DESCRIPTION
The New Testament, worship, prayer -- the list of books and articles on these topics is not a short one. Amid the cacophony of interpretive voices, Jerome Neyrey offers an intriguing descant as he aims to bring readers into an understanding and appreciation of the "otherness" of the culture in which the Christian scriptures and early church worship came to be.
In
Give God the Glory Neyrey reads select biblical texts in terms of social science models and the theory of communication. He examines New Testament passages in the context of both the Hebraic ethos and the Greco-Hellenistic culture in which these scriptures were conceived and written. Neyrey also looks at New Testament prayer and worship in relation to other ancient literature, particularly the writings of Philo, the
Didache, and Justin's
First Apology. Illuminating the New Testament texts in their original light, this book focuses on interpretation rather than history, supplementing and enhancing the existing wealth of scholarship.
REVIEWS
David E. Aune
— University of Notre Dame
"This reader-friendly book is as relevant for understanding modern forms of prayer and worship as it is in illuminating prayer and worship in the New Testament and early Christianity. There is no other book available that so clearly and effectively demonstrates the immense interpretive value of approaching prayer and worship in early Christianity from a social science perspective at the hands of a veteran scholar."
Telford Work
— Westmont College
"Following up on the work of Bruce J. Malina and other pioneers, Jerome H. Neyrey supplies background from Greco-Roman cultural context and modern social science to help contemporary readers understand what the first Christians who pray think they are doing when they call on God: they are speaking and listening as clients of the righteous Father's patronage through the gracious Son's brokering. Students of anthropology, theorists of communication, historical-critical readers of the New Testament, and worshipers of the triune God will find promising common ground in this interdisciplinary analysis of early Christian prayer."
John H. Elliott
— University of San Francisco
"A new take on biblical prayer and divine praise by an old master of cultural interpretation. By reading the scriptural texts contextually and with appropriate cultural lenses, Jerome Neyrey shows in elegant fashion how we can understand the prayers and worship of our ancestors in terms of their ancient cultural perspectives and values. In this engaging study Neyrey shows us the fascinating social subtexts of biblical doxology and liturgy formulated in antiquity's 'other words.' "
Santiago Guijarro
— Pontifical University of Salamanca
"This is not just another book on prayer and worship in the New Testament. It is a book about the 'otherness' of these important activities in the life of the early Christian groups. Using reliable models of the social sciences, Neyrey opens a new window into the world of Jesus and his first followers and brings a new perspective into a conversation dominated by more conventional studies. Both scholars and laypersons will benefit greatly from reading this very original book."
America
"Neyrey's work places old and familiar texts in a new framework and brings them alive again. He also challenges us to rethink what we do when we pray and why we do it."