My biggest order of books ever. Pt 1

In my doctoral work I've moved into a phase of more intense exegetical engagement with the Pauline-corpus, and so I decided to buy a number of books to further the cause (Life is great: wife earns money, and I spend it ... on books – for research, of course). In fact, I've never bought so many books at once, and, OK, admittedly not all of them are immediately and directly relevant to my thesis in an unequivocal, precise and explicit sense. But isn't being postmodern also about allowing a degree of ambiguity? Well I'm convinced.

And gladly, today, I received my first package from Amazon:

• Jewish Messianism and the Cult of Christ, by William Horbury. A superb book (displaying impressive learning) maintaining that the roots of Christ-devotion in the NT church is to be found in the 'praise' of Jewish Kings. This coupled with an interpretation of 1st century Jewish monotheism as 'inclusive' rather than 'exclusive' explains the nature and development of early Christology. I had to buy this book as this is one that the otherwise fantastic Tübingen library misses, and because he is one of my main debate partners for my thesis. Ultimately I suggest his argument leads to an under-appreciation of the sort of Christ-devotion actually evidenced in the NT.
• Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development Theology, by Bryant Myers. Hardly related to my thesis, I admit, but the relation of the church to the poor an oppressed has been exercising me much recently (read my post Poor Lenses for more on that one).
• Happiness and Contemplation, by Josef Pieper. Again, sure, not unambiguously and directly related to Pauline Christology, if one insists on thinking two-dimensionally. However, I want to change the fact that I am terribly ignorant of anything Catholic related, and this book was recommended in McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy.
• My Ministry Manual by Rev. Gerald Ambulance, by Stephen Tomkins. Ok, once again I cannot honestly describe this one as relevant to my studies. Actually, its about as germane to my thesis as a years subscription to FHM. But, hey, one needs to be able to have a break and a good laugh every now and then too. And so far it is a seriously funny book – although I can't help feeling he goes too far sometimes.

4 down, 21 more still to come ...