Influential Books

A while back a meme circulated concerning books that had been influential in a blogger's life. Periodically since then I have lain awake at night thinking about what books I would choose. Partly in the interests of better sleep, then, here's my list. These are books that for various reasons were influential, not necessarily because they are the best books on their topic.

Richard Burridge, Four Gospels, One Jesus? A Symbolic Reading. This book, and a Synopsis on the Four Gospels, were the required texts for a course introducing the Four Gospels, which I took with Wes Olmstead in my undergrad. It was probably less the book and more the professor that was so influential; nevertheless, the book symbolizes for me the time in my life when the endlessly fascinating world of the Gospels opened up to me.

Stephen Westerholm, Perspectives Old and New on Paul: the 'Lutheran' Paul and his Critics. Besides being convincing on a great many points of contention in pauline scholarship, this book is a model of good writing and the use of humour.

Carol Newsom, The Self as Symbolic Space: Constructing Identity and Community at Qumran. If you already have a basic introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls, this book works to immerse you in the symbolic world of the yahad. This brilliant, first rate-book solidified my already growing interest in the Scrolls.

Francis Watson, Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith. I was completely engrossed in this book, and it ignited an interest in the reception of Scripture. Absolutely must reading for pauline scholars.

Influential or important books I nevertheless have fundamental disagreements with:

Mark Nanos, The Irony of Galatians. A reminder of the limits of our knowledge about the Galatian "crisis," but ultimately unconvincing. To me, it feels like there's an a priori here about Paul and Judaism that skews the whole. Nevertheless, Nanos is extremely helpful for helping one think about the social realities that Jewish communities faced in the Roman world.

Seth Schwartz, Imperialism and Jewish Society. Undoubtedly important, but finally unconvincing on its most distinctive point. I have fundamental problems with Schwartz's method and handling of the evidence. One important example: I think he mishandles the evidence concerning the role of synagogues in Jewish Society prior to 200 CE, and this in part allows him to argue for the collapse of Jewish identity following the two revolts of the first and second century.