Below is a list of some of my recent and fairly recent book acquisitions (in no particular order), some of which, when I look at them, I feel guilty for not already having read them through. But as I’m currently involved in other guilt management catchup reading, there is no escape!
Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.
Michael Gorman, Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul’s Narrative Soteriology
Bishop AUGOUSTINOS (Kantiotes), A Panoramic View of Holy Scripture. (Two volumes, one each for OT and NT. His Grace provides short introductions to all the books of Scripture, including the anaginōskómena, the “apocrypha”.)
Fr Eugen Pentiuc, Long-Suffering Love: A Commentary on Hosea with Patristic Annotations. (Recommended by our beloved Esteban.)
Grant Frame, Babylonia 689-627 B.C.: A Political History
G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
Donald B. Redford, The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III
James K. Hoffmeier, The Archaeology of the Bible
Mafred Bietak, Avaris: The Capital of the Hyksos: Recent Excavations at Tell el-Dabʿa
Mordechai Cogan and Dan’el Kahn, Treasures on Camel Humps: Historical and Literary Studies from the Ancient Near East Presented to Israel Eph‘al
Peter Der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II
Jacob Neusner, A History of the Jews in Babylonia (five volumes), with the companion volume Aphrahat and Judaism: The Christian-Jewish Argument in Fourth-Century Iran, The Transformation of Judaism: From Philosophy to Religion and its companion volume Sources of the Transformation of Judaism: From Philosophy to Religion in the Classics of Judaism, and The Theology of the Halakhah
Rabbi Nosson Dovid Rabinowich (translator/editor), The Iggeres of Rav Sherira Gaon
Susannah Heschel, The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany
Paula Fredricksen, Augustine and the Jews: A Christian Defense of Jews and Judaism
Huub van de Sandt and Jürgen Zangenberg, Matthew, James, and Didache: Three Related Documents in Their Jewish and Christian Settings
M. A. Knibb, The Septuagint and Messianism
Eamon Duffy, The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village, Marking the Hours: English People and their Prayers 1240-1570, and, of course, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580
Steven Ozment, The Age of Reform: 1250-1550: An Intellectual and Religious History of Late Medieval and Reformation Europe
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Tobit (from the DeGruyter Commentaries on Early Jewish Literature)
Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization
Adrian Murdoch, Rome’s Greatest Defeat: Massacre in the Teutoberg Forest, and The Last Roman: Romulus Augustulus and the Decline of the West
C. S. Lewis, The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (the new, unabridged translation by Burton Raffel)
Henry David Thoreau, Walden (the annotated and illustrated edition edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer)
Eric Ormsby, Facsimiles of Time, and Time’s Covenant
D. J. Enright, Collected Poems 1948-1998
Zbignieuw Herbert, The Collected Poems 1956-1998
If someone would invent a pill that would safely remove my need for sleep with no deleterious effect on reading capability, I would very much appreciate it.
In my defense, I will say that I have always made it a habit to read, at the very least, the preface and introduction of every book that comes my way. And in several of the above-mentioned books I have made substantial, if only occasional, progress. I have always preferred to read my books straight through. Perhaps I am now in a period of transition, and am becoming one of those people who reads a number of books at a time. It seems that way.
In any case, from the parts of the books above that I have read, I can recommend them all, with greater or lesser enthusiasm depending upon the title.
I’ve read the first chapter of Gorman’s book and while I disagree with so much of what he says I’ve had a great time doing it! I just started reading Fee and Stuart last night and I’m currently four chapters in, so far so good. And of course I love the Beale & Carson edited volume.
I got the Gorman because you mentioned it, actually. I figured sometime this summer I could go on a Pauline kick. The theosis angle is what really caught my attention. That’s about as Orthodox as you can get.
I think the Fee and Stuart would be a good kind of introduction to someone for whom Bible study is completely new. I’ve only read (so far) through chapter 2. Have you read their How to Read the Bible Book by Book? They mention it in the Introduction as kind of a companion volume, but I don’t see how it would be necessary, as this one (flipping through) seems relatively complete. I find Fee very interesting, ever since I first read his Listening to the Spirit in the Text, which I picked up back when it was new.
The Beale and Carson Commentary I thought was going to be much more of a reference work, aligned verse by verse or whatever. It’s much more of a readthrough kind of book though. And huge. Of course it would have to be huge.
Why am I typing?! I need to be reading! Aaaaugh!
Yeah, get to it!
Gorman’s way of looking at theosis is interesting. I’ll leave it to you to decide how Orthodox it is. When I was reading Fee and Stuart I wondered why the other book would be necessary since, as you say, this one seems pretty complete. They also have one about choosing a translation which seems unnecessary as well. I like the book so far because I think it would make a good resource to use to teach a class in my church. I lament the fact that the majority of the members really don’t know how to read the Bible (to include the pastor much of the time). For the last few months I’ve been thinking about asking if I can take over Bible studies in the summer and if I’m allowed to do so I’ll definitely use this book in some way.
I just picked up Listening to the Spirit in the Text last week but I’ve yet to crack it open. I’m pretty much trying to get my hands on everything that Fee has written. Alright, I’ve said too much, now I have to get back to reading!
I’d love to get Allegory of Love someday!
I have read Perkins work on the Fall of Rome. It’s pretty good. He is reacting to a trend in scholarship that emphasizes transition over fall. If I remember correctly he focuses on two factors. First, the said “transition” involved bloodshed and death and thus fall might still be a proper term. Additionally, he emphasizes the decrease in quality of pottery in the empire, especially in the west. In fact, he brought pottery to our Late Antiquity course at UCLA to prove his point. It was an enlightening discussion. However, be warned a great many examples from the book come from Roman Britain.
Nick, that’s what I was thinking about the Fee-Stuart book, as well, that it would be good for an introductory class. Have you read Mortimer Adler’s classic, How to Read a Book? There’s a revised edition with Charles van Doren that I’ve got. I think that’d be a useful one for teaching tips, too.
Aaron, well, just keep your eyes peeled. There was a tatty old paperback at a local used bookstore, and I thought I might get it but would regret its condition (the covered looked chewed, I tell you). I went online and found one through bookfinder.com for the same price as the pre-digested paperback. And it even came with the original (very boring) dustjacket, and is in beautiful, unmarked condition. Sheer luck!
Kevin, yes, I recall that from flipping through the book when I first got it. It seems a good way to determine the fall of a civilization, tracking such items. Transportation is key, and if providers of raw materials or finished products (tiles, pottery, bricks, wine, etc) are no longer safe in transport, it all collapses. When the roving bands of pre/post-apocalyptic neo-hippies (or “the great unwashed” or whatever) start blocking our book deliveries (and the food trucks, and cutting water mains and electrical towers, etc), you’ll know our own civilization has fallen.