The Cambridge Companion to Genesis explores the first book of the Bible, the book that serves as the foundation for the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Recognizing its unique position in world history, the history of religions, as well as biblical and theological studies, the volume summarizes key developments in Biblical scholarship since the Enlightenment, while offering an overview of the diverse methods and reading strategies that are currently applied to the reading of Genesis. It also explores questions that, in some cases, have been explored for centuries. Written by an international team of scholars whose essays were specially commissioned, the Companion provides a multi-disciplinary update of all relevant issues related to the interpretation of Genesis. Whether the reader is taking the first step on the path or continuing a research journey, this volume will illuminate the role of Genesis in world religions, theology, philosophy, and critical biblical scholarship.

A thirty day devotional look at 'David's diary' with thought provoking points, prayers and questions to help explore this much-loved story in a new way. How do you suppose David felt being plucked from the obscurity of caring for sheep to becoming the King of Israel ? Emily Owen explores these questions through David's 'diary', sharing in his trials, his victories, his challenges, fears and joys. Each reading begins with a diary extract from David's life, which is then beautifully unpacked with a meditation to encourage the reader to reflect on how that applies today. Each meditation is encouraging yet challenging, uplifting and helpful for personal growth. A wonderful book to help readers look again at familiar Bible stories with a fresh perspective.

There are times in our lives when we especially need encouragement, which gives us the determination to keep going whatever our circumstances. During times of distress, joy, and hopelessness, David poured out his heart to the Lord and documented it in the Psalms. We, too, live in a fallen world, which is at enmity with God. But immersing ourselves in God's Word lifts our heads and enables us to live life filled with hope. Within these pages, you will find a 40-day journey of discovery, exploring vital and life-changing principles from God's Word. These devotionals, built around key verses in the Psalms, reflect on how God encouraged David, and they provide daily encouragement for Christians today. End-of-chapter prayers and an opportunity to journal help anchor the daily truths into the reality of your own life.

"John's Gospel" is an innovative study of the fourth gospel. It shows how the current pluralism of literary methodologies can be used to illuminate Biblical texts. Mark W. G. Stibbe, a leading authority on St. John, uses the methods of structuralism, deconstructionism and narrative criticism in his interpretation.
Stibbe examines the character of Jesus using reader response criticism then analyzes the plot using structuralist literary criticism and the genre using archetypal criticism. He discusses the structure of the gospel using the methodology of deconstructionism. He also interprets the polemic against the Jews by drawing on the ethics of reception. The book contains a detailed introduction which puts readers in touch with recent research and a conclusion which points forward to future areas of development. A comprehensive bibliography is also included. "John's Gospel" is an invaluable work for all those interested in the Bible as literature.

A case-study in modelling the social make-up of an early Christian community, including estimated figures for the various social groups in the model. A case-study in how such modelling can make an impact on the exegesis of a text. The result is a proposal for reading Philippians as a call for unity under economic suffering. In particular, the story of Christ in Philippians 2.6-11 is read as a reinforcement of this call in the specifically Roman context of Philippi. The book begins with a discussion of archaeological and literary evidence about the development of the Roman colony of Philippi. It also includes discussion of the likely effects of suffering among various social groups in the church, exploration of Paul's and Christ's roles as models for the Philippians, and comparison of Paul's language about Christ with Imperial ideology.

IN THIS IMPORTANT NEW WORK, Kevin Madigan studies the development and union of scholastic, apocalyptic, and Franciscan interpretations of the Gospel of Matthew from 1150 to 1350. These interpretations are placed within the context of high-medieval religious life and attitudes of the papacy toward the Franciscan Order. Madigan uses the fortunes of the Franciscan Peter Olivi (d. 1298) and his commentary on Matthew as a lens through which to observe the larger theological and ecclesiastical developments of this era. Structured in three sections, Olivi and the Interpretation of Matthew in the High Middle Ages begins with an analysis of the scholastic gospel commentary tradition in the schools of Laon and Paris. The second section of the book offers a detailed examination of the Treatise on the Four Gospels by the famed apocalyptic writer Joachim of Fiore. Finally, Madigan turns his attention to the disputes which plagued the Franciscan Order during the first century of its existence. Madigan also focuses on Olivi's Commentary on Matthew. He argues that this little-known work is perhaps the only Matthew commentary in the high Middle Ages to have been influenced by Joachim's apocalyptic thought and shaped by internal and external disagreements over the highest form of religious life. Filled with severe criticisms of the hierarchy and leadership of the church, Olivi's Matthew commentary was examined and eventually condemned by papally appointed theologians in the early fourteenth century. Olivi and the Interpretation of Matthew in the High Middle Ages is not only a worthy contribution to the study of gospel exegesis, but also a valuable cultural and ecclesiastical history.

Everyone goes through difficult seasons, tough losses, and moments that feel unbearable. In today's world, people thirst more than ever for reassurance and guidance. Streams in the Desert provides a river of wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration to weary travelers. ABC's Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts reads Streams in the Desert every day. Roberts said, "It's my most prized possession...my family, each of us has a copy and we read it every morning...it just brings us closer together." In this edition, you'll find: 366 devotions that appeal to men and women of all ages A powerful collection of meditations, Christian writings, and Scripture Precise NIV text to help believers embrace timeless messages of God's faithfulness Streams in the Desert offers a refreshing daily dip into God's purpose, plan, and enduring promise. The devotional is easy-to-read and is cherished amongst many generations.

This volume, which emerges from an SNTS seminar in 1985 1986, analyses one of the best-known, but also one of the most intriguing, of Jesus' discourses within the Fourth Gospel. Previous studies of the Shepherd Discourse have concentrated either on its historical setting in the life of Jesus (Simonis) or on the prehistory of its text (Bullmann and his school). The present study, consisting of essays written by an international team of specialists, adopts a more contextual approach. The Shepherd Discourse is here situated in the text of the Fourth Gospel, with particular emphasis on the preceding chapter and on the subsequent Passion narrative. The internal coherence of John 10 so becomes clearer, and it is seen that - in spite of its links with Gnostic ideas - the roots of the Discourse in Old Testament and Jewish texts about the shepherds of Israel become apparent.

Spending quality time together as a couple can be difficult, but it's incredibly important for maintaining a healthy marriage! One of the best ways to strengthen your relationship is to spend time together with God. This devotional offers fresh insight on relationships, encouraging Scriptures, thought-provoking questions, and inspirational prayers to help you intentionally engage with God and each other. Whether you have been married for five days, five years, or a lifetime, a little God time is the ultimate way to begin or end your day together.

Carol Newsom illuminates the relation between the aesthetic forms of Job and the claims made by its various characters. Her innovative approach makes possible a new understanding of the unity of the book that rejects its dismantling in historical criticism and the flattening of the text that characterises many final form readings. Additionally, she rehabilitates the moral perspectives represented by certain voices of the book that modern critics have treated with disdain.

The foundation for all scholarly study in biblical law is the shared assumption that the Covenant Code, as contained in Exodus 20:23-22:33 is the oldest code of laws in the Hebrew Bible, and that all other laws are later revisions of that code. In A Law Book for the Diaspora, John Van Seters strikes at that foundation. He argues that those laws in the Covenant Code that are similar to Deuteronomy and the Holiness Code are in fact later than both of these, dependent on them as sources, and therefore cannot be taken as the foundation of Hebrew Law. A persuasive presentation of a controversial thesis, A Law Book for the Diaspora will have a dramatic and far-reaching impact on the study of Hebrew Law. No student of the Hebrew Bible can afford to ignore it.

The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers offers an informative introduction to the extant body of Christian texts that existed beside and after the New Testament known to us as the apostolic fathers. Featuring cutting-edge research by leading scholars, it explores how the early Church expanded and evolved over the course of the first and second centuries as evidenced by its textual history. The volume includes thematic essays on imperial context, the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, the growth and diversification of the early church, influences and intertextuality, and female leaders in the early church. The Companion contains ground-breaking essays on the individual texts with specific attention given to debates of authorship, authenticity, dating, and theological texture. The Companion will serve as an essential resource for instructors and students of the first two centuries of Christianity.

The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers offers an informative introduction to the extant body of Christian texts that existed beside and after the New Testament known to us as the apostolic fathers. Featuring cutting-edge research by leading scholars, it explores how the early Church expanded and evolved over the course of the first and second centuries as evidenced by its textual history. The volume includes thematic essays on imperial context, the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, the growth and diversification of the early church, influences and intertextuality, and female leaders in the early church. The Companion contains ground-breaking essays on the individual texts with specific attention given to debates of authorship, authenticity, dating, and theological texture. The Companion will serve as an essential resource for instructors and students of the first two centuries of Christianity.

Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

A comparison of the message of Acts transmitted by Codez Bezae with that of the more familiar Alexandrian text, represented by Codex Vaticanus. For each section of Acts, there is a side by side translation of the Bezan and Alexandrian manuscripts, followed by a critical apparatus and, finally, a commentary that explores the differences in the message of the two texts. It is concluded that the Bezan text, with its interest in internal Jewish affairs and its focus on the struggles of the early disciples to free themselves from their traditional Jewish expectations and to achieve, despite their mistakes, a more accurate understanding of their master's teaching, is the earlier of the two texts. LNTS 302

The potential to live your best life starts with each new morning, says bestselling author Joel Osteen. With every sunrise, you can choose to approach the day with an attitude of faith and expectancy. He writes, 'When you get up in the morning, the first thing you should do is set your mind in the right direction ...and then go out anticipating good things.'Now for the first time, Pastor Osteen offers a tool to accomplish that goal. Based on his book, YOUR BEST LIFE NOW, he offers prescriptions for positive living in 365 daily messages. Each message is accompanied by a relevant scripture.

Introduction Part I The Problem of Obedience: Barth on Job Chapter 1 Barth's Job as Both Right and Wrong Chapter 2 Obedience as Self-Examination: Barth on the Story of the Rich Man Part II Does Job Fear God for Naught? A Rereading of Job Chapter 3 The Prose Narrative: Transforming Piety Chapter 4 The Poem 4.1. The Dialogue: Testing Integrity 4.2. The Whirlwind Speeches: Encountering Creation Part III God, Job and Justice Chapter 5 Calling God to Account Chapter 6 An Integrity Beyond the Law Part IV The Disruption and Transformation of the Self Chapter 7 The Problem of Obedience Revisited Chapter 8 Epilogue: Self, Society and World Bibliography

This book of daily Bible readings and reflections for Advent and Christmas is based around spiritual insights gleaned from some of the best-loved poets of the past - T.S. Eliot, George Herbert, Tennyson and Auden, among others. While they come from different ages and backgrounds, they wrestled with the same questions that we do, about God, love, hope, and suffering. This book is not a literary study of their work, but a quest to see what they can tell us about life and faith today. Their poems are quoted in short sections, with suggestions about what they might mean for us now. There are so many aspects of God's love for us and ours for him that are hard to grasp. While we can glimpse only part of the picture, it often seems that, in poetry, our deepest yearnings can come to the surface. As we travel the road to Christmas in the company of these great poets, we will find our minds enlarged and our hearts touched with something of the wonder and joy of this special season. The Bible readings are drawn from the lectionary.

This study claims that Paul uses his personal example as an explicit literary strategy in 1 Corinthians, Galatians and Philippians, and as an arguably implicit strategy in 1 Thessalonians and Philemon. He uses his own example to ground and illustrate his argumentation in a rhetorically sophisticated manner, often structuring his argument on such a basis. In places a crisp statement of his own case serves as a thesis statement of the argument that follows (e.g., Rom. 1.17; Gal. 1.10), while at other times it serves to summarize the argument and to provide a transition to the next phase (especially in 1 Corinthians and Gal. 2.15-21). All the while Paul's self-portrayals in his letters serve not autobiographical or egoistic purposes but pedagogical and argumentative aims.

The hermeneutics employed in this work is partly referred to as hindsight hermeneutics, and upholds the resonance and dissonance between the Epilogue of the Book of Job and the preceding sections. Within the Theophany-epilogue continuum, rebuke and approval, retribution and its suspension, divine transcendence and accessibility are all held together. The dramatically discordant traditions in the preceding section are not interpreted as competing alternatives but as complementary possibilities for understanding the nature of the divine-human relationship and responding to the threat and reality of chaos and suffering.