Review by Choice Review
Solomon's words "to the making of many books there is no end" (Ecclesiastes 12:12) ring as true as ever, but one can only be thankful that the present book has seen the light of day. Parsons (Baylor Univ.) and Martin (Lubbock Christian Univ.) have done the academic community a great service with this thorough examination of ancient rhetoric and the New Testament. First-rate scholarship, the book is copiously researched and garnished lavishly with citations. After a brief historical introduction, the authors provide a fine exposition of ancient rhetoric. They demonstrate that the writers of the New Testament either consciously or unconsciously often wrote in the style that was part and parcel of the larger elite literary milieu. The authors do not intend the book to be exhaustive, and they focus mainly on Alexandrian sophist Aelius Theon's progymnasmata (exercises on rhetoric), the date of which coincides almost exactly with the date of composition of the New Testament. New Testament scholars will welcome this book with open arms. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --William J. Pankey, William Rainey Harper College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
