Using features of the narrative-critical method, this book offers an innovative approach to a notable phenomenon in the book of Acts: the conversion of entire households to the Christian faith. When viewed against the household mission of the seventy(-two) messengers in Luke, the stories of Cornelius, Lydia, the Roman jailer and Crispus comprise a pattern of evangelistic activity that provides a common framework for their interpretation. Repetition and variation of the pattern offer important clues for the way each story functions within the wider context of Acts, opening up new lines of interpretation as well as new levels of unity/disunity between the Lukan writings.

Exegetical study of Proverbs 10:1-22:16. Proverbs are neither statements of this-worldly cause and effect nor universally applicable doctrines of divine order. Rather, a proverb's meaning and 'truth' are conditioned by the context. The author delimits sections which the editor(s) of the collection consciously grouped together in their present sequence. He then examines how these literary arrangements both influence the meaning of the individual proverbs and determine their function in context. Indexes of names, passages and subjects are included.

Against the majority opinion, this study argues that the Lukan Parable of the Talents (Lk 19.11-28) is a story about the use and abuse of power. The parable is also the story of those who suffer adverse consequences when they oppose unjust power structures. This suppression of challenge to oppressive structures evidenced in the Parable of the Pounds fits a pattern that operates in other parts of the Lukan Gospel. We meet it, for example, in the arrest and killing of John the Baptist by Herod, and in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. The Parable of the Pounds can be seen as a paradigm for the stories of those characters in the Lukan Gospel who 'lose their pound' when they challenge an oppressive structure, where 'pound' becomes a metaphor for what one has that can be potentially taken away by those in a position of power. This study argues that this pattern of 'taking away the pound' is also seen within stories of women characters who resist patriarchal ideals and expectations. The Parable of the Pounds is used as a lens through which to view the characterizations of Lukan women. New lenses provide new opportunities for perception. This study explores what is opened up by this way of viewing the text. In particular, it explores the ways in which the dynamic of the Parable of the Pounds gives insight into the dynamic operating in the Lukan women's characterizations. LNTS

Life has its rhythms. We all need to be able to cope with its ebb as well as its flow. We have to survive its darkness as well as its light. We face dry times as well as times of richness. To survive this intricate pattern, we need to have an overriding rhythm of prayer. We need to know that whatever is happening, we are loved by God, and in him we live and move and have our being. "This updated gift edition of one of David Adam's most popular books features new, specially commissioned drawings."

"I know dogs in my life the way I know people and cats and trees and landscapes. Dogs help me shape my thoughts, feelings, and prayer life. Dogs have taught me attributes I feel in myself when reflecting and praying. "Dogs have shown me the spirit of being loyal, glad, overwhelmed, protective, committed, vigilant, patient, kind, energetic, discerning, forgiving. Unfolding these attributes of dog life opens my own spiritual being. My relationship with dog mirrors my relationship with God." In Dog Psalms the reader can use a dog's attributes to speak to God.

Woods examines Luke's use of the unusual phrase 'Finger of God' at Lk. 11.20 as a key to understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts. Luke's interest in the Holy Spirit is well-known, so when instead of having Jesus say,' It I cast out devils by the Spirit of God...', as Matthew has it, he writes, 'If I by the finger of God..', Luke poses a question that has puzzled many commentators since. Woods argues that in fact the phrase finger of God' holds the key to understanding the role of the Spirit in Luke-Acts. Taking into account the background to the phrase. Luke's larger theological interests within the Beelzebub section itself, the Travel Narrative, and the programme of Luke-Acts as a whole, he offers a new solution to an old exegetical question.

John's Gospel has had an incalculable impact on human history. Its pages contain a moral and spiritual potency which, over the centuries, has transformed communities, brought about political change and remade human character on a scale without precedent. The power remains in the Gospel today. At its centre, as at the centre of his exposition, is Jesus Christ in his glory and grace, majesty and tenderness. Bruce Milne believes that we can experience his presence even today, for the Gospel was 'written that ... you may have life in his name'. The Gospel of John is a witness to the King, as much a tract for our times as for John's. Bruce Milne's exposition focuses on the ministry of Jesus before his incarnation, during his life on earth and after his resurrection. The centrepiece of this Gospel is the cross, and its background the solemnity of God's judgment of the world.

"Reading First Peter with New Eyes" is the second of four volumes that incorporate essays examining the impact of recent methodological advances in New Testament studies of the letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter and Jude. It includes rhetorical, social-scientific, socio-rhetorical, ideological and hermeneutical methods, as they contribute to understanding First Peter and its social context. Each essay has a similar three-fold structure, ideal for use by students: a description of the methodological approach; the application of the methodological approach to First Peter; and a conclusion identifying how the methodological approach contributes to a fresh understanding of the letter. "Reading First Peter with New Eyes" follows on from the first volume in the series, "Reading James With New Eyes", edited by Robert, L. Webb and John S. Kloppenborg.

The portrait of the Samaritan mission in Acts 8:4-25 is the climax of various Lukan episodes involving the Samaritans. This work shows that the function of this portrait makes better sense in light of the historical context of the Samaritans up to and including the New Testament period, and of Luke's special interest in the Samaritans as depicted in his Gospel. A review of the socio-ethnic and religious contexts of the Samaritans points to the conclusion that they struggled to establish the legitimacy of their identity and status as a people. In some Jewish circles, they were considered as socially outcasts, ethnically foreigners, and religiously apostates, syncretists and idolaters. From a Jewish point of view, any unplanned and unauthorised mission of the church to Samaritans could cast doubts on the legitimacy of the mission itself and of nascent Samaritan Christianity. In his Gospel, Luke uses the Samaritan references to defend the legitimacy of the Samaritans and their status as part of Israel, and to portray Jesus' anticipation of a future mission to them. His literary ability and theological interest includes the Samaritans in the anticipated eschatological and soteriological plan of God. Thus, he attempts to reverse the popular anti-Samaritan feelings of some Jews, as well as the saying in Mt. 10:5, making them neighbours who show mercy and also true worshippers of God, who obey the Law. In Acts 8:4-25, Luke defends the divine origin and legitimacy of both the mission and Samaritan Christianity. He sets the mission in accordance with the commission of Jesus and in the divine context of persecution. He shows the kerygmatic and pneumatic legitimacy of Philips's ministry, the apostolic legitimacy of the Jerusalem apostles, and the purity of the new community in the way Simon was dealth with. This rhetorical and theological function of Acts 8:4-25 using an anticipation-legitimation device may suggest an apologetic purpose of Luke.

This literary study considers how the 'voice' of Jesus has been heard in different periods of parable interpretation, and how the categories of figure and trope may help us towards a sensitive reading of the parables today. This book explores what it means to seek the "voice" of Jesus" in his parables through the interpretive keys of literary tropes. Through a detailed discussion of significant periods of parable interpretation, with reference to six narrative parables peculiar to Luke's Gospel, it demonstrates the continued necessity of a creative response to an intention when confronted with figures of speech. Drawing on the long tradition of interpretation, a fresh hearing of the tone of the parables as exemplary tales is suggested, rooted in both the conditions of Jesus's contemporary culture and the Old Testament Scriptures.

Gershon Brin examines the development of biblical law, suggesting that it may be due to different authors with different legal outlooks, or that the differing policies were required in response to different social needs, etc. Biblical laws appearing in the Dead Sea Scrolls literature are treated in a separate unit. Study of this subject can shed light both on the biblical laws as such, as well as on the manner of their reworking by the Judaean Desert sect. Brin also discusses here questions of the style, the idea, and the historical and ideological background underlying the reworking of these laws in Qumran. The second part of the book presents a comprehensive picture of the issues involved in the laws of the first-born, a subject that has legal, social and religious implications.

The form and function of the 'synagogue' in the first century CE has been the focus of a great deal of recent scholarly discussion. A previous generation of scholars would have perceived a reference to a synagogue in a New Testament text as a monolithic institution with clearly defined functions principally involving worship. More recent scholarship has questioned many of these assumptions, pointing out that in the first century CE 'synagogue' should be understood as a reference to a gathering and not a building. Similarly, it is noted that many of the reconstructions of what happened in a 'synagogue' are built on evidence that dates to a period much later than the first century.The purpose of this work is to engage with primary material, both literary and archaeological, in order to assess the positions of current scholarship in the debate. It addresses the literary and archaeological evidence; the range of sacred activities that could have taken place within a first-century synagogue; and finally, the presentation of the 'synagogue' in Luke-Acts by means of case studies, to draw conclusions not only useful to NT studies in general, but also historical Jesus studies.This was formerly the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement, a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches. The Early Christianity in Context series, a part of JSNTS, examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE. The series places Christianity in its social, cultural, political and economic context. European Seminar on Christian Origins is also part of JSNTS. Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Supplement is also part of JSNTS.

It is generally agreed within Hebrew Bible scholarship that Zechariah 9-14 is filled with allusions to other books within the Hebrew canon. Rex Mason's doctoral dissertation in the early 1970s contributed significantly to the foundation of this consensus. However, although Mason's thesis remains a seminal work for those studying Deutero-Zechariah, it has never been published. This volume contains a publication of that work together with reflections from leading biblical scholars who have published on Zechariah 9-14. The volume is rounded off with a response by Mason to these scholars and a reflection on his own contribution. In some ways this project is a replication of the social process that gave rise to Zechariah 9-14, as the multiple authors bring out of this treasure that which is new and that which is old.

This study uncovers significant structuring techniques in James that prove to be beneficial in a number of ways. First, there exists a coherent, discernible strategy in the letter as a whole. Second, significant uses of inclusio, along with other transition techniques, draw attention to important recurring themes. Third, the quotation of Lev. 19:18 and echoes of the Shema (Deut. 6) occur in significant structural locations suggesting that the double-love command in the Jesus tradition (cf. Mt. 22:34-40) is a hermeneutical key to the interpretation of the letter. The study begins with an introduction to the research problem and its significance for interpretation. Chapter one summarizes and critiques past proposals of the structure of James. Chapter two explains the text-linguistic methodology employed in the study that is then applied in chapters three, four, and five. Chapter six offers a proposed structure for the letter that consists of a double introduction (1:2-11 1:13-27) joined by an overlapping transition (1:12), a carefully crafted letter body (2:1-5:6) that is bracketed by a major inclusio (2:12-13 & 4:11-12), and a conclusion (5:7-20). LNTS

The book of Revelation has long intrigued, puzzled and even frightened its readers. Surely it is the most misunderstood book in the Bible. And some faulty interpretations of Revelation are so entrenched in the consciousness of Christians that they are regarded as "gospel truth" and provide riveting plot lines for end-time fiction. But behind the ancient multimedia show that is Revelation lies a message both simple and profound, told in a language and grammar of faith that was clearly understood by its first Christian audience. Much as a music video would scarcely have been understood by first-century citizens, though it is immediately understood by youthful audiences today, so we are puzzled by and misread Revelation. Paul Spilsbury has studied Revelation in the company of its best interpreters, those who have taken the time to enter the minds of the first-century Christians for whom it was originally written. And what has he found? Amid and within the central images of a throne, a lamb and a dragon lies the answer: the gospel clearly proclaimed. The nature of God awesomely illumined. The work of Christ memorably embodied. The nature of evil hauntingly disclosed. Here is a guide that will help us hear Revelation speak, once again inspiring grateful worship and calling us to costly discipleship.