First published in 1910, "The Christ Myth" drew violent criticism from theologians, the press, and the public. Eminent German philosopher Arthur Drews (1865-1935) reacts to the 'romantic cult of Jesus', which, he says is undermining intellectual truthfulness. He exposes the Jesus of the gospels as a mythical character, arguing that no basis exists for seeking a historical figure behind the Christ myth. Through a comparative study of ancient religions, Drews shows that Christianity is a syncretism of various pagan and Jewish beliefs, and that a strong pre-Christian cult of Jesus as son of God and messiah existed. This is a valuable sourcebook for students of religion, and all those interested in examining the origins of Christianity.

Written by the man Time magazine called one of the seven best preachers in America, The Good Book is a brilliant and inspiring look at the Bible today. Beginning with a bracing crash course in biblical literacy and interpretation, Gomes proceeds to rescue the Bible from those who would misuse its passages to alienate and exclude. In stirring chapters on what the Bible says to us about anti-Semitism, women, homosexuality, and race, Gomes suggests new ways to read and interpret Scripture. Finally, with compassion, humor, and refreshing originality, Gomes seeks to illuminate what the Bible has to say about suffering, joy, evil, temptation, wealth, science, mystery, and the good life. This wise book gives us the tools we need to make the Bible a dynamic, living, and transforming part of our daily lives.
-- A major national bestseller: The Good Book appeared on The New York Times, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, and Wordstock bestseller lists.

"Brilliant and thought-provoking...a wonderful road map to a text that, if read properly, can provide solace and wisdom in troubled times". -- Boston Globe

"This fine work reflects Gomes's great intelligence, open mind, humanity, wisdom, and struggle to understand the meaning of life and God's word". -- Marian Wright Edelman, President, the Children's Defense Fund

"I am thrilled by this book...easily the best contemporaryy book on the Bible for thoughtful people...a triumph of scholarship and devotion". -- The Right Reverend Lord Runcie, 102nd Archbishop of Canterbury

Where Can You Find the Kind of Love You Truly Need?
Most people–even those with a deep faith–fail to really grasp the incredibly deep and passionate love God has for them. And yet so many personal problems and needs can be traced back to this misunderstanding of God. The result, as Ruth Myers points out, is “a lack of true identity–a lack of inner sureness about who we are.” Ultimately, everyone is on the same quest: to find and know the perfect love of God.

The Perfect Love opens the Scriptures to reveal one delightful discovery of God's love after another. With this study guide, you can explore those same Bible passages and make your own life-changing discoveries about God’s love. Come along on a journey that plumbs the depths of this amazing love. The treasures you’ll find as you dig into the Scriptures will leave you in awe of God’s love for you–the only love that truly satisfies.

Grace in Galatia is an innovative socio-rhetorical study of Paul's most polemical letter. Ben Witherington breaks new ground by analyzing the whole of Galatians as a deliberative discourse meant to forestall the Galatians from submitting to circumcision and the Jewish law. The commentary features the latest discussion of major problems in Pauline studies, including Paul's view of the law and the relationship between the historical data in Galatians and in Acts. Yet the narrative character of Witherington's work allows it to remain exceedingly accessible. The volume also includes sections following the major divisions of the commentary that point to the relevance of the text for believers today, making Grace in Galatia of special value to pastors and general readers as well as students and scholars.

Beginning with a brief overview of the Bible's structure and history, the authors highlight the development of the canon, point out the major events in the story of the Bible's translation into English, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the different contemporary English translations of Scripture.

The purpose of this textbook is to introduce Bible students and translators to the basic compositional structure and literary style of Hebrew poetry, especially the lyric-liturgical poetry found in the Book of Psalms. Wendland follows a "discourse analysis" approach--examining different aspects of the poetic texts as an integrated whole. His primary focus is upon the formal features of the psalms, but elements of content (key terms) and function (psalm types or genres) also receive due consideration. Dr. Wendland teaches at the Lutheran Bible Institute and Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia, and is a United Bible Societies Translation Consultant. He is the author of numerous studies on the Bantu languages of South Central Africa, biblical exegesis, and translation theory.

Rice's commentary on I Kings is part of the International Theological Commentary which has as its goal bringing the Old Testament alive in the worldwide church and moving beyond the usual critical-historical approach to the Bible. It is particularly sensitive to issues of special concern to those who live outside the "Christian" West.

Vawter's study on the Book of Ezekiel is a contribution to the International Theological Commentary, whose goal is to bring the Old Testament alive in the worldwide church. In moving beyond the usual critical-historical approach to the Bible, the series offers a distinctive theological interpretation of the Hebrew text.

Using an approach similar to that in his book "Parables from the Back Side, "popular author J. Ellsworth Kalas brings a new perspective to selected Old Testament stories by approaching them from the back side through a unique starting point, a creative retelling, a new lens, or the eyes of a minor or unsympathetic character. Chapter titles and Scripture: The Second Sin (Genesis 3:1-13); The Importance of Naming Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24); Because My Mother Told Me (Exodus 2:1-10); Moses Midlife Crisis (Exodus 2:11-22); Patron Saint of the Minority Report (Numbers 13:1-3, 25-33); Tragic Son, Tragic Father (Judges 11:1-6, 30-35); Honey in the Lion (Judges 14:5-14); Beauty and the Beast (1 Samuel 25:2-42); A Refugee at the King s Table (2 Samuel 9:1-13); In Defense of Job s Wife (Job 2:1-10); Jonah s Christmas Story (Jonah 3:1-6, 10; Matthew 12:38-42); God Is Better Than His Plans (Ruth 1:1-5; 4:13-17). Includes 12 Sessions with a study guide."

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.""--2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) Everyone who studies and teaches the Bible has a responsibility to accurately interpret and communicate God's message. Understanding the principles of sound interpretation, therefore, is of vital importance. Pastors, Bible teachers, and anyone who studies the Scriptures will appreciate the helpful guidance of this collection of scholarship. Rightly Divided" brings together the insights of twenty-one experienced Bible scholars in the field of hermeneutics, providing a basic overview of hermeneutics and also addressing specific issues of interpretation. Included are chapters by: Darrell L. Bock--"Evangelicals and the Use of the Old Testament in the New" G. B. Caird--"Ambiguity in the Bible" Norman Geisler--"The Relation of Purpose and Meaning in Interpreting Scripture" Walter C. Kaiser Jr.--"Issues in Contemporary Hermeneutics" I. Howard Marshall--"The Holy Spirit and the Interpretation of Scripture" J. Robertson McQuilken--"Identifying the Audience God Intended" Bernard Ramm--"The Devotional and Practical Use of the Bible" Roy B. Zuck--"The What and Why of Bible Interpretation"

Casey offers fascinating insights into how the prayerful experience of lectio divina can be sustained and invigorated by the techniques of sacred reading--techniques distilled from the author's deep acquaintance with the Bible and the ancient books of Western spirituality.

J. Benton White claims that both modernists and fundamentalists believe in the Bible and take it seriously. Here he surveys the many Protestant approaches to the Bible and then focuses on the issues raised by each group during this century. He gives special attention to Protestants' struggle with the question of how the Bible should be understood. By doing so, he helps individuals examine this crucial question and allows them to draw their own conclusions. White focuses on Martin Luther's affirmation of the "Protestant principle" of the Bible alone, then follows debate up to the present.

This volume guides readers through the world of the Bible, the land where the decisive religious experiences of the ancient Israelites and the earliest Christians took place. One cannot understand Judaism or Christianity without knowing not only the history and culture but also the geography of the biblical lands. Here the authors bring together the fruits of contemporary historical and archaeological research to introduce the writings, events, and, most important the land of the Bible. The Land and the Book provides an overview of the geography and the history of the Bible by the use of brief descriptions of each of the major areas in which the events of the biblical narrative took place ( primarily Palestine, Egypt, and Syria) and reviews of the history of ancient Israel, beginning with the patriachs and continuing through the New Testament era and the crusader period to the present. Extensive archaeological and historical descriptions set the stage for a more thorough understanding of the biblical drama by detailing the natural environment of a site; the human artifacts, buildings, and structures discovered there; and the manner in which all illuminate the biblical material * Includes charts and descriptions of archaeological periods, a chronological chart of biblical events, and a glossary of terms-- helps the reader better understand the world of the Bible.

In this book, W. Dow Edgerton reviews narratives from the Bible, the Talmud, Greek mythology, and modern fiction in order to provide a better understanding of the nature and work of interpretation. Disclosed are rich, complex, and compelling possibilities for imagining the work of interpretation and what it means to do that work in a time when so much is needed and so much is possible.

The Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation series explores current trends within the discipline of biblical interpretation by dealing with the literary qualities of the Bible: the play of its language, the coherence of its final form, and the relationships between text and readers. Biblical interpreters are being challenged to take responsibility for the theological, social, and ethical implications of their readings. This series encourages original readings that breach the confines of traditional biblical criticism.

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.

One of the world's leading feminist theologians demonstrates how reading the Bible can be spiritually and politically empowering for women. Schussler Fiorenza challenges us to destroy the dominant models of biblical interpretations that have held some people in subordination and to construct m"

The comprehensive introductions from Westermann's great three-volume commentary on Genesis are now presented in a convenient form for both students and scholars. Three major parts--primeval events, the patriarchal story, and the Joseph story--include historical discussion, theological reflection, and detailed bibliographies. The result is an authoritative introduction to the composition, interpretation, and theology of the first book of the Hebrew Bible.

From the author of the best-selling book THE GLASGOW GOSPEL, comes the Good News in Scots this time. The well known story of Jesus of Nazareth is re-enacted in the 'gutsy vernacular' of the Scots tongue-delightful and dramatic, it 'demands to be aired publicly, or read aloud around the family fire .... ' The Herald