One of the distinctive features of the BhG is the dialogue between the epic hero Arjuna and his charioteer, the epic hero Krsna. But the crisis of the hero, who declares that he sees no use in gaining a kingdom by shedding the blood of his kin, brings the epic plot to a halt and delays the beginning of the battle. This point became one of the major issues of critique in academic studies of the text, namely whether or not the BhG was composed without any concern of the epic or the text is part of the well-attested didactic dimension of the MBh. This debate raises in Mali- nar’s mind important questions with regard to the possible relation between the religious teachings of the BhG and the epic context which according to the author ‘consists not only of stories, but also of debates on ways of living, legitimate forms of kingship and power relations in the world’ (p. 2). After consideration of the historical and cultural contexts of the BhG and aspects of the extant text which became paradigmatic in later Hindu religious traditions, the author concludes, ‘At the very end, the argument put forward in my analysis of the text is corroborated once again: the theology of the BhG cannot be separated from its political and socio-cosmic dimensions, and the presence of the revealed highest god allows new alliances to be forged, as between the “ideal king” and the yogi god in his miraculous appearance’ (p. 224). Malinar’s book addresses a relevant aspect of the scholarship on BhG, namely, the relationship between BhG and the epic’s historical and cultural contexts. The book is an intellectual jolt for future studies and highly recommended for readers seriously interested in the important issues therein, such as, Moksha or liberation from samsara, revelation of Krsna ɺɺɺ as the highest god and creator of the universe, and the nature of action. Minlib Dallh Hartford Seminary    Genesis, J. McKeown, Eerdmans, 2008 (ISBN 978-0-8028-2705-0), ix + 398 pp., pb $25.00 I read recently that there are over 130 biblical commentaries series in existence, and new ones are starting up every year. James McKeown’s volume on Genesis has appeared in a relatively new series called the ‘Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary’. What makes this series special? How can a publisher justify the generation of yet another set of biblical commentaries? Biblical Studies and Scripture 468 © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.