152 Reviews Romans 4 makes brilliant sense of an otherwise very awkward portion of the letter, but in "Christ Prays the Psalms" Hays advances a more ambitious case, and takes it in more directions, than the scope of this presentation quite sustains. The far-reaching implications that Hays adduces at the end of that essay w ould be better served by a fuller treatm ent of this topic. In his chapter on Paul's use of the Old Testament in ethical reasoning, Hays parses the patterns of Pauline usage into categories that are helpful for general orientation, but which m ight tem pt a less-careful conversation partner to read them as a taxonomy of distinct functions; one pivotal element of Hays's insight in these essays, however, lies in his recognizing that Paul's interpretive imagination has been transformed, and the imagination does not readily accommodate itself to pigeonholes. The closing essay, echoing Frank Lentricchia's disenchantm ent w ith the theoretical epiphenomena of criticism, implicitly points to the relative rarity of simple good reading in the field of biblical studies. At their best, these essays exemplify the possibility that a biblical critic can indeed read the Bible well as a technically astute lover of the text. That example by itself sets high standards for Hays and for his readers— and though readers will find some of these readings more compelling than others, the witness of Hays's imagination suggests the great value of cultivating imaginations tuned to Scripture in ways congruent and critical. A. Κ. M. Adam Duke Divinity School Durham, NC 27708 USA akm.adam@gmail.com
Christ Is the Question by Wayne A. Meeks (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006) x + 166 pp. Wayne Meeks's recent Christ Is the Question considers the question of Jesus' identity, but w ithout sum m oning forth the now-familiar procession of historical Jesuses. Instead, Meeks examines the questions concerning Jesus and our contemporary investment in them. By drawing the circle of inquiry wide enough to include both Jesus and also the historians, Meeks brings his command of the sociology of knowledge to bear on the Jesus quest, w ith illuminating results. While Meeks steers resolutely clear of anything resembling facile pietism, his approach allows room for a Jesus whom his followers professed as the resurrected Lord, while at the same time he applies rigorous historical judgm ent to the witnesses and their testimony. The book comprises six chapters, of which five w ere originally presented as lectures at Emory University, Williams College, and several other venues. Meeks preserves the rhetorical characteristics of a public lecture for this published version, offering a scholar's view of the terrain in clear prose w ith few footnotes. The lucid, assured style makes for easy reading, and should attract a w ide audience among students and reading groups. For just this reason, however, scholars may find the book frustrating, since Meeks omits the painstakingly detailed argum entation that w ould ordinarily buttress a work such as this. The first chapter discusses the ways that questions about Jesus' identity have arisen, and the ways that such questions usually attract answers that do not satisfy. Meeks rehearses a capsule history of skepticism, historicism, and efforts to build critical historical bulwarks to faith, ending w ith the confusion that the hermeneutics of suspicion engenders. He proposes an alternative to the dominance of suspicion: an © 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd