The first translation into a modern language of an important patristic text, Gregory of Nyssa's treatise on the inscriptions of the Psalms. The book shows Gregory's indebtedness to classical culture as well as to Christian tradition, and compares his early understanding of the stages of the spiritual life with that in his later treatises.

Second Corinthians is Paul's apology to the Corinthians for failing to visit them, using rhetorical persuasion in his letters, and appearing unapproved for the collection. The scholarly consensus maintains that 2 Corinthians is a conglomeration of letters due to its literary and logistical inconsistencies. Consequently, most interpretations of 2 Corinthians treat only parts of it. However, a different consensus is emerging. Fredrick Long situates the text within Classical literary and rhetorical conventions and argues for its unity based upon numerous parallels with ancient apology in the tradition of Andocides, Socrates, Isocrates and Demosthenes. He provides a comprehensive survey and rigorous genre analysis of ancient forensic discourse in support of his claims, and shows how the unified message of Paul's letter can be recovered. His study will be of relevance to Classicists and New Testament scholars alike.

Exceptionally popular author, with several titles selling well over 100,000 copies.

This volume examines characterization in the four Gospels and in the Sayings Gospel Q. Peter in Matthew, Lazarus in John, and Jesus as Son of Man in Q are examples of the characters studied. The general approach is narrative-critical. At the same time, each contribution takes special effort to widen the scope beyond the narrated world to include the text's ideological and real-life setting as well as its effective history. New ways of doing narrative criticism are thus proposed. The concluding essay by David Rhoads delineates the development and envisions the future of narrative criticism in Gospel studies.

My Daily Catholic Bible, NAB Version offers a reading plan that (1) divides all of Sacred Scripture into 365 segments, one for each day of the year; (2) features two small, manageable readings for each day, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament; and (3) offers an insightful quote from a saint for every day.

There's never been an easier way to read the Bible. You don't even have to start on January 1. Just begin reading on any calendar date, and twelve months later you'll have made your way through all seventy-three books of the biblical canon. And a place for a check mark next to each entry makes it simple to keep track of your progress you'll know exactly where to start in again if you miss a day or two

Hebrews 12: 1-13 portrays the suffering of the community to which it is addressed by means of two images: an athletic contest, and God's fatherly discipline. In this 1998 book, N. Clayton Croy provides a thorough exploration of the theme of suffering in the Jewish and Graeco-Roman traditions, and surveys the different interpretations of this passage which have been offered by Christian writers over the centuries. He argues that the concept of 'training' unites the passage, which presents Jesus as the supreme athlete, an agonistic exemplar for those running the race. These verses also support a non-punitive understanding of discipline, in which God's children undergo a positive process of education. The educative notion of paideia combines with images of athletic training to establish a call to faithful endurance rather than repentance.

The present study focuses on the theology of the Book of Jeremiah. That theology revolves around themes familiar from Israel's covenantal faith, especially the sovereignty of YHWH expressed in judgment and promise. The outcome of this theological nexus of context, person, and tradition is a book that moves into the abyss and out of the abyss in unexpected ways. It does so, in part, by asserting that God continues to be generatively and disturbingly operative in the affairs of the world, up to and including our contemporary abysses (such as 9/11). The God attested in the Book of Jeremiah invites its readers into and through any and all such dislocations to new futures that combine divine agency and human inventiveness rooted in faithfulness.

The Synoptic Gospels contain traditions about Jesus which differ in some respects from Gospel to Gospel and, it is presumed, from the very earliest Christian traditions. Scholars often seek to establish the earliest form of each tradition and the methods and criteria they use are of the greatest importance. Dr Sanders here provides a reassessment of this whole problem. His study deals directly with the question of determining the reliability of the Synoptic Gospels.

The Biblical Psalms are the great treasury of Judeo-Christian spirituality. Yahweh dwells within them. Psychologically, this means that the living presence of the Self animates the Psalms, which therefore have the power to constellate the archetype of the God-image in those individuals who are receptive to their influence. Even many self-professed irreligious people have been astonished to discover that certain Psalms were the only texts that spoke to their condition during a period of grave psychic upheaval. Today, traditional Judeo-Christianity is at a crucial turning point. But the poetry of the Psalms still rewards the effort to understand and relate their message to individual, contemporary, psychological experience. Originally a lecture series, The Sacred Psyche resonates with Dr. Edinger's heartfelt, deeply honest responses to these powerful texts.

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.

Now available in English for the first time, Augustine's Commentary on Galatians is his only complete, formal commentary on any book of the Bible and offers unique insights into his understanding of Paul and of his own task as a biblical interpreter. Yet it is one of his least known works today - and this despite its importance in the past for such major figures as Aquinas, Luther, Erasmus, and Newman. The present volume seeks to remedy this situation by providing not only an English translation with facing Latin text, but also a comprehensive introduction and copious notes. Since Galatians happens to be the only biblical book commented upon by all the ancient Latin commentators - including Jerome, Pelagius, Ambrosiaster, and Marius Victorinus, as well as Augustine - it provides a basis for comparing them and for identifying Augustine's special concerns and emphases. Augustine's Commentary also has crucial links to other works he wrote at the time, especially his monastic rule and De Doctrina Christiana. Augustine's emphasis on Galatians as a pastoral letter designed to preserve and strengthen Christian unity links the commentary to his monastic rule, while his method and sources link it to, and indeed pave the way for, the theory of biblical interpretation set forth in the De Doctrina Christiana.

In this exhilarating book, John Pritchard reclaims the narrative power of the gospels by retelling well-known stories in vivid, imaginative language, and showing us how our own stories fit into the Christian story and can be transformed by it. He takes key narratives like the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, the parable of the rich fool, and the Last Supper, and helps us to be part of them. We are given the opportunity to see the people involved more clearly, not least of all Jesus himself - and so to consider whether we might live our own lives a little differently. An ideal resource for anyone concerned to communicate the Christian faith in a lively, contemporary style, Living the Gospel Stories Today will prove no less helpful as an aid to personal meditation and group discussion.

Whether used as an individual Bible study or used for studying with a group, the "Nelson Impact Bible Study Guide Series" will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible, book by book.

Written in an easy-to-read, interesting style, each study guide will help you to experience the true meaning of the messages of the Bible, and in turn, empower you to truly make a difference in the world for Christ.

Key Features Include: Timelines Fun cultural facts and probing questions Plenty of room for taking notes Biblical and present-day maps

Other study guides in the series include: 1 Corinthians ISBN: 1418506192 Exodus ISBN: 1418506168 Genesis ISBN: 1418506087 Isaiah ISBN: 1418506095 John ISBN: 1418506109 Mark ISBN: 1418506184 Romans ISBN: 1418506117 Ruth & Esther ISBN: 1418506176

Whether used as an individual Bible study or used for studying with a group, the "Nelson Impact Bible Study Guide Series will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible, book by book.

Written in an easy-to-read, interesting style, each study guide will help you to experience the true meaning of the messages of the Bible, and in turn, empower you to truly make a difference in the world for Christ.

Key Features Include:

Timelines

Fun cultural facts and probing questions

Plenty of room for taking notes

Biblical and present-day maps

Other study guides in the series include:

1 Corinthians ISBN: 1418506192

Exodus ISBN: 1418506168

Genesis ISBN: 1418506087

Isaiah ISBN: 1418506095

John ISBN: 1418506109

Mark ISBN: 1418506184

Romans ISBN: 1418506117

Ruth & Esther ISBN: 1418506176

Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians poses exegetical problems of well-known difficulty. The structure and unity of the whole Epistle are in doubt, as is the meaning of many particular passages and references - for example, the identity of Paul's opponents. Dr Collange bases his solutions to these problems on a detailed study of 2,14 - 7,4. He argues that the obscurities of the Epistle can be explained by the particular circumstances of its composition; Paul's use of more primitive Christian materials gives us a measure of his own originality and genius. This book should be of interest to all New Testament scholars.

Elizabeth Achtemeier examines the often-neglected Minor Prophets and explains them as they reflect the church at worship and at work. She sets the Minor Prophets in their canonical context emphasizing the relationship between the message of these prophets and the New Testament. Unique in the use of brief quotations from great preachers' sermons on the prophets, Nahum-Malachi is enriched with the vast insightful store of homiletical interpretation available today.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

Joyce Meyer will help you use the Word to overcome the battles of your mind by changing your thoughts to change your life. Features she shares include over 150 contemplative articles on Winning the Battles of the Mind, 500 scripture-based articles called Keys to a Victorious Life, and so much more. She also helps empower you with God's strength through hundreds of prayers, thought-provoking questions, and thorough introductions to each book of the Bible.

Joyce's teachings on the "Battlefield of the Mind" give a new dimension to how the "Words of life" can transform your life. You'll feel as though you have Joyce as your own personal study partner.

Additional features include:

*PowerPoints - Approximately 350 powerful tips drawn from scripture to help you think, speak, or live to win the battles of the mind.

*Speak God's Word - 300 scripture confessions that will teach you how to confess God's Word for yourself.

*A Prayer for Victory - 125 prayers to fuel your ability to overcome any obstacle and live victoriously.

This devotional book traces the course of David's life through his autobiographical Psalms: From triumphant boy hero to persecution in the court of Saul. From gifted musician to compromised adulterer and murderer. From his exile on the run to his coronation as the leader of God's people. The King's songs are a treasure-chest of jewels, telling not mere history but timeless truths about the King of Kings himself, David's magnificent God. With warmth and insight, the author draws out the lessons David learned in his turbulent life with the Lord and the rich gems he has bequeathed to followers of God today.

Die Studie unterzieht das gesamte Hoseabuch einer redaktionsgeschichtlichen Analyse und kommt, ausgehend von einem Kern in Hos 4-9, zu dem Ergebnis, dass es erst sukzessive zu seiner heutigen Gestalt angewachsen ist. Die Geschichtsruckblicke ab Hos 9,10 und die biographischen Symbolhandlungen in Hos 1 und 3 gehoeren demnach spateren Redaktionsschichten an. So wird ein literatur- und theologiegeschichtlicher Bogen von den Anfangen prophetischer UEberlieferung im 8. Jh. v. Chr. bis hin zu ihrer Rezeption in Qumran geschlagen.

This 2004 book in English integrates detailed literary criticism of the exorcism stories in Luke-Acts with wide-ranging comparative study of ancient sources on demonology, spirit affliction and exorcistic healing. Methods from systemic functional linguistics and critical theory are explained and then applied to each story. Careful focus is placed on each narrative's linguistic functions and also on relevant aspects of its literary co-text and the wider context of culture. Implications of the analysis for the new perspective on Luke-Acts, especially the implied author's relationship with Judaism, are explored in relation to the Lukan stories' original context of reception. Largely neglected interfaces between Luke's narrative representation of exorcism and emerging academic discourse about religious experience, shamanism, health care in antiquity, ritual performance and ancient Jewish systems of impurity are probed in ways that shed fresh light on this supremely alien part of the Lukan writings.