Beginning with the Gospels, interpretations of the life of Jesus have flourished for nearly two millennia, yet a clear and coherent picture of Jesus as a man has remained elusive. In Rabbi Jesus, the noted biblical scholar Bruce Chilton places Jesus within the context of his times to present a fresh, historically accurate, and revolutionary examination of the man who founded Christianity.

Drawing on recent archaeological findings and new translations and interpretations of ancient texts, Chilton discusses in enlightening detail the philosophical and psychological foundations of Jesus’ ideas and beliefs. His in-depth investigation also provides evidence that contradicts long-held beliefs about Jesus and the movement he led. Chilton shows, for example, that the High Priest Caiaphas, as well as Pontius Pilate, played a central role in Jesus’ execution. It is, however, Chilton’s description of Jesus’ role as a rabbi, or "master," of Jewish oral traditions, as a teacher of the Cabala, and as a practitioner of a Galilean form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God that casts an entirely new light on the origins of Christianity.

Seamlessly merging history and biography, this penetrating, highly readable book uncovers truths lost to the passage of time and reveals a new Jesus for the new millennium.

This book considers Friedrich Froebel's work and ideas in the light of the continuing debate over methods of primary education, raising the old conflict between child-centred and traditional education; concern about the role of teacher in the classroom; and the renewed challenge of 'play' as a tool of education. To Froebel, play provided the means for a child's intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. Froebel believed that the education of a child began at birth, and that parents and teachers played a crucial role in helping children in this activity. 'Play is a mirror of life' - he wrote, leading to self discipline and respect for law and order. The events of Froebel's life are carefully documented in A Child's Work, together with their influence on his ideas and their spread. The author shows how the early death of Froebel's mother and a home lacking in love were to provide the impetus behind one of Froebel's overriding aims: the fostering of family life. The shaping of his educational thought and philosophy through contact with the ideas of other educators, especially his 'spiritual father' Pestalozzi, and philosophers such as Kant, Hegel and Krause, is examined. Froebel's continuous reassessment of the function of play in a child's life came to fruition in the concept of the Kindergarten and the creations with which he peopled it. Illustrations from original sources complement the thorough explanations of these educational innovations in the book. From the soft ball on a spring, the simplest of the Gifts, to the unravelling of more complex ideas in the Mother Songs, Froebel incorporated the various facets that he saw as important in play: the notion of the symbolic and the surmise, the tension between the known and the unknown, the development of physical dexterity and care for the environment. As we continue to shift towards an emphasis on a more formal, more restrictive and less creative mode of education, it is an appropriate time to re-examine Froebel's contribution to educational thinking, which was revolutionised by his ideas. His respect for a child as an independent, searching and creative person learning through his own actions, and for the teacher as facilitator and guide, led to monumental changes. Froebelis legacy challenges us to examine the assumptions underlying current trends in education, and our attitude towards educating young children.

Exodus, Cole says, is 'the centre of the Old Testament'. It recounts the supreme Old Testament example of the saving acts of God, narrates the instituting of Passover and enshrines the giving of God's law. It portrays Moses, the prototype of all Israel's prophets, and Aaron, the first high priest.

Creative ways we can understand the psalms ... and use their power to enrich our lives.

What is the mysterious power of psalms, the power that has made them beloved for thousands of years? This inspiring introduction shows us not only how to read the psalms with understanding, but how we can bring them into our lives, in: Facing our enemies Dealing with anger Overcoming feeling let down or abandoned Coping with sickness in ourselves or those we love Expressing our thanks

A creative and personal firsthand approach to the Book of Psalms, it offers stories and examples that help us interpret and explore the unusual power of the psalms and use them to enrich our lives.

Money. Fame. Relationships. Knowledge. Having all these things-or even one-would make you happy, right? Well, maybe for a second. At least that's what King Solomon learned-and he tried all those things on a HUGE scale and still wasn't content. In fact, chasing those ideas and getting what he wanted actually made him more depressed. So what are we supposed to do if the wisest man in history couldn't make those things work? Thankfully, Solomon left us a whole book of his trials and errors. Maybe you've looked at other people's lives and thought, "If only I had that, my life would be perfect." The problem is, those same people are asking the same question when they come across someone else. Even the wisest man in the world, Solomon, struggled with it. In Living a Life that Matters, author and "wisdom expert" Mark Matlock unpacks Solomon's big "If only" questions on happiness in the book of Ecclesiastes to connect his timeless questions to yours, and explores what really makes a perfect life. Living a Life That Matters lets you gaze over Solomon's shoulder as he indulges every pleasure, exercises every power, and emerges with a radical conclusion about how to live. You'll also find ways that his search for meaning connects with yours today and how your story can connect with your friends' as they seek meaning in the world. Living a Life that Matters: makes the book of Ecclesiastes relevant to teens' lives-and also easy to understand contains contemporary examples from pop culture and everyday life explores what it means to live in the world today, as well as the real issue of depression and its effects

Der Sammelband anlasslich der Emeritierung von Johannes Marboeck, Professor am Institut fur Alttestamentliche Bibelwissenschaft der Karl-Franzens-Universitat Graz, ist dem wichtigsten Arbeitsfeld des Geehrten gewidmet: der Weisheitsliteratur des Alten Testaments. In den zahlreichen Beitragen namhafter Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler wird dieses Thema aus hoechst unterschiedlichen Perspektiven immer neu in den Blick genommen.

If only you could be sure that every craft you planned for your children's ministry would be a winner... Now you can be certain of success with over 100 tried-and-tested crafts, submitted by children's workers like you, and used with real children in real churches. Structured into three sections of crafts for younger and older primary ages and for all ages together, The Big Book of Bible Crafts is a lifesaver for Sunday school, midweek groups and holiday clubs.

For this volume, thirteen papyri and a majuscule have been edited and undergone a critical textual examination. Through these methods, the accuracy of the copyists' writing (manner of tradition) and the quality of the master copies of the text or chains of text are placed into close relation. This procedure allows for a relatively accurate evaluation of relatively small fragments. The result shows that despite numerous small mistakes the early papyri have preserved a text which is very close to the "original."

This is a glittering new translation of the portion of the Hebrew Bible known as the Book of the Twelve Prophets, or the Twelve "Minor" Prophets. In the Bible, the books of the prophets are arranged in rough order of length. The present group of writings thus appears after the so-called "major" prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), and includes the much shorter texts of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. At the time when all biblical books were written on scrolls, these twelve brief prophetic texts were traditionally written on a single scroll, and so came to be considered a single book. "Minor" with respect to length only, they are from the literary point of view some of the most interesting texts in the Bible -- passionate, visionary, and written with genuine literary sophistication. David Slavitt's brilliant modern translation breathes fresh life into these powerful ancient texts.

Is historical criticism of the Bible dead? In this collection of eight new essays on the Gospel of John, John Ashton argues that this is far from the case. He demonstrates that there are many new insights still to be yielded from historical criticism, and at the same time dares to offer a serious challenge to alternative modern and popular methodologies.

Despite innumerable studies from at least the time of the Reformation, it was not until little more than a century ago that one hypothesis concerning the origin of the Pentateuch, the so-called `Documentary Theory' formulated by Julius Wellhausen, established itself as the point of departure for all subsequent study of this topic. This has remained so until recently, but during the past twenty-five years the study of the Pentateuch has been once more in turmoil, and new theories have proliferated. This book arises from the conviction that much in current Pentateuchal research needs to be subjected to rigorous scrutiny and that much, indeed, is radically mistaken. Dr Nicholson argues that the work of Wellhausen, for all that it needs revision and development in detail, remains the securest basis for understanding the Pentateuch. The book is not a mere call to go `back to Wellhausen', however, for Dr Nicholson also shows that much in the intervening debate has significantly modified his conclusions, as well as asking questions that were not on Wellhausen's agenda. But the Documentary Hypothesis should remain our primary point of reference, and it alone provides the most dependable perspective from which to approach this most difficult of areas in the study of the Old Testament.

A Preface to Mark is a literary study which, from the standpoint of the newer critical methodologies, explores two questions. First, Bryan attempts to determine what kind of text Mark would have been seen to be, both by its author and by others who encountered it near the time of its writing. He examines whether Mark should be seen as an example of any particular literary type, and if so which. He concludes that a comparison of Mark with other texts of the period leads inevitably to the conclusion that Mark's contemporaries would broadly have characterized his work as a "life." Second, Bryan looks at the evidence that exists to indicate whether Mark, like so much else of its period, was written to be read aloud. He points out ways in which Mark's narrative would have worked particularly well as rhetoric. The first examination of Mark as a whole in the light of contemporary studies of orality and oral transmission, A Preface to Mark not only shows us Mark in its original setting, but also suggests ways in which our own encounter with Marks text may be significantly enriched. Its accessible style will serve as a good introduction to the Gospel for students as well as the general reader.

"A good introduction to Mark for both students and general readers....As interesting as it is informative." -- Choice

"The book is informative and refreshing due to its interaction with a variety of Graeco-Roman sources." -- Journal for the Study of the New Testament

..".a readable, well-argued discussion....Byran has written a useful book hat should be given due consideration." -- Biblical Studies

"A well-reasoned discussion..." -- Church Times

The relationships between the many different versions of Tobit present a famous and important problem for text-critics and historians of Judaism; however, study of the subject has been hindered by the lack of any single, reliable collection. This book brings together, for the first time, a wide range of texts (Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac), some previously overlooked or virtually inaccessible, based in many cases on new readings. A single system of verse numeration is applied to all, and the key versions are presented synoptically, to facilitate comparison. Introductions and critical notes are provided for each text, along with succinct observations on the relationships between them in each passage, and concordances to assist stylistic and linguistic study.

In the course of this work Professor Cross presents the discovery of the actual manuscript source for the Old English versions of two biblical apocrypha, The Gospel of Nichodemus and The Avenging of the Saviour. Together with four other scholars, Professor Cross explores the implications of this discovery, in the field of Anglo-Saxon studies. Here, parallel editions of the relevant Latin and Old English texts are given, together with modern English translations, and detailed discussion outlines the background to the Latin texts, and to the manuscript which contains them. The assembled material provides an insight not only into the transmission of two apocryphal texts, but also into the mind of the single Anglo-Saxon translator who, it is argued, struggled in his own idiosyncratic fashion to make two badly spelt and incomplete Latin originals his own.

How do I find greater wholeness in my life and in my family s life?

"To appreciate the importance of the Bible and gain insight about ourselves from it, both Jews and Christians can use the process of "midrash: " The attempt to find contemporary meaning in the biblical text. The term "midrash" comes from the Hebrew root "darash" which means to seek, search, or demand (meaning from the biblical text). The starting point of our search for personal meaning is the Bible itself. Each generation, each reader, can approach the text anew and draw meaning from it." from "Self, Struggle & Change"

The stress of late-20th-century living only brings new variations to timeless personal struggles. The people described by the biblical writers of Genesis were in situations and relationships very much like our own, and their stories still speak to us because they are about the same basic problems we deal with every day.

Learning from Adam and Eve, can we find the courage not only to face our other side, but to draw strength from it? Learning from Leah and Rachel, can we stop competing with our loved ones, and begin to accept them and find ourselves? Sarah, Hagar, Lot, Ishmael and Isaac, Rebekkah, Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau this vibrant cast of characters offers us new ways of understanding ourselves and our families and healing our lives.

A modern master of biblical interpretation brings us greater understanding of the ancient biblical text, and of the insights its characters give us about ourselves and our families today.

By bringing the people in Genesis to life husbands and wives, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters "Self, Struggle & Change" shows us how to find wholeness in our lives.

This book is a wide-ranging study of Johannine exegesis in the sixteenth century, centered on the John commentary of Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563), an influential leader of the Protestant Reformation. Farmer compares Musculus's exegesis of the Johannine miracle stories not only with that of other sixteenth-century commentators but also with ancient and medieval commentaries.

This study reconstructs the apocalyptic eschatology in Matthew's Gospel so we may understand his time and concerns. Sociological analysis of apocalypticism in Judaism and early Christianity shows that such a world view is adopted by a minority group in a time of great crisis. Matthew's distinctive and often vengeful vision must be set against his community's conflict with Judaism, Gentiles and the larger Christian movement and his acute need to enhance his community's sense of identity and out of pastoral concern.

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.

Spanning a variety of disciplines, this 1995 enquiry focuses on one particular Pauline characteristic: the apostle's habit of making matters of faith the object of logical appraisal. A tracing of the elliptical patterns of argument in Romans 1-8 illustrates this habit and, at the same time, displays how Paul's vigorous persistence in it seems often not to be matched by the solidity, or at any rate the lucidity, of his logic. By viewing Paul against the background of semiology, more especially the semiological theory of Umberto Eco, new light is shed on the genesis of Paul's reasoning. The discussion which ensues is marked by an interesting and productive combination of modern linguistics and classical logic. Moreover, the singular potential of today's techniques of 'fuzzy' logical analysis for measuring the intellectual muscle of Paul's argumentation is brought out dramatically by the uniqueness of his semiological situation. His rationality takes on a new face.

The Christian, according to the apostle Paul, lives between two times. The end is already present with Christ's death and resurrection, but the end is yet to come with his second appearing. Pate traces the concept of 'already/not yet' back to its Jewish roots and shows with exceptional clarity how Paul's teachings on God, Christ, human beings, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church society, and the last things can be successfully placed within this 'already/not yet' framework.

Researchers on Greco-Roman slavery, formative Christianity, and New Testament theology will surely benefit from this groundbreaking book, a study of the Apostle Paul's slave metaphors in Galatians using the New Rhetoric Model as the lens of analysis. From Roman slave laws in the first century C.E. to the text of Galatians, this book provides an excellent test case for all other studies of first-century metaphors, parables, analogies, and other related genres. Moreover, this book demonstrates explicitly, using examples and a clear step-by-step method to clarify the meanings behind Paul's metaphors.

"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.

The book of Deuteronomy is one of the great theological documents of the Bible. The main lines of its thought can be traced not only in the book itself, but throughout the Old Testament, especially in the historical books from Joshua to 2 Kings--hence the term "Deuteronomic theology." In this book, the first in a series on Studies in the Old Testament Biblical Theology, McConville surveys and evaluates both older and more recent scholarly approaches to Deuteronomic theology. He shows how Israel persistently failed to keep God's covenant by rejecting him and relying on themselves instead. For that reason, God consistently brought his judgment on them, but that was not his final word to them. They survived as a nation only because of God's overpowering grace; there is grace in history in the end.