Christian Identity in the Jewish and Graeco-Roman World.

CHRISTIAN IDENTITY IN THE JEWISH AND GRAECO-ROMAN WORLD. By Judith M. Lieu. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Judith Lieu investigates the emergence of Christian identity in literature of the first century and a half (up to Polycarp), attempting to compare processes of identity formation in relation to Jews and others in the Greco-Roman world. Although the central argument remains somewhat ambiguous, one of Lieu's key points regards the multiform nature of identity formation; also, while Christians shared much in common with their Jewish and Greco-Roman neighbors, there were also distinctive aspects at work in the case of the former. While the work is not ground-breaking, it does provide a valuable overview of identity formation in antiquity in a manner informed by the social sciences.

Lieu organizes the work around key issues and in each chapter begins by briefly looking at the Greco-Roman world before turning to Jewish and Christian literature. After surveying the role of texts in the construction of identity (ch. 2), Lieu goes on to look at the ways in which the stories of Jewish scripture were remembered and retold (ch. 3). She concludes that "the same history can be used differently by different claimants, while different histories may be reconciled with each other in a single text or author" (p. 97). Lieu then explores the role that boundaries played in the formation of identity, particularly focusing on Jewish notions of qualified separation which were taken on and reformulated by authors such as Paul and Ignatius of Antioch (ch. 4).

Drawing on insights from P. Bourdieu, Lieu discusses identity in terms of "embodied history" as manifested in the interplay between practice (action) and belief (thought) (ch. 5). It is in this chapter that some problematic idealizing or theological aspects of Lieu's approach stand out, particularly in the discussion of the Christian ideal of mutual support in connection with agape and the supposedly distinctive fictive family idea (esp. pp. 164-69). Moreover, it is precisely these notions of mutual support that Lieu considers distinctive as "an inalienable element in the shared symbols that shaped early Christian identity" (p. 169). Strongly implied, but not properly investigated, is a claim that similar modes of identity formation were not characteristic of others (beyond Jews) in the Greco-Roman world.

Stronger and more balanced is Lieu's discussion of the role of gender and the body (ch. 6) and notions of place (ch. 7) in identity formation. In the former, she discusses how gender expectations (especially the active male and the passive female) were commonly shared among Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Christians. Nonetheless, she argues that there was an "earlier tradition," reflected in some Jewish and Christian literature, which "presents a distinctive view of the body as the site of personal and social integrity and identity" (p. 190). In discussing "place," Lieu delves into Christian uses of "sojourning" (paroikia) and begins to suggest that in Christianity we find the emergence of a universality which contrasts to primarily localized notions of identity.

In the "Christian Race" (chapter 8), Lieu considers the interplay between labelling (by others) and self-designation. She deals with the notion of Christians as a "race" (genos), which she believes originated as a denigrating epithet (as with the name "Christian"), only to be adopted and redefined by authors such as Aristides, Tertullian, and The Letter to Diognetus. This provides a firm basis fur placing early Christian identity formation within the framework of ancient ethnographies and notions of the "other" (ch. 9). In this interesting chapter, Lieu further explores the dynamics of identity in terms of the "mutual interaction" of the sense of the self and definition of the "other." She shows how similar ethnographic traditions were at work in Roman perspectives on foreign peoples (e.g., Tacitus on the Germans and on the Judeans) and in Jewish definitions of the "nations/gentiles," and how similar dynamics play themselves out within Christian literature. Lieu concludes the book (ch. 10) with a modern theological discussion concerning the implications for Christian identity today, which seems somewhat out of place in light of the historical approach taken in much of the work.

There are many useful insights in this book, which provides a thematic overview of identity formation as it relates to a variety of early Christian writings, from Paul and 1 Peter to the apologists and martyrdom accounts of the second century. Yet this attempt to cover so much ground, along with a simultaneous claim of placing Christians within the Jewish and Greco-Roman framework, can also be viewed as a weakness of the work. Somewhat rapid wanderings from one writing to another and back over the stretch of the various themes (rather than a thorough investigation of specific authors) often results in overly brief comments on the literature, considerable repetition, and lack of clarity in argument. This also detracts from the goal of placing the discussion into a broader, Greco-Roman framework. Related is the question of audience, fur if this book is intended for scholars, then much of the material might come across as common knowledge and the theological applications or idealizations might seem out of place. If, on the other hand, a modern educated audience of Christians is intended, then the rapid touch-downs in various writings and the vocabulary used to discuss these writings might leave some readers mystified. Nonetheless, this book and the topics it raises deserve considerable attention, and the author's incorporation of insights from the social sciences is commendable.

Philip A. Harland

Concordia University

Montreal, QU