There is an increasing recognition that we need to engage the Bible as a collection of books. But we haven't been taught to read or study the Bible on the book level. Almost all of our approaches to the Bible are based on chapters, verses, or sections, so how do we change this? The units of meaning in the Bible are not chapters, or verses, or topical sections, but the literary compositions that God inspired to create the Scriptures. If we want to know the meaning of God's word, we need to engage these compositions on their own terms. This means understanding why they were written, what kind of writing they are, how they are put together, and what major themes and ideas they develop and pursue. This book answers these questions for each of the books in the Bible by presenting expanded versions of the book introductions included inThe Books of The Bible, an edition of the Scriptures from Biblica that presents the biblical books in their natural literary form, without chapters and verses.

This study subjects the conventional processes of literary criticism to a critical analysis which shows up the weaknesses of arguments from literary criticism in the Old Testament. It explores new ways for literary criticism using a concept of text derived from modern literary theories together with statistical procedures for the examination of style.

Time after time choosing selfishness over selflessness, human beings invariably destroy themselves and wreck their societies. Only God can help, says Genesis. Yet God refuses to coerce. Instead he works with individual men and women who turn around--who stop trying to make a name for themselves and start trying to be a blessing to others. The transformation is slow and arduous. God waits. Captured in one of the world's best and best-known stories, this dynamic between God and recreated individuals leads from the universal chaos of Babel to blessing for all our world's peoples. Unfortunately, most of us overlook the dramatic story of God's work in early time because we read Scripture in disjointed pieces--and we think we've heard it all before We miss the suspenseful, sweeping narrative of interconnected events. We miss the nuances of emotion and relationship between the characters. Now inGenesis: The Story We Haven't Heard Paul Borgman fits the pieces back together--revealing God's story as if it had never been read before.

"What good does it do to say that the words of the Bible] are inspired by God if most people have absolutely no access to these words, but only to more or less clumsy renderings of these words into a language? . . . How does it help us to say that the Bible is the inerrant word of God if in fact we don't have the words that God inerrantly inspired? . . . We have only error-ridden copies, and the vast majority of these are centuries removed from the originals." So contends Bart D. Ehrman in his bestselling Misquoting Jesus. If altogether true, we have little reason to put our confidence in Scripture. Add to this Ehrman's contention that what we read in the New Testament represents the winners' version of events, twisted to suit their own purposes and not at all a faithful recounting of what really happened, and the case for skepticism and unbelief gives every appearance of being on solid footing. But are things really so bad off? Were the New Testament documents widely distorted by copyists? Can we in fact have no idea what was in the originals? Do we have no hope of knowing what eyewitnesses said and thought? Are other documents left out of the New Testament better sources for understanding early Christianity? While readily conceding that Ehrman has many of his facts straight, pastor and researcher Timothy Paul Jones argues that Ehrman is far too quick to jump to false and unnecessary conclusions. In clear, straightforward prose, Jones explores and explains the ins and outs of copying the New Testament, why lost Christianities were lost, and why the Christian message still rings true today.

Blech argues that both Christianity and Judaism are responsible for anti-Semitism in claiming divine revelation as the source of their scriptures.

Do you want to study the Bible on your own but find yourself overwhelmed by complicated, cumbersome study methods? Are you a group leader looking for exciting resources to bring new life to your teaching? Is your time in the Word dry and lifeless, or do you find Scripture hard to understand? Victoria Johnson--a busy speaker, teacher, author and mother--has discovered an easy-to-follow method that has made Bible study come alive for her and for many others she has taught. In this book she reveals seven practical principles for study that can transform your life. Related with passion, warmth, wisdom and humor, Johnson's step-by-step instructions can help both individuals and groups discover the power of Bible study for themselves. Originally published asBible Study for Busy Women, this revised edition also includes a twelve-week study guide for small groups and study helps for leaders.

It is plain even from Paul's own writings that other presentations of the Christian message than his own were current during his apostolic career. With some of these other presentations he is quite happy; against others he found it necessary to put his readers on their guard. In these four studies originally presented as the inaugural series of Didsbury Lectures at the British Isles Nazarene College, Manchester, F.F. Bruce discusses what we know about the history of non-Pauline Christianity in the first century. Judiciously drawing upon material from the whole of the New Testament, he relates it to other early Christian literature in order to provide a highly readable outline of an important area. But, as he warns, this book does not study the literature for its own sake. Instead, it focuses on the leaders of early non-Pauline Christianity, with their associates, from whom the literature provides indispensable evidence. The topics covered are: Chapter 1: Peter and the Eleven Chapter 2: Stephen and Other Hellenists Chapter 3: James and the Church of Jerusalem Chapter 4: John and his Circle

This study presents comprehensive documentation relating to the Sahidic, Bohairic, Achmimic and Dialect V translations of the Epistle of St. James and the two Epistles of St. Peter from the Greek New Testament.

It is imperative for every growing Christian to study the Bible. Volume one of this new series will enrich both the believer’s knowledge and life with its survey of the Old Testament.

Chapters conclude with projects, questions and exploration activities that not only test readers’ grasp of the materials but also provide opportunity for more detailed and intensive study.

This well-executed work does much to acquaint people with the Old Testament’s major divisions and its amazing unity as a whole–all of which can lead to a deeper faith.

An interpretation of Leviticus 20, updated for publication. In addition to classical methods of exegesis, it also uses other approaches, particularly those from cultural anthropology. The study first clarifies the scholarly prerequisites for an interpretation of the text, working on the assumption that Leviticus 17-26 is an integral part of the Priestly Source ("P" text). The text itself is examined in both its synchronic and diachronic aspects and identified as a reader and sermon which reflects internal Jewish conflicts in the post-exile community. The whole of the formulaic content of the death sentences contained in Leviticus 20 is analysed thoroughly and discussed against the background of the thesis of "social death" (H.-P. Hasenfratz). Within the text complex of Leviticus 11-22, Leviticus 20 is concerned with irreversible impurity, which leads to exclusion from Israel, and the concluding interpretation of Israel as a people sacred to YHWH. The study closes with a theology of Leviticus 20 and a preview of the history of capital punishment in later Judaism.

Is the creation story in Genesis nothing more than a botched version of a Babylonian myth? Is 'free will' illusory? Are the Jesuits really educated men? In these three classic essays "The Forgery of the Old Testament", "The Myth of Immortality" and "Lies of Religious Literature" Joseph McCabe (1867-1955), ex-priest and the 'world's greatest scholar', exposes the inconsistencies, absurdities, and outright mendacity that lie behind the most revered texts and 'truths' of Christianity. With forcefulness, clarity, and often biting humor, McCabe attacks two millennia of Christian tradition which, he says, must withdraw before the weapons of science and reason.

Have we really heard the message of Colossians? Is this New Testament book just another religious text whose pretext is an ideological grab for dominating power? Reading Colossians in context, ancient and contemporary, can perhaps give us new ears to hear. In this innovative and refreshing book Brian J. Walsh and Sylvia C. Keesmaat explain our own sociocultural context to then help us get into the world of the New Testament and get a sense of the power of the gospel as it addressed those who lived in Colossae two thousand years ago. Their reading presents us with a radical challenge from the apostle Paul for today. Drawing together biblical scholarship with a passion for authentic lives that embody the gospel, this groundbreaking interpretation of Colossians provides us with tools to subvert the empire of our own context in a way that acknowledges the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

Originally published at the turn of the century, this classic work by a French priest and historian attempts to understand the role of Catholic dogma in a world undergoing wide-ranging changes in science, social science, historical analysis, and cultural study. His inquiries, and those of other priests and scholars, ignited a controversy within the Catholic church that culminated in Pope Pius X's intervention in 1907 with his encyclical condemning these so-called 'Modernist' views. Not since the tumult of Martin Luther's Reformation has the church undergone such internal conflict.The Modernists questioned the inerrancy of Scripture and its use as historical evidence, the historicity and divinity of Jesus, the authority of church doctrine, and other dogmas of the Catholic faith. Their efforts to embrace the separation of church and state, to assure freedom of individual conscience, and to reconcile Christians with non-Christians and non-believers were viewed by the Vatican and the Holy See to destroy the Catholic church from within. For his efforts on behalf of free religious inquiry, Loisy was forced to leave his teaching post, "The Gospel and the Church" was censured and placed on the Vatican's Index of Forbidden Books, and in 1908 Loisy was formally excommunicated. This volume includes the text of Loisy's controversial work plus two valuable additions: an informative introduction by famed biblical scholar R. Joseph Hoffmann that places the book in its proper historical context, and the complete text of the papal encyclical condemning the Modernist movement.

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.

From the quote aficionado to the historical researcher, fans of Bartlett's will be thrilled to see BARTLETT'S BIBLE QUOTATIONS. Assembled in a new format to delight both researchers and casual readers, BARTLETT'S BIBLE QUOTATIONS is an essential collection of Bible quotes pulled from the prestigious BARTLETT'S FAMILIAR QUOTATIONS. It is both a valuable reference tool and an eminent collection to be browsed through for pleasure. The quotes are organised simply and elegantly, from Genesis to Revelations, and include Psalms, Proverbs, and the Apocrypha. Bartlett's highlights the essential passages of the beloved text (originally from the King James Version), from the educational to the ethical, from stern to stirring, creating a view of the Bible unlike any other.