...an excellent introduction to SIT and SCT and the usefulness of each for assessing early Christian texts. Biblical scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates can all find material with which to work in this Handbook. * Biblical Theology Bulletin *
The editors are to be congratulated on bringing together in one volume such a fine collection of essays of uniformly high quality and all of which offer significant insights for the interpretation of the texts with which they deal. [...] The 68 page bibliography is in itself an invaluable asset for scholars researching the area. -- W.S. Campbell, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK * Journal of Beliefs and Values *
This voluminous collection of 29 essays makes a valuable contribution to studies that take the increasingly popular social-scientific approach to New Testament interpretation. While several handbooks on this interpretive approach are available, this is the only collection entirely devoted to the study of social identity in the New Testament ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- J. R. Asher, Georgetown College * CHOICE *
Every theological library should have this book. -- Wendell Willis, Abilene Christian University, USA * The Catholic Biblical Quarterly *
This massive and valuable resource (657 pages), containing essays by an international cast of scholars, focuses on the 'social identity' approach to biblical interpretation. This approach considers how biblical texts both express and foster a group's particular social identity, i.e., the characteristic beliefs, values, and practices that distinguish them from other groups ... first inspired by biblical scholar Philip Esler, whose foundational essay on the subject is included at the beginning of the volume. * Bible Today *
This highly recommended Handbook offers an introduction to many social scientific theoretical approaches to the New Testament, a relatively new and promising methodological application based upon a relatively new and growing field of observation. Throughout, the Handbook combines methodological explanations with textual examples to offer an accessible introduction to the field for student and scholar alike. * Mark D. Nanos, University of Kansas, USA *
Baker and Tucker have put together a rich collection of essays exploring the meaning and relevance of social identity theory for New Testament studies. All of the essays, which cover nearly every book of the New Testament, brim with helpful insights about the way early Christian authors sought to shape the identities and actions of their audiences. The book deserves to be read and used widely by scholars and advanced students alike. * Christopher Stanley, St. Bonaventure University, USA *
The application of identity theory to biblical studies is no passing fad, for identity lies at the heart of what the Bible is about. Anyone interested in identity and the Bible will find that this handbook presents both explanations of method in applying identity theory to Scripture and textual studies dealing with most of the New Testament documents. The authors of these helpful essays are some of the most important people currently writing on identity. The editors are to be congratulated for making such a fine handbook available. * Klyne R. Snodgrass, North Park Theological Seminary, USA *
