Darian R. Lockett. <i>The Catholic Epistles: Critical Readings</i>

This collection of carefully curated essays provides an excellent and in-depth entry point for anyone looking to gain an understanding of the state of the question of current research on what is probably the most ignored section of the New Testament—the seven letters canonically arranged as “The Catholic Epistles” (James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3 John, and Jude).A brief word on the format of the book. Lockett divides the essays into four unequal parts, with parts 1 and 2 receiving the majority of essays: (1) “The Catholic Epistles as a Collection,” (2) “Historical-Critical and Theological Studies in the Catholic Epistles,” (3) “Methodological Approaches,” and (4) “Reception History of the Catholic Epistles.” Lockett introduces each of the four parts with some of the highlights in recent scholarship as well as easy-to-digest summaries of each essay. At the end of each part, Lockett includes an annotated bibliographic section on “Further Readings.”Without making any claim to be comprehensive and with full acknowledgment that I will not discuss each of the thirty-one essays, I will try to offer some synthesis that gives the reader a taste of the essays.Canonicity and Reception History: Wolfgang Grünstäudl (“The Wait Is Worth It: The Catholic Epistles and the Formation of the New Testament”) is representative of recent interest in the role that the Catholic Epistles play as a collection of writings. Intertextual relationships amongst the writings, the possibility that two of the texts were authored by brothers of Jesus, the apparent use of 2 Peter as a source for Jude, the possibility that James was a literal model for 1 Peter, its frequent grouping together with the Acts of the Apostles in Greek manuscripts—all of this creates the possibility that the Catholic Epistles were an early collection of writings put together for the sake of inclusion in the larger NT canon.Early Christian Exegesis: Richard Bauckham (“Jude’s Exegesis”) illuminates the careful Jewish exegetical techniques Jude uses as he engages in pesher-like interpretation of Old Testament texts and prophecies. J. Daryl Charles (“Polemic and Persuasion: Typological and Rhetorical Perspectives on the Letter”) argues that Jude is a “prophetic typological midrash” (p. 533) that uses, for example, types, catchwords, and antitheses to construct a “literary-rhetorical work of art whose persuasive effect, in rhetorical terms, is inversely proportional to its economy of expression” (p. 553).The Composition and Purpose of James: Dale C. Allison Jr. (“The Fiction of James and Its Sitz im Lebeni”) revives an older line of argumentation that sees the address to “the twelve tribes that are in the diaspora” (Jas 1:1b) as making a claim to address all Jews (Christian or otherwise) in the diaspora. The letter, on this view, may provide evidence for some Jewish Christians who were attempting to stay in relationship with non-Christian Jewish members of the synagogue. Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr (“The Epistle of James in Light of Early Jewish Diaspora Letters”) compares James with letters such as The Epistle of Jeremiah, 2 Maccabees, the Syrian Apocalypse of Baruch, among other letters that share the format of “religiously authorized letters from Jerusalem to the diaspora,” which “serve to strengthen the identity and unity of the people of God as they face various disasters” (pp. 73–74). Margaret M. Mitchell (“The Letter of James as a Document of Paulinism?”) argues that James’s “dependence on Paul’s letters shows that he largely approves of them and presumes they are authoritative, but draws upon them in such a way as to tip the interpretation of them (as a canonical collection and on-going source of theological teaching) away from polarization (around faith and works, the proper role of the law, rich versus poor, or Paul versus the Jerusalem ‘pillars’) and toward concord” (p. 308). She argues this not only through showing James’s shared knowledge of Galatians and Romans but also that he knew 1 Corinthians (compare Jas 1:26 with 1 Cor 3:18; 11:16; 14:37, or Jas 2:14 and 16 with 1 Cor 15:32). James is writing a conciliatory text seeking to unify all the parties involved in the Antioch incident (Gal 2:10–14).Social-Cultural Studies: Katherine M. Hockey (“1 Peter 4.16: Shame, Emotion, and Christian Self-Perception”) offers an engaging study of the role of emotions in Stoicism and demonstrates how the author of 1 Peter works to negate the shame associated with Christian identity and therefore works to emotionally align his audience “with this new worldview [that will] result in a new assessment of the situation and the self, so that shame is longer fitting, but, instead, confidence in their Christian identity is fostered” (p. 464). Betsy J. Bauman-Martin (“Women on the Edge: New Perspectives on Women in the Petrine Haustafel”) examines the household code in 1 Pet 2:13–3:11 and argues that the author’s exhortations stem from persecution Christian women were facing and actually encourages them to use their agency for resistance in the face of suffering. John H. Elliott (“Disgraced Yet Graced: The Gospel According to 1 Peter in the Key of Honor and Shame”) shows how the author of 1 Peter counters the social shame believers are experiencing with the honor that they have with God.If a personal note may be permitted: as one who is preparing to teach seminary-level courses on the Catholic Epistles, I am grateful for the work Lockett has done in curating these essays as they serve both as an introduction to the issues and scholarship and provide a convenient entry point for me to continue my research.