182 - Radical Christianity: A Reading of Recovery

Radical Christianity: A Reading of Recovery
By Christopher Rowland
Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books, 1988.199 pp. $14.95.

Christopher Rowland, Lecturer in Divinity, Dean and Fellow of Jesus College, University of Cambridge, has written a fascinating and provocative book. Although drawing upon years of research on Christian origins, especially on apocalypticism in Judaism and early Christianity, this book goes far beyond antiquarian exegetical interests and questions. It is a most interesting attempt to determine the origins, then chart and account for major developments in the course of one type of Christian ethic and orientation-a type of "radical Christianity" rooted in apocalypticism.

After an introductory essay clarifying the goal, methodological assumptions, and use of technical vocabulary of the volume, Rowland presents aspects of that type of Christianity he argues had its origins in Jesus, was submerged by orthodoxy in succeeding ages, but nevertheless remains a force even in the modern world. Chapter 1, "Radical Christianity: Roots and Branches," is devoted to a discussion of the origins of the radical ethic in association with Jewish apocalypticism, the Jesus movement as reform movement inspired by apocalyptic hopes, and the paradoxical, but very influential eschatological teachings of the apostle Paul. Chapter 2, "Themes of Protest and Prophecy: 'It shall not be so among you'," picks up and explores some of the concrete socio-economic-political ramifications of the ethic of apocalyptic for the early Christians. Chapter 3, "The Apocalypse: Hope, Resistance and the Revelation of Reality," focuses on the impetus behind, and consequences of, the embracing of the apocalyptic ethic for particular communities of early Christians in Asia Minor. Chapter 4, "Muenzer and Winstanley: Two Models of Radical Discipleship," is, as the title suggests, an attempt to chart the course of an aspect of the development of Christian apocalyptic radicalism into the early modern period in Europe. Sixteenth and seventeenth-century prophet-reformers Thomas Muenzer and Gerrard Winstanley are given attention as Christian radicals, heirs of the ancient seers. Chapter 5, "The Theology of Liberation: Proclaiming God as Father in a World that is Inhumane," makes the point that radical Christianity survives in different places in the contemporary world-including Latin America and South Africataking cues directly from ancient Christian traditions. A concluding essay not only summarizes major arguments and assumptions, but

183 - Radical Christianity: A Reading of Recovery

proffers what appears to function as a passionate plea for a better understanding of and engagement in the struggles and challenges that define the existence of those who from the beginning have had to embrace the "radical Christianity" that is the focus of the book.

The book is a valuable, provocative re-reading of the sources important to any discussion about the origins of Christianity, and reinterpretation of the meanings and functions of eschatological visions and prophecies. It is also radical. Few scholars of Christian origins Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Norman Gottwald among the exceptions-have attempted to venture beyond the confines of texts and issues of antiquity. Even fewer register any (scholarly passionate!) concern about the continuing influence of the ethic and ethos of the ancient texts, personalities, and communities they research. Rowland has with this little book taken a radical step in scholarship. Not content to give an account of the radical ethic of the seers of the first century, his interest is to indicate where in Western religious and cultural history that same ethic has emerged and is contemporary-and why it should be taken seriously. Of course, certain risks are taken with this approach (not the least the criticism that he cannot be considered "expert" on matters or texts beyond late antiquity, that he is not exhaustive on this or that text, that his selections are not representative enough, and the like). Dangers and risks notwithstanding, with this book the author, in a most dramatic way, is reminding us of the dividends from an engaged and critical scholarship.

It is a book to be commended because it is worthy of serious attention, not only the attention of scholars, but of serious-minded persons everywhere. It is a book-or something like it-that I wish I had written.

Vincent L. Wimbush
School of Theology at Claremont
Claremont, California