"The scriptural laws dealing with widows, strangers, and orphans are conventionally viewed as rules meant to aid the plight of vulnerable persons in ancient Israelite society. In Injustice Made Legal Harold V. Bennett challenges this perspective, arguing instead that key sanctions found in Deuteronomy were actually drafted by a powerful elite to enhance their own material condition and keep the peasantry down." Building his case on a careful analysis of life in the ancient world and on his understanding of critical law theory, Bennett views Deuteronomic law through the eyes of the needy in Israelite society. His unique approach uncovers the previously neglected link between politico-economic interests and the formulation of law. The result is a new understanding of law in the Hebrew Bible and the ways it worked to support and maintain the dehumanization of widows, strangers, and orphans in the biblical community.

When the problem of what to preach next Sunday raises its frowning head, solve it by calling on one of the hundreds of biblical characters standing in line at your study door, nearly beating it down with their clamorous "Take me Take me "
Preaching on biblical personalities has an irresistible appeal, because audiences are more interested in people than in anything else. Jesus himself preached mainly about people ("a certain man had two sons..."); so there's no excuse for making the gospel dull -- and with the help of Bodo's book, preachers can add spice to the pulpit fare they serve up week after strenuous week.
A Hitler refugee of Jewish ancestry, John R. Bodo was baptized Christian and graduated from the Lutheran Gymnasium in Budapest, Hungary, and the University of Geneva (Switzerland). He earned his MDiv degree from Union Theological Seminary. The author of several books, Bodo served as the pastor of Presbyterian churches in New Jersey, California, Washington, Utah, Iowa, and Ohio, and has also been Chairman of the Department of Practical Theology at San Francisco Theological Seminary and Chaplain and Professor of Religion at McAlester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The latest entry in the bestselling "Essential Handbook" series is intended to help readers understand the place of the Bible in Catholic tradition, the history of how the Bible developed, and its use in prayer. Also included are such helpful aids as a suggested plan for reading the Bible and a chart of New Testament parables.

Hedrick explores the tension, or collision, that occurs when one studies the Jesus of faith with the critical eye of historical scholarship. He outlines the nature of historical inquiry, gives a brief history of how scholars have understood Jesus, and identifies the essential issues confronting the reader of the New Testament Gospel accounts of Jesus: discrepancies, contradictions, and differences as well as strong similarities among different writers.

This book is a practical guide for the translator with limited or no background in Hebrew. The book helps translators compare the stylistic techniques of the Hebrew text in order to create the same poetic effect in their own languages. It highlights typical problems faced by Old Testament translators and suggests ways to set out the text that will help the reader.

Beloved author James W. Moore returns in the revival of his 1988 classic. Readers will appreciate Moore's distinctive style as he relates stories, anecdotes, and examples of people who learned to "seize moments" -- who turned opportunities and treasured moments into realized dreams. Each chapter features a related passage of Scripture. This edition also includes a study guide with questions ideal for personal reflection or for group discussion. Readers will discover encouragement and guidance for better living as they find themselves becoming more courageous, more willing to "seize the moments", and more aware of God's grace.

In this book noted Oxford theologian Wiles (What is Theology?) provides a clear and accessible introduction to Christian belief. Rather than simply stating and explaining the doctrinal tenets of Christian faith, however, Wiles sets forth what seem to him appropriate responses to basic questions about Christian belief that perplex Christians and non-Christians alike. Instead of providing a technical overview of Christian doctrine, he offers a short section within each chapter printed in bold type that discuss some of the issues that are important for reasonably assessing the truth claims of Christianity. Wiles free-flowing argument is not broken up with footnotes, although a bibliography at the end of the book provides suggestions for further reading for anyone interested in pursuing in more detail any of the book s topics. An index of biblical references is also included. Maurice Wiles is Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Oxford University. He is the author of many books, including Christian Theology and Interreligious Dialogue. For: General audiences; clergy; seminarians>

This study is an addition to the author 's popular BackSide books .
J. Ellsworth Kalas presents new insight intotwelve of Jesus parables by entering them through a unique starting point, acreative retelling, a new lens, or the eyes of a minor or unsympatheticcharacter. The book also will contain a study guide. Chapter titles:
1. The Value of the House--Matthew 7:24-27
2. The Man Who Talked with His Soul--Luke12:13-21
3. What Chance Does an Average Sinner Have?--Luke7:36-48
4. TheImportance of Downward Mobility--Luke14:7-11
5. The Danger of Being Good and Empty--Matthew12:43-45
6. Riskybusiness--Matthew 13:45-46
7. Miracles Can Be Overrated--Luke16:19-31
8. Second Chance for a Poor Manager--Luke 16:1-13
9. A Laugh and a Prayer--Luke 11:5-13, 18:1-8
10. It Happens While We Sleep--Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
11. The Importance of Being Dressed for the Party--Matthew22:1-14
12. The Genius of Effective Waiting--Luke12:32-40

For each Sunday of the year there is a brief commentary and reflection, taken from the author's weekly "Church Times" column, on the Common Worship lectionary readings. Each section gives the lectionary references and provides a starting-point for thinking about the readings, drawing out points of connection between them. The book can be used in preparation for Sunday worship, or by anyone who wants regular and straightforward Bible study throughout the year, or even for sermon preparation. The pieces are clear and grounded in first-class scholarship, but wear their learning lightly, as is appropriate for this readership. The book covers all Sundays in the year, using track 1 (Daily Eucharistic Lectionary) for the Sundays after Trinity.

The Grail edition of the Psalms, hand-lettered by Trappist monks and set for personal chanting or choir singing.

The parable is the most well-known literary form presented in the gospels. And since narrative or story sermons are such a prominent element in the contemporary pulpit, pastors are preaching on the parable texts more frequently than ever.
Richard Gribble thoroughly examines each of the parables appearing in Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary. Each analysis includes:
- discussion of the theme
- spiritual food for the journey
- application of the parable to contemporary life
- openings for preaching
- points of challenge and questions to ponder
- exegesis and explanation of the parable
- context of the parable
These studies will be a classic resource for preaching... or useful for Bible study and inspiration.
The author of eight books and over 100 articles, Richard Gribble, CSC, is the acting superior at Moreau Seminary at the University of Notre Dame. Father Gribble earned his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America and has also earned degrees from the United States Naval Academy, the University of Southern California, and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.

Need a spiritual workout? Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue is a Bible study designed especially for men who want to build their spiritual strength. Each chapter focuses on a different virtue necessary to help form a new generation of godly men. With challenging questions at the end of each chapter, this book is ideal for both group and individual study. Find out why ?real men? choose the virtuous life ?Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue is a readable and reliableguide to learning, practicing, and passing on the virtues. The time-testedroadmaps leading to virtuous Christian manhood have been lost. Boys to Men will help Catholic men recover the virtuous life, thus becoming authentic men of God. Every Christian father needs a few essential books in his ?tool box.? This book is one of them. Get it, read it, and practice what it teaches ? Steve WoodFounder, St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers

This addition to the prestigious Studies in Antiquity and Christianity (SAC) series is the first of a two-volume set of essays on the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. The essays focus on the exegetical methodology developed by Rolf P. Knierim at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity in Claremont, California. The exegetical foundations of Knierim s methodology pay special attention to the literary forms and conceptual underpinnings of biblical texts. But the method moves well beyond the concerns of traditional form criticism to address the overall interpretation of the Hebrew Bible from the perspectives of the ancient biblical writers and contemporary readers. The result is a comprehensive interpretive methodology that employs a close reading of biblical texts, integrating concerns about literary form and theological perspective with the settings in which biblical texts were composed as well as the ways they are read in the present and the future. Such readings, the editors maintain, constitute the cutting edge of biblical interpretation at the outset of the millennium. Volume 1 contains twenty-one essays, including seven by Knierim. Other contributors are: Mary Deely, Michael Floyd, John Goldingay, Robert Hubbard, Mignon Jacobs, Isaac Kalimi, Joel Kaminsky, Paul Kim, Wonil Kim, Charles Mabee, Steven Reed, and Janet Weathers. Editors: Deborah Ellens is an independent scholar. Michael Floyd is Professor of Old Testament at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. Wonil Kim is Assistant Professor of Old Testament Studies at La Sierra University. Marvin A. Sweeney is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Claremont School of Theology and Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University. For: Pastors, college and seminary courses in Hebrew Bible, scholars>

Many people believe in God and respect the teachings of Jesus and yet find it almost impossible to read the Bible for themselves. It's too ancient it's too difficult it carries too much institutional baggage and, above all, it leaves more questions than answers. It's not surprising that apathy sets in! This book aims to throw away the religious rule-book, scrape away the preconceptions and offer a "no strings" approach to reading the Bible. It suggests different approaches to the Bible's varied types of literature and offers a range of techniques for Bible reading, ranging from the imaginitive to the analytical and from the broad sweep to the tiny phrase. It looks unflinchingly at the Bible's hard questions and gathers comments from many famous and influential people on what the Bible means to them.

This widely acclaimed study of biblical anthropology is available once more along with a substantial new preface by the author. Fully engaged with theological, philosophical, and scientific discussions on the nature of human persons and their destiny beyond the grave, John Cooper's defense of "holistic dualism" remains the most satisfying and biblical response to come from the monism-dualism debate. First published in 1989, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting is required reading for Christian philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and students interested in the mind-body question.

The apostle Paul is a controversial figure, both admired and reviled. His letters have influenced creeds and dogmatic statements, but he is also accused of turning the "simple" gospel that Jesus preached into a complex dogmatic system. Furthermore, on the authority of Paul, women have been given second place in church and society for many centuries. The "apostle to the Gentiles" has sometimes been a source of inspiration, but he has more often than not been a stumbling block when Jews and Christians meet. This book tackles all of these and other issues surrounding Paul and presents him for the widest possible audience. With his enviable gift for clear and popular writing, C. J. den Heyer here takes on a particularly difficult task and shows great mastery in offering a detailed portrait of one of the most controversial figures in the ancient world. C. J. den Heyer is Professor of New Testament at the Theological University of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands.

The father of many nations, Abraham was called the "friend of God". Yet his journey of faith was a difficult one. The study of Abraham's life reveals a man who trusted God against all odds, showing us what it means to live by faith.

In 1901, the Reverend Charles B. Huleatt acquired three pieces of a New Testament manuscript on the murky antiquities market of Luxor, Egypt. He donated these papyrus fragments to his alma mater, Magdalen College in Oxford, England, where they sat in a display case and drew very little attention. Nearly a century later, the fragments--part of the Gospel of Matthew and thought to date from a.d. 180-200--were reevaluated by scholar Carsten Peter Thiede. His research showed the bits of papyrus to be significantly older, written about a.d. 60.
But what is all the fuss about? How can three ancient papyrus fragments be so significant? How did Thiede arrive at this radical early dating? And what does it mean to the average Christian? Now readers have authoritative answers to these pivotal questions, in a book written by Thiede himself and by Times of London journalist Matthew d'Ancona, who originally broke the story to the public. Indeed, the Magdalen Papyrus corroborates three traditions: Saint Matthew actually wrote the Gospel bearing his name; he wrote it within a generation of Jesus' death; and the Gospel stories about Jesus are true. Some will vehemently deny Thiede's claims, others will embrace them, but nobody can ignore THE JESUS PAPYRUS.

Well-known television preacher, Bishop Clarence E. McClendon "opens the X Files" as he presents revelatory insight from Genesis 48. This old Testament narrative provides the framework for a revolutionary look at how God occasionally goes outside of His established order of blessing the first-born and expected generation in favor of releasing His blessing upon the younger generation. God is once again flipping His grace and choosing the unexpected. While the secular news media and experts of the day have decided Generation X to be an "unknown generation" and have labeled them as lazy, lost, confused, and without hope, McClendon believes this is truly the blessed generation.

Over the millennia, the legend of a great deluge has endured in the biblical story of Noah and in such Middle Eastern myths as the epic of Gilgamesh. Now two distinguished geophysicists have discovered a catastrophic event that changed history, a gigantic flood 7,600 years ago in what is today the Black Sea.
Using sound waves and coring devices to probe the sea floor, William Ryan and Walter Pitman revealed clear evidence that this inland body of water had once been a vast freshwater lake lying hundreds of feet below the level of the world's rising oceans. Sophisticated dating techniques confirmed that 7,600 years ago the mounting seas had burst through the narrow Bosporus valley, and the salt water of the Mediterranean had poured into the lake with unimaginable force, racing over beaches and up rivers, destroying or chasing all life before it. The rim of the lake, which had served as an oasis, a Garden of Eden for farms and villages in a vast region of semi-desert, became a sea of death. The people fled, dispersing their languages, genes, and memories.

Jones helps readers explore many of the parables, and brings their study into dialogue with wider scholarship and current opinion. This book offers helps for pastors, students, and teachers studying the parables.

This concise yet thoroughly researched work investigates the many variants of the Bible, examining the origins and historical contexts of the different translations and comparing the source material and authorship of each one. Taking the reader through the books of the Old and New Testaments, J. W. Rogerson explores the various styles of writing and the historical, political, and religious backgrounds against which the gospels were composed. Complete with a full glossary, detailed bibliography, and several maps and timelines, this is an invaluable guide to understanding the Bible in terms of its readers, its critics, and its ethical value, as well as its worldwide influence.