BOOK REVIEWS Horsley, Richard A (ed) 1997. Paul and Empire: Religion and Power in Roman Imperial Society. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, Tt was no accident that the writers of the Kairos Document (KD) chose to open their attack on the two dominant theological responses tc apartheid they had identified (namely state theology and church theology With a discussion of that (in-) famous passage in Paul's letters, Roman: 13:1-7. It was seen as so important in terms of their task of refuting theological attempts to buttress the apartheid system that the discussior of Rom 13 was placed at the very beginning of the first main section of this famous document. The authors of the KD recognised the reality of Past and present theological interpretation of Paul: in traditional theology during the modcrn cra, Paul had usually been used either to argue for a Political ‘Christian’ stance openly supporting a (usually: right-wing) government orto argue for a supposedly non-political ‘Christian’ attitude fo a (usually: right-wing) government ~ two attitudes which tend to Produce the same result, namely buttressing the status quo (on the latter stance in the South African context, see Anthony Balcomb's excellent analysis in Third Way Theology: Reconciliation, Revolution and Reform in the South Afiican Church during the 1980's {Pietermatitzburg: Cluster Publications, 1993)), Richard Horsley’: collection of essays by classicists and New Testament scholars comes a: a refreshing break from this mainstream theological ‘tradition of readin: Paul, and will provide food for thought for those who ‘wish to wrestle further with Paul. Over the past 12 years or so, Richard Horsley, Profes:or of Classics and Religion at the University of ‘Massachusetts (Hoston, USA), has become well known for a series of Theologia Viatorum 24 (1997)0 ‘Tousen Varo ‘excellent socio-historical and social-scientific books focussing on the Jesus movement in first-century Pal Bandits, Prophets, and ‘Messiahs (Minneapolis: Fortress jology and the Jesus ‘Movement (New York: Crossroad 19! ind the Spiral of Violence, 2nd ed. [Minneap\ 1993}; Archaeology, History and Society in Intemational, 1996]). With thi imperial context of Paul, Horsley returns to Paul, on whose Corinthian correspondence he had. incidentally, already published a number of scholarly articles some 20 years ago. One could deseribe the book's aim as one of providing material which undermines the view that for Paul, ‘eligion” and “politics” are separate realms, a view which was no doubt aided by the European “bourgeois revolutions of the late eighteenth century, fas a result of which) church and state not only became separate, but agreed not to interfere in each other’s designated jurisdiction” (p.1). Projecting this historical process back into the first century, mainstream Pauline scholarship has long tended to view the Roman imperial world in which Pau! and his communities lived merely as the religious (and, less often, political) “backdrop” of Paul's “religious revolution”. Horsley's collection of essays brilliantly ‘challenges this view. ‘The book is divided into four main sections, each containing three to four articles, essays, or excerpts from books which have been published over the past 15 years, with the exception of Horsley’s own stiidy at the end of the book, entitled “I Corinthians: a Case Study of Paul’s Assembly as an Alternative Society”. Each section begins with a succinct introduction by Horsley which places the published essays in the context of recent scholarship on ancient history and the New Testament Bock Kevanes 0 Pres Paka Came es fem. Gee SRF 7 ey J: K. Chow and deal with power relations in the eat en ao 1 ly Roman empire, especially patron- slat relationships and the emperor cult. With the clint Aree a ign. ore aot hierarchical city-based patron-client relations were tended to the emperor himself the emperor became liens who themselves were powerful patrons of lever’ ene ee aes ote Reman empire worked to a large extent because of ich allowed the emperor to grant important admin postions af frou’ for which tay was expected. This wee ineseapably enmeshed with the rapidly emer in Paul's main “missionary pice Greece and Asie Mice” esaly section (containing work by D. Georgi. H. Koester, and N. imperial aspects of Paul’s letters and the too often forgotten that a number of terms os fundamen Semis [esr sin ise incte of Paul's open deanes of tices. 1¢ Roman occy mal forces: theologians tend to fret, Jesus was slowly tocued wo death one the most grucsome forms of execution the Roman armed frees ues fxion was a punishment reserved for rebell ives of occupied territories. Proclaimi ion of be eects tert ing the exaltation ofthe asthe Chis ad insisting that he isthe ‘eichaoiogieal Lord dies contradicted the imperial claims of re mbt his ofthe emperor 2 mas lod and Theologia Viatorum 24 (1997) Theologia Viatorum 24 (1997)“Trnowoaia Vito ried, E. contributions from K.P. Donfried, Th the jay end eae * Horsley himself, Horsley presents with the social order presents an introdi 1 Corinthians he is work: Paul was attempting to erica sx yen of ie Roman colony in wich th : lived the insistence on it meas wi qual shares and participation, which in itself broke down traditional barriers between. peopl different social origins. Of course one could quibble with a number of jiding ‘answers’, Horsley rai s ee amoral ror Father than a conclusion. Inti sexe this bok is obviosty of practical usefulness in a classroom situation, if one is prepared to grapple wit ‘working that the book would prove jin South Africa, however, I also: think t 4 i Sa lite eam pe ds 1985 by the authors - gabe eda ona ‘the political Sea Hac ers! itional, or social) realities have cl dramatic uw ‘of the church as one of the watchdogs of developments in Theologia Viatorum 24 (1997) Book Reviews government and society is to be maintained, albei circumstances. The present reviewer confesses to: historical analysis, and itis from this perspective that the wish is voiced that this book might re-invigorate those Biblical scholars who are Prepared to teeth not only into fundamental issues of hermeneutics currently (and justifiably) en vogue, but also into equally fandumetal issues of the historical analysis of “Paul's project” (to Paraphrase Carlos ‘Mesters). Holger Szesnat Lartey, Emmanuel Y 1997. In Living Colour: An Intercultural Approach to Pastoral Care and ‘Counselling. London: Cassel, The author of this book, Dr Emmanuel Lartey, is a lecturer in Pastoral Studies and Pastoral Theology at the University of Birmingham, United Kinadom. He was previously a lecturer in Practical Theology at Trinity College and in the Department for the Study of Religions at the University of Ghana. This ‘book offers a critical introduction to the study and practice of Pastoral care and counselling. The approach adopted here is holistic and intercultural in a global context. This approach is more inclusive: henoe the term “intercultural” is prefered to tems such as “cross-cultural” and “trans- ‘Theologia Viatorum 24 (1997)THEOLOGIA VIATORUM Journal of Theology and Religion in Africa Volume 24 December 1997