Sortilege-the making of decisions by casting lots-was widely practiced in the Mediterranean world during the period known as late antiquity, between the third and eighth centuries CE. In My Lots are in Thy Hands: Sortilege and its Practitioners in Late Antiquity, AnneMarie Luijendijk and William Klingshirn have collected fourteen essays that examine late antique lot divination, especially but not exclusively through texts preserved in Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Syriac. Employing the overlapping perspectives of religious studies, classics, anthropology, economics, and history, contributors study a variety of topics, including the hermeneutics and operations of divinatory texts, the importance of diviners and their instruments, and the place of faith and doubt in the search for hidden order in a seemingly random world.

Recent interest in the person and work of James of Jerusalem and in the community he led has sometimes put the apostle Paul in a negative light - a reversal of the more usual pattern in Protestantism, where Paul is the shining light and James is thrust into the shadows. Rather than exaggerating the opposition between these two figures, V. George Shillington seeks to understand them both as Jews, without prejudice, operating under the banner of Jesus crucified and risen, and engaged in different but complementary missions. Examining what can be reconstructed of both men and their respective missions from Acts read critically and other epistolary and legendary sources, Shillington concludes that the tension between those missions indicates a conflict between different politics of identity, a conflict best understood by granting each figure the integrity of his own very Jewish vision.

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.

This book discusses the composition of the synoptic gospels from the perspective of the Farrer hypothesis, a view that posits that Mark was written first, that Matthew used Mark as a source, and that Luke used both Mark and Matthew. All of the articles in the volume are written in support of the Farrer hypothesis, with the exception of the final chapter, which criticizes these articles from the perspective of the reigning Two-Source theory. The contributors engage the synoptic problem with a more refined understanding of the options set before each of the evangelists pointing towards a deepened understanding of how works were compiled in the first and early second centuries CE. The contributors include Andris Abakuks, Stephen Carlson, Eric Eve, Mark Goodacre, Heather Gorman, John S. Kloppenborg, David Landry, Mark Matson, Ken Olson, Michael Pahl, Jeffrey Peterson, and John C. Poirier.

Questions regarding the afterlife are many, and the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts pay a great deal of attention to them: why does Luke speak about several different forms of the afterlife? Why is resurrection described as a person's transformation into an angelic being? How many abodes are appointed for the righteous and the wicked after death? Alexey Somov addresses these queries in relation to the apparent confusion and variety found in the text, and in respect of the interrelatedness of these issues, and their connection with other eschatological issues in Luke-Acts, and in relation to the wider cultural context of the Mediterranean world to which Luke belonged. Every culture expresses its beliefs by means of special metaphors that allow it to comprehend supernatural realities in terms of everyday experience. Belief in the afterlife was part of this metaphorical system which Luke shared with the ancient eastern Mediterranean culture. Somov takes his analysis one step further by applying Cognitive Metaphor Theory to selected metaphorical aspects of the afterlife. While the inconsistencies and incoherence of the combined metaphors may seem jarring to a contemporary Western reader, Somov's reading enables a recognition of the specific religious metaphors used, which for Luke would have been current and widely accepted.

This version of the New Testament is invaluable for those serious about studying and understanding the New Testament. The original Greek is side-by-side Young's Literal translation which is a strictly literal translation of the Greek, as well as being side-by-side the King James Version and the American Standard Version, enabling the reader to gain tremendous insight into the text.

In discussions of Paul's letters, much attention has been devoted to statements that closely identify Christ with Israel's God (i.e., 1 Cor 8:6). However, in Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20, Paul uses the phrase "God is one" to link Israel's monotheistic confession and the inclusion of the Gentiles in the people of God. Therefore, this study traces the OT and early Jewish backgrounds of the phrase "God is one" and their possible links to Gentile inclusion. Following this, Christopher Bruno examines the two key Pauline texts that link the confession of God as one with the inclusion of the Gentiles. Bruno observes a significant discontinuity between the consistent OT and Jewish interpretations of the phrase and Paul's use of "God is one" in relation to the Gentiles. In the both the OT and earlyJewish literature, the phrase functions as a boundary marker of sorts, distinguishing the covenant people and the Gentiles. The key exception to this pattern is Zech 14:9, which anticipates the confession of God as one expanding to the nations. Similarly, in Romans and Galatians, the phrase is not aboundary marker, but rather grounds the unity of Jew and Gentile. The contextand arguments in Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20 lead to the conclusion that Paul's monotheism must now be understood in light of the Christ event; moreover, Zech14:9 may play a significant role in the link between Paul's eschatological monotheism and his argument for the inclusion of the Gentiles in Romans and Galatians.

In this title, Itzhak Benyamini re-reads Paul's epistles using a critical psychoanalytical approach in light of Jacques Lacan's theory. For several decades, Paul's epistles have been right at the focus of academic and philosophic debate regarding the questions pertaining to Jewish law; love in relation to the law; the linkage between Judaism and Christianity; and, so on. What do Paul's writings consist of that can be used as a key for understanding Western Culture? Itzhak Benyamini seeks to re-read Paul's epistles using a critical psychoanalytical approach in light of Jacques Lacan's theory, in order to find which unconscious core this text provides us with. Benyamini examines Paul's use of Christian ritual and concomitant authoritative evocation of the Biblical tenet Love thy Neighbor, in order to establish a communal Christian identity, separate from 'carnal' Judaism and idolatry alike. According to Benyamini, Paul has founded a narcissist community of sons who place the Son at the centre of their existence. Consequently, the Christian Imaginary is juxtaposed as an alternative to pagan-carnal pleasure - but also as alternative to Judaic law. Formerly the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement, a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches. The Early Christianity in Context series, a part of JSNTS, examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE. The series places Christianity in its social, cultural, political and economic context. European Seminar on Christian Origins and Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Supplement are also part of JSNTS.

"Reading Acts Today" provides a 'state of the art' view of study of Acts from a variety of perspectives and approaches. It is a fresh and stimulating collection of scholarly essays at the cutting edge of the discipline. The contributions come at "Acts" from many different angles including historical, theological, socio-economic, literary, narrative, and exegetical approaches. This enables a thorough examination of the way that other ancient writings illuminate "Acts" and locates the book in its ancient context. The wide range of contributors features some of the most influential names in modern New Testament studies, providing a remarkable assessment of current scholarship on the book of "Acts". These include James D.G. Dunn, I. Howard Marshal, and Richard Burridge. It was formerly the "Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement", a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches.

The "Bilingual New Testament, English - German" is derived from the 1901 American Standard and 1912 German Luther translations.
Printed in 10-point text on white paper for easy reading, verses are paired in classical Biblical English and German so you can follow both translations sentence by sentence. Example verses:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life."
Johannes 3:16 "Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, dass er seinen eingeborenen Sohn gab, auf dass alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben."
Matthew 28:18-20
"18. And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
19. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
20. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
Mattha us 28:18-20
"18. Und Jesus trat zu ihnen, redete mit ihnen und sprach: Mir ist gegeben alle Gewalt im Himmel und auf Erden.
19. Darum gehet hin und lehret alle Vo lker und taufet sie im Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes,
20. und lehret sie halten alles, was ich euch befohlen habe. Und siehe, ich bin bei euch alle Tage bis an der Welt Ende."
Note that the texts have been edited to allow pairing of verses which can result in some verse numbers that differ from other Bibles.
Contents
Matthew - Matthaus
Mark - Markus
Luke - Lukas
John - Johannes
Acts - Die Apostelgeschichte
Romans - Romer
I Corinthians - I Korinther
II Corinthians - II Korinther
Galatians - Galater
Ephesians - Epheser
Philippians - Philipper
Colossians - Kolosser
I Thessalonians - I Thessalonicher
II Thessalonians - II Thessalonicher
I Timothy - I Timotheus
II Timothy - II Timotheus
Titus - Titus
Philemon - Philemon
Hebrews - Hebraer
James - Jakobus
I Peter - I Petrus
II Peter - II Petrus
I John - I Johannes
II John - II Johannes
III John - III Johannes
Jude - Judas
Revelation - Offenbarung

Until recently, many scholars have read Paul's use of the word Christos as more of a proper name ("Jesus Christ") than a title, Jesus the Messiah. One result, Joshua W. Jipp argues, is that important aspects of Paul's thinking about Jesus' messiahship have gone unrecognized. Jipp argues that kingship discourse is an important source for Paul's christological language: Paul uses royal language to present Christ as the good king. Jipp surveys Greco-Roman and Jewish depictions of the ideal king and argues for the influence of these traditions on several aspects of Paul's thought: king and law; hymning to the king; the just and faithful king; the royal roots of Paul's language of participation "in Christ"; and the enthroned king. Jipp finds that Paul's use of royal tropes is indeed significant. Christos is a royal honorific within Paul's letters, and Paul is another witness to ancient discussions of monarchy and ideal kingship. In the process, Jipp offers new and noteworthy solutions to outstanding questions concerning Christ and the law, the pistis Christou debate, and Paul's participatory language.

Cosmology is a central focus in John's Apocalypse, Ryan Leif Hansen argues, but not in the sense that John envisions a stable cosmos. Rather, John employs cosmological themes for persuasive purposes that include a critique of Roman imperial cultic discourse. Hansen's argument requires a discussion of the apocalyptic genre and rhetoric, the ways in which apocalyptic literature makes meaning especially through the construction of symbolic worlds, and then a comparison of this means with cosmological themes in which eternal Rome lies at the center of the cosmos. John seeks to persuade his hearers that the world, as governed and sustained by Caesar and the Roman gods and perpetuated through the Roman cult and economy, is a false order, passing away in order that God's new creation, narrated by truthful worship and costly witness to the Lamb, can emerge as gift. The book concludes with suggestions for fruitful conversation with recent work in apocalyptic theology.

The "Bilingual New Testament, English - Spanish" is derived from the 1901 American Standard Version and the 1909 Biblia Reina Valera translations.
Printed in 10-point text on white paper for easy reading, verses are paired in classic Biblical English and Spanish so you can follow both translations sentence by sentence.
Example verses:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life."
Juan 3:16 "Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unige nito, para que todo aquel que en e l cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna."
Matthew 28:18-20
"18. And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
19. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
20. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
Mateo 28:18-20
"18. Y llegando Jesu s, les hablo, diciendo: Toda potestad me es dada en el cielo y en la tierra.
19. Por tanto, id, y doctrinad a todos los Gentiles, bautiza ndolos en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espi ritu Santo:
20. Ensen a ndoles que guarden todas las cosas que os he mandado: y he aqui, yo estoy con vosotros todos los di as, hasta el fin del mundo. Ame n."
Note that the texts have been edited to allow pairing of verses which can result in some verse numbers that differ from other Bibles.
Contents:
Matthew - Mateo
Mark - Marcos
Luke - Lucas
John - Juan
Acts - Hechos
Romans - Romanos
I Corinthians - I Corintios
II Corinthians - II Corintios
Galatians - Ga latas
Ephesians - Efesios
Philippians - Filipenses
Colossians - Colosenses
I Thessalonians - I Tesalonicenses
II Thessalonians - II Tesalonicenses
I Timothy - I Timoteo
II Timothy - II Timoteo
Titus - Tito
Philemon - Filemo n
Hebrews - Hebreos
James - Santiago
I Peter - I Pedro
II Peter - II Pedro
I John - I Juan
II John - II Juan
III John - III Juan
Jude - Judas
Revelation - Apocalipsis

Much recent scholarship on Paul has searched for implicit narratives behind Paul's scriptural allusions, especially in the wake of Richard B. Hays's ground breaking work on the apostle's appropriation of Scripture. A. Andrew Das reviews six proposals for "grand thematic narratives" behind the logic of Galatians-potentially, six explanations for the fabric of Paul's theology: the covenant (N. T. Wright); the influx of nations to Zion (Terence Donaldson); Isaac's near sacrifice (Scott Hahn, Alan Segal); the Spirit as cloud in the wilderness (William Wilder); the Exodus (James Scott, Sylvia Keesmaat); and the imperial cult (Bruce Winter at al.). Das weighs each of these proposals exegetically and finds them wanting-more examples of what Samuel Sandmel famously labelled "parallelomania" than of sound exegetical method. He turns at last to reflect on the risks of (admittedly alluring) totalizing methods and lifts up a seventh proposal with greater claim to evidence in the text of Galatians: Paul's allusions to Isaiah's servant passages.

This is the first volume to extensively explore the intersection between Johannine anti-Judaism and Abrahamic allusions, using the theoretical lens of poststructuralism and intertextuality theory. Ruth Sheridan's study yields new insights into how the metaphors of 'sin', 'slavery' and 'vision' are constructed in the text, producing an interpretation consistent with figurations of Abraham in Early Judaism as a paternal figure of vicarious merit. John 8.31-59 is often categorised in New Testament scholarship as one of the most polemical texts illustrating nascent Christianity's anti-Jewish trajectory, as Jesus debates with 'the Jews' about their reputed diabolic paternity, sidelining their own selfidentifications that are steeped in biblical traditions. Another defining feature of the text is its repeated reference to the figure of Abraham, displaying a condensed network of intertextual allusions to Abraham seen nowhere else in the Fourth Gospel. Sheridan seeks instead to rehabilitate the Jewish voice of the text, working with the narrative intertext of 'the Jews'' self-characterisation as the 'seed of Abraham' to counteract particular pejorative readings of John 8 found in the secondary literature.

A number of New Testament passages depict the Holy Spirit acting in conjunction with gospel preaching or other forms of humanly given communication about Jesus, yet there is considerable disagreement about how these passages should be interpreted. Unresolved exegetical debates about the correlative action (the "dual testimony") of the Spirit and the humanly conveyed word plague the interpretation of whole writings, extended sections of individual works, and important themes. This book examines this contested motif in a focused and comprehensive way. It begins by taking the Pauline, Johannine, and Lucan writings in turn, subjecting the central texts that express dual testimony to detailed exegetical analysis. On the basis of this exegetical work it then moves to a big-picture analysis of the way each corpus expresses and uses the dual-testimony motif, identifying individual emphases and tendencies as well as shared elements that can be observed across the three bodies of writing. Two final chapters offer brief reflections on possible developmental scenarios and points at which the preceding exegetical findings may impinge on questions of contemporary theology.

How would the confession, 'Jesus is Lord', have been understood in the first-century Roman world? Was it more than a statement of one's devotion to Jesus? Was it also an implicit challenge to the living Caesar, the lord of the Roman empire? There were many lords in the first century and the use of the title kyrios was complex. Clearly Paul was influenced by the use of this title for Yahweh in the Greek Old Testament. But he was also part of a culture in which the title was used for many persons, including fathers, slave owners, government officials-and the emperor. However, the title kyrios was used sparingly of emperors in the early and mid-first century. On the basis of the extant evidence, scholars since Deissmann have come to differing conclusions as to whether a challenge to the emperor is contained in the phrase. Fantin proposes a more powerful method of resolving the question, drawing upon the insights of relevance theory. He examines a whole range of persons referred to with this title, and evaluates the potential influence of such contexts on Paul's usage. Only then is it possible to draw compelling conclusions on whether any challenge is likely to be implied. In The Lord of the Entire World, Fantin shows that the living Caesar was indeed acknowledged in Paul's time as the supreme lord of the Roman world. Key New Testament texts such as Romans 10.9, 1 Corinthians 8.6 and Philippians 2.11 show that in all likelihood the Christian confession was in fact a challenge to imperial authority.

The Book of Revelation can be read in various ways. Where interpretation opts not to venture beyond Revelation or approach the book as a forecast of end-time events, it typically favours either going behind the text, in search of a socio-historical context of origin to which it might refer, or else standing in front of the text and investigating the book's reception history, or its present relevance and impact. Comparatively little interpretative work has been undertaken inside the text, exploring the mechanics of how Revelation 'works', still less how its complex parts might fit together into a meaningful whole. Gordon Campbell considers Revelation to be a coherent narrative composition that draws its hearer or reader into its text-world. In Reading Revelation: A Thematic Approach, Campbell gives an innovative account of Revelation's sophisticated thematic content. Mindful of Revelation's narrative verve, or its architecture en mouvement (as Jacques Ellul once put it), Campbell plots a series of thematic trajectories through the book. On this reading, parody and parallelism fundamentally shape the whole narrative. As a first-ever integrated account of Revelation's macro-themes, Reading Revelation makes an important contribution to Revelation scholarship. In its light, the book may justifiably be seen as the 'crowning achievement' of the Scriptures.

In this volume, Lamar Williamson's commentary provides teachers, preachers, and all serious students of the Bible with an interpretation that takes serious hermeneutical responsibility for the contemporary meaning and significance of Mark's text.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

In Family 13 in Saint John's Gospel, Jac Perrin innovatively applies phylogenetic software to shed new light on Family 13 membership. To date, the relocation of the Pericope Adulterae from its traditional location in John 7:53 has been the sole criterion of Family 13 filiality. This book demonstrates the inadequacy of this criterion, and proposes new criteria in its stead. Nineteen potential Family 13 witnesses are analyzed by means of a sampling process developed by David Parker, identifying eight witnesses inappropriately nominated as Family 13 members. This analysis is corroborated by a complete computer assisted collation of all variant readings in all known Family 13 witnesses. Lastly, the volume offers a comprehensive stemma representing the entire Johannine corpus of ten confirmed Family witnesses in constellation.

* Based on his popular Holy Week talks, given in Canterbury Cathedral