Review of "New Testament in Antiquity"
Gary M. Burge, Lynn H. Cohick, Gene L. Green. The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within its Cultural Contexts. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. 479 pp. $49.99.
Of the writing of many books on NT Survey there is no end. I confess that I thought up that paraphrase of Kohelet’s lament when I heard of yet another NT Survey textbook to hit the already overcrowded market of academic publishing. Why would Zondervan issue yet another book of this type when it already publishes the fourth edition of Gundry’s Survey and the second edition of Carson and Moo’s Introduction? Such a book must justify its existence by its own unique contribution to the many similar books in the market. My concerns were answered when I began to peruse this unique and helpful volume. The co-authors teach undergraduates at Wheaton College and I am sure that this text came out of a collaborative course surveying the New Testament writings.
This volume is worthy of serious consideration by teachers and students because of two great strengths. First, the work fulfills the goal expressed in its title and sub-title. The authors work hard at placing the New Testament writings firmly within their historical and cultural contexts. Over one hundred pages are devoted to the historical setting of the NT, the world of Jesus in his homeland, and the Mediterranean world of the Apostle Paul before anything is mentioned about the written and oral sources for the Gospels. In their discussions of individual books, the authors then attempt to provide the historical context of each writing. The volume concludes with a helpful chapter on textual criticism, canon issues, and some balanced ideas on translation theory. While the authors utilize the TNIV, their comments about translation theory avoid any attack on the formal equivalence approach favored by advocates of versions like the NASB and ESV.
The second great strength of this volume is its stunning visual layout. There are more high resolution photographs in this book than in any other similarly sized book I have perused. The “photo credits” extend to three finely printed pages (477-479). Many of the photos are the work of TMC/IBEX faculty member Todd Bolen from his BiblePlaces.com web site. Some superbly done and accurate maps also illustrate the written explanations. These visuals do not justserve as decoration, but enhance one’s mental image of the items, places, and people mentioned in the New Testament writings. It is this marvelous feature that causes this volume to stand above other New Testament Surveys. The downside of this visual feast for the eyes is its inevitably more expensive price tag.
The authors maintain a high view of scripture and generally espouse conservative positions on the issues that concern evangelicals. In proposing Mark as the first Gospel, Burge cautions the reader that all of the views are hypotheses. “Q particularly is hypothetical, for no such document has ever been found” (117). The authors do not espouse the ancient chronological order of the Gospels as we have them, but they do recognize the theoretical nature of all such synoptic theories. They affirm Pauline authorship of the Pastorals (370-72) as well as the Petrine authorship of 2 Peter (405-07). These issues have become something of a litmus test for “conservative” introductions to the NT. For the differences in style and vocabulary in those books, they suggest that amanuenses may have played a role in their final composition.
While there is an item here and there with which I disagree, I am pleased at the degree to which the authors affirm traditional positions on controversial issues. In her discussion on the role of women, Lynn Cohick carefully maneuvers her discussion of complementarian and egalitarian positions in her explanation of 1Tim. 2.12 (367-69). Discerning eyes can see that she favors the latter approach but she does not unduly prejudice her presentation. Gene Green explains the controversial issues surrounding the “New Pauline Perspective” in a fairly even-handed manner (264). My guess is that an editorial hand has taken the sharp edge off some of these discussions. The policy of leaving many conclusions on controversial issues for the reader to decide is unwise for lay readers. Professors must guide their students through the issues raised by this and any other textbook.
Even though there is a crowded field, this book should be on the reading list in any NT Survey syllabus. There is still be a need for more detailed discussion of certain “introduction” issues, and some professors will need to sharpen areas that the authors leave a bit “fuzzy.” For most students, however, the material included is more than adequate for them to come away with a good presentation of each individual book and its historical/cultural context. If used in a graduate school setting, the material should be supplemented by information in a more academic introduction like that of Carson and Moo.
It is the visual beauty and helpfulness of the volume’s graphics, however, that are simply unequalled in other books surveying the NT.
2 months ago
