CONTENTSIntroductionPART ONE: The Social-Political Context of Apocalyptic and Wisdom Texts1. Ben Sira and the Sociology of the Second Temple2. The Politics of Cultural Production3. The Social Settings of the Components of 1 EnochPART TWO: Reconsiderations of Texts in Historical Contexts4. Israel at the Mercy of Demonic Powers: An Enochic Interpretation of Imperialism5. Social Relations and Social Conflict in the Epistle of Enoch6. Fourth Ezra: Anti-Apocalyptic Apocalypse7. Late Twentieth-Century Scribes' Study of Late Second Temple ScribesPART THREE: Questioning the Categories as Applied to the Gospels and James8. Questions about Wisdom and Apocalypticism9. Sayings of the Sages or Speeches of the Prophets? Reflections on the Genre of Q10. Apocalypticism and Wisdom: Missing in Mark11. Apocalypticism in the Gospels? The Kingdom of God and the Renewal of Israel12. The Rich and Poor in James: An Apocalyptic EthicThese essays achieve a much needed demolition of two ill-defined concepts that have dominated the study of early Judaism and the New Testament. Turning from questions of worldview and genre to the historical and social realities confronting the authors of Sirach, 1 Enoch, the Epistle of James, and 4 Ezra, Horsley and Tiller demonstrate how these texts engage with the political realities of their time, especially imperial rule. This is an eloquent demonstration of the value of the social-scientific approach to the exegesis of biblical and parabiblical texts.-- Professor Philip DaviesUniversity of SheffieldThe terms wisdom and apocalyptic, the authors argue correctly, have been used in such a vague or simplistic way by many scholars that a series of corrections are necessary. Horsley and Tiller have worked separately and together on these issues for many years. Here they address the problems of genre definition, the social and political context of the texts, and the twentieth-century theological assumptions that lie behind the previous studies. They forge new conclusions about the interpretations of many important texts. The clarity with which they define the issues is admirable, and the debate will be illuminated for all parties. Now both the scholar and the student can in one volume reap the benefits of their results. -- Lawrence M. WillsEpiscopal Divinity SchoolRichard Horsley is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the author of numerous volumes, including Jesus and the Powers, Revolt of the Scribes, and Wisdom and Spiritual Transcendence at Corinth (Cascade Books, 2008).Patrick A. Tiller is a member of the Enoch Seminar and is the author of A Commentary on the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch.
