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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > The Bible > Bible readings or selections
Siew seeks to examine the events that will unfold within the
three-and-a-half years before the dawn of the kingdom of God on
earth. He argues that John composed the textual unit of Revelation
11:1-14:5 as a coherent and unified literary unit structured in a
macrochiasm. He pays special attention to the fusion of form and
content and seeks to elucidate how the concentric and chiastic
pattern informs the meaning of the literary units within 11:1-14:5,
and proposes that the text of 11:1-14:5 is best analyzed using
Hebraic literary conventions, devices, and compositional techniques
such as chiasm, parallelism, parataxis, and structural parallelism.
The macro-chiastic pattern provides the literary-structural
framework for John to portray that the events of the last
three-and-a-half years unfold on earth as a result of what
transpires in heaven. Specifically, the war in heaven between
Michael and the dragon has earthly ramifications. The outcome of
the heavenly war where Satan is defeated and thrown out of heaven
to earth results in the war on earth between the two beasts of
Revelation 13 and the two witnesses of Revelation 11. The narrative
of the war in heaven (12:7-12) is seen as the pivot of the
macro-chiastic structure. Siew pays close attention to the
time-period of the three-and-a-half years as a temporal and
structural marker which functions to unite the various units in
11:1-14:5 into a coherent and integral whole. The events of the
last days will be centred in Jerusalem. Volume 283 in the Journal
for the Study of the New Testament Supplement series.
How can we know today what was happening in the minds and hearts of
Paul and the first Christians so long ago? By getting below the
surface of Paul's theology, the consistent key elements of early
Christian experience are revealed in a way that throws light on the
meaning of powerful religious experiences and movements both in the
past and today. Illuminating for those who have never read a word
on Paul yet disturbing and provocative for biblical scholars, this
book tackles the topic of the religious experience of Paul and the
first Christians. Lacking authentic knowledge of Paul's liberating
experience, generations of translators and interpreters have
inevitably and sometimes clumsily obscured Paul's meaning. In this
book, the scholarly accusation that Paul is incoherent is turned
upside down to show how uncritically accepted ways of translating
Paul mislead today's reader and introduce a mystifying complexity
into scholarship on Paul. Taking the reader step-by-step through a
painstaking restoration of the meaning of Paul's text, the colour
and form of Paul's original vision are revealed.
The Gospel of Matthew is treasured as the Gospel of the Sermon on
the Mount, and Jesus' teaching sets it apart from the other
Gospels. It is precious to generation after generation of
Christians because of its fusion of gospel and ethics, of faith and
morality. This commentary proceeds unit by unit, rather than verse
by verse, to emphasize what each passage of Matthew means to the
author of the Gospel and to the modern church. Douglas Hare shows
that the purpose of Matthew's writing is to convince Christians
that a genuine faith in Christ must be demonstrated in daily
obedience and that faith and ethics are two sides of the same coin.
According to Hare, the turning point in Matthew is the narrative of
Peter's confession and the subsequent passion announcement. His
commentary stresses the close connection between the Great
Commission, with which the Gospel closes, and the moral imperatives
of the Sermon on the Mount.
The series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft (BZAW) covers all areas of research into the Old
Testament, focusing on the Hebrew Bible, its early and later forms
in Ancient Judaism, as well as its branching into many neighboring
cultures of the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world.
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.
This book provides the reader a uniquely comprehensive and
exegetical study of "eternal covenant."A perusal of Old Testament
covenant studies shows that Berit Olam lacks significant scholarly
attention. This is surprising since even a quick glance at the
eighteen instances shows that though the phrase occurs relatively
infrequently it resides within very important passages in the Old
Testament, and is connected to some of the most prominent figures
of the Old Testament story. Moreover, when Berit Olam is addressed
in scholarship it is generally conceived as an unbreakable,
unilateral promise. But is this an accurate assessment of Berit
Olam? What is an eternal covenant? How does an eternal covenant
work? What are the relationships between the respective eternal
covenants? What ideas of the text are we referring to when talk
about an eternal covenant?This book answers these sorts of
questions involving eternal covenant in the Bible by beginning with
an exegetical study of Berit Olam in the Pentateuch.Over the last
30 years this pioneering series has established an unrivalled
reputation for cutting-edge international scholarship in Biblical
Studies and has attracted leading authors and editors in the field.
The series takes many original and creative approaches to its
subjects, including innovative work from historical and theological
perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and more
recent developments in cultural studies and reception history.
God doesn't demand hectic church programs and frenetic schedules;
he only wants his people to know him more intimately, says
top-selling author D. A. Carson. The apostle Paul found that
spiritual closeness in his own fellowship with the Father. By
following Paul's example, we can do the same. This book calls
believers to reject superficiality and revolutionize their lives by
embracing a God-guided approach to prayer. Previously published as
A Call to Spiritual Reformation, this book has now been updated to
connect more effectively with contemporary readers. A study guide,
DVD, and leader's kit for the book are available through Lifeway
and The Gospel Coalition.
Translated by Allan W. MahnkeA pioneering history of Old Testament
law from its scarcely discernable origins in the pre-monarchical
period to the canonisation of the Pentateuch.Praise for THE
TORAH'Crusemann and Houtman has enormously enriched the field; it
will attract the serious attention of scholars for many years to
come.' B. S. Jackson, University of Manchester, Journal of Semitic
Studies>
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Deuteronomy
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A study of the growth of Joshua and Judges illustrates how the
theme of divine anger has been used differently, according to
different historical and social settings. In the deuteronomistic
texts the main reason for God's anger is idolatry, which symbolizes
a totally negative attitude to everything that God has done or
given to the Israelites. This theology of anger is deeply bound to
experiences of national catastrophes or threats of crises, and
reflects the theological enigma of the exile. A century later,
post-deuteronomistic theology gives a wholly different view: the
anger of God becomes an instrument of the power struggles between
the Israelite parties, or is used for protecting existing
leadership.
This monograph presents a fresh and detailed treatment of the
problems posed by the Nehemiah-Memoir. Starting from the
pre-critical interpretations of Ezra-Neh, the study demonstrates
that the use of the first-person does not suffice as a criterion
for distinguishing between the verba Neemiae and the additions of
later authors. The earliest edition of the Memoir isconfined to a
building report, which was expanded as early generations of readers
developed the implications of Nehemiah's accomplishments for the
consolidation and centralization of Judah. The expansions
occasioned in turn the composition of the history of the
"Restoration" in Ezra-Neh.
Holmes examines four exegetical devices employed by all sides in
the debate on 1 Tim. 2.9-15, proposing that together they create a
'whirlwind' effect which obscures the text's meaning. She concludes
that (1) the immediate context is general, not ecclesial; (2)
background often reconstructed from passages elsewhere in the
Pastorals is misleading; (3) comparison with 1 Cor. 14.34-35 can
similarly mislead; and (4) the conjunction gar ('for') has been
allowed unduly to dominate interpretation. The writer of the
letter, it is argued, has been misunderstood since very early in
the Christian era, his intention having been simply to moderate
women's everyday behaviour in ways that parallel the behaviour he
requires of men.
The series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft (BZAW) covers all areas of research into the Old
Testament, focusing on the Hebrew Bible, its early and later forms
in Ancient Judaism, as well as its branching into many neighboring
cultures of the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world.
This volume of the New Testament Library offers a thorough and
careful commentary on the complicated book of Hebrews, showing its
meaning within the context of ancient culture and the theological
development of the early church. Written by one of the leading New
Testament scholars of the present generation, this commentary
offers remarkable insights into the Hellenistic, Roman, and Jewish
contexts of the book of Hebrews.
The New Testament Library offers authoritative commentary on
every book and major aspect of the New Testament, as well as
classic volumes of scholarship. The commentaries in this series
provide fresh translations based on the best available ancient
manuscripts, offer critical portrayals of the historical world in
which the books were created, pay careful attention to their
literary design, and present a theologically perceptive exposition
of the text.
Hebrew Biblical narratives are notoriously sparing in their
portrayal of character, leaving much to the reader. Here a number
of scholars assume the identities of some familiar biblical
characters, and use the clues in the text, their own exegetical
skills and knowledge of the biblical world, and their readerly
imagination to fill in the gaps of the biblical text. In doing so,
they remove the point of view of biblical narratives from the
narrator to one of the characters, allowing the ideology of the
text to be affirmed, adjusted or challenged. Contributors to this
volume include Francis Landy, Athalya Brenner, Yairah Amit, John
Goldingay, Jonathan Magonet, Hugh Pyper, and Philip Davies, and the
biblical characters include Rahab, Isaiah, Gomer, Eve, Delilah,
Joseph, Jeremiah and Haman.
This detailed examination of the "Torah" (the first five books of
the Bible) lays particular emphasis on the role and character of
the Torah's transcendent God, as its central protagonist. Viewing
both the 'Torah' and its God as purely human creations, humanist
Jordan Jay Hillman seeks in no way to devalue this hugely
influential book. His aim instead is to reinterpret it as a still
vital text that used theistic means appropriate to its time to
inspire people toward their worthiest human purposes. It is thus
for its 'timeless themes' rather than its 'dated particularities'
(including its model of a transcendent God) that we should honour
the 'Torah' in our time as both the wellspring of Judaic culture
and a major influence on Christian and Islamic ethics and morals.
From his humanist perspective and his background as a lawyer and
professor of law at North-western University (now emeritus),
Hillman offers many insights into the narrative and wide-ranging
legal code of "Genesis", "Exodus", "Leviticus", "Numbers", and
"Deuteronomy"- including their many contradictions and anomalies.
His analysis draws on a broad scholarly consensus regarding the
'Documentary Theory', as it bears on the identities and periods of
the Torah's human sources. This thorough explication of an often
misunderstood ancient text will help humanists, and many theists
alike, to appreciate the rich moral, ethical, and cultural heritage
of the 'Torah' and its enduring relevance to our time.
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