Finlan (Drew U. and Middlesex County College) explains that Paul's cultic metaphors picture the death of Christ as either a sacrifice or an expulsion ritual that eliminated or carried away sin, and his social metaphors describe the beneficial after-effects for believers of this saving event. He is concerned with the concepts of God that are wrapped up in the two kinds of metaphors. After an introductory chapter, material is presented in chapters on the logic of sacrifice, curse transmission rituals, the sacrificial metaphor in Romans 3:25, redemption and substitution, and martyrology and metaphor. Brill Academic publishes the hardbound edition; Society of Biblical Literature publishes the paperbound. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR