Just Published
Who Killed Jesus?
by John Dominic Crossan
(San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995) 238 pp., $23
Crossan questions the historicity of the Passion narratives in this exploration of the Gospel roots of anti-Semitism.
God: A Biography
by Jack Miles
(New York: Knopf, 1995) 449 pp., $27.50
Analyzing God as protagonist of a classic work of literature, Miles reviews the deity’s life, from his entrance at the Creation to his last appearance as the white-haired “Ancient of Days” who looks forward to the end of history.
The Poets Book of Psalms
edited by Laurance Wieder
(San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995) 312 pp., $25
This complete psalter includes renditions of the psalms by Donne, Milton, Coleridge and 22 other poets from the 16th to the 20th century.
Studies in the Bible and Jewish Thought
by Moshe Greenberg
(Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1995) 504 pp., $39.95
Biblical law, the interpretation of biblical texts and the Bible in Jewish thought are the subjects of this collection of 26 essays written by Greenberg over a period of 45 years.
The Scepter and the Star
by John J. Collins
(New York: Doubleday, 1995) 270 pp., $30
Examining references to the messiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient texts, Collins considers the origins and relevance of messianism.
Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity?
by David Wenham
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995) 452 pp., $21.99
Wenham questions the popular understanding of Paul as an innovator who brought to Christianity many myths and teachings that spoiled the original, simple religion of Jesus.
Inclusion here does not preclude a longer review in a future issue.