But Arator's concentration on baptismal themes also offers vital evidence of the transmission of exegetical ideas in late antiquity.

Mitzi Smith engages the reader in explaining how, as in the real world, the characterization of the Others is used negatively in the biblical texts. Smith shows how the concept of difference is constructed in order to distinguish ourselves from proximateothers: indeed, the other who is most similar to us is most threatening and most problematic. The process of Othering, or Otherness, is a synthetic and political social construct that allows us to create and maintain boundaries between 'them' and 'us'. Thus, this work demonstrates how proximate characters are constructed as the Other in the Acts of the Apostles. Charismatics, Jews, and women are proximate others who are constructed as the external and internal Others.

Most studies on the theme of Passover in the Gospel of Luke have been confined to the story of the Last Supper (Luke 22:1--20). Dany Christopher, on the contrary, seeks to show where, how, and why Luke uses the theme of Passover throughout his two writings (Luke-Acts).

Preliminary Material /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Bibliographical Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- General Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Textual Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Philological Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Literary Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Form-critical Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Historical Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Theological Studies /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Exegetical Studies of Individual Passages /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- Index of Authors /A.J. Mattill and Mary Bedford Mattill -- New Testament Tools and Studies /Bruce M. Metzger.

Anders Cullhed’s study The Shadow of Creusa explores the early Christian confrontation with pagan culture as a remote anticipation of many later clashes between religious orthodoxy and literary fictionality. After a careful survey of Saint Augustine’s critical attitudes to ancient myth and poetry, summarized as a long drawn-out farewell, Cullhed examines other Late Antique dismissals as well as appropriations of the classical heritage. Macrobius, Martianus Capella and Boethius figure among the Late Antique intellectuals who attempted to save or even restore the old mythology by means of allegorical representation. On the other hand, pious poets such as Paulinus of Nola and Bible epic writers such as Iuvencus or Avitus of Vienne turned against pagan lies, and the mighty arch-bishop of Milan, Saint Ambrose, played off unconditional Christian truth against the last Roman strongholds of cultural pluralism. Thus, The Shadow of Creusa elucidates a cultural conflict which was to leave traces all through the Middle Ages and reach down to our present day.

A Companion to Ancient Epic presents for the first time a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ancient Near Eastern, Greek and Roman epic. It offers a multi-disciplinary discussion of both longstanding ideas and newer perspectives. A Companion to the Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic traditions Considers the interrelation between these different traditions Provides a balanced overview of longstanding ideas and newer perspectives in the study of epic Shows how scholarship over the last forty years has transformed the ways that we conceive of and understand the genre Covers recently introduced topics, such as the role of women, the history of reception, and comparison with living analogues from oral tradition The editor and contributors are leading scholars in the field Includes a detailed index of poems, poets, technical terms, and important figures and events