This is the fourth volume to appear in a de facto series whose previous volumes covered the Neo-Babylonian (2003), Persian (2006), and fourth-century periods (2007). All four volumes issue from an international colloquium that has met regularly since 2001, and all boast contributions from leading scholars on several continents. The volume under review divides its two dozen contributions almost evenly between studies of the biblical material (ten chapters) and studies of cultural, historical, social, and environmental factors (fourteen chapters). The volume is well-bound and includes author and Scripture indexes; each chapter includes its own bibliography, many of which are quite extensive. A list of the individual contributions would consume too much space and tax readers' patience; see http://www.eisenbrauns.com/item/LIPACHAEM.

The strength of this volume is that it constitutes a nearly comprehensive overview of the field it treats while preserving a healthy diversity among its contributors. The biblical material covered includes especially Ezra-Nehemiah, the minor prophets, Ezekiel, and Isa 56-66, with several essays drawing on the Abraham cycle on the understanding that several key passages, e.g., Gen 17 and 20:1-18, derive from late authors like “P.” The biblical material is thoroughly examined through the first group's chosen optic of identity, and in the second group of essays it is viewed alongside (among other data) Late Babylonian personal names, ostraca from Elaphantine in Egypt, indigenous Persian-period Palestinian coinages, and Josephus.

The collection exhibits diversity on various levels. In terms of method, the diachronic-synchronic spectrum of approaches to the biblical material is well-represented, with Jakob Wöhrle suggesting that the Twelve (Minor Prophets) passed through at least four stages of redaction that explain its perspective on foreign nations and Dalit Rom-Shiloni making no mention of a redaction history in the case of Ezekiel. In terms of a willingness to question time-honored conclusions of OT theology or the history of Israel's religion, Yonina Dor argues that the “rite of separation” of the foreign wives in Ezra did not lead to the actual expulsion of these wives, so that Ezra elevates pluralism over zealotry and xenophobia (p. 186). Contrariwise, Joachim Schaper affirms the widely held view that for the first time in Israel's history, the post-exilic period saw “a heavy reliance on written texts” due to a developing understanding of what constitutes scripture or canon (p. 36).

It is not possible in the space available here to interact with the individual contributions. Instead, it is more useful to reflect on a few aspects of the volume's juxtaposition of biblical and interdisciplinary approaches and their relation to the theme of identity. First, the organic relationship between biblical and other (cultural, historical, etc.) approaches is immediately apparent in the various contributions, and it is gratifying to see robust, multidisciplinary approaches to what might simply be called exegesis. While it is possible to lose sight of the theological forest by reason of the varied methodological trees, the contributions generally demonstrate well the interrelatedness often circumscribed with the trio of the biblical text's literary, historical, and theological facets.

Second, while identity may seem to be a contemporary category foisted on the biblical text, it would be a mistake to assume that OT authors do not talk about identity of any kind, or even that they are interested solely in religious identity. It could be argued, for example, that the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants both link ethnic/national identity with religious identity, although they do so in highly complex ways, particularly by prioritizing spiritual or internal elements above external or ethnic ones (Gen 15; 17:1 regarding Abraham; Deut 6:5 regarding Israel). Indeed, it is precisely this element that the writing prophets find lacking from many in Israel and Judah, and this critique often leads to the identification of a remnant within Israel to which the covenantal promises attach. Since by definition the remnant is constituted of some Israelites to the exclusion of others, and since the remnant is identified most often by its righteousness (Amos 9:1-4) or its relationship with YHWH (Mal 3:16-18), those Israelites who are not part of the remnant are excluded from the future deliverance connected with the covenantal promises despite being “Israelite” in nearly every way.

C. Nihan follows a similar line when he argues in his contribution that “the dispute in Third Isaiah is about how Judean ethnicity is defined.” In Isa 56-66 genealogical ethnicity alone no longer suffices to identify Israelites, so “ethnic markers” like the Sabbath are now “even more significant.” This explains why disobedient Judeans “will not survive the judgment . . . whereas . . . 'righteous foreigners' will be included within Israel” (pp. 92-93). While these chapters do insist (among other things) on a certain type of behavior, however, one wonders if the key element in Israelite identity is indeed merely observance of Sinaitic mores-if nothing else, those whom God delivers “bind themselves to YHWH” and love his name (Isa 56:6) and are characterized by reverence for YHWH and repentance (Isa 59:19-20).

Given the close link between the aspects of identity discussed in this volume and the “boundary markers” so important to the New Perspective on Paul, it is clear that the OT's formulations of identity, especially religious identity, are extremely important when wrestling with significant developments in Israel's history and in biblical theology. While the variety of perspectives and conclusions in this volume mean that it is not the only resource necessary for understanding Judahite identity in the Achaemenid period, its diversity will help the reader to identify important areas of agreement and disagreement. The fact that it helps interpreters approach the biblical text with a useful hermeneutical lens can be happily received as an added benefit.

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