Documents and Images for the Study of Paul Paperback – 1 Nov. 2010

A good introduction to the world of Paul, bringing several primary sources that interact with the cultural context of the apostle Paul. Right from the introduction, the authors/editors recall the danger of 'Parallelomania' (Sandmel's term coined in 1961), which points to the idea that any parallel to a particular biblical text must be brought to the text, or even that correlation of ideas must mean causation of ideas. On the other hand, Alliott and Reasoner affirm that in the discipline of historical criticism, parallels can produce weight in proper contextual interpretations of Paul, and how his letters would 'echo' in the ears of his audience, having in mind their background and their "symbolic and iconographic vocabulary" (7).Being aware of that, the book is mainly divided by subjects:(1) *Paul's Self-Presentation* and how they would sound for his mediterranean congregations used to itinerant philosopers and low view of manual laborers, especially in view of his letters' initial words and his autobiographical sections in Gal 2 and Phil 3;(2) *Paul's Gospel and Paul's Letters* where the practice of letter-writting, rhetoric, and crucial elements of Paul's message concerning a Crucified Messiah and the ruin of the present evil age;(3) *The Gospel of Augustus* and the usage of the word "gospel" in its Roman background, also exploring documents and archeological items that enlighten the relationship between the Roman power, and Paul and his audience.(4) *Paul's people Israel* reviews the perception of Jews within the Greco-roman world, and how that would affect Paul’s role as a Jew seeking to bring the good news of the Crucified Jesus to communities formed by Jews and Gentiles altogether;(5) *The Communities around Paul* explores the idea that the apostle was seeking to bring the biblical idea of holiness to Gentiles, in order that they could receive God’s holy presence in their midst, and how this call for ‘purity in Christ’ was perceived in its statements concerning the nullification of social rank ‘in Christ’.(6) *Paul’s Legacy* brings a reflection on how Paul influenced early Christianity, starting from pseudepigraphic works up to Augustine’s conversion.These chapter, therefore, capture Paul in his environment, accompanied by several images and enriching primary source material. Each chapter has plenty of valuable endnotes, questions for reflection and suggestions for further readings.Two setbacks, though: first, a couple images seem confusing and less impressive than they really are due to the lack of printing quality and colour (e.g fresco in p. 309), and would be enriched by having them, although the price for a copy would increase as well! Second, I understand the choice of the authors for ‘cleaner’ pages for the reader, but I dislike notes at the end of a book, and would earnestly prefer footnotes for this kind of technical work.Apart from that, I definitely recommend Elliott and Reasoner’s interesting and synthetical writing style.

Reading this book gave me a better understanding of the challenges that the new church faced in its early stages development.