In this excellent book Clarke, who teaches New Testament at the University of Aberdeen, studies ideas of leadership in the first-century Graeco-Roman society and uses this material to shed light on sections of the Pauline letters on that theme. Here, Clarke develops themes from his published work on leadership in Corinth with particular reference to 1 Corinthians 1–6, and makes large amounts of primary source research accessible to a wider readership. This book will be of value to students, pastors and ministers, and those who teach and train them.

After an introduction, setting the scene and explaining the approach, the book falls into two main parts, the first considering the Graeco-Roman setting (chs 2–6), and the second relating this material to the Pauline letters (chs 7–9). A brief conclusion (ch. 10) follows, along with a full bibliography and indices: those valuable indices mean that I shall return to this book’s discussion of particular issues or texts often.

Chapters 2–6 in turn survey Graeco-Roman cities, Roman colonies, cities and towns, voluntary associations, the family/household, and Judaism. In each case Clarke provides a careful study of the primary source material. He highlights the intertwining of the political and religious spheres in the Graeco-Roman settings, where political leaders were also expected to lead in offering sacrifice to the gods and in worshipping the emperor. The cities and towns also required considerable personal wealth to qualify for and exercise positions of leadership, because of the amount of patronage involved, including providing for public celebrations and events. By contrast, the voluntary associations offered opportunities for leaders for those outside the wealthy élites, but again combining leadership in this ‘political’ sphere with religious leadership.

The family or household sphere provided other forms of leadership, with the father as paterfamilias,exercising authority over his family, and the duty of pietas (honour and respect) of spouse and children to the paterfamilias. Clarke demonstrates the centrality of religious observance (offerings to the gods, etc.) to leadership in family life.

Regarding Judaism, Clarke discusses titles of synagogue leaders, noting that they were often (usually?) ‘laypeople’, rather than rabbis, and could be women. He notes parallels between titles and roles in the synagogues and those found in Graeco-Roman settings, which suggests there was influence from Graeco-Roman society.

Chapter 7 has a clear summary of chapters 1–6 (145–48), followed by discussion of the potential influence of each of these leadership settings on first-century Christians.

Chapters 8 and 9 illuminate the Pauline letters against this cultural context, the former focusing on leadership as it was actually exercised in the Pauline churches, and the latter as Paul wished it to be exercised. In chapter 8, Clarke in turn discusses 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon, in each case showing the value of understanding the cultural setting.

Chapter 9 provides fine discussion of the major Pauline themes on leadership, focusing on ‘authority’ and ‘ministry’, ‘service’ words and themes. Clarke helps us to understand passage after passage. He provides a judicious critique of the views of Castelli et al. that Paul is manipulative and authoritarian in his leadership, showing rather that he is counter-cultural in his approach, following a servant model rather than a ‘power’ model.

This is a fine, readable work which will enable readers to see first-century Christian leadership against its cultural context, and thus to see how Christian understandings of leadership are distinctive. What we need now from the author is a popular book that makes these findings accessible to ‘ordinary’ church members, who so often and so easily buy into twenty-first century cultural expectations of authoritarian leadership!

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