Greco-Roman culture and the New Testament: studies commemorating the centennial of the Pontifical Biblical Institute (book review)

This is the last of four volumes published to commemorate the centenary of the Pontifical Biblical Institute. The preface provides a short history of the school and its research interests as the basis for this collection of essays which explores the inter-relationship of the New Testament with its Greco-Roman contexts. The nine essays which make up the bulk of the book explore a number of themes across a range which includes philosophical and religious material, and come from the pens or computers of highly-regarded scholars. Most are concerned with themes which are primarily drawn from philosophical and religious material. Bruce Winter’s article on the imperial cult at Corinth (“The Enigma of Imperial Cult Activities and Paul in Corinth”) interrupts this pattern by drawing significant evidence from archaeology and inscriptions. Significantly, this same essay also identifies how Gallio’s judgment impinges on themes of identity, suggesting that the Christians in Corinth were identified as Jewish by the Roman authorities.