Books in the Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity series

Maximus the Confessor (580-662) is recognized by historians of Christian thought for his contributions to philosophical theology in the Eastern Christian tradition. Paul Blowers examines Maximus's role as an expositor of scripture and spiritual father in the Byzantine monastic tradition.

13 scholars present the most recent overviews in areas of scrolls study. They provide authoritative descriptions of the state of the question in the major areas of Dead Sea Scrolls research, and explore the implications for long-standing problems in the field.

For nearly four decades, E P Sanders has been the foremost scholar in shaping and refocusing scholarly debates in three different but related disciplines in New Testament studies: Second Temple Judaism, Jesus and the Gospels, and Pauline studies. This collection of essays includes a substantive intellectual autobiography by E P Sanders himself.

The topic of the election of Israel is one of the most controversial and difficult subjects in the entire Bible. Modern readers wonder why God would favour one specific people and why Israel in particular was chosen. This volume seeks to bring to a wide audience the ongoing rich theological dialogue on the election of Israel.

The elusive rationale for the Brescia Casket, an ivory reliquary carved in northern Italy ca. 390, has long tantalized scholars. In The Key to the Brescia Casket, Dr. Catherine Brown Tkacz reveals that the secret to its meaning lies in exegetical typology - the interpretation of Old Testament people and events as prefiguring the Messiah.

This collection of essays focuses on sacrifice in the context of Jewish and Christian scripture and is inspired by the thought and writings of Rene Girard. The contributors engage in a dialogue with Girard in their search for answers to key questions about the relation between religion and violence.

The variety of ways in which Jews in Israel responded to and appropriated Greek culture is the subject of this volume. The contributors provide corroborating evidence of the influence of Greek culture in Judea and Galilee, from before the Maccabean revolt on into the rabbinic period.

Augustine and the Cure of Souls situates Augustine within the ancient philosophical tradition of using words to order emotions. Paul Kolbet uncovers a profound continuity in Augustine's thought, from his earliest pre-baptismal writings to his final acts as bishop, revealing a man deeply indebted to the Roman past and yet distinctly Christian. Rather than supplanting his classical learning, Augustine's Christianity reinvigorated precisely those elements of Roman wisdom that he believed were slipping into decadence. In particular, Kolbet addresses the manner in which Augustine not only used classical rhetorical theory to express his theological vision, but also infused it with theological content. This book offers a fresh reading of Augustine's writings-particularly his numerous, though often neglected, sermons-and provides an accessible point of entry into the great North African bishop's life and thought.

The Psalms generated more biblical commentary from early Christians than any other book of the Hebrew and Christian canon. While advances have been made in our understanding of the early Christian preoccupation with this book and the traditions employed to interpret it, no study on the Psalms traditions exists that can serve as a solid academic point of entry into the field. This collection of essays by distinguished patristic and biblical scholars fills this lacuna. It not only introduces readers to the main primary sources but also addresses the unavoidable interpretive issues present in the secondary literature. The essays in The Harp of Prophecy represent some of the very best scholarly approaches to the study of early Christian exegesis, bringing new interpretations to bear on the work of influential early Christian authorities such as Athanasius, Augustine, and Basil of Caesarea. Subjects that receive detailed study include the dynamics of early Christian political power, gender expressions, and the ancient conversation between Christian, Jewish, and Greek philosophical traditions. The essays and bibliographic materials enable readers to locate and read the early Christian sources for themselves and also serve to introduce the various interdisciplinary methods and perspectives that are currently brought to bear on early Christian psalm exegesis. Students and scholars of theology and biblical studies will be led in new directions of thought and interpretation by these innovative studies.

Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism presents the most comprehensive study of Philo's De Vita Mosis that exists in any language. Feldman, well known for his work on Josephus and ancient Judaism, here paves new ground using rabbinic material with philological precision to illuminate important parallels and differences between Philo's writing on Moses and rabbinic literature. One way in which Hellenistic culture marginalized Judaism was by exposing the apparent defects in Moses' life and character. Philo's De Vita Mosis is a counterattack to these charges and is a vital piece of his attempt to reconcile Judaism and Hellenism. Feldman rigorously examines the text and shows how Philo presents a narrative of Moses's life similar to that of a mythical divine and heroic figure, glorifying his birth, education, and virtues. Feldman demonstrates that Philo is careful to explain in a scientific way those portions of the Bible, particularly miracles, that appear incredible to his skeptical Hellenistic readers. Through Feldman's careful analysis, Moses emerges as unique among ancient lawgivers. Philo's Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism mirrors the organization of Philo's biography of Moses, which is in two books, the first, in the style of Plutarch, proceeding chronologically, and the second, in the style of Suetonius, arranged topically. Following an introductory chapter, Feldman's study discusses the life of Moses chronologically in the second chapter and examines his virtues topically in the third. Feldman compares the particular features of Philo's portrait of Moses with the way in which Moses is viewed both by Jewish sources in antiquity (including Pseudo-Philo; Josephus; Graeco-Jewish historians, poets, and philosophers; and in the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Samaritan tradition, Dead Sea Scrolls, and rabbinic tradition) and by non-Jewish sources, notably the Greek and Roman writers who mention him.

The Liber Regularum, written by Tyconius in the Fourth Century A.D., was the first system of biblical interpretation proposed by a Latin theologian. Augustine was very interested in this work and included an extraordinary summation of it in his De doctrina christiana. Although this treatment insured the preservation of the work and its lasting fame, Augustine's summary became better known than the original. Pamela Bright's The Book of Rules of Tyconius: Its Purpose and Inner Logic reintroduces this neglected classic of early church literature. Bright asserts that although Augustine was greatly influenced by the Liber Regularum, his philosophical differences caused him to misunderstand its meaning. Bright reexamines the meaning of "e;prophecy"e; and "e;rule"e; from Tyconius's perspective and reveals that the purpose of the book was not to provide a general guide to scriptural interpretation, but rather a way to interpret apocalyptic texts. She cites Tyconius's intense concern with evil in the church as the genesis of his interest in the apocalypse and subsequently the meaning of the scripture concerning it. Tyconius speaks of the "e;seven mystical rules"e; of scripture that with the grace of the Holy Spirit reveal the true meaning of prophecy. If an interpreter follows the "e;logic"e; of these rules, the nature of the church as composed by both good and evil membership is revealed. Bright argues that Tyconius was not illogical or incompetent in the work's composition as many critics have claimed but rather that he organized his material in a concentric pattern so that Rule Four, the center of the seven rules, is also the central development of his theory. Of interest to theologians, students of biblical interpretation and of Augustine, The Book of Rules of Tyconius focuses attention upon a work that had great influence on the understanding of the nature of the church, on interpreting scripture, and its meaning for the Church of its day.

This historical study examines in detail the first seven years of Athanasius''s career as bishop of Alexandria from the time of his election and consecration as bishop in 328 to his banishment by Emperor Constantine following the Synod of Tyre in 335. Thoroughly examining the modern historical and literary tradition, which has arrived at a negative assessment of Athanasius, as well as original contemporary documents both within and outside the Athanasian corpus, Duane W. H. Arnold evaluates their veracity and reassesses ancient and modern charges of misconduct concerning the early years of Athanasius''s episcopate.In the course of this volume particular attention is given to identifying the issues and events in Athanasius''s career that have been in dispute, including the reliability of the Philostorgian narratives, the controversy over Athanasius''s consecration, and his reaction to the Meletian schism in Egypt especially as it relates to the material contained within London Papyrus 1914 and the documents of the Synod of Tyre. A brief study is also made of the festival oration of Gregory Nazianzen for its information about Athanasius''s character and conduct.Arnold suggests that an evaluation of the charges made against Athanasius both at court and in ecclesiastical gatherings indicates that although the motives of certain opponents may have been theological, the means used to remove Athanasius from Alexandria were essentially political; the Synod of Tyre functioned as a show trial with no real concern for either justice or equity.