Dale C. Allison, Jr.Rezensionen

This is a superb piece of scholarship on a non-canonical Jewish-origin text that really deserves to be better known. The story of Abraham's encounter with the archangel Michael, his misapprehensions, delaying tactics, tour of heaven and earth, change of heart, encounter with Death, and eventual death is hilarious and fascinating. If Dr. Allison does not presently have plans to publish his translation and an abridged commentary in a more popularly (and financially) accessible version, I hope he'll consider it!

Because as good as this book is, it is not for the faint-of-academic-heart. I skipped entirely over the text-critical notes (commenting on the various manuscripts in which the text has survived), and almost entirely over the superabundance of parenthetical references to other ancient texts (Jewish, Christian, Graeco-Roman, and others) with comparable words, themes, or ideas. I sounded out some of the Greek words and recognized some cognates, but was frustrated because I can't actually read Greek and thus much of the detailed word-analysis was lost on me.

On the other hand, the introductory chapters which present some context for the text are excellent in their own right. The translation itself, with the long and short recensions presented in parallel, reads very well. The verse by verse commentary attends to the literary structure of the text and its intense intertextuality with scripture and with other ancient writings. It also provides judicious assessments of where Christian influences likely dominate, and engages with other contemporary commentary.

The Testament of Abraham was a delightful discovery for me this semester; and if this volume is typical of the series, the Commentaries on Early Jewish Literature will be indispensable to any scholar in the field.

A synthisis of the sayings of Jesus' recoded in the oral tradition of the early church before they were written down by both Luke and Matthew. These so-called Q sayings are absent from Mark's gospel.

Allison provides a convincing argument against those, such as Crossan and Borg, who deny the apocalyptic outlook of Jesus.

See my review at: http://medievalhistorygeek.wordpress.com/2012/12/25/book-review-the-historical-j...

Allison's basic premise is that we can trust the patterns of the New Testament record, whether or not we believe the details. Neither believing everything literally, not complete sceptism are reasonable ways of treating the data we have.

He supports his thesis with completist lists of passages, from the gospels, the rest of the New Testament and from other ancient documents. While I didn't always read every list carefully, I found the insights into his way of working fascinating.

I also liked the way quotations were given in the language they were written in (with expanations). This meant not only a few German quotations, but also the various Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Coptic qotes from ancient manuscripts. His argument can be followed without these, but it was often interesting to see how closely certain NT passages followed LXX wording.

This is not a book aimed at a popular audience, but it should accessable to most people interested in his ideas. The hardest bit is not letting yourself be scared off by the academic apparatus.½

NCLA Review - Take a look at this title. We are familiar with each of these words, yet the title itself is something of a challenge. Prof. Allison of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, studies Jesus from both historical and theological perspectives. He tries to determine how much history is in the Gospels, and how much history Christian theology requires that there be. This is one of the key topics in academic New Testament study. This little book is difficult—but rewarding. Read it with your discussion group, and join one of the most important discussions in Jesus research today. Rating: 2, for large collections. —RO

A collection of 13 studies by a major Matthean scholar, arranged in 2 Parts: (i) Exegetical Past & (ii) Literary and Historical Studies. Each chapter can be read with benefit, as well as a sense of awe at the breadth of Allison's reading, especially of early commentators. Ideal to take one beyond the scope of the average (and even an excellent) commentary, since these studies are able to spend more time providing background to interpretations that are regularly iconoclastic, always defensible and very often persuasive.

There are too many gems within to highlight a sampling without doing an injustice. So, perhaps a personal reflection or two. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the Magi's Angel and the Touching of Jesus' Feet - which contain eyeopening insights into ancient perceptions of stars and ghosts as they pertain to these miraculous encounters. I also gained greatly from the final study, "Slaughtered Innocents", which begins with an insight into the so-called formula quotations somewhat reminiscent of R T France's insightful essay, "The Formula-Quotations of Matthew 2 and the Problem of Communication", but rather greater in scope - moving from the two OT citations that are introduced in a significantly differently way from the others to a broader discussion of the 5 common responses Matthew makes to the problem of evil.

I believe I will return again and again to this volume when preaching through Matthew because of the insights it affords.

“For anyone who wants to wrestle seriously with what to think about Jesus of Nazareth and with the history of scholarship on this matter, the writings of Dale Allison offer more food for thought, from more angles of vision, than any other recent author I know of. The Resurrection of Jesus, now venturing to bring his expertise to bear on the standard arguments of Christian apologetics and counter-apologetics, will again be an indispensable aid to those who, from within a faith perspective or in search of one, find themselves in pursuit of genuine inquiry.” (Stephen Wykstra, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Calvin College, USA)