Short blurbs

I posted this on chapters.indigo.ca also:

David deSilva's Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity

'A tremendous survey

In studying the New Testament, or any ancient text, we must understand much about the environment it came out of--the societal values, the cultural assumptions, the historical context, etc--otherwise we unwittingly anachronize our interpretations and read ancient literature as if they were written in our day.

David deSilva, a member of the Context Group, has here a wonderful and informative survey of four key social values. Not only does he have a very accessible explanation of each value, he follows with a series of application to the New Testament texts. The client-patron model is observed in Lk 7:2-10 (p.123), which serves as an excellent illustration of how patronage functioned. His discussion of grace (favor) is fascinating (ch. 3), presenting it through the eyes of the ancients. "Grace must be met with grace; favor must always give birth to favor; gift must be met with gratitude." (p. 105) He cites Seneca's explanation of the three "Graces", which is indeed, in deSilva's words, "most revealing".

This is an important book, one to be studied alongside other Context Group publications. It will, with diligent study, do much to 'unlock' the background of the New Testament.'
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Update: July 19

In a less 'reviewer-for-sales' tone (though HP is a great resource!), regarding the Handbook of Biblical Social Values with Pilch and Malina as editors, the very first thing I want to note is that if you weigh the price and the package, you've got a GREAT deal. There is so much information packed into that little $12-15 hardcover book. Over fifty topics are discussed there, and there are a bunch of references at the end of each entry that should prove to be very useful.

One of the major pluses of the book is it's introduction: there is valuable discussion which seems designed to produce competence in understanding the terms and just what is being discussed, discussion of the logical outworkings of beliefs, and a chart filled with some twenty-six overviews of differences between U. S. society and Mediterranean society. Thus, while the material is difficult to comprehend, the task is made easier by the helpful discussions in the introduction.

There is, as I said, plenty of great material. It is in an encyclopedic format, but due to the depth of topics and the length of the book, more can be said--that is its main drawback. It isn't the perfect one-stop resource, but it serves as a great briefer, reference book, and general starting point for a wide overview. Definitely to be studied along with other Context Group publications!