The Message of Isaiah 40-55 traces the argument of Isaiah 40-55 to show how the chapters bring a message of encouragement and challenge about God's intention to restore the Judean community, some of whose members are in exile in Babylon, others living in the city of Jerusalem that has lain devastated since it fell to the Babylonians in 587. The chapters hold before this community's eyes a vision of the nature of its God as the powerful creator and the loving restorer. In the course of following the argument, the reader becomes aware that the chapters have to deal with their audience's mysterious resistance to their message. It cannot give God the kind of response the message needs and deserves, nor can it fulfil the role as God's servant that is designed for it. God nevertheless remains committed to it. The prophet eventually becomes aware of a distinctive personal calling to embody that response, until the people are ready to do so. It is the prophet's willingness to do this (notwithstanding the suffering it brings) that embodies the kind of ministry that needs to be exercised to them so that they may be brought back to God and find a restoration of spirit, as well as a physical restoration.

Galatians 3:28, in particular the phrase, "There is ...no longer male and female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus," would seem to point towards an ethos of gender equality among Christians. Acting on this assumption, a number of scholars have considered the phrase significant in reconstructing attitudes towards women in early Christianity. Until now, however, a study of the history of interpretation of Gal 3:28 has been lacking. The exploration of the post-New Testament career of the verse is therefore the focus of this book. The approach is historical-critical, discussing the exegesis of Gal 3:28 in the context of attitudes about the roles of women in the first four centuries CE.

This study reveals that early Christians did not always approach this verse with the same concerns as modern readers. Ancient commentators brought several different questions to their discussion of Gal 3:28, and it is impossible to discover the trajectory in exegesis of this verse that might have been expected. It becomes apparent that during the first four centuries of Christianity most writers treated Gal 3:28 as a statement about the identification of Christians with Christ and therefore an indication that in the resolution of various differences into unity, they could achieve an ideal state. While some writers applied this concept to status differences between men and women, others used it to discuss the qualities of the ideal disciple, the character of the first created human beings, the state of the believer in heaven, and even the nature of God.

The letters of 2 Peter and Jude form a robust pair, with their distinctive overlap in theme and wording. These letters are sometimes overlooked, yet their message for today's church is powerfully relevant. Both their writers aim to expose false guides who bewitch young believers. In response, they set before the churches bedrock conditions of survival, providing inspiring and always practical guidance on Christian growth. Without a maturing knowledge of God, churches (then as now) would be destabilised by destructive and heretical teaching.

In this important addition to the Old Testament Library, now available in a new casebound edition, renowned scholar Brevard Childs writes on the Old Testament's most important theological book. He furnishes a fresh translation from the Hebrew and discusses questions of text, philology, historical background, and literary architecture, and then proceeds with a critically informed, theological interpretation of the text. The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

The destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, which led to the exile of the people of Israel, drastically changed the community's life. In the midst of this darkness, the five poems collected to form the biblical Book of Lamentations emerged as a life-embracing work. This commentary aims to make the message of Lamentations come alive to Christians today. The distinctiveness of the Palestinian voice found in these poems is maintained as they bear witness to the horror of pain and human suffering. Yet, beneath the words, a determined will to live emerges to confront human suffering, probe God's actions and anticipate a new kind of human community.

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.

Using both ancient and modern rhetoric, linguistics, and argumentation theory, this study offers a fresh approach to 1 Peter and New Testament ethics. It is often claimed that the growing interest in paraenesis, or ethical teaching, among early Christians indicates how Jesus' revolutionary teaching and the Pauline notion of justification by faith were gradually replaced by an emphasis on good works and ethics borrowed from the surrounding Hellenistic and Jewish culture. The Motivation of the Paraenesis challenges this traditional view of ethics in early Christianity, arguing that paraenesis was an original, essential part of early Christian doctrine and life. The book also provides a new, well-balanced picture of 1 Peter and its message, giving a natural interpretation to many puzzling sections and clarifying the internal logic of the text and the theology behind it.>

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Here Andrew Macintosh provides a major introduction, followed by translation and verse-by-verse commentary to Hosea. Incorporating up-to-date evidence from archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the insights of more recent major commentaries, he places particular emphasis on the work of the Rabbinic authorities and especially that of Ibn Janah. He reveals important new evidence concerning the meaning of Hosea's dialectical language to provide an indispensable reference for scholars, students and clergy.

This comprehensive bibliography to scholarly works on the biblical book of Esther contains over 1500 references. It includes titles of books, collected works, Festschriften, theses, journal articles, essays in collections, encyclopedia and dictionary articles, and online material. It is a classified bibliography, arranged in three categories -- commentaries, biblical chapters and verses, and subject headings in alphabetical order. The scope of the bibliography is international, and its focus is on research from the last hundred years. Scholars, students, clergy, and librarians -- among them literary scholars, sociologists, historians, linguists, art historians, feminists, and Christian and Jewish scholars -- will find this unique volume an indispensable resource and stimulus to further research.

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was addressed originally to a fledgling mission church in Corinth. Paul's absence from the church had allowed serious problems to arise within the Corinthian community, but the problems that he addresses in this letter do not always seem based on explicitly theological ideas. The brilliance of Paul, though, is that he frames the issues in theological terms and reflects on them in the light of the gospel.

"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.

In the decade since its original publication, THE EVERYDAY LIFE BIBLE has sold 1.1 million copies, taking its place as an invaluable resource on the Word of God. Simultaneously, Joyce Meyer's renown as one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers has grown, as she continued to study and teach daily. This new edition updates Joyce's notes and commentary to reflect the changes made in the revision of the Amplified Bible which refreshes the English and refines the amplification for relevance and clarity. The result is THE EVERYDAY LIFE BIBLE is easier to read and better than ever to study, understand, and apply to your everyday life.

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. In addition to an English translation with facing Latin text, Eric Plumer provides a comprehensive introduction and copious notes.

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Matthew - the visit of the Magi, the Sermon on the Mount, the Great Commission: these are only a few of the well-known passages that draw readers specifically to Matthew's gospel. Yet it begins with a forbidding list of unknown names and apparently irrelevant 'begettings'. In fact, the early church may have placed Matthew first in the New Testament because it more fully than any other Gospel provides a Christian perspective on the relation between the church and the Jews, an issue that is still important today. R. T. France tackles this and other key issues in the Gospel with clarity, reliability and relevance.This classic commentary has been completely retypeset and presented in a fresh, vibrant new large paperback format, with new global branding.

Luke the Physician was fascinated by people - rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rulers and slaves. In his Gospel he delights to portray Jesus as the Saviour not of an elite group but of any one, in any condition, who turns to him. Jesus is indeed the Saviour of the world. Luke knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote his Gospel. He tells us his goal in the opening verses: to set forth an orderly and accurate account of what had been accomplished by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. In this engaging exposition, Michael Wilcock gives special attention to these opening words. Then, as he examines the individual deeds and sayings of Jesus, he shows how the structure of Luke's narrative brings out their meaning. The good news of Luke is still true today. None of us are beyond redemption unless we choose to put ourselves there. This message has implications not only for our personal lives but for our churches and society as a whole.

The narratives of Solomon and Jeroboam, of Elijah and Ahab, have fascinated readers for millennia. They are the principal foundation of our knowledge of the history of Israel during the early years of the divided monarchy, and their reliability and verifiability as historical sources have long been the subject of intense scholarly analysis and debate. But even apart from questions of historical authenticity, they are gripping stories of richly drawn characters caught up in the complex tale of Yahweh's dealings with Israel: Solomon the wise is the builder of Yahweh's Temple, yet he becomes an idolater; Jeroboam is chosen by Yahweh as king, yet he worships the golden calves; Elijah is a prophet second only to Moses, yet he tries to renounce his calling; and Ahab is the worst of Israel's kings, yet shows traces of greatness. This study explores the narrative world created by the ancient Israelite author - the people who inhabit it, the lives they live and the deeds they do, and the face of God who is revealed in their stories.

This careful and thoughtful book unlocks the door to the theological and ethical treasures contained in the Epistles of John. It is an invitation to a journey of discovery, from the well-known and familiar to the less familiar but rewarding.

"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.