Eerdmans Titles to Look For

There are always a spate of books that come out just in time for SBL. However, there are others that will postdate SBL by a few months, either being released in the late winter/early Spring of the following year.

Here are some of the latter that I'm anticipating from Eerdmans.

• The Oral Gospel Tradition (release date: 2/28/2013; pp. 448; retail: $45.00). Following on the heels of his magisterial Jesus Remembered , Dunn releases another volume that addresses many of the same issues. 

Here are two descriptions that I found concerning this volume:

 "The traditions about Jesus and his teaching circulated in oral form for many years, continuing to do so for decades following the writing of the New Testament Gospels. James Dunn is one of the major voices urging that more consideration needs to be given to the oral use and transmission of the Jesus tradition as a major factor in giving the Synoptic tradition its enduring character." -Eerdmans site

 "The Synoptic Gospels all share similarities---and discrepancies. How can one explain the "same yet different" character of Matthew, Mark, and Luke? Showing how oral transmission has influenced the shape of Jesus' story in the Synoptic tradition, Dunn examines Q as a source; Matthew's awareness of Markan redaction; the reliance on history, memory, and eyewitnesses; and more."- CBD site

 I am rather curious as to how this volume will be different than Jesus Remembered (henceforth JR), perhaps it will be even more refined than the previous contribution considering Dunn wrote JR almost 10 years ago. Nevertheless, anything Dunn writes is worth owning.

• Another volume that has piqued my interest is Francis Watson's Gospel Writing: A Canonical Perspective (Release date: 4/30/2013; pp. 624; retail: $48.00). Watson has been working on this volume since his ground-breakng  Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith (2005). Like Dunn, Watson has transitioned out of Pauline studies to focus on the Gospels.

Here is a description: "That there are four canonical versions of the one gospel story is often seen as a problem for Christian faith: for, where gospels multiply, so too do apparent tensions and contradictions that may seem to undermine their truth claims. In Gospel Writing, Francis Watson argues that differences and tensions between canonical gospels represent opportunities for theological reflection, not problems for apologetics. In exploring this claim, he proposes nothing less than a new paradigm for gospel studies — one that engages fully with the available noncanonical gospel material so as to illuminate the historical and theological significance of the canonical." (Eerdmans site).

• Last, but certainly least is Jack R. Lundom's Deuteronomy: A Commentary (Release Date: 3/18/13; pp. 1056; Retail: $80.00). Perhaps my favorite OT book, Deuteronomy, gets a masterful treatment from a masterful OT scholar, in Lundom. Perhaps best known for his massive Jeremiah commentaries in the Yale Anchor series, Lundom now contributes another massive commentary.

Here is the description:


This commentary is intended for a broad readership wanting to better know and understand this Pentateuchal book that has come to occupy such a prominent place in Judaism and Christianity. For Jews Deuteronomy contains the Decalogue and the Shema -- "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one" (6:4) -- supplemented by a code of primal legislation. Deuteronomy is much cited in the New Testament and has come to occupy an important place in the life and doctrine of the Christian church. It lifts up important wisdom themes such as humane treatment and benevolence to the poor and needy and is rich in theology, calling repeatedly on Israel to reject other gods and worship the Lord alone as holy. Besides making use of language, archaeology, and comparative Near Eastern material, Jack Lundbom's commentary employs rhetorical criticism in explicating the biblical text. He also cites later Jewish interpretation of the book of Deuteronomy and makes numerous New Testament connections. An appendix contains all references to Deuteronomy in the New Testament.

Doh, looks like my 'wish list' just got longer!