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.

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.

Life is a hot mess. There's the bedlam of getting out the door in the morning. The constant breaking down of our homes and bodies and the cars we drive. And the institutions that promise to help are often no better. We are surrounded by the constant disorder of governments and disappointed by "organized" religion, the very entities that tell us they can provide us sanity and security. Instead, they leave us scratching our heads or licking our wounds. Chaos surrounds us, and at times, it seems to rule our souls, our families, and our world. But does chaos always end in failure or flaw? What if chaos was more than the check engine light of lost causes? What if chaos was the raw material out of which God creates? In the beginning God brought order from chaos, filling the chaos with a beautiful creation, and he's been doing it ever since. Where you and I may experience confusion and disorder, God sees an opportunity for something new--for a rebirth, a renewal, and a renovation. God did this in the beginning, he did it again at the cross, and with renewed vision for our disordered world today, we look to God to do it again. Inspired by the powerful picture of creation in Genesis 1:2, author Jessica LaGrone challenges the hope-destroying belief that God has abandoned us in our broken relationships, our pain, and our grief. In the midst of our out-of-control lives, God is there, and he specializes in making new things from the chaos threatens to drown us. When we experience chaos in our own lives and everything feels like it is falling apart, God is just getting started. When the Spirit of God hovers, chaos can give birth to hope.

Here Robert Jenson offers a systematic theologian's careful reading of the Song of Songs. Jenson focuses on the overt sense of the book as an erotic love poem in order to discover how this evocative poetry solicits a theological reading. Jenson finds a story of human love for God in this complex poetic book and offers a commentary that elucidates and inspires.

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.

Most of us get hope all wrong. We hope for better health, a generous pay rise or good grades for our children. Our wishful thinking may or may not have a good outcome, but when it does, it never leaves us satisfied. This 30-day devotional in the Food for the Journey series shows us that Christian hope, by contrast, is guaranteed and eternal, dealing with certainties: Christ's death for us, his forgiveness of sin and our hope of heaven when we die. Covering passages from Matthew, 1 Peter, Romans, 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians and Revelation, in this devotional some of the Keswick Convention's most beloved preachers - including Don Carson, Ray Ortlund and Jonathan Lamb - unpack the Bible's teaching on hope. In self-contained daily devotions they show us how we can enjoy the pleasures of earth knowing that they point to the far greater delights we'll experience one day in God's presence. In a small, easily portable format, Hope is perfect for carrying around with you on the go. Like all the Food for the Journey books, its undated format means you can start and finish at any time of the year, and work through it at your own pace. Whether you are looking to renew your own sense of hope and wonder at God's goodness, or want to dig more deeply into what the Bible teaches us about hope, this little devotional is packed full of wisdom that will help strengthen your faith in your walk with Christ. 'The hope set before us' is far greater than we can ever imagine. This devotional shows the glorious contours of our inexhaustible hope, offering encouragement and reassurance, whatever our present circumstances may be.

The nature of Lukan christology has been much debated in recent years, with scholars claiming the pre-eminence of such categories as Lord, Prophet, Christ, or Isaianic Servant. In the present work the author examines one major theme within Luke's christology, that of the coming king from the line of David. A study of the Lukan birth narrative and the speeches in Acts reveals that Luke shows a strong interest in this royal-messianic theme, introducing it into passages which are introductory and programmatic for his christology as a sermon, portraying Jesus in strongly prophetic terms. The author seeks a synthesis of these seemingly conflicting royal and prophetic portraits in Luke's interpretation of the Old Testament book of Isaiah. When Isaiah is read as a unity, the eschatological deliverer is at the same time Davidic king (Isa. 9.11), suffering servant of Yahweh (Isa. 42-53), and prophet herald of salvation (Isa. 61), leading God's people on an eschatological new exodus. On the basis of this synthesis the christology of Luke-Acts is seen to be both consistent and unified, forming an integral part of Luke's wider purpose in his two-volume work.

This work employs an eclectic mix of structuralist and post-structuralist theories in a doomed attempt to discover the symbolic logic at work in Zechariah 1-8's surreal narrative world. Lengthy analyses of Zechariah's intra- and intertextual logic, or lack thereof, are presented. It is finally concluded that Zechariah lacks a concrete symbolic logic, defies grammatical conventions and is 'unreadable' as it stands-and always was this way. One suggestion is that it was the intent of the author, conceived of in a postmodern way, to produce such a work. It is finally concluded that the 'post-prophetic' age of Hebrew literature has much in common with the postmodern.

No two works in the Pauline Epistles resemble each other as closely as Colossians and Ephesians. Often recognized for their majestic tone and powerful theological statement, Colossians and Ephesians also present many challenges of interpretation. Most commentaries on these letters seem preoccupied with the same few issues, particularly the question of authorship. As MacDonald addresses these classic questions, she offers a fresh perspective on Colossians and Ephesians by making use of insights from the social sciences. Moreover, by paying attention to subtle differences between the two letters, she brings their distinct perspectives into sharp relief.

MacDonald highlights the interplay between Colossians and Ephesians and the social life of New Testament communities. She illustrates how the texts reflect ancient cultural values and are influenced by particular aspects of community life such as worship and household existence. In particular, she reflects on the issues faced by these communities as they formed institutions and interacted with the society around them. She shows the struggles of the New Testament communities to survive and maintain a distinct identity in first-century society.

Chapters under "Colossians" are Greeting (1:1-2)," "Thanksgiving for the Colossians (1:3-8)," "Prayer on Behalf of the Colossians (1:9-14, )" "The Christ-Hymn (1:15-20),""Application of Hymn to the Situation in Colossae (1:21-23)," "Paul's Authority in Colossae and Laodicea (1:24-2:7)," "Debate with the Opponents: The Power of the Risen Christ (2:8-15)," "Debate with the Opponents: Warnings Against Ascetic Practices (2:16-23)," "New Life in Light of the Resurrection (3:1-4)," "Ethical Guidelines for a New Life (3:5-17)," "The Households of Believers(3:18-4:1)," "Prayer, Mission, and Contact with Outsiders (4:2-6)," "Conclusion: Personal Notes and Greetings (4:7-18)."

Chapters under "Ephesians" are "Greeting (1:1-2)," "Blessing (1:3-14)," "Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:15-23)," "The Consequences of Life Together with Christ (2:1-10)," "The Unity of Jews and Gentiles Created by Christ (2:11-22)," "The Apostle as Interpreter of the Divine Mystery (3:1-13)," "Prayer and Doxology (3:14-21)," "The Unity of the Spirit (4:1-16)," "The Sons of Disobedience and the Children of Light (4:17-5:20)," "The Households of Believers (5:21-6:9)," "Doing Battle with Evil (6:10-20)," "Conclusion: Personal Matters and Final Blessing (6:21-24)."

"Margaret Y. MacDonald is a professor in the department of religious studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.""

The books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel contain the majority of the biblical accounts of prophetic sign-actions. By analysing these two prophets' actions according to the terms and concepts used in studies of nonverbal communication and rhetoric, this work seeks to bring conceptual and terminological clarity to the discussion of prophetic sign-acts and to enhance the perception of the prophets as persuasive communicators. Rather than prophetic sign-acts being viewed as having a magical derivation or as being inherently efficacious in bringing about what they portray, the sign-acts are viewed as being primarily forms of nonverbal communication whose purpose was to have a persuasive impact upon spectators.

Using Luke's own prologue as the guideline for his commentary, Fred B. Craddock calls attention to the continuities between Jesus and his heritage in Judaism and the church after him. Like Luke, Craddock assumes the reader is not only a believer but also a leader in the community of faith.

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.

Paul's letter to the Galatians, sometimes known as the Magna Carta of Christian liberty, is central to the understanding of the relation of Paul and the Law and is packed with crucial historical, social and theological material. Philip F. Esler provides a detailed and accessible interpretation of the text, which draws on contemporary and modern literary models. He outlines the problems often associated with reading Galatians, the context of the text, the rhetoric of the text and the intercultural and social implications of Galatians. Galatians includes comprehensive indices of ancient sources and modern sources, detailed references and an appendix discussing Paul's attitude to the Law in Romans 5.20-21. Galatians presents a succinct and emminently readable analysis of a dense and important New Testament text.

In the Old Testament, an anointed one would be a king or a member of the temple hierarchy, such as a priest or a Levite. In the New Testament, Paul introduced an entirely different understanding of Christ. A Christ of God was anyone anointed with the life of God as His offspring, whether or not that the person was aware of being a child of God. The word "Christian" applied only to those who chose to be born again by being raised from the dead. Thus, we must let go of the life we have been living in order to take on the life of God. We are then a Christ of God, just as Jesus was a Christ of God. In a detailed study of this concept, the Reverend Canon George Cummings contextualizes his lifelong reading and study of the Scriptures, following the thread of the message of the Gospel from its origin in the Old Testament to its triumphant re-emergence and re-signification in the writings the New Testament. Drawing upon his years of reflection and use of Greek text, Cummings posits a conception of the presence of God as Christ in us, so that we might live the life of God as it is revealed in the person of Jesus, the Messenger of the New Covenant.

An expert Bible teacher unpacks key passages from Romans.

Although many scholars consider Luke 17:22-37 to be "the most important eschatological passage in Luke-Acts, " few agree on the precise meaning of the enigmatic proverb which forms its conclusion (Luke 17:37). Generally, Jesus' logion is taken to convey a macabre image of impending judgement. However, this study offers fresh literary, redactional, and historical evidence to suggest that Luke recast Jesus' saying in order to describe something much more glorious -- the deliverance of the elect. Examination of the material elsewhere in Luke-Acts corroborates Luke's expectation of an ethereal reunion, and suggests that this hope constitutes the most characteristic feature of Lukan eschatology.

The first part of this collection is devoted to one of the key questions of the 'Synoptic Problem': the literary and christological relationship between Mark and Q. The second part deals with the 'Third Quest' for the historical Jesus, concentrating on his teaching and its cultural context. These interrelated themes each attract detailed analysis of their methodology as well as their impact on New Testament studies generally, providing a very useful introduction to the state of research in these important fields.

Readers of all persuasions have a tendency to privilege simple interpretations over complex, unsettling, readings. The more fraught the issue, the more often we find in the history of interpretation that a simple reading has been generated that masks its complexity. 'Longing for Egypt and Other Unexpected Biblical Tales' explores seven cases of textual complexity masked by simple readings. One chapter uncovers a counter-intuitive longing for Egypt alongside the Exodus account of liberation from persecution. Another shows how what appears to be a critical attitude in the Bible towards other gods may reflect inner-Israelite tensions rather than some principled antipathy toward others. Yet another confronts the praise of God as a perfect king with the use of the language of divine kingship as a vehicle for constructive criticism. All seven chapters share a focus on the formation of identity. Arguably the Bible's most sensitive subject, for its authors and for present-day readers, this topic has generated a host of simple readings that conceal immense complexity.