between Christianity and Jewish messianic prophecy with its promises of the New Covenant, which is faithful in substance to the Hebrew Bible, remains unresolved. Paul’s message that the Gentiles were being offered salvation outside the covenant with Israel was actively and vociferously resisted by others within the Jesus movement. However, Alexander (pp. 261-301) does not tackle the issue of whether or not the Gentiles could become followers of Jesus. He sug- gests that “salvation in the Mishnah seems first and foremost to be national rather than individual” (p. 274), a matter in which Gentiles had to become Jews in order to be offered salvation. It is left for the read- er to decide what Paul is really doing. Is he describing the kingdom that is about to be? Does the arrival of the Gentiles signal a new beginning as prophesied in Isaiah? Can the Gentiles be engrafted or integrated into the community of Israel as the elect nation? Does faith in the death of Jesus cause Gentiles to become believers in the true God of Israel? Though these questions are important in understanding Paul’s mes- sage in the context of Second Temple Judaism, they are not addressed. Nevertheless, this meaningful survey is masterful and powerful in no small measure because each author is intimately acquainted with the issue. In this provocative book, the reader is challenged to reimag- ine the role such extraordinarily diverse literature had in shaping the New Testament documents. Alyssa Benari Tel Aviv, Israel Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, by John H. Taylor. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2001. 263 pp. John H. Taylor is an assistant curator and keeper in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum. His work involves the display and preservation of many Egyptian artifacts including funerary inscriptions, coffins and mummies. He is also the author of Egypt and Nubia, Egyptian Coffins and Unwrapping a Mummy. Using his extensive knowledge in the area of Egyptian funerary artifacts, Taylor provides a comprehensive overview covering various aspects of the complex system of mortuary beliefs and practices of the ancient Egyptians. Death and the Afterlife in Egypt was developed as the British Museum created a new permanent dis- play for its collections of Egyptian funerary material. The circumstances which motivated the ancient Egyptians to develop such elaborate funerary prac- tices and the practicalities behind their development are usually left to specialists. With this book, Taylor attempts to provide the museum visitor and the gener- al reader with the background information needed to understand why they seemed to be obsessed with death. Though it is not intended to be comprehensive, the volume serves as a stimulus for the reader to seek additional information. Taylor begins by explaining that ancient Egypt’s religious beliefs about death and resurrection (chap. 1) were influenced by their environment. Egypt was protected on all sides by the desert, watered by the Nile and made fruitful by the annual inundation. As long as the people obeyed the king and the gods were content with their offerings, then everyone knew their place. Texts show that the Egyptians believed life to be a series of changes, a cycle that begins with birth and continues, into the afterlife. Death was not seen as an end but the beginning of a new plane of existence. From the afterlife the gods controlled their present existence. Consequently it became the king’s respon- sibility to intercede with the gods on behalf of the people in order to ensure a fruitful existence for everyone. This responsibility did not end with death but increased with a king’s passage into the afterlife. It was this uncertainty that caused the Egyptians to fear and abhor death. Later this same notion was applied to ordinary people who could intercede with the gods on behalf of their family and friends. From this belief grew the elaborate funerary practices that the Egyptians believed would prepare the king to exist among the gods and ensure a good life for those liv- ing in the present. Taylor discusses these elaborate funerary prac- tices beginning with an outline of the mummification process (chap. 2). Then he addresses the artifacts that accompany the king, including the provisions for the afterlife (chap. 3), and the funerary figurines (chap. 4) that serve the king. Later he describes the tombs, cemeteries and mortuary cult (chap. 5), and the magic and ritual for the dead (chap. 6). Finally, Taylor con- 50 BOOKS IN REVIEW NEASB 47 Reviews.bk.qxd 11/18/2002 3:20 PM Page 50