386 - The First Christians. Their Beginnings, Writings, and Beliefs

The First Christians. Their Beginnings, Writings, and Beliefs
By Eduard Lohse
Translated by M. Eugene Boring
Philadelphia, Fortress, 1983. 126 pp. $6.95.

The long English title of this slim volume by the distinguished German exegete and churchman, Eduard Lohse, does not quite accurately reflect the contents. The first half of the book is devoted to the person, message, and ministry of Jesus. In the second half, Lohse, author of such fine works as The New Testament Environment and the commentary on Colossians and Philemon in the Hermeneia series, gives an account of the origin and spread of early Christianity, the distinctiveness of early Christians in their social and cultural environment (under such headings as "Life Style," "Marriage," and "Politics"), and the different types of writings contained in the New Testament.

Lohse's discussion is predicated on the overarching conviction that the Bible "must … be seen from the point of view of its goal," the crucified and risen Christ. "He is the goal and center, the heart of the entire Scripture" (p. 26).

Lohse combines scholarly honesty, theological insight, and pastoral sensitivity with a clarity and simplicity of presentation which is never condescending or naive. The book is a fine demonstration of how the oftlamented gap between unblinking historical scholarship and theological, pastoral concerns can be successfully bridged in a Protestant-evangelical framework.

This work is suitable for educated and inquiring adults, pastors who need an outline for catechetical instruction (each chapter is supplemented by a useful bibliography), and scholars who find themselves lost in the labyrinths of biblical scholarship.

Martinus C. deBoer
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, New Jersey