In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Book Reviews 139 centuries-is that secular Judaism, shaped by the heritage of classical antiquity and a spectrum of Western values, is a different type of Judaism from that of previous generations. The Israeli Jew who stresses that he is an Israeli more than a Jew is, in effect, saying that he is more a Greek than a Jew. But ifthe Greek had a range ofvalues that often intersect with the range ofJewish values, what is the difference? Perhaps the major distinction is that Greek moralists from Hesiod to Plotinus give lots of good advice; Jewish moralists give nothing less than commandments, including the commandment to study sacred texts. Louis H. Feldman Yeshiva University Early Christianity and Hellenistic Judaism, by Peder Borgen. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996. 376 pp. $54.95. This book is actually a collection ofessays by Peder Borgen, Research Professor in the Department ofReligious Studies at the University ofTrondheim, Norway. Ofthe twelve essays, nine previously appeared in collections and Festschriften published between 1988 and 1994. Given the nature of this publication, readers should not expect to fmd here a monograph that makes a single, coherent argument. In the Introduction, which was prepared specifically for this book, the author states that the essays focus on related themes, and he continues: "The framework of communities is seen as central and formative. The essays deal with crossings of the borderline between communities, distinctions to be drawn between entry into and remaining in the community, aspects of community activities and community claims, and the self-understanding and the role of community within the larger perspective of historical events" (p. 2). The essays are arranged in four sections: (1) Jews and Christians in the Graeco-Roman World; (2) the Gospel ofJohn; (3) Acts ofthe Apostles and Paul's Letters; and (4) the Revelation to John. The first section includes three essays, the fITst ofwhich deals with the participation ofJews and Christians in the religious practices ofHellenistic religions. Borgen reviews the relevant literature, especially Philo and Paul, and concludes that the situation was very complex and that, for many Jews and Christians, the boundary lines were blurred. In the second essay, on proselytism, Borgen finds evidence for a variety of approaches among Jews, including forcible conversion under some of the Hasmoneans. The methods of the early Christians avoided the use of force, since conversion to Christianity in the first century did not include integration into a national state, as in Judaism. Borgen writes, "Paul's missionary conquest was not made by means of military arms or foreign policy, but by the proclamation ofthe gospel and by powerful 140 SHOFAR Fa111998 Vol. 17, No.1 deeds to bring Jews and gentiles to beliefin Christ and thereby into a cross-national and cross-ethnic fellowship" (p. 69). The third essay in this section is a very helpful study of the history of Judaism in Egypt during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The remainder ofthe book deals with issues relating specifically to New Testament documents. The second group ofessays constitutes the longest section of the book and deals with the Gospel ofJohn. Using a number ofapproaches, Borgen contends, against Franz Nierynk and others, that the Gospel of John was independent of the Synoptic Gospels. In the third section, dealing with Acts and Paul, the author makes the point that the so-called apostolic decree in Acts 15:20, 29; 21 :25 should be seen, not as a decree, but as part of a larger catalogue of vices which came out of Jewish proselytizing activity. The [mal section deals with the Revelation to John. One of the three essays in this section raises questions about the seemingly anti-Jewish polemic in this New Testament book. The author concludes that, although the situation was complex, "the polemic between the Synagogue and the ekklesia [and hence that represented in Revelation] was intra-mural, and the Christians were at this stage in history the ones who lived under the threat ofpersecution from the synagogal communities" (p. 291). Due to the nature of the book, it is difficult to make an overall assessment. The essays are self-contained, and there is little overall coherence. Nevertheless, taken together, the essays make some important observations...

pdf