes the events after The Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Alexander
examines both internal and external evidence for this selective history of the Early Church told from a Christian standpoint. But at all times, Alexander emphasises that this is the book of Acts of The Holy Spirit and an account of the appearance of God`s salvation in human history. But the focus of the book of Acts is predominantly on St Peter and St

Paul. In the course of her detailed a most illuminating commentary Alexander shows her complete familiarity with contemporary scholarship but also regards this as a commentary to be used not just by ivory-tower scholars but by those whose mission is to teach and preach the Gospel.