This new commentary in the New Testament Library series is not a systematic study of Pauline theology; rather, the aim of this study is to trace Paul's theology as it unfolds in his letter to the church at Galatia, and to attempt to illuminate, as far as possible, how the Galatians likely comprehended it, at the time they received it. The author asks readers to imagine themselves as silent witnesses to Paul's dictation of the letter and to observe, through a historical perspective, how the Galatian Christians might have understood Paul's words.

What if God is saving the best for last? Of all the books of the Bible, Revelation is the one that mystifies and unsettles people the most. From numerical signs to monsters, the book of apocalypse in the Bible can be difficult to wrap our minds around, but the message that Revelation really brings is hope. In this six-session video Bible study (video streaming included), Bible teacher and author Margaret Feinberg digs into John's Revelation to show us how the final book of the Bible reminds us of God's power and promises during times of great suffering and persecution. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself-with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). Scripture memory cards and coloring pages. In this study you will: Uncover the supernatural power of Jesus' names and titles. Be equipped with tactics on how to overcome the wily ways of the enemy. Discover how to triumph through the blood of the lamb and the word of your testimony. Learn that, though life is not always fair, Jesus is NOT finished. John, the author of the book of Revelation, was blessed to see what each of us longs to know, and he gave us a descriptive and poignant expression of the place, the end, and the eternity that God has promised to us. God has indeed saved the best for last, and in Revelation's pages he gives us the one thing we all long for-hope, extravagant hope. The Beautiful Word Bible Study series makes the Bible come alive in such a way that you know where to turn no matter where you find yourself on your spiritual journey. Featuring celebrated authors and teachers, like Margaret Feinberg and Jada Edwards, each guide is a creative and illuminating journey through one book of the Bible. Watch on any device! Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

This book extends scholarly debate beyond the analysis of pure historical debates and concerns to focus on the associations between Acts and the diverse contemporaneous texts, writers, and broader cultural phenomena in the second-century world of Christians, Romans, Greeks, and Jews.

Indirect evidence, in the form of early translations ('versions') and biblical quotations in ancient writers ('patristic citations'), offers important testimony to the history and transmission of the New Testament. In addition to their value as early evidence for the Greek New Testament, versions have a textual tradition of their own which is often of considerable historical, theological and ecclesial significance. This volume brings together a series of original contributions on this topic, which was the focus of the Eleventh Birmingham Colloquium on the Textual Criticism of the New Testament. The research described here illustrates not just the ongoing importance and variety of this material, but also the way in which it may shape the theory and practice of text-critical scholarship and lead to new insights about this vast and rich tradition.

The author of Hebrews calls God 'Father' only twice in his sermon. This fact could account for scholarship's lack of attention to the familial dynamics that run throughout the letter. Peeler argues, however, that by having God articulate his identity as Father through speaking Israel's Scriptures at the very beginning and near the end of his sermon, the author sets a familial framework around his entire exhortation. The author enriches the picture of God's family by continually portraying Jesus as God's Son, the audience as God's many sons, the blessings God bestows as inheritance, and the trials God allows as pedagogy. The recurrence of the theme coalesces into a powerful ontological reality for the audience: because God is the Father of Jesus Christ, they too are the sons of God. But even more than the model of sonship, Jesus' relationship with his Father ensures that the children of God will endure the race of faith to a successful finish because they are an integral part of comprehensive inheritance promised by his Father and secured by his obedience. Because of the familial relationship between God and Jesus, the audience of Hebrews - God's children - can remain in the house of God forever.

Scholars of New Testament and early Christian traditions have given new attention to the relationships between gender and imperial power in the Roman world. Celene Lillie examines core passages from three Gnostic texts from Nag Hammadi, On the Origin of the World, The Reality of the Rulers, and the Secret Revelation of John, in which Eve is portrayed as having been humiliated by the cosmic powers, compares that pattern with Gnostic savior motifs concerning Jesus and Seth, then sets it in the broader context of Roman imperial ideology.

Stefanos Mihalios examines the uses of the hour in the writings of John and demonstrates the contribution of Danielic eschatology to Johns understanding of this concept. Mihalios begins by tracing the notion of an eschatological time in the Old Testament within expressions such as in that time and time of distress, which also appear in the book of Daniel and relate to the eschatological hour found in Daniel. Mihalios finds that even within the Jewish tradition there exists an anticipation of the fulfillment of the Danielic eschatological time, since the eschatological hour appears in the Jewish literature within contexts that allude to the Danielic end-time events. Mihalios moves on to examines the Johannine eschatological expressions and themes that have their source in Daniel, finding evidence of clear allusions whenever the word hour arises. Through this examination, he concludes that for the Johannine Jesus use of the term hour indicates that the final hour of tribulation and resurrection, as it is depicted in Daniel, has arrived.

Encounter the Heart of God.

The Passion Translation(R) is a modern, easy-to-read Bible translation that unlocks the passion of God's heart and expresses his fiery love - merging emotion and life-changing truth.

This translation will evoke an overwhelming response in every reader, unfolding the deep mysteries of the Scriptures.

If you are hungry for God, The Passion Translation will help you encounter his heart and know him more intimately. Fall in love with God all over again.

Content Benefits:

• Over 500 new footnotes
• Over 500 revised footnotes
• Updated text
• 16 pages of full-colour maps locating and identifying:
• Jesus' birth, early years, ministry and last days
• major New Testament stories
• every epic journey of the Apostle Paul
• the missions of Philip and Peter
• the early church and seven churches of Revelation
• political background to New Testament events
• the territory of the Roman Empire
• the Holy Land today and in the time of Jesus
• In-depth footnotes with insightful study notes, commentary, word studies, cross references, alternate translations
• Introductions and outlines for each book
• Two-column format
• Contemporary font
• Font size - 9 pt
• Premium Bible paper
• Matte lamination
• Special debossing
• Spot UV gloss
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Ribbon marker

For many Jewish Christians of the first century, living in the light of the gospel was challenging. Having accepted Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, they were regarded by still-skeptical family, friends and neighbors as dangerous, misguided and even disloyal to all that God had said earlier on. The letter to the Hebrews was written to show that you can't go back to an earlier stage of God's purposes but must press on eagerly to the one that is yet to come. In these studies we find encouragement and assurance that pressing on, even in the face of such close and constant pressure to fall back, is its own reward. The guides in this series by Tom Wright can be used on their own or alongside his New Testament for Everyone commentaries. They are designed to help you understand the Bible in fresh ways under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars.

Christopher Armitage considers previous theological perception of 1 John as a text advocating that God abhors violence, contrasted with biblical scholarship analysis that focuses upon the text's birth from hostile theological conflict between 'insiders' and 'outsiders', with immensely hostile rhetoric directed towards 'antichrists' and those who have left the community. Armitage argues that a peace-oriented reading of 1 John is still viable, but questions if the commandment that the community loves each other is intended to include their opponents, and whether the text can be of hermeneutic use to advocate non-violence and love of one's neighbour. This book examines five key words from 1 John, hilasmos, sfazo, anthropoktonos, agape and adelphos, looking at their background and use in the Old Testament in both Hebrew and the LXX, arguing that these central themes presuppose a God whose engagement with the world is not assuaging divine anger, nor ferocious defence of truth at the expense of love, but rather peace and avoidance of hatred that inevitably leads to violence and death. Armitage concludes that a peacemaking hermeneutic is not only viable, but integral to reading the epistle.

Joseph A. Marchal leads a group of scholars who are also experienced teachers in courses on Paul. More than a series of how-to essays in interpretation, each chapter in this volume shows how differences in starting point and interpretive decisions shape different ways of understanding Paul. Each teacher-scholar focuses on what a particular method brings to interpretation and applies that method to a text in Pauls letters, aiming not just at the beginning student but at the tough choices every teacher must make in balancing information with critical reflection.

There is an increasing hunger among Catholics to study the Bible in depth and in a way that integrates Scripture with Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life. "Second Corinthians" is the fourth of seventeen volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), a new series that will cover the entire New Testament and interprets Scripture from within the living tradition of the Church. This volume, like each in the series, is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively.

The Gospel of John has long been recognized as being distinct from the Synoptic Gospels. John among the Apocalypses explains John's distinctive narrative of Jesus's life by comparing it to Jewish apocalypses and highlighting the central place of revelation in the Gospel. While some scholars have noted a connection between the Gospel of John and Jewish apocalypses, Reynolds makes the first extensive comparison of the Gospel with the standard definition of the apocalypse genre. Engaging with modern genre theory, this comparison indicates surprising similarities of form, content, and function between John's Gospel and Jewish apocalypses. Even though the Gospel of John reflects similarities with the genre of apocalypse, John is not an apocalypse, but in genre theory terms, John may be described as a gospel in kind and an apocalypse in mode. John's narrative of Jesus's life has been qualified and shaped by the genre of apocalypse, such that it may be called an 'apocalyptic' gospel. In the final two chapters, Reynolds explores the implications of this conclusion for Johannine Studies and New Testament scholarship more broadly. John among the Apocalypses considers how viewing the Fourth Gospel as apocalyptic Gospel aids in the interpretation of John's appeal to Israel's Scriptures and Mosaic authority, and examines the Gospel's relationship with the book of Revelation and the history of reception concerning their writing. An examination of Byzantine iconographic traditions highlights how reception history may offer a possible explanation for reading John as apocalyptic Gospel.