RBL Newsletter, 25 January 2008

The following new reviews have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature.

John M. G. Barclay, trans., Flavius Josephus: Against Apion
Reviewed by René Bloch

Jeannine K. Brown, Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics
Reviewed by Tony Costa

Philip F. Esler and Ronald A. Piper, Lazarus, Mary and Martha: A Social-Scientific and Theological Reading of John
Reviewed by Peter Phillips

Ulrich Fistill, Israel und das Ostjordanland: Untersuchungen zur Komposition von Num 21,21–36,13 im Hinblick auf die Entstehung des Buches Numeri
Reviewed by Ulrike Sals

Thomas R. Hatina, ed., Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels: Vol. 1: The Gospel of Mark
Reviewed by David du Toit

Christine Helmer, ed., The Multivalence of Biblical Texts and Theological Meanings
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke

Dan Jaffé, Le Talmud et les origines juives du christianisme: Jésus, Paul et les judéo-chrétiens dans la littérature talmudique
Reviewed by Bogdan G. Bucur

Christopher R. Seitz, Prophecy and Hermeneutics: Toward a New Introduction to the Prophets
Reviewed by Michael B. Shepherd

A. T. Sulavik, ed., Guillelmus de Luxi: Postilla super Baruch, Postilla super Ionam
Reviewed by Mark W. Elliott

Robert Tannehill, The Shape of Luke’s Story: Essays on Luke-Acts
Reviewed by Robert F. O’Toole

Stephen Voorwinde, Jesus’ Emotions in the Fourth Gospel: Human or Divine?
Reviewed by William R. G. Loader

RBL Newsletter, 17 January 2008

The following new reviews have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature.

Young S. Chae, Jesus as the Eschatological Davidic Shepherd: Studies in the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and in the Gospel of Matthew
Reviewed by Daniel M. Gurtner

Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Interpreting the Historical Books: An Exegetical Handbook
Reviewed by Brian D. Russell

Craig Cooper, ed., Politics of Orality: (Orality and Literacy in Ancient Greece, Vol. 6)
Reviewed by Jonathan A. Draper

Tamás Czövek, Three Seasons of Charismatic Leadership: A Literary-Critical and Theological Interpretation of the Narrative of Saul, David and Solomon
Reviewed by Robin Gallaher Branch

John Paul Heil, Ephesians: Empowerment to Walk in Love for the Unity of All in Christ
Reviewed by Gosnell L. Yorke

J. Todd Hibbard, Intertextuality in Isaiah 24–27: The Reuse and Evocation of Earlier Texts and Traditions
Reviewed by Jeffery M. Leonard

Steven W. Holloway, ed., Orientalism, Assyriology and the Bible
Reviewed by Patricia Dutcher-Walls

George H. van Kooten, ed., The Revelation of the Name YHWH to Moses: Perspectives from Judaism, the Pagan Graeco-Roman World, and Early Christianity
Reviewed by Sabrina Inowlocki

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives
Reviewed by Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J.

Grant R. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
Reviewed by Oda Wischmeyer

Rosemary Radford Ruether, ed., Feminist Theologies: Legacy and Prospect
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe

Megan Hale Williams, The Monk and the Book: Jerome and the Making of Christian Scholarship
Reviewed by Jonathan Yates

RBL Newsletter, 8 January 2008

The following new reviews have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature.

Russell C. D. Arnold, The Social Role of Liturgy in the Religion of the Qumran Community
Reviewed by Carol A. Newsom

John Sietze Bergsma, The Jubilee from Leviticus to Qumran: A History of Interpretation
Reviewed by Erhard Gerstenberger

Christian Blumenthal, “Es wird aber kommen der Tag des Herrn”: Eine textkritische Studie zu 2Petr 3,10
Reviewed by Jörg Frey

Walter Brueggemann, The Theology of the Book of Jeremiah
Reviewed by Carolyn J. Sharp

Catharine Edwards and Greg Woolf, eds., Rome the Cosmopolis
Reviewed by Jonathan L. Reed

Jeffrey C. Geoghegan, The Time, Place, and Purpose of the Deuteronomistic History: The Evidence of “Until This Day”
Reviewed by Timothy M. Willis

John Goldingay, Old Testament Theology, vol. 2: Israel’s Faith
Reviewed by Stephen A. Reed

Mark W. Hamilton, Thomas H. Olbricht, and Jeffrey Peterson, eds., Renewing Tradition: Studies in Texts and Contexts in Honor of James W. Thompson
Reviewed by Korinna Zamfir

Ulrich Luz; Helmut Koester, ed.; James Crouch, trans., Matthew 1–7: A Commentary
Reviewed by David Sim
Reviewed by Charles L. Quarles

Joan Goodnick Westenholz and Aage Westenholz, Cuneiform Inscriptions in the Collection of the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem: The Old Babylonian Inscriptions
Reviewed by Michael S. Moore

Raphaëlle Ziadé, Les martyrs Maccabées: de l'histoire juive au culte chrétien: Les homélies de Grégoire de Nazianze et de Jean Chrysostome
Reviewed by Jan Willem van Henten

RBL Newsletter, 3 January 2008

The following new reviews have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature.

Joseph Blenkinsopp, Opening the Sealed Book: Interpretations of the Book of Isaiah in Late Antiquity
Reviewed by Riemer Roukema

Greg Carey, Ultimate Things: An Introduction to Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature
Reviewed by Lorenzo DiTommaso

A. Andrew Das, Solving the Romans Debate
Reviewed by David J. Downs

Martin Hengel; Claus-Jürgen Thornton, ed., Studien zur Christologie: Kleine Schriften IV
Reviewed by Lidija Novakovic

Larry W. Hurtado, ed., The Freer Biblical Manuscripts: Fresh Studies of an American Treasure Trove
Reviewed by Juan Hernández Jr.

Percy S. F. van Keulen, Two Versions of the Solomon Narrative: An Inquiry into the Relationship between MT 1 Kgs. 2–11 and LXX 3 Reg. 2–11
Reviewed by Zipora Talshir

Victor Matthews, Manners and Customs in the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Daily Life in Bible Times
Reviewed by Aaron Koller

Santiago Guijarro Oporto, Jesús y sus primeros discípulos
Reviewed by Ruben Dupertuis

Christine Stark, «Kultprostitution» im Alten Testament? Die Qedeschen der Hebräischen Bibel und das Motiv der Hurerei
Reviewed by Christian Frevel

Guy Waters, The End of Deuteronomy in the Epistles of Paul
Reviewed by Kenneth D. Litwak

Karen Strand Winslow, Early Jewish and Christian Memories of Moses’ Wives: Exogamist Marriage and Ethnic Identity
Reviewed by Amelia Devin Freedman

RBL Publication Stats

As of 18 February 2007, RBL has published 4,054 reviews of 3,399 different books. Assuming we maintain our current pace, we would expect to publish our 5,000th review sometime in 2008. Thanks to Jan van der Watt (RBL general editor) and the members of the RBL editorial board, to our numerous reviewers, to the many publishers who graciously supply review copies, and to our 8,000+ subscribers for making RBL the preeminent source of book reviews in biblical studies.

RBL and Volunteer Reviewers

We periodically hear comments or receive queries that reflect a fundamental misunderstanding about RBL's policy with regard to the use of volunteer reviewers. On the one hand, some scholars believe that RBL reviewers simply assign themselves ("self-select") books available for review. On the other, a number of volunteers think that the act of volunteering virtually guarantees that they will review a given work. Neither view is correct, as our stated policy for assigning books to reviewers makes clear:

The Review of Biblical Literature (RBL) editorial board has the final discretion in assigning RBL reviews. They seek the most qualified reviewers for works submitted, so in most cases the board first offers a review copy to one or more established scholars in the field. When we are unable to secure a reviewer, we rely on qualified volunteers. Thus we invite you to volunteer to review any available book. If you are declined, please understand that this is most likely due to one of two factors: an editor-chosen reviewer has accepted our offer to review the work; or some other qualified volunteer made an offer prior to yours.

In sum, the RBL editorial board makes every effort to assign a review copy to someone known to be a specialist in the area relevant to that volume. When a book remains unassigned after at least two attempts to secure a specialist reviewer, an editorial board member may assign it to a qualified volunteer. By adhering to this policy, RBL not only maintains the highest of standards for selecting reviewers but also provides a limited number of opportunities for emerging scholars to demonstrate their expertise as informed and informative book reviewers.