This French work presents an exegetic and theological interpretation of Qoheleth's speech on riches (Ecclesiastes 5:9-6:6). The detailed exegetic analysis distinguishes the existential meaning from the anthropological and theological meaning, and develops a rhetorical figure of wisdom which is characterised by two aspects - either the denial of God or the reference to God. Using a parallel to the Book of Job, the intertextuality of the discourse of wisdom becomes clear. To the extent that the critical literary and the hermeneutic approach foregrounds the text in its final form, it points directly to the internal tension of the text, which is marked by contrasts, and questions the conditions of the process of composition. This approach also provides a new access to Qoheleth's provocative thinking.

Good and evil, clean and unclean, rich and poor, self and other. The nature and function of such binary oppositions have long intrigued scholars in such fields as philosophy, linguistics, classics, and anthropology. From the opening chapters of Genesis, in which God separates day from night, and Adam and Eve partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, dyadic pairs proliferate throughout the Hebrew Bible. In this groundbreaking work melding critical exegesis and contemporary theory, Saul M. Olyan considers the prevalence of polarities in biblical discourse and expounds their significance for the social and religious institutions of ancient Israel. Extant biblical narrative and legal texts reveal a set of socially constructed and culturally privileged binary oppositions, Olyan argues, which instigate and perpetuate hierarchical social relations in ritual settings such as the sanctuary.

Focusing on four binary pairs--holy/common, Israelite/alien, clean/unclean, and whole/blemished--Olyan shows how these privileged oppositions were used to restrict access to cultic spaces, such as the temple or the Passover table. These ritual sites, therefore, became the primary contexts for creating and recreating unequal social relations. Olyan also uncovers a pattern of challenge to the established hierarchies by nonprivileged groups. Converging with contemporary issues of power, marginalization, and privileging, Olyan's painstaking yet lucid study abounds with implications for anthropology, classics, critical theory, and feminist studies.

The study examines the thesis widely held in religious studies and theology that in the ancient world there was a close link between the possession of citizenship and the chance - and also the obligation - to engage in cult. There is a critical discussion of different versions of this thesis. The study presents, translates and interprets epigraphic and literary sources on cultic practice and religious law from the Hellenistic Age from Greek poleis, Rome and Judaism.

Spirit-filled believers will find new resources for understanding the Bible and applying biblical themes to their day-to-day lives in these interactive study guides.

Written from a Pentecostal/Charismatic viewpoint, these interactive studies introduce believers to the books of the Bible and offer a thorough and balanced understanding of key themes of the Bible.

By studying the themes of the books, as well as the books themselves, these interactive studies offer groups and individuals a Spirit-filled perspective of the Bible's message for today.

Eat This Book challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God?'s revelation, and to live them as we read them. With warmth and wisdom Peterson offers greatly needed, down-to-earth counsel on spiritual reading. In these pages he draws readers into a fascinating conversation on the nature of language, the ancient practice of lectio divina, and the role of Scripture translations; included here is the inside story behind Peterson?'s own popular Bible translation, The Message.

In this study the author is concerned with how human life is understood in the biblical book of Qoheleth (the Preacher). In Qoheleth, insight into one's own mortality leads to a new evaluation of happiness in life. Both the various areas of human life (for example work and rest, poverty and wealth, youth and old age) and the relationship of human beings to God are developed by Qoheleth between the poles of "death" and "happiness in life."

Why don't I get what I pray for? Do I wait in faith for God to change a bad situation, or do I step out in faith to look for change? Why don't I feel more confident that God will help me? If you ever struggle with uncertainties about faith, you'll find good company in the pages of the Bible. Dale and Sandy Larsen lead you through nine Bible studies on people who struggled with faith to encourage you in your journey to deeper trust. This revised LifeGuide Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study.

These six studies, edited by Cindy Bunch, will introduce you to the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, remind you of God's faithfulness and power to fulfill his promises, and draw you more deeply into the love that brought Christ to earth.

The author here presents a contribution to the Gospel literature of the New Testament. In his analysis of Luke 8-21 as an integral part of Luke-Acts, he deals with this section in a literary-critical and traditio-historical way. Ever since Schleiermacher the hypothesis of a "travel narrative" or a corresponding "central section" (the term employed in the English-speaking world) beginning in "Luke" 9:51 and covering about ten chapters, has been dominant in research of the "Third Gospel". The author shows that this hypothesis is "un-Lukan". This in turn makes a new access to the total Lukan project possible. One part of the analysis of the text, for example, is a comparison with the narrative techniques of bios literature in classical sources.

Joseph faced hard times--more than once. He was sold into slavery by his brothers. He spent years imprisoned because of a false accusation. And yet Joseph was able to live in forgiveness and hope, and God did great things in his life every step of the way. Paul Borthwick invites you to explore Joseph's story as a way toward discovering how God's dreams might be fulfilled in and through you. This LifeGuide Bible Study features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." John 15:9 Before Jesus left this world he gave specific encouragement and instructions to his disciples on what to expect and how to live after he had gone. These words still apply to his disciples today. In Abiding in Christ, trusted guides J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom lead you through a study of Jesus' farewell to his disciples in John 14--17 to help you discover what it means to abide in Christ during the time between Christ's departure and his second coming. This LifeGuide Bible Study in IVP Connect's revised format features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, as well as a "Now or Later" section following each session to help you act on what you learn.

In the Gospels of the Bible there are a few comments about Mary Magdalene here and there. But in the Gnostic scriptures that have been discovered, there are tantalizing hints that both her relationship to Jesus and her role among Jesus' disciples may have been profoundly important. Among several schools of Gnostic Christianity, Mary plays an essential role in the revelation of the gospel.
Here, for the first time in print, is a Sophian Gospel of St. Mary Magdalene. No secret oral tradition as extensive as this has ever been recorded, and none has ever presented a Gnostic view of Mary Magdalene as she is portrayed in this groundbreaking work-as a powerful holy woman, the innermost disciple and beloved wife of Jesus, and a Christed woman who is coequal with Jesus in the Christ revelation.

About LifeGuide Bible Studies We're updating and revising our bestselling LifeGuides to make them even more effective for small group Bible study! New features of the revised LifeGuides include special options for group activities, additional questions for personal reflection, a "Now or Later" section with practical follow-up activities for use after the study or between sessions, expanded and improved leaders' notes and an attractive, redesigned format for easier reading. For some of us the Lord's Prayer is simply a formal prayer. If so, we are missing out on a rich resource. This study guide unpacks the Lord's Prayer section by section with additional texts that help us go deeper into Jesus' teaching about prayer.

In this study Douglas Connelly looks at various metaphors for how we grow more spiritually mature in Christ, including running a race, carrying a cross, constructing a building, fighting a battle and more. This LifeGuide Bible Study in IVP Connect's revised format features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, as well as a "Now or Later" section following each session to help you act on what you learn.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer teaches readers how to create change in their lives and truly receive God's blessings. Includes powerful Scriptures covering over 50 topics, such as patience, loneliness, and wisdom.

In today's world it's easy to wander away from God. Hectic schedules and the quest for success often mean that time with God gets neglected. But if you slow down long enough to listen, the minor prophets can have a major impact on the quality of your life. These twelve studies in Jonah, Joel and Amos, written by Doug and Doris Haugen, will help you focus on your number one priority--to seek the Lord and live This revised LifeGuide Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study.

Do you long to experience God's presence in your life? In this study guide Stephen D. Eyre leads you to explore the story told in Deuteronomy--the story of God's people seeking after him. As you trace their journey, experiencing their forward progress, their detours and their obstacles, you, too, will learn to follow God more closely. This revised LifeGuide Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study.

Contained in the Lord's Prayer is a complete picture of our life with God. Covering topics ranging from our view of God to our most intimate human relationship to how we treat the world around us and the people in it, the Lord's Prayer is a trustworthy guide for spiritual formation and a compact handbook for holiness. In Living the Lord's Prayer, Father Albert Haase follows the lines of this greatest of all prayers, showing how the ideas have been understood by great people of faith in the past and revealing how they are useful for our spiritual formation today. With Haase's counsel plus the wisdom of this great cloud of witnesses that includes Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, Therese of Lisieux and others, you'll discover how God can use this prayer to shape your very soul. Including true stories and reflection questions for individual consideration or discussion with a spiritual director or small group, Living the Lord's Prayer will teach you to live--rather than simply say--the Lord's Prayer, and thereby to walk in the way of a true disciple.

In plain language and with ample illustration, Paul D. Wegner presents an overview of the history and methods, aims and results of textual criticism of the whole Bible--the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. You will gain an appreciation for the vast work that has been accomplished in preserving the text of Scripture and find a renewed confidence in its reliability.

Learn the secret of living in the presence of God through this simple book written by a humble monastery cook in the 17th century. This newly revised Pure Gold Classic edition is the only historically accurate and complete version available, and features Scriptures from the KJV and NIV, a topical index, and a full color timeline chart.

Designed for the pastor and Bible teacher, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament brings together commentary features rarely gathered in one volume. Written by notable evangelical scholars, each volume treats the literary context and structure of the passage in the original Greek, and each author provides an original translation based on the literary structure. The series consistently provides the main point, an exegetical outline, verse-by-verse commentary, and theology in application in each section of every commentary. Critical scholarship informs each step but does not dominate the commentary, allowing readers to concentrate on the biblical author s message as it unfolds. While primarily designed for those with a basic knowledge of biblical Greek, all who strive to understand and teach the New Testament will find these books beneficial. The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series covers the entire New Testament in twenty volumes; Clinton E. Arnold serves as general editor. 1-3 John In her commentary on John s letters, Karen H. Jobes writes to bridge the distance between academic biblical studies and pastors, students, and laypeople who are looking for an in-depth treatment of the issues raised by these New Testament books. She approaches the three letters of John as part of the corpus that includes John s gospel, while rejecting an elaborate redactional history of that gospel that implicates the letters. Jobes treats three major themes of the letters under the larger rubric of who has the authority to interpret the true significance of Jesus, an issue that is pressing in our religiously pluralistic society today with its many voices claiming truth about God."

Penguin Academics compact but complete-and always at a reasonable price! For more than 60 years, instructors and their students have looked to Penguin trade paperbacks for state-of-the-art scholarship, accessibility, and fair prices. Longman, Penguin's sister company, aims to meet those same expectations with textbooks in our series, Penguin Academics. We've created the Penguin Academics series with ease of use in mind-the books are conveniently portable and highly readable, with engaging typefaces and interior designs. Concise yet thorough in their coverage of the basics, Penguin Academics titles are ideal for use either by themselves or in combination with other books. Related Penguin paperbacks can be found at the back of most Penguin Academic titles. In "Darwin and the Bible: The Cultural Confrontation, "authors Richard Robbins and Mark Cohen help readers understand the nature, history, and passions behind the debate between scientific and religious versions of creation and human origin. Rather than focusing solely on scientific backgrounds, the text's chosen readings provide historical, theological, social, and political backgrounds as well. The readings are divided into three sets:

• The first addresses how scientists and theologians have tried to resolve the apparent contradictions between Darwin and the Bible.
• The second examines the different historical and cultural settings that defined the parameters of the debate, as well as their implications for religion and science on a global scale.
• The third describes how the debate came to center on education and explores the impacts on both teachers and students.