The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Sebastian, Four Mothers, Restless, and The Most Precious of Cargoes
Latest editorial
Who took dictation?
TOM PIERSCIONEK is fascinated by the place of slaves in the creation of Christian scripture
ghostwriters
JOHN GREEN explores the argument that psychiatry needs to move away from the idea of just seeing and treating the individual
SYLVIA HIKINS applauds a polemic against “cleanfluencers” and considers radical alternatives to current inequalities of housework
RUTH AYLETT admires the blunt honesty with which a woman’s experience is recorded, but detects the unexamined privilege that underlies it
IAN SINCLAIR draws attention to the powerful role that literature plays in foreseeing the way humanity will deal with climate crisis
High quality pulp, rollicking online murders, Abnorman Britain, and high skates drama: reviews of The Get Off, Everyone In The Group Chat Dies, Pagans and First To Fall
DENNIS BROE notes what happens to content when the streaming giants incorporate AI and deregulation into their economic models
God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible
Candida Moss, Little Brown, £25
IT HAS long been accepted by both Biblical scholars and laypersons that a small number of individuals, such as the Gospel authors (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) and the prolific letter writer St Paul, solely composed large parts of the New Testament.
Candida Moss, biblical scholar and Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham, shatters this myth in her latest book as she shines a light on the origins of Christian scripture. Moss bestows long overdue credit upon the countless unnamed individuals (many enslaved) who played pivotal roles in composing parts of the New Testament as well as ensuring that Christianity spread across the known world during the precarious climate that existed in the church’s early years.
More from this author
While the group known as the Colourists certainly reinvigorated Scottish painting, a new show is a welcome chance to reassess them, writes ANGUS REID
ANGUS REID recommends an exquisite drama about the disturbing impact of the one child policy in contemporary China
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership