"The Didache in Context contains an intriguing look into the background of the Didache, exploring the influence of the text upon the development of early Christianity. It offers an insightful collection of essays that have been gathered from the research efforts of numerous biblical and patristic scholars from around the world.
The book seeks to explore questions that relate to the composition of the text itself, the history of the role and function of the Didache within early Christian circles, and the influence of the manuscript upon early Christian traditions and trends of thought.
In addition to the numerous, individual investigations that are featured here, the collection includes a fresh translation of the text in English and a comprehensive, up-to-date bibliography of literature on the Didache.

Daily Light on The Daily Path is a classic by Samuel Bagster. Composed in the 18th century, then organized and published in 1875, this book offers readers a morning and evening reading for every day of the year. A classic daily devotional work with well over 700 distinct readings, Daily Light on The Daily Path offers Christian believers an immense compendium of reflection. Designed to be read upon awakening and during evenings prior to bed, the book's reflections range from the deeds and words of Jesus Christ, to meditations upon the virtues and characteristics of the good Christian. With the chapters and verses appended at the conclusion, the reader may familiarize themselves with the relevant parts of the Bible. In contrast to many, more modern daily devotionals which contain assertions and ideas of their author, Bagster's text strictly adheres only the passages and stories of the Biblical scripture.

Established author provides devotional resources for the forgotten post- Easter season. Short daily readings offer more seasonally-appropriate material for those accustomed to a Lenten practice. American Christians have forgotten the Easter season. We celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus on one day and then return to ordinary time. But Christ appeared over and over again for forty days in resurrected form. We cannot sustain this resurrection season because that kind of sustained joy overwhelms us. This book is designed to help us sustain Easter.

In Part one, Billings examines the longstanding difficulty represented by the textual tradition preserved in "Codex Bezae" (D, 05) at the point of the Last Supper narrative in "St. Luke's Gospel". In Part two, an extensive survey of previous and current explanations of the textual difficulty is undertaken. The disputed words of Luke 22:19b-20 are examined at length in regards to their style, grammar and theology, so as to ascertain their source and allegedly non-Lukan features. The possibility that the textual conundrum presented by Codex Bezae may result from either an intentional or unintentional scribal error is then investigated, with an examination of the literary and historical context in which the narrative has been transmitted. Finally, the thesis of J. Jeremias, that the text of "Codex Bezae" and its ancestors was altered in accord with the disciplina arcani that developed in early Christianity, is examined at length. When these theories and explanations are found to be inadequate, in Part three of the work a new way forward is proposed by understanding the text of "Codex Bezae" to be a 'window' into the social and cultural world of the community by whom and for whom it was produced. The study concludes with the assertion that the text was altered amidst the historical and cultural background of the localised persecutions experienced by the early Christians, so as to preserve and shield the community from outbreaks of violence such as that experienced in Lyons (ca. 177 CE).

In this meticulously researched and compelling study, David Sim reconstructs the social setting of the Matthean community at the time the Gospel was written and traces its full history.Dr Sim argues that the Matthean community should be located in Antioch towards the latter part of the first century. He acknowledges the dispute within the early Christian movement and its importance. He defines more accurately the distinctive perspectives of the two streams of thought and their respective relationships to Judaism. A new and important work in Matthean studies.>

Bolin analyses biblical and extra-biblical traditions and motifs in the book of Jonah, and argues that the book's portrayal of the relationship between God and humanity, much like those of Job and Ecclesiastes, emphasizes an absolute divine sovereignty beyond human notions of mercy, justice, or forgiveness. God is understood as free to forgive, yet he still punishes, and is unfettered by the constraints imposed by attributes of benevolence. The only proper human response to God is fear at his power and acknowledgment of him as the source of welfare and woe.

This critically acclaimed series provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The authors are scholars of international standing.

Nelson addresses the textual problems critical to a full understanding of Joshua and offers historical, literary, and theological insights in this balanced commentary.

"Scribes and Translators is a critical reflection on the textual pluralism as reflected in the book of Kings.
The first part of the book examines the diverse texts transmitted by the manuscripts. Special attention is paid to the Antiochene text of the Septuagint that is being edited in Madrid. The second part is devoted to the analysis of Old Latin readings, transmitted by a Spanish family of Vulgate Bibles, with no support in any of the known manuscripts. Finally, the whole evidence is discussed in the frame of the plurality of texts confirmed by the Qumran documents for those books.
Based on Old Latin material recently published it sheds light on the text transmission of Kings and on the translation techniques and the history of the Biblical texts in general.

These essays are written in honour of John D.W. Watts, formerly Professor of Old Testament at Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky and Old Testament editor of the Word Biblical Commentary, well known for his contributions, especially to scholarship on the prophetic books. Accordingly, the essays here address the literary, redactional and canonical questions posed by the Hebrew Bible's prophetic literature. The prophetic books have defied easy classification according to genre or facile explanation of their historical development. With a special focus on the books of Isaiah and of the Twelve Prophets, the nature and formation of prophecy as literature is probed from a variety of methodological standpoints, including textual criticism, synchronic literary analysis, tradition history and redaction criticism.>

Recent years have seen a remarkable surge in interest in the book of Genesis - the first book of the Bible - and a foundational text of Western culture. In this new commentary, Thomas Brodie offers a complete and accessible overview of Genesis from literary, theological, and historical standpoints. Brodie's work is organized around three main ideas: the first is that the primary subject of Genesis is human existence - while full of historical echoes, it is primarily a sophisticated portrayal of the progress and pitfalls of human life. His second thesis is that Genesis' basic organizational unity is binary, or diptych: building on older insights that Genesis is somehow dialogical, he argues that the entire book is composed of diptychs - accounts which, like some paintings, consist of two parts or panels. Finally, Brodie contends that many of Genesis' sources still exist, and can be identified and verified.

(Per)mutations of Qohelet explores the question, Who is Qohelet? Rather than peering behind or through the text to answer this question in terms of authorship, Koosed analyzes the identity that is created through the words on the page. The text is not a transparent medium connecting reader with author; instead, it is an opaque body - it has weight, substance, skin. Koosed begins with an analysis of the ways in which words construct identities and the reasons why words can affect us so profoundly, relying primarily on the work of Judith Butler and Elaine Scarry. She then explores autobiography and how the genre of autobiography - as reconfigured by Roland Barthes and Jacques Derrida - relates to Qohelet. These two chapters then set the framework for what follows: an analysis of the various bodily organs and sensations contained within the book of Qohelet. The body is embedded in the text through the naming of body parts (eye, hand, heart). And this same body is encoded in form, structure, and syntax, so that the text becomes a body with organs, systems, and even a life of its own. The book is a body and the book speaks of bodies. It speaks of the body's organs and senses; it concerns itself with the pleasures and pains of the body, the gendered body, the dying body. Finally, the ritual body is highlighted in the final passage of this enigmatic book.

In this original work, Stone studies the structure and social presuppositions of several narratives from the Deuteronomistic History in which sexual activity plays a significant role. Both narratological and anthropological tools are utilized in the textual analysis. Stone interestingly notes the link between sexual activity, gender and prestige structures; the emphasis on male contest and female chastity discussed by anthropologists of honour and shame; and the role of the exchange of women in relations between men. In each story, sexual practice is primarily related to male struggles for honour and power.>

This critically acclaimed series provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The authors are scholars of international standing.

This book investigates Paul's effort to combat factionalism by his use of the Greco-Roman rhetoric of 'the common advantage' to overcome socio-ethical problems caused by the improper exercise of 'private advantage' in Corinth. Chang examines 'the common advantage', first, as a fundamental principle that defined human and societal relationships in the Greco-Roman world. He explores how the neglect and misunderstanding of this principle lay at the root of relational and societal breakdowns. The book further examines Paul's use of the term and demonstrates that, when properly understood and appropriated, the principle of 'the common advantage' is pivotal to keeping societies and relationships dynamic and healthy. Conversely, when common advantage is not functioning and, concomitantly, private advantage is wrongly emphasized at its expense, relational, societal and ecclesiastical breakdowns occur. The book culminates in demonstrating that, for Paul, 'the common advantage' carries missional and salvific implications that override and subvert socio-ethnic boundaries. In this way, otherwise hostile social groups will realize a healthy symbiosis.

The Gospel of Thomas a book of sayings and wisdom of Jesus compiled as early or earlier than the New Testament gospels can transform your spiritual life.

There are many academic commentaries on the Gospel of Thomas, but this book has a different aim. It is meant to be a guidebook, that is, a translation of the sayings into daily practice. The goal of such practice is to become Jesus s twin. This does not, of course, mean becoming an olive-skinned, bearded Mediterranean peasant wearing sandals. It is more about manifesting in our lives the same Christ consciousness revealed in the person we know as Jesus of Nazareth. from the Introduction

In the decades since its discovery, the Gospel of Thomas has intrigued people of all faiths around the world. Shedding new light on the origins of Christianity, the Gospel of Thomas raises questions about whether the New Testament s version of Jesus s teachings is entirely accurate and complete. In the Gospel of Thomas we see Jesus as a wisdom-loving sage, sharing aphorisms about the value of the present and each person s role in the creation of the Kingdom of God here on earth. But these inspiring sayings can leave you wondering, "What next?"

Now you can learn how to start applying Jesus s wisdom to your own life and, in turn, to the world around you. This unique guidebook leads you through Thomas, offering practices that help you translate Jesus s wisdom into a more fulfilling, enriching daily life, including: Becoming a Spiritual Adult Sorting Out the Old and the New Being a Healing Presence Daring to Be a City on a Hill God s Reign Calls for Ready Hands Spirituality Is Not Skygazing And much more

Christianson uses a variety of methods from art criticism to Todorov''s actantial model to sketch a compr ehensive picture of some hitherto neglected narrative elemen ts in Qoheleth''s text. '

The Deuteronomic or, more properly, Deuteronomistic History is a modern theoretical construct which holds that the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings constitute a single work, unified by a basic homogeneity in language, style, and content. This construct owes much to the influence of Martin Noth's classic study of the Deuteronomistic History, contained in his larger Uberlieferungsgeschichtliche Studien. According to Noth, the Deuteronomist incorporated the deuteronomic law into the beginning of his work, framing it with speeches by Moses. The Deuteronomist then added other sources, such as tales of conquest and settlement, prophetic narratives and speeches, official annals and records. While this larger thesis has stood the test of time, there is much disagreement among contemporary scholars about a wide variety of issues. The present collection attempts to provide readers with an understanding of the important developments, methodologies, and points of view in the ongoing debate. Both current essays and some older, classic essays that have shaped the larger debate are included. Ten are newly translated into English. Each essay is prefaced by a detailed foreword by one of the editors that summarizes and places the essay in its appropriate context, making the volume ideal for use in seminars or courses, as well as for individuals wishing to become familiar with the state of discussion on the Deuteronomistic History.

Slater presents a study of the three major christological images of Revelation and their meanings for the original audience. Employing both historical criticism and elements of sociology of knowledge, Christ and Community explores the social functions of 'one like a son of man', the Lamb, and the Divine Warrior, identifying both similarities and dissimilarities. The study argues, on the one hand, that the religious laxity found in Revelation 2-3 reflects attempts by some Christians to accommodate to provincial social pressures, while, on the other hand, Revelation 4-19 reflect the low status of Christians in the cities of Asia Minor.