And behold I am always with you-to the very end of the age! (Matthew 28:20) In this new English translation of St Matthew's Gospel, Malcolm Bishop QC, offers a fresh and dynamic rendition of a much longer Gospel than he has attempted before. This is Bishop's fourth translation of the books of the New testament (after the Gospels of Saint John and Saint Mark and the Book of Revelation). His aim, as before, has been to use his lifelong experience as a barrister and Q.C. in the use of words to inform his translation. He has continued his practice as in his earlier works of translating the historic present as the present tense. This makes for liveliness and immediacy and produces the excitement the authors intended. It is Bishop's hope that Matthew's extensive account of the teachings of Jesus, written at the dawn of Christianity, may capture today and for our generation the life affirming experience of encountering the Son of God. Matthew had been personally called by Jesus to be a disciple, had sat at his feet when he taught both publicly and privately, and had seen him perform miracles throughout his ministry. More significantly, Matthew had been witness to Jesus's death and resurrection. In this light Matthew's gospel would have been perceived as having superior authority than the writings of Mark, and the gentile physician, Luke, neither of whom belonged to Jesus's original core of twelve apostles. Even the gospel of John, traditionally believed to have been written by a disciple who was even closer to Jesus than Matthew, does not seem to have usurped the primary position of Matthew's Gospel.

The Eldest Brother and New Testament Christology explores the origin of cultural representations of Jesus as an eldest brother. Through ethnographic surveys, author Harald Aarbakke shows that the role of the eldest brother in different African societies is often accompanied by additional roles, among them mediator, protector, and leader. Aarbakke also searches for an exegetical basis for this understanding of Jesus, and argues that an eldest brother Christology can be substantiated by the cultural and literary context of certain New Testament texts (Matthew 25:31-46 and 28:10, Mark 3:31-35, John 20:17, Romans 8:28-30, Colossians 1:15-20, and Hebrews 2:10-18).

With issues such as the ordination of women and the call for "inclusive" language affecting the church today, Aida Spencer has provided a helpful and important study of how the Scriptures really speak to these and other issues related to the role of women in the church.
From the biblical account of creation and "the fall" to other relevant Old Testament passages, "Beyond the Curse" carefully examines the attitudes toward and teachings about women--especially those of Jesus and Paul.
"Beyond the Curse" sheds light on instances in the New Testament of feminine authority and on feminine metaphors used in Scripture to define God, the church, and society. Jesus is shown to have broken through the cultural barriers of first-century Palestine in his attitudes toward and dealings with women. Paul's later works are found to be consistent with Jesus' views, as Spencer notes the vital place of women in Paul's ministry.
Women in leadership roles and the many implications are viewed firsthand by Spencer--herself a minister. William David Spencer, the author's husband, gives an afterword, explaining his personal journey as the spouse of an ordained minister.
Timely and vital to an understanding of the growth of a woman's role in the church, "Beyond the Curse" is a compelling and important work.

When Dr. David Jeremiah prepares a sermon or teaching, at the forefront of his mind
is helping people understand what the Bible says, what it meant to the people at the
time it was written, and what is means to us today. The Jeremiah Bible Study Series
captures Dr. Jeremiah's forty years of teaching employing this approach and will lead
readers through each book of the New Testament, one chapter at a time. Along the
way, readers will gain insights into the text, identify the key stories and themes, and
be challenged to correctly apply the truths and meanings they find to their own lives.

Sections in each lesson include:

• Getting Started: An opening question to introduce readers to the lesson
• Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study
• Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions
• Reviewing the Story: Questions to help readers identify key points in the Scripture reading
• Applying the Message: Questions to help readers apply the key ideas to their lives
• Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson
• Each of the Bible studies in this series will help readers understand what the Bible says-particularly in its original context-and how to apply its teachings to their lives.

In this volume, respected New Testament scholar Peter Oakes offers a translation and reading of Galatians as presenting a gospel of unity in diversity in Christ. He shows that Paul treats the Galatians' possible abandonment of his gospel as putting at stake their fidelity to Christ. As with other volumes in the Paideia series, this volume is conversant with contemporary scholarship, draws on ancient backgrounds, and attends to the theological nature of the text. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary.

The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. This volume presents the written Word of God in a highly readable, accurate translation, excellent for personal and group study. Extensive study notes, topical essays and word studies provide fresh and faithful insights informed by time-tested, authentically Catholic interpretations from the Fathers of the Church and other scholars. Commentaries include the best insights of ancient, medieval and modern scholarship, and follow the Church's guidelines for biblical interpretation. Plus, each New Testament book is outlined and introduced with an essay covering questions of authorship, date of composition, intended audience and general themes. The Ignatius Study Bible also includes handy reference materials such as a doctrinal index, a concise concordance, a helpful cross-reference system, and various maps and charts. "With copious historical and theological notes, incisive commentary and tools for study, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament is outstanding for private devotion, personal study and Bible study groups. It is excellent for evangelization and apologetics as well!" - Stephen Ray, Host of The Footprints of God series; Author of Upon This Rock "Once a generation a truly unique Bible tool is given to the Church. The Ignatius Study Bible is a gift for our generation. This is the most important book since the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Every parish study group and every student of Sacred Scripture should own and use this Bible." - David Currie Author, Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic "The Ignatius Study Bible "is a triumph of both piety and scholarship, in the best Catholic tradition: simply the most useful succinct commentary that any Christian or other interested person could hope for." - Erasmo Leiva, Author, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word

Radio messages from J. Vernon McGee delighted and enthralled listeners for years with simple, straightforward language and clear understanding of the Scripture. Now enjoy his personable, yet scholarly, style in a 60-volume set of commentaries that takes you from Genesis to Revelation with new understanding and insight. Each volume includes introductory sections, detailed outlines and a thorough, paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the text. A great choice for pastors - and even better choice for the average Bible reader and student! Very affordable in a size that can go anywhere, it's available as a complete 60-volume series, in Old Testament or New Testament sets, or individually.

New Testament theology, maintains Donald Guthrie, centers on Jesus Christ--his person, work and mission--and is unified by repeated emphasis on the fulfillment of Old Testament promise, community, the Spirit and the future hope. An extended introduction surveys the history, nature and method of New Testament theology and sets forth the distinctive of Guthrie's synthetic approach. Guthrie then examines New Testament thought under the thematic headings of God, man and his world, Christology, the mission of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Christian life, the church, the future, the New Testament approach to ethics, and Scripture. Within each chapter he explores the synoptic Gospels, the Johannine literature, Acts, Paul, Hebrews, the remaining Epistles and Revelation. Marked by scholarly rigor and thoroughness, this volume is a standard reference and text, reflecting mature conservative scholarship at its best

The ancient city of Corinth was well-known for its prosperity, diversity--and debauchery. Any church planted there was bound to have problems. Indeed, snobbishness, divisiveness, insensitivity, doctrinal looseness, and overexuberance were all too common in the Corinthian church. When the apostle Paul heard about these difficulties, he was grieved because he had founded the church and felt closely tied to it. He wrote them an intense and pointed letter. In this revised Bible Speaks Today volume, David Prior plainly shows the relevance of 1 Corinthians for our times. Along with clear exposition of each passage and information about the letter's historical background, Prior identifies key principles and applications for today. When we understand the message of this epistle to the Corinthians, all churches may better live out the lordship of Christ in our cosmopolitan world. This redesigned new edition includes updated language and current NRSV Scripture quotations throughout.

Powerful principles from the life of Peter, delineated for us by the dynamic South American evangelist.

John and Philosophy: A New Reading of the Fourth Gospel offers a Stoic reading of the Fourth Gospel, especially its cosmology, epistemology, and ethics. It works through the gospel in narrative sequence providing a 'philosophical narrative reading'. In each section of the gospel Troels Engberg-Pedersen raises discusses philosophical questions. He compares John with Paul (in philosophy) and Mark (in narrative) to offer a new reading of the transmitted text of the Fourth Gospel. Of these two profiles, the narrative one is strongly influenced by the literary critical paradigm. Moreover, by attending carefully to a number of narratological features, one may come to see that the transmitted text in fact hangs together much more coherently than scholarship has been willing to see. The other profile is specifically philosophical. Scholarship has been well aware that the Fourth Gospel has what one might call a philosophical dimension. Engberg-Pedersen shows that throughout the Gospel contemporary Stoicism, works better to illuminate the text. This pertains to the basic cosmology (and cosmogony) that is reflected in the text, to the epistemology that underlies a central theme in it regarding different types of belief in Jesus, to the ethics that is introduced fairly late in the text when Jesus describes how the disciples should live once he has himself gone away from them, and more.

Revisit the Beatitudes and ponder the glories of heaven with one of America's favorite authors, beloved storyteller Max Lucado. In this contemporary classic, Lucado helps readers discover a joy which circumstance cannot stifle, a peace which cannot be taken. The "Applause of Heaven" is much more than a "how-to" book on happiness--it is an encounter with the source of joy.

Though considered one of the most important informants about Judaism in the first century CE, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus's testimony is often overlooked or downplayed. Jonathan Klawans's Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism reexamines Josephus's descriptions of sectarian disagreements concerning determinism and free will, the afterlife, and scriptural authority. In each case, Josephus's testimony is analyzed in light of his works' general concerns as well as relevant biblical, rabbinic, and Dead Sea texts. Many scholars today argue that ancient Jewish sectarian disputes revolved primarily or even exclusively around matters of ritual law, such as calendar, cultic practices, or priestly succession. Josephus, however, indicates that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes disagreed about matters of theology, such as afterlife and determinism. Similarly, many scholars today argue that ancient Judaism was thrust into a theological crisis in the wake of the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE, yet Josephus's works indicate that Jews were readily able to make sense of the catastrophe in light of biblical precedents and contemporary beliefs. Without denying the importance of Jewish law-and recognizing Josephus's embellishments and exaggerations-Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism calls for a renewed focus on Josephus's testimony, and models an approach to ancient Judaism that gives theological questions a deserved place alongside matters of legal concern. Ancient Jewish theology was indeed significant, diverse, and sufficiently robust to respond to the crisis of its day.

How can we, in our times, understand the biblical concept that human beings have been created in the image of an invisible God? This is a perennial but increasingly pressing question that lies at the heart of theological anthropology. Humanity in God's Image: An Interdisciplinary Exploration clarifies the meaning of this concept, traces different Jewish and Christian interpretations of being created in God's image, and reconsiders the significance of the imago Dei in a post-Holocaust context. As normative, counter-factual notions, human dignity and the imago Dei challenge us to see more. Claudia Welz offers an interdisciplinary exploration of theological and ethical 'visions' of the invisible. By analysing poetry and art, Welz exemplifies human self-understanding in the interface between the visual and the linguistic. The content of the imago Dei cannot be defined apart from the image carrier: an embodied creature. Compared to verbal, visual, and mental images, how does this creature as a 'living image' refer to God-like a metaphor, a mimetic mirror, or an elusive trace? Combining hermeneutical and phenomenological perspectives with philosophy of religion and philosophy of language, semiotics, art history, and literary studies, Welz regards the imago Dei as a complex sign that is at once iconic, indexical, and symbolical-pointing beyond itself.