RFVIFWS 253

which Spam was the traditional most western portion. L u k e ' s

portrayal of Paul confirms this impression (referring specially to
Acts 17:26). Scott concludes: 'the geographical orientation of the
Table-of-Nations tradition provides a fundamental point of depar-
ture for comparing the Paul of the letters and the Paul of Acts'
(P 180)
T h e final chapter returns to the question of the destination of
Galatians. T h e basic point is that from a Jewish perspective
Gomer, first son of Japheth, was identified with the Galatians
(Josephus, Ant 1 123), that the territory of G o m e r covered both
north and south Galatia, the whole R o m a n province, and that
therefore, from this perspective, there is no distinction between
ethnic Galatians and non-ethnic Galatians (on which distinction
the debate has usually t u r n e d ) . T h i s is a genuinely new a r g u m e n t
in favour of the 'south Galatian hypothesis'. It hangs on the
broader case about a Jewish geographical (Table of Nations) per-
spective; but Scott can justifiably claim to have m a d e that case
There are various points which could be raised in criticism or
discussion: more could be said about the diverse fates of the
nations in Israel's final restoration, or about the tension between
the belief regarding Israel in exile and the belief regarding Israel
inheriting the whole world; the similar tension between exiled
Israel as a 'nation of sinners' and 'sinners' more or less synonymous
with 'Gentiles' needs teasing out (p 131); and the assumption that
Paul regarded Syrian Antioch as part of his missionary territory
(pp. 158-9) ignores the change in Paul's relationship with Jerusalem
and Antioch consequent upon the Antioch incident (Gal. 2:11-18).
But these are relatively small blemishes m an overall fully docu-
mented, finely argued and finally very impressive thesis.
JAMES D G. DUNN

Paul's Gift from Phihppi. Conventions of gift exchange and

Christian giving. B y G . W . P E T E R M A N . P p . xi + 2 4 6 .
(Society for N e w T e s t a m e n t S t u d i e s , M o n o g r a p h S e r i e s ,
92.) C a m b r i d g e U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 9 7 . I S B N o 521
57220 7. 3 5 / $ 5 4 9 5
T H I S is an excellent m o n o g r a p h which had its genesis in a doctoral
dissertation from K i n g ' s College, L o n d o n , supervised by G. N .
Stanton Peterman carefully trawls Jewish and G r e c o - R o m a n m a t -
erial for information on the important conventions s u r r o u n d i n g
social reciprocity in relation to financial 'giving and receiving'.
He is discriminating in his t r e a t m e n t of the Jewish material,
254 REVIEWS
noting the difTerence between Old T e s t a m e n t material where it is
primarily G o d w h o rewards those who gi\e to the needy, and
m t e r t e s t a m e n t a l literature w h e r e there is an obligation to return
a favour. Likewise evidence from t h e G r e c o - R o m a n world, with
a good selection from Seneca's De Beneficiis, other Latin and some
G r e e k sources is used appositely, given that P h i h p p i is a Roman
colony in the East steeped in Romanitas. His use of non-literary
sources s u p p o r t s this evidence, all of which he provides in the
original as well as in translation. T h e reader w i t h o u t expertise in
the citation and use of papyri or extra-biblical literary sources will
find this helpful in assessing t h e basis of his thesis.
P e t e r m a n t h e n proceeds to use this material judiciously m order
to illuminate P a u l ' s discussion in P h i h p p i a n s and 2 and 4:10-20
H e also applies t h e same b a c k g r o u n d evidence on giving elsewhere
in the Pauline corpus, i.e. C o r i n t h i a n correspondence, Romans
5:7, 15:25-31, and P h i l e m o n 17-19.
H i s view on P h i h p p i a n s is that P a u l ' s relationship with that
c h u r c h was a u n i q u e one. It h a d been established on the basis of
their fellowship in the gospel t h r o u g h their gifts to his apostolic
ministry. P e t e r m a n rightly begins his discussion in Phihppians 1
and 2, w h e r e Paul offers a theological interpretation of their gift
in t e r m s of the fellowship for the progress of the gospel, and
proceeds with apposite c o m m e n t s on the significance of the atti
t u d e and actions of Jesus in 2 : 6 - 1 1 . H e sees the latter providing
the focus for ethical c o n d u c t t h r o u g h o u t the letter. T h i s is helpful
because intense discussions on 'the h y m n ' itself have sometimes
lost sight of its implications.
P e t e r m a n rejects those i n t e r p r e t e r s of 4:10-20 who see Paul
simply using financial language. H e rightly points out that this
was also harnessed in the first c e n t u r y for the language of patron
age and obligation. While receiving a gift in secular society would
place a person in an inferior social position and b i n d i n g obliga
tions, Paul does not see t h e P h i h p p i a n s ' gift doing that. Rather
their financial c o n t r i b u t i o n elevates t h e m to the place of joint
p a r t n e r s h i p with h i m in the gospel, and their 'investment' will
also b r i n g t h e m spiritual dividends P e t e r m a n provides the best
explanation for the seemingly indifferent way Paul opens his dis
cussion in 4:10 fif., and also shows convincingly to this reviewer
h o w this powerful social convention is b r o u g h t into the service of
the gospel.
In a brief c h a p t e r he explores the concept of giving and receiving
in other parts of P a u l ' s corpus, arguing that Paul sees himself
bestowing the gospel as a benefaction and that he may call for
a p p r o p r i a t e financial reciprocity on occasions from his converts
 RFVIP WS 255
Peterman's work is a model for its use of ancient d o c u m e n t s
He a\oids parallelomania, and also rejects the sociological 'fallacy'
which transposes theories across the centuries and cultures with
out verification from the extant body of ancient material S t u d e n t s
of Paul and P h i h p p i a n s have been placed m u c h in his d e b t with
this carefully researched and well written c o n t r i b u t i o n to the
discussion of the relationship of m o n e y to mission in Paul
BRUCE W I N T E R

Will Give You Rest y The Rest Motif in the New Testament
with Special Reference to Mt and Heb 34 B y J O N
LAANSMA P p x v + 4 5 9 ( W i s s e n s c h a f t l i c h e Untersuch
ungen zum Neuen Testament, 2/98 ) Tubingen
M o h r S i e b e c k , 1997 I S B N 3 16 1 4 6 6 3 9 P a p e r D M 128

LAANSMA points out that M a t t h e w 11 2 8 - 3 0 and H e b r e w s 3-4

stand out as the N e w T e s t a m e n t passages w h e r e the rest motif is
expressed thematically H e notes that they have been linked
together both by those who u n d e r s t a n d t h e m in t e r m s of the
development of Gnosticism and by those w h o find t h e m to express
in similar fashion the u n i t e d ideas of an eschatological rest and an
eschatological sabbath T h e first link he rejects, and the second
he confirms as a c o m m o n use of traditions which begin with the
Old Testament association of G o d ' s promise of rest p r e - e m i n e n t l y
with Moses and with David's house
Those who have found in 'the telltale mythology of G n o s t i c i s m '
the key to u n d e r s t a n d i n g these passages are here carefully exposed
as having made t h e m 'dance to the t u n e of their own religious
historical hypotheses' (p 246) L a a n s m a ' s own a p p r o a c h is m o r e
judicious In discussing questions of contact or influence it has
not infrequently to be acknowledged that 'precision is a luxury
which is not on offer, and in spite of the confidence with which
opinions are sometimes p u t one can only give one's impression'
(p 346) Those who plot the saying in M a t t h e w 11 2 8 - 3 0 on a
trajectory from wisdom literature to second-century G n o s t i c i s m ,
arguing that M a t t h e w corrects a gnostici7ing t e n d e n c y in Q by
identifying Jesus as W i s d o m rather t h a n as one of her envoys,
must establish a precise connection with Sirach 6 and, m o r e
particularly, 51 L a a n s m a d e m o n s t r a t e s not only t h a t M a t t h e w is
inali probability not alluding to Sirach ('yoke', 'labour', and 'rest'
belong together naturally and are used very differently) b u t also
that there is no other e\idence in the first and second centuries
that any connection between this logion and Sirach existed T h o s e
 ^ s
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