Professor Aï­da Besançon Spencer of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary reviews Man and Woman, One in Christ in the latest issue of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, calling it “a mammoth achievement, a book of exhaustive scholarship.” Highlights from her review follow:

“Part I includes a thorough and definitive study of kephalē“, as well as meticulous and thorough scholarly criticism of the theory of subordinationism in the Trinity. Payne shows extensive awareness of primary and secondary literature, including early church and ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish references. His writing style is pithy, clear, and easy to understand.”

“He shows how Rabban Gamaliel II, Paul’s teacher, affirmed women. He provides a helpful summary of how Genesis 1-3 depicts equality between men and women and demonstrates how God repeatedly overrode primogeniture in Israel. He highlights the uniqueness of the Christian message for its times.”

“He particularly contributes original scholarship on the relationship of 1 Tim 2:8-15 to its context, on why the prohibition of 1 Tim 2:12 is not universal and is a single prohibition, in his study of the article (‘the Childbirth’) used substantively in the Pastorals as individualizing, and his study of the ‘seed,’ as well as his noting how the words used of an overseer were also used of women.”

“Man and Woman, One in Christ is a mammoth achievement, a book of exhaustive scholarship. No exegetical area is left without extensive study of its grammatical and historical component elements and its relationship to the whole structure. It is also theological because we are left with an understanding of Paul’s theology of freedom for women and men. The book will serve an authoritative reference for many years to come.”

Thank you Professor Spencer for your detailed and insightful review.