What Are They Saying About the Social Setting of the New Testament? By Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ Revised and Expanded Edition; New York: Paulist, 1992. $7.95. 127 pages. One in a series of almost thirty books entitled What Are They Saying About....? this revised and expanded edition of an earlier (1984) work reviews and summarizes the efforts of some New Testament scholars to apply social science theory to New Testament texts. Sister Carolyn Osiek, Professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago has selected and organized her presentation in relationship to the three aspects of social relations mentioned in Galatians 3:27: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female." Part I, "Jew and Greek: Merging Cultures," considers the work of Martin Hengel, Sean Freyne, and Bruce J. Malina. Part II, "Slave and Free: Economic and Social Status," surveys the contributions of A. J. Saldarini, John Gager, Gerd Theissen, R. A. Horsley, Ronald Hock, and Wayne Meeks. Part III, "Male and Female: Family Structures and Church Organization," takes up the work of Bengt Holmberg, David Balch, John Elliott, and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. The final part of the book appears to be the section in which the author has expanded the earlier work to include very brief consideration of more recent studies along with a chapter on "Prospects for the Future." While Professor Osiek acknowledges and sets forth some of the "serious difficulties" of applying social science models to the study of the New Testament, she does not bring a critical edge to her discussion of the work of those who have pursued such interests. Nevertheless, the general reader who wants an introduction to the subject matter will find this to be a useful book. It might even whet the appetite to search out and read some of the books she discusses and in the end enhance appreciation for and understanding of the New Testament. Calvin L. Porter Christian Theological Seminary