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Rating: 
Summary: A masterful thesis
Review: In the hotly debated topic of the roles of men and women in the Christian church, Galatians 3:28 is often cited as a proof text. Yet, in most analyses on the subject, little (if any) attention is paid to a detailed study of this passage. If Gal 3:28 is to be considered a key piece of evidence in the discussion of gender roles, it must be carefully examined to determine what is -- and what is not -- stated.Hove's book, based on his master's thesis, provides a contextual, lexical, and exegetical analysis of Galatians 3:28 -- what was Paul talking about in Galatians 3 & 4, what exactly did he say in verse 3:28, and what can we honestly extract from 3:28 in light of the Greek words used and the context in which they appear? Taken as such, this book is a spectacular success. Hove did a wonderful job of including all the necessary Greek texts (mostly as footnotes) for scholarly readers, yet maintaining a readable text for those who aren't linguists. Rigorous in his logical analysis, and attempting to fairly represent the usage both sides make of the text in question, Hove achieves his stated goals of "clarity and charity" by sticking strictly to the data. If you are looking for the final and definitive text on gender roles, this isn't it. However, if you are interested in an intellectually honest investigation of what many consider a pivotal text -- to understand which interpretations are easily supportable and which are wildly speculative -- then consider this a "must have" for your library. Any who consider writing an analysis of other hot-button texts should read Hove's book for an example of a scholarly, yet graceful, investigation.
Rating:
Summary: A masterful thesis
Review: In the hotly debated topic of the roles of men and women in the Christian church, Galatians 3:28 is often cited as a proof text. Yet, in most analyses on the subject, little (if any) attention is paid to a detailed study of this passage. If Gal 3:28 is to be considered a key piece of evidence in the discussion of gender roles, it must be carefully examined to determine what is -- and what is not -- stated. Hove's book, based on his master's thesis, provides a contextual, lexical, and exegetical analysis of Galatians 3:28 -- what was Paul talking about in Galatians 3 & 4, what exactly did he say in verse 3:28, and what can we honestly extract from 3:28 in light of the Greek words used and the context in which they appear? Taken as such, this book is a spectacular success. Hove did a wonderful job of including all the necessary Greek texts (mostly as footnotes) for scholarly readers, yet maintaining a readable text for those who aren't linguists. Rigorous in his logical analysis, and attempting to fairly represent the usage both sides make of the text in question, Hove achieves his stated goals of "clarity and charity" by sticking strictly to the data. If you are looking for the final and definitive text on gender roles, this isn't it. However, if you are interested in an intellectually honest investigation of what many consider a pivotal text -- to understand which interpretations are easily supportable and which are wildly speculative -- then consider this a "must have" for your library. Any who consider writing an analysis of other hot-button texts should read Hove's book for an example of a scholarly, yet graceful, investigation.
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