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Useful Books for an Evangelical Study of New Testament Theology
PAUL AND MERKABAH MYSTICISM Blumenthal, David R. Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader: The Merkabah Tradition and the Zoharic Tradition. New York: KTAV, 1978. One of the great recent debates has been whether Paul should be seen as a Merkabah mystic. The debate really revolves around how Merkabah mysticism should be defined. Eskola, Timo. Messiah and the Throne: Jewish Merkabah Mysticism and Early Christian Exaltation Discourse. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 2001. This is one of the better mainstream discussions of Merkabah mysticism. Scholem, Gershom. Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism. New York: Schocken, 1995. This is a reprint of the original 1946 version. Scholem was an important Jewish scholar. He brought Jewish mysticism into the mainstream of Biblical scholarship. Before him, Merkabah Mysticism was almost only discussed in esoteric Jewish circles. Now it is one of the hottest topics in Pauline studies outside of the Evangelical orbit. Scholem, Gershom. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah. New York: Schocken Books, 1991. This continues Scholem's treatment of Merkabah Mysticism. Merkabah is surprisingly important for understanding Paul's theology. A good case can be made (and has been made) that Paul was a Merkabah mystic before his conversion, and Merkabah helped shape Paul's theology. For a discussion, see Yahweh's Song. JUDAISM, GNOSTICISM , AND CHRISTIANITY Davies, W. D. Paul and Rabbinic Judaism: Some Rabbinic Elements in Pauline Theology. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1963. This is an older study but still useful. It is not particularly conservative, and it must be read critically. It is a masters or doctoral level discussion of the relationship between Paul's theology and his rabbinic background. Green, Henry A. The Economic and Social Origins of Gnosticism. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1985. This is a mainstream but helpful study. it is written at a masters or doctoral level. There has been a huge academic debate about what Gnosticism was and how it originated. This book takes one position in that vast debate. Hengel, Martin. Judaism and Hellenism. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1974. This is a mainstream (liberal) study that is still useful. It is written at a masters level. It traces ways that Greek thought influenced Jewish thought in the early centuries BC. Kampen, John. The Hasideans and the Origin of Pharisaism: A Study of 1 and 2 Maccabees. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1988. This is a mainstream (liberal) study, but it is interesting and helpful. It is written at a masters or doctoral level. Koenig, John. Jews and Christians in Dialogue: New Testament Foundations. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1979. This is not a conservative book, and it is written from a Jewish perspective. However, it is well worth reading. It talks about the break between Judaism and Christianity in the first century, and it does so in a way that is really helpful. It is written at a masters level. Kraft, Robert A. and Nickelsburg, George W. E. eds. Early Judaism and its Modern Interpreters. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1986. This is a mainstream (liberal) study that is still quite useful. It is a collection of articles about the nature of modern Judaism. Neusner, Jacob. Judaism in the Beginning of Christianity. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1984. Neusner was (is?) a Jewish author. He wrote a huge number of books about the nature of Judaism. Often, his books centered on the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. He has been criticized for writing too many books to research them very well, but his comments are often worth reading. This one talks about the kinds of Judaism that existed in Jesus' time. It is written at a college level. Neusner, Jacob. Rabbinic Literature & the New Testament: What We Cannot Show, We Do Not Know. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1994. This is a mainstream (liberal) but in a few ways useful study. It is written at a masters or doctoral level. Neusner argued that the rabbinic literature gave little real historical information. So he argued that the New Testament need not be seen as historical either. Yamauchi, Edwin M. "The Descent of Ishtar, the Fall of Sophia, and the Jewish Roots of Gnosticism." Tyndale Bulletin 29 (1978): 143-175. This is a conservative paper addressing part of the very difficult debate about the origin of Gnosticism. It is a doctoral level study. |
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Copyright © 2009 Dr. Rodger Dalman
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