Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays, 1959–2012, by Abraham J. Malherbe(150 Novum Testamentum, Supplements)

Rather than viewing the Graeco-Roman world as the “background” against which early Christian texts should be read, Abraham J. Malherbe saw the ancient Mediterranean world as a rich ecology of diverse intellectual traditions that interacted within specific social contexts. These essays, spanning over fifty years, illustrate Malherbe’s appreciation of the complexities of this ecology and what is required to explore philological and conceptual connections between early Christian writers, especially Paul and Athenagoras, and their literary counterparts who participated in the religious and philosophical discourse of the wider culture. Malherbe’s essays laid the groundwork for his magisterial commentary on the Thessalonian correspondence and launched the contemporary study of Hellenistic moral philosophy and early Christianity.

About the Author :
Carl R. Holladay, Ph.D. (Cambridge, 1975), is C. H. Candler Professor of New Testament at Emory University. A specialist in Hellenistic Judaism and Luke-Acts, he has published Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors (4 vols.; SBL, 1983–1996) and A Critical Introduction to the New Testament (Abingdon, 2005). John T. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. (Yale, 1984), is Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author or editor of nine volumes, including Early Christianity and Classical Culture (Brill, 2003), a Festschrift in honor of Abraham J. Malherbe. Gregory E. Sterling, Ph.D. (GTU, Berkeley, 1990), is Professor of New Testament and Dean of Yale Divinity School. He is a specialist in Greek-speaking Jewish and early Christian authors, especially Philo, Josephus, and Luke-Acts. He is the author of three books, including Historiography and Self-definition (Brill, 1992). James W. Thompson, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University, 1974), is Onstead Professor of New Testament at Abilene Christian University. He has published extensively in Pauline studies. His publications include Moral Formation According to Paul (Baker, 2011), Hebrews (Baker, 2008), and Pastoral Ministry According to Paul (Baker, 2006).

Review :
"The convenience of having so many of Malherbe’s key essays in one location, presumably on library (e)shelves at research universities and seminaries, will ensure that his rich work continues to get the scholarly attention it so deserves." – Richard S. Ascough, School of Religion, Queen’s University, in: Religious Studies Review 41/3 (September 2015) "This two-volume set is a monument. ... it is a monument to Abraham J. Malherbe’s scholarship and the substantial advance it constitutes in the scholarly understanding of, primarily, the apostle Paul and his heirs in their cultural, Graeco-Roman environment. There is no doubt that this work in its new presentation will be a κτῆμα ἐς αἰεί. And it will also be of special interest to readers of this journal who are looking for insights into the classical world." – Troels Engberg-Pedersen, University of Copenhagen, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2015.02.29 "Abe Malherbe, dieser kluge und vielgewanderter Odysseus, der "vieler Menschen Städte gesehn und Sitte gelernt hat", ist 2012 zur Ruhe gekommen, aber die beiden postum erschienenen Bände setzen ihm ein würdiges Denkmal. Die Herausgeber um Carl Holladay verdienen dafür großen Dank." – Thomas Schmeller, in: Biblische Zeitschrift 59 (2015) "... testament to the enduring value of Malherbe's scholarship [...] a fitting tribute to a career of world-leading research and publication. The editors of these volumes are to be commended for their careful work." – Paul Foster, University of Edinburgh, in: The Expository Times 127/2 "(...) the end product is a collection of essays representing a focused and coherent approach to Paul and other New Testament texts that will keep its value for decades to come." - Johan Thom, University of Stellenbosch, Early Christianity 3, vol. 9 (2018).