bibliography

[helenic]

Pervo, Richard I. 1987. Profit with Delight: The Literary Genre of the Acts of the Apostles, Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

I was intending to skim this for the relevant references and move on, but the guy has me completely hooked with his writing style. No doubt his dark sarcasm arises from the fact that Mr and Mrs Pervo saw fit to christen him "Dick". I'm only on chapter 2 and it's brilliant. It's not "popular scholarship" - as far as I can tell it's a rigorous academic discussion - but it is peppered with energetic re-tellings and cynical asides. A few choice morsels:

On "Luke the Historian": "Crisply put, Luke was well intentioned but dumb."

On historiography in Acts to account for the apparent divergences from Luke's gospel: "This solution is perhaps logical enough, but the basis for it is a bit more fragile than the quavering crust of learned consensus might indicate." (Quavering crust of learned consensus . Ooh, how much would I love to call my supervisors that.)

On Acts 19: "Who caused the riot at Ephesus? Pagan trash, agitated by aggrieved pagan craftsmen. Where was Paul? Sipping sherry with the high priests of the imperial cult." (Ha HA. So true.)

On the persecution of Paul and the apostles: "Popular literature often reflects the self-understanding of immature people, people of any age who see themselves as constant victims, who assign their problems to the machinations of others. This is the essential world view of the adolescent, but there are many unwilling to forsake it in later years." (Not that you were bullied in high school, Mr Pervo - oh no, not at all.)

There will no doubt be more :)

Comments

[maga-dogg.livejournal.com]

I must read this book.

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

Rah! It's so cool when you notice a book for having someone with an interesting name, and it lives up to your illogical expectations.

[oakwonder.livejournal.com]

That's a very good style: do regale us with more choice quotes from time to time. I have to admit reading "Pervo, Richard I" momentarily as a confessional motto of the Lionheart. (Or perhaps that's how Blondel found him, remembering their old games of peek-a-boo.)

The most fitting name on a book I've actually read is PsychoDarwinism by Christopher Badcock. Possibly the least appropriate I've seen is Naturebirth: Preparing for Natural Birth in an Age of Technology by Danae Brook.

Then there are ones I just like the sound of, such as Burgo Partridge's A History of Orgies and Evelyn Underhill's Practical Mysticism for Normal People.

[notintheseheels.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[mijra.livejournal.com]

This is highly amusing.