These impressive, complementary, volumes arose from a conference held in Oxford in 2004, and their publication marks the centenary of a landmark volume, The New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers (Oxford 1905), produced by ‘A committee of the Oxford Society of Historical Theology’. The Reception volume more closely parallels the 1905 book, with studies of each of the major writings that form the ‘Apostolic Fathers’, comparing the findings with the judgements made in the 1905 volume. With some few exceptions on this or that matter, the latter are affirmed as essentially still valid. Space permits only an indication of the wealth of material included in these two new volumes.

In the first volume, after a concise introduction by Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett, Bart Ehrman compares the evidence of the textual transmission of the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers. William Petersen reiterates his argument that the use of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers shows that the New Testament writings were neither stable nor regarded as canonical before the end of the second century at the earliest. J. K. Elliott notes the curious absence of the Apostolic Fathers in the apparatus of the standard critical editions of the Greek New Testament, and he offers a list of New Testament passages where these writings should be cited.

Gregory and Tuckett then provide a reasoned and instructive discussion of the methodological issues involved in considering the use of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers. Thereafter, Tuckett studies the possible use of the New Testament in the Didache, concluding that there is good reason to see use of Matthew, but no evidence of the appropriation of other New Testament writings. Gregory finds evidence that 1 Clement used 1 Corinthians and likely Romans and Hebrews, but judges that ‘no firm conclusions’ can be drawn about the use of any other New Testament writing. Paul Foster judges that the epistles of Ignatius reflect use of Pauline epistles (1 Corinthians, Ephesians and 1 and 2 Timothy) and, probably, Matthew. Michael Holmes gives a graded judgement about Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians, finding strongest evidence of the use of 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and 1 Peter, good evidence also of the use of 1 and 2 Timothy and 1 John, and weak to minimal evidence for other New Testament writings.

James Carleton Pagets admits an inability to prove the use of any New Testament writing in The Epistle of Barnabas, but, noting a number of possible echoes of these texts, he insists rightly that there is equally no conclusive evidence that the author did not know these writings. The study of 2 Clement by Gregory and Tuckett notes a goodly amount of material that has parallels in various New Testament writings, but they judge it difficult to show direct dependence. Joseph Verheyden's study of the Shepherd of Hermas concludes the volume, presenting an argument for the plausibility of the use of Matthew and 1 Corinthians, although he admits that this is not demonstrably certain.

Contributions to the volume ii, Trajectories, deal with various theological, literary and historical matters involved in comparative study of the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers. Andreas Lindemann examines Paul's influence on Ignatius and the author of 1 Clement, finding an interesting, selective use of Paul when these authors felt a need to invoke his authority in support of their arguments. Helmut Koester rehearses his familiar argument that New Testament writings were not accorded authority, and that their texts were not at all stable through the second century (echoing essentially the viewpoint espoused by Petersen in the Reception volume). Unfortunately, Koester's essay is pretty much simply a statement of his views, with regrettably little by way of interaction with his critics or with the several substantial studies that now seem to point to a different conclusion. Arthur Bellinzoni finds little evidence of Luke in the Apostolic Fathers.

Thomas Weinandy argues that Ignatius' Christology represents an early stage of convictions that wound their way to Chalcedon. Frances Young queries the widespread claim that ‘wisdom’ is a major Christological category in the Apostolic Fathers and the New Testament, concluding that the claim is not justified. John Muddiman finds influence of Ephesians in 2 Clement, and less obviously in Shepherd of Hermas, particularly in the concept of the Church. David F. Wright finds nary a trace of references to infant baptism in the New Testament and in the Apostolic Fathers. Carsten Claussen proposes that the Didache and the Gospel of John belong to the same liturgical tradition in their varying references to eucharistic themes. Alistair Stewart-Sykes contends that the common view that prophets and bishops were rival power-structures in second-century Christianity is mistaken, arguing that they had different and complementary functions.

John Kloppenborg urges that Didache 1–6, James and Matthew represent a ‘markedly different pole in the Jesus movement’ from that found in Paul, especially in the attitude toward the Torah. Jonathan Draper argues that the teaching about support of prophets, teachers and the poor in Didache 13 reflects a particular kind of ‘Christian Jewish halakah’ intended to facilitate table-fellowship between observant Jewish Christians and Gentile believers. Clayton Jefford sees sufficient similarities between Matthew and the Didache to regard them as sharing ‘a core perspective’ and ‘a single metropolitan situation’. Charles Hill contends that Ignatius exhibits familiarity with Matthew, Luke and John, and that Ignatius regarded these Gospels in a manner similar to the way in which the Old Testament was used. David Reis studies the motif of ‘imitation’ of Paul in Ignatius, arguing that Ignatius reflects serious indebtedness to Paul. Harry Maier compares the themes of discord and concord in Paul and Ignatius, concluding that there is a connection but also interesting differences. Allen Brent intriguingly proposes that in Ignatius and Polycarp we have Christian adaptation of motifs from the mystery cults, particularly the idea of bearing divine images in processions, which is used metaphorically in the Christian writers. Peter Oakes compares the treatment of leadership and suffering in the letters to the Philippians from Polycarp and Paul. Paul Hartog finds evidence that Polycarp drew upon 1 John in his critique of heresy. Boudewijn Dehandschutter suggests that the Martyrdom of Polycarp exhibits a thematic influence of the Gospels, but little in the way of direct literary borrowing. Michael Holmes concludes that there is scant direct evidence of the use of New Testament writings in the Martyrdom of Polycarp, but he judges it highly likely that New Testament writings were in circulation and used in Smyrna, Philippi and the other churches for which the Martyrdom was originally intended.

Each volume has a bibliography and indices of primary sources, subjects and modern authors. Moreover, the books exhibit the high quality of production that we associate with the Oxford University Press. Gregory and Tuckett merit hearty thanks for editing these volumes, which every serious theological library should possess.