Part One: Christianity in the Land of Israel Halakhah and Ethics in the Jesus Tradition Matthew's Divorce Texts in the Light of Pre-Rabbinic Jewish Law 'Let the Dead Bury Their Dead': Jesus and the Law Revisited James the Just and Antioch Part Two: Jewish and Christian Ethics for Gentiles Natural Law in Second Temple Judaism Natural Law in the New Testament The Noachide Commandments and New Testament Ethics Part Three: The Development of Public Ethics The Beginning of Public Ethics Jewish and Christian Public Ethics in the Early Roman Empire
Markus Bockmuehl teaches biblical and early Christian studies in the University of Oxford, UK, where he is Dean Ireland’s Professor and a Fellow of Keble College. His approach stresses the symbioses of history with theology, of Christianity alongside Judaism, and of exegesis in and as reception especially of the first three Christian centuries. Among his authored books are Seeing the Word: Refocusing New Testament Study (2006), Simon Peter in Scripture and Memory (2012), and Ancient Apocryphal Gospels (2017). Recent publications also include Creation ex Nihilo (2018, ed. with Gary A. Anderson), Austin Farrer (2020, ed. with Stephen Platten), and the English translation of Wolfram Kinzig’s Christian Persecution in Antiquity (2021).
'Markus Bockmuehl has written a very important book. He shows with
great learning in Christian and Jewish primary sources and the vast
secondary literature how much the issue of law lies at the heart of
Early Christian thought. He persuasively argues that Early
Christianity remained much closer to ancient Jewish nomianism than
many have believed. A contemporary benefit of this book is that it
can be an excellent resource in making the issue of law itself the
commonality needed for a new and positive Jewish-Christian
relationship in the present.' Professor David Novak, University of
Toronto 'Here is a bold argument: that Christianity staked its
claim within Graeco-Roman culture on the basis of the Torah's
address of Gentiles as Gentiles. In order to make his case, Dr
Bockmuehl deftly draws on his expertise in both Judaic and
Christian literature. By moving beyond the tight circle of the
canonical New Testament alone, he invites us into the genuine world
of early Christianity, where ethics and purity were not abstract
concerns, but daily issues.' Professor Bruce Chilton, Bard College
'This is an outstanding study of a neglected topic. Dr Bockmuehl
encourages his readers to consider from new perspectives major
ethical issues and familiar New Testament passages. This lively
book will spark off keen discussion among a wide readership. I
shall continue to learn a great deal from it.' Professor Graham
Stanton, University of Cambridge
Reviewed in: Church Times, 23 March 2001 Highlights: "This is a
densely packed and erudite book with many themes, by a scholar for
scholars. It needs to be read slowly, with a Bible at hand and a
some knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, and even Latin and German...The
book breaks fresh ground by providing, through the use of Jewish
texts, a Jewish background of NT ethics. The author writes
modestly, admitting that many of his themes need more
investigation...It will become required reading for those taking an
honours degree in NT theology."
"This is an immensely learned and comprehensive study, with
extensive use of rabbinic material...What I find particularly
appealing is the way his approach to Christian ethics sets the
ethical teaching within the social and cultural context of the
early church and thus makes sense of the ethics in a way that a
simple contrast between 'law' and 'grace' fails to do. It also
takes full account of the Jewishness of Jesus and the first
Christians and attempts to bring into the open what they took for
granted."--Expository Times, April 2001
"In this significant and learned book, Markus Bockmuehl presents a
series of essays which focus on the content and development of
early Christian ethics from Jesus to the early apologists of the
second century...it is a contribution which should be widely and
carefully considered, with far-reaching implications not only for
the historical understanding of the development of Christian ethics
but also for the contemporary tasks of promoting understanding
between Jews and Christians and of articulating Christian ethics in
the public sphere." - Theology, July/August 2001
"The combination of these excellent articles in a coherent book
adds to their importance and persuasiveness." --Theological Book
Review Feed the Minds
"The task which Bockmuehl sets in this book is undoubtedly one of
worthy scholarly attention." --The Heythrop Journal July 2002
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