Fortress Introduction to the New Testament.

Fortress Introduction to the New Testament. By Gerd Theissen. Translated by John Bowden. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003. xii and 206 pages. Paper. $19.00.

This is a refreshing read, intended not for scholars but for people who are interested in learning about the present status of New Testament introduction. Theissen summarizes modern scholarship on the various issues that the NT poses, without stating all viewpoints and without arguing with opposing positions. There are no footnotes and few references to earlier scholars.

Theissen comments on the term "New Testament," saying it "points to a new ethic (not based on the law), a new rite (the Eucharist) and a new myth" (in a neutral meaning: the narrative of Jesus, p. 5). Jesus, like John, presented an eschatological message: the imminent end of the world and the coming of the kingly rule. The synoptic problem has the two-source theory as its solution. Theissen mentions frequently the itinerant charismatics who continued the charismatic ministry of Jesus with his radical ethic and delivered the oral tradition for the "logia source." All four Gospels, dated after 70 C.E., are products of the second and third generation. Theissen deals with the synoptic problem and the logia source immediately after discussing Jesus himself, but the Gospels in their entirety are discussed after Paul so that a historical sequence is followed. Theissen stresses Paul's significance, as seen in the seven authentic epistles; Paul expanded the personal letter form into letters to communities. 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastoral Epistles are pseudepigraphical, stand in the Pauline tradition, and were made necessary by developments in later times. Romans is Paul's Testament, a treatise in letter form, but also a real letter. It takes up themes from his earlier epistles and thus constitutes his mature thinking and testament.

The Gospels are a new form of literature, somewhat similar to the Greek bios. Four factors contributed to the origin of the Gospels: (1) the first generation died, including the apostles; (2) the local communities grew stronger; (3) the Jerusalem temple was destroyed; and (4) the importance of the Gentile Christians increased. The Jewish rebellion of the 60s and the victory of the Romans are also involved. Because of Jewish monotheism, Jesus could not be depicted as claiming divinity during his lifetime. Therefore Mark developed the "messianic secret." The centurion under the cross confesses Jesus as God's son. Matthew represents an ethical Christianity with a Jewish-Christian stamp; Jesus fulfills the true intention of the Jewish tradition. Luke, writing as an historian in both his Gospel and the Book of Acts, has the Roman upper class in view as readers. He writes as an evangelist of the poor and an evangelist of the rich. Theissen presents a succinct characterization of the synoptic Gospels on pp. 118-24.

The pseudepigraphical letters of "Paul" were written because the writers understood themselves to be coauthors with Paul, writing in his spirit but taking into account the new situations in the communities. The Catholic Epistles and Hebrews are discussed very briefly. The Johan-nine Writings constitute a link between the Gospel and Letter Literature. In the Gospel of John the eschatological salvation is shifted into human life in the present so that Jesus and his message become a timeless confrontation with the eternal God. John's Gospel develops a high Christology, calling Jesus the Son of God and even God. The last chapter discusses the development of the canon as a way of making the New Testament a literary unity.

The translation reads well; however, I noticed that the German idiom of expressing probability by using the future perfect tense is often translated literally. On p. 79, the clanging cymbal of 1 Cor 13:1 has become a symbol; on p. 129, "Ephesians" should be read instead of "Philemon." A list of further reading, a glossary, and an index of biblical references complete the volume.

Wilhelm C. Linss

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago