This book, written by various authors, represents the tenth volume in the New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity series; the book contains a selection of the documentary evidence that appeared in publications from 1988 to 1992. The material includes both inscriptions and papyrus documents, whose content has been classified under the following headings: Philosophy, Magic, Cult and Oracle, Public Life: Caesarian Accession, Public Life: Benefactors and Business, Household, Judaica and Christianity. The authors also provide a line-by-line English translation of the Greek text of the documents included. The 29 documents studied cover the period from the second century b.c. to the fourth century a.d. The book includes a very useful cumulative index for volumes 6–10 of the series, which is organised under the following headings: Selected Subjects; Selected Words in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic; Ancient Authors and Works; Inscriptions; Papyri; Biblical, Qumran and Rabbinic Works. The book is carefully edited and relatively easy to consult. The line-by-line translations try to compromise between a literal translation and a free one, and they generally achieve this goal, despite the fragmentary state of some of the texts.

The authors have constantly tried to understand the documents in the context of the interaction of early Christians with their non-Christian environment. This is, in my opinion, one of the most important features of the book, which will make it a fundamental point of reference for students of Late Antiquity. The collection reflects a rich range of concepts belonging to Graeco-Roman culture which, according to the authors, were shared by both Christians and non-Christians or were re-interpreted by Christians in a specific Christian sense.

It is impossible to look in detail at each of the 29 documents; I will focus on those which clearly testify that the early Christians were not an isolated and self-centred group of outcasts without any relevant connection with the non-Christian environment in which they lived; on the contrary, they were fully involved in it and, as a consequence, subject to its influence. Document no. 2 for example – a bas relief and epigram contained in a marble block from Philadelphia (Lydia), dated from the early first century – considers the concept of ‘the strait and narrow path’. After providing a critical analysis of the document, E.A. Judge briefly describes the history of the presence of this concept in the teachings of the Greek philosophers and the role it played in the New Testament (e.g. Matthew 7:13–14, Luke 13:24) and early Christian literature (e.g. The Didache 1.1–2 and the Epistle of Barnabas 18).

Document no. 6 – an inscription on a fragment of a marble base from Tralleis, dated from a.d. 14–37 – was originally inscribed on a herm erected in honour of ‘a priest of Tiberius Caesar and of Hecate Augusta’. This document provides information on the imperial cult, which was particularly widespread in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. H. reconstructs Paul's criticism of the imperial cult (but also his full acknowledgment of imperial authority); H. comes to the conclusion that although Paul's criticism of the imperial cult exerted a profound influence on many Christians, ‘it is likely that some of the powerful and wealthy elite among the believers at Corinth thought that compromise with imperial idolatry was inconsequential (1Cor 8:10; 10:14–22), being besotted by the opportunities that the imperial cult provided for social advancement’ (pp. 28–9).

Another document particularly important for reconstructing how non-Christian concepts were reshaped in a Christian sense is no. 16, a translation and commentary of a section of the lex portorii Asiae or ‘Customs law of the Roman province of Asia’. Among other things, this inscription from Ephesus on a marble stele, dated from 75 b.c – a.d. 62, is important because it makes reference (line 92) to the concept of χάρις or ‘grace’ of the emperor. J. Ogereau compares the use of χάρις in the lex portorii Asiae with the way in which this concept is used in the documents studied by H. (Paul's Language of Grace in its Graeco-Roman Context [2003], p. 49), who writes: ‘The very one-sidedness of the Julio-Claudian disposal of χάριτες must have been striking to the contemporary observer (as demonstrated in this example). Rivals were simply not able to compete on the same scale. The early Christians, therefore, could hardly have missed the parallel in their choice of χάρις for the unlimited beneficence of the Covenantal God and his Son’ (see Ogereau, p. 104).

The authors try their best to make the interaction between Christians and non-Christians emerge as clearly as possible, even if, with all probability because of the space limits they set themselves, they generally confine themselves to a few remarks instead of developing a more elaborate and detailed argument concerning this fascinating topic. Although the philologically accurate analysis of the Greek texts fulfils the expectations of the philologist, the student of ancient history, late-antique philosophy or Patristics will definitely feel the need to know more about the importance that each of the 29 documents can have for a clearer understanding of the relationship between Christians and non-Christians (it must be said, however, that the rich bibliography attached to each contribution gives the necessary tools to undertake further research).

This volume represents a fundamental contribution to the advancement of scholarly research on Late Antiquity. It is to be hoped that future volumes of the series will be of the same high standard as volume 10 and indeed improve on it.