Book Review: The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul

When considering these two books, we can appreciate how much the series "NewTestament Message" is rendering a great service to an understanding of the Bible for Americans. What we have in everyone of these books is the result of the mature thinking of scholars who are using the most modern biblical tools in an attempt to bring accepted results to as wide an audience as possible. It is particularly important to have a good idea of the biblical-theological content of the somewhat neglected Catholic Epistles, especially when we are more con. scious of the plural theologies in understanding the Fact of Jesus, more than just the so-called main witnesses as Kummel's Theology of the New Testament states. It is very useful for us to consider the meaning of such disparate letters as the two letters attributed to Saint Peter. Because of the time difference, there had been quite a change in the atmosphere of the early Christian Church in Asia Minor. The first letter is a letter related to the appreciation of being a Christian, its value and its worth, a worth dying for. The general tone of the letter is pretty much that which is said in the Bookof Revelation. It is a real joy to see the skill of so good a scholar as Donald Senior writing in such a way that it is very warm and understandable to any non specialist Yet there is no doubt that he is aware of the questions about the general nature of the letter and particular points as are discussed in the different schools. It is a good contribution to read positive suggestions for the "Mission of a Christian Wife" (3,l-6) and "Preaching to the Dead' (4,6). Naturally Second Peter is joined to this book because of the name Peter though it is by an entirely different hand than that of First Peter. The contents too are quite different, more a meaning of why and how the Parousia can and should be meaningful for a Christian. ltcan be a definite help for people todaywho ask "Why is the coming of Jesusdelayed?" Whatdoes it mean to us. Many of the same remarks can be made of the work of Richard Kugelman on James and Jude. Naturally there is a difference in style between these two authors in their commenting on the Catholic Epistles, Kugelman is clearly of a different temperament than Senior. He spends quite some time on speaking of the canonical acceptance of the book, and very naturally on the question of Faith and Works. For him James reflects a good balance to people who know only the epistles of Paul, particularly the one to the Romans, as being the "pure gospel." Problems that always exist for Christians is the problem of fidelityto Christ and freedom to His message in the Spirit Again positively there is much more in James than contradicting Saint Paul. There is a fine section in comments on the Epistle of Jude between biblical inspiration and truth.