Berglin, Brant

English

Andrews University

335Book reviewSFathers was published already between 1946 and 1954; the 1982 edition was merely a reprint (549). (13) H. Edson had been a member of  the Methodist Church rather than the Christian Connexion (560). (14) The 1915 edition of  Leben und Wirken was not the first publication that contained E. G. White’s first vision, but it was already published in Erfahrungen und Gesichte sowie Geistliche Gaben ([Hamburg: Internationale Traktat-Gesellschaft, 1899], 12-20).It would have been helpful for readers if  sometimes a connection had been made to related data. One example may suffice: After World War II, various German leaders claimed that their workers had served almost exclusively in noncombatant positions and had free Sabbaths in the Wehrmacht (491, 496). Yet, statistics from the wartime manifest that just a minor part were able to serve as medics (461). Adventist soldiers initially had free Sabbaths; later such privileges were only seldom granted  (459-462).Hartlapp’s volume represents the most comprehensive work on Seventh-day Adventism under the Nazi regime. Everyone interested in the history of  Adventism in Central Europe and church and state relations in the Third Reich should consult this massive product of  thorough research. The few random imperfections should not disturb the main study, and even if  one would interpret some sources differently, the book shows how easily one may be willing to give up basic rights, core doctrines, and ethical values, thereby losing the very identity one tries to protect.Berrien Springs, Michigan               deniS kaiSerHewett, James Allan, New Testament Greek: A Beginning and Intermediate Grammar, rev. ed. with CD., ed. C. Michael Robbins and Steven R. Johnson. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009. 324 pp. Hardcover, $34.95. In contrast with many current offerings in the field of  Greek pedagogical tools, which tend to divide basic grammar and more advanced syntax into different volumes, James A. Hewett’s New Testament Greek: A Beginning and Intermediate Grammar, newly updated from the 1986 edition, combines these components in one volume. This new edition, revised and expanded by C. Michael Robbins and Steven R. Johnson, has altered the original work in several ways: first, the expected correction of  small errors in chart data and, second, the expected corrections of  spelling or modifications to formatting, making the overall layout easier on the eye and more intuitive. More than this, however, as the new preface specifies, some material has been expanded, deleted, or moved to the appendix. For instance, the rules for accentuation, originally found in the first chapter, are now located in the appendix, as are tables and paradigms, which have been greatly expanded since the first edition. Additionally, many footnotes pointing to secondary literature have been deleted “in the interest of  pedagogy” (xiv). The first two chapters, new to the revised edition, provide basic grammatical explanations of  how language works that had previously been scattered 336 Seminary StudieS 48 (autumn 2010)throughout the book, a boon to students for whom English is not their first language or for those without a solid foundation in English grammar. Chapter 3 introduces the Greek language by presenting the alphabet with traditional Erasmian rather than modern Greek pronunciation, syllabification, and punctuation. Further chapters attempt to bring the student quickly to a basic reading level through an introduction to verbs and nouns. Unlike other grammars that organize and teach the nominal system first, and sometimes even in its entirety, Hewett presents the verbal system in chapter 4, covering both present and future tenses. Most of  the nominal system based on first- and second-declension noun endings (such as personal, relative, and demonstrative pronouns) is covered in chapters 5-9 and part of  chapter 13. The verbal system is revisited and the rest of  the indicative paradigm is covered in chapters 9-14, while nonindicative moods, including participles, liquids, contracts, and –mi verbs occupy chapters 17-24. It’s not until chapters 15 and 16 that the third declension and related systems are discussed; this may seem a bit late in the game, but at least it’s covered before participles are addressed. The main instruction of  the book concludes in chapter 25, and finally devotes needed space to the more complex syntactical functions of  the genitive, dative, and accusative cases that were introduced much earlier. Each chapter concludes with practice exercises, the standard Greek-to-English and newly added English-to-Greek. For those wishing to self-correct their translations, the book is accompanied by a CD containing a “Key to Exercises” in Adobe Acrobat format, along with forty-three pages of  paradigm charts and a short lexicon of  the most common Greek vocabulary, similar to the material found in the appendix. The CD has an option to install software to help the student with verb identification and to build vocabulary through a flash-card module, including a vocalization of  each word. According to Hewett, the book’s anticipated application is primarily as a classroom textbook; however, he also believes it can be useful for the individual wishing to learn NT Greek outside an institutional setting. The book must, then, be evaluated with these two main purposes in mind. How does New Testament Greek function as a delivery tool? This work is admittedly a hybrid, an attempt to merge two intimately related yet distinct features of  the language into one condensed package. As such, it struggles to be good at both. The grammatical aspects are the book’s strength. Explanations are crisp, albeit brief  and sometimes without explanation as to why certain paradigms function as they do; but this need not prevent a student from learning the necessary material. Initially, I was concerned by the jumps back and forth between the nominal and verbal systems, and the confusion this might create. On further consideration, however, giving students the ability to cover basic sentences after only three lessons in the Greek has the obvious benefit of  motivation through discernable progress and achievement. One downside of  the exercises is that actual text from the Greek NT (UBS, 1994 edition) doesn’t often appear in the exercises until after chapter 13. 337Book reviewSIf  grammar is the book’s strength, it comes at the expense of  in-depth syntactical explanations of  various categories, which are too few, brief, and understated. For the student in an undergraduate theology program, Bible college, or seminary who takes Greek in two semesters, or even over a couple of  years, such brevity will leave holes in his or her ability to evaluate the various usages of  nouns and verbs, on whose very interpretation an accurate theology often hinges. Well-written volumes covering advanced syntax and grammar are readily available, and must be used to supplement this work. But can average people pick up this book and learn to read the NT on their own? If  an individual is a strong self-starter, motivated, and takes time to read the book closely, the content will cover the basics. The benefits of  the accompanying CD are to be most realized in this scenario: the student reading the chapter, doing the exercises, self-correcting with the provided key, and then searching previous chapters for why the answer was wrong. The diligent student will find that in just a few lessons, basic Greek sentences very similar to NT Greek will be readable. So while Hewett attempts to merge both grammar and syntax of  NT Greek into one volume, he has only succeeded in adding slightly more syntax to his book than other popular grammarians, while still offering only basic coverage of  the essential grammatical systems, a combination that may not be attractive to most teachers of  Greek. It may, still, catch the eye of  those wishing to learn on their own. Berrien Springs, Michigan                                                      Brant BerglinKim, Seyoon. Christ and Caesar: The Gospel and the Roman Empire in the Writings of  Paul and Luke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008. 228 pp. Paper, $24.00.Christ and Caesar addresses the issues of  how Paul, and Luke who told Paul’s story, understood the relationship of  the gospel to Roman imperial power. Kim opens the book by revealing that he began his research on this topic anticipating the validity of  the counter-imperial interpretation of  Paul, and its value for NT interpretation. By the end of  the study, however, Kim concludes that Paul and Luke are agreed in both “their dialectical attitude to the Roman Empire . . . and in their avoidance of  expounding the political implications of  the gospel and formulating it in an anti-imperial way.” Instead, he states, they stress personal change “over against institutional change” and “the imminent parousia of  the Lord Jesus Christ for the consummation of  salvation” (199). Kim comes to this conclusion after thoughtful consideration of  the Pauline passages most often used to support the anti-imperial hypothesis (1 Thessalonians, Philippians, Romans, and 1 Corinthians), and of  Luke’s presentation of  Jesus’ redemption and of  the apostles’ work. Particular attention is given in the book to identifying problematic methodology and other challenges with the anti-imperial interpretation.Part 1 addresses the Pauline passages, beginning in chapters 1 and 2 by considering the readings of  a number of  leading theorists on this topic. Kim grants the use, in these passages, of  terms used to extol Christ and his 

New Testament Greek: A Beginning and Intermediate Grammar [review] / James Allan Hewett

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New Testament Greek: A Beginning and Intermediate Grammar [review] / James Allan Hewett

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