Writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Tom Wright helps us to understand from the beginning of the letter that something unexplained yet terrible had happened. We feel the pain of Paul from the very opening lines, as he confronts dreadful issues of sorrow and hurt, emerging with a clearer picture of what it meant to say that Jesus himself suffered for us and rose in triumph. The letter itself moves through tragedy and from there leads into the sunlight. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful interpretation and explanation, and thoughts as to how it can be relevant to our lives today. No knowledge of technical jargon is required. The series is suitable for personal or group use. The format makes it appropriate also for daily study.

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.

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 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.

In this addition to the well-received Paideia series, New Testament scholars Duane Watson and Terrance Callan examine cultural context and theological meaning in First and Second Peter. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by
- attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs
- showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits
- commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book
- focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text
- making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format
This commentary, like each in the projected eighteen-volume series, proceeds by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight Watson and Callan offer in interpreting First and Second Peter.

Tom Wright's guide to Luke, which includes a wealth of information and background detail, provides real insights for our understanding of the story of Jesus and its implications for the reader. His clear style is accessible to new readers of the Bible, as well as to those who are further on. His exciting new translation brings to life, passage by passage, the immediacy and drama of Luke's gospel. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful interpretation and explanation, and thoughts as to how it can be relevant to our lives today. No knowledge of technical jargon is required. The series is suitable for personal or group use. The format makes it appropriate also for daily study.

"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

Jesus Becoming Jesus, Volume 3 follows upon the previous two volumes of this series entitled Jesus Becoming Jesus. Volume 1 was a theological interpretation of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and volume 2 was a theological interpretation of the Prologue and Book of Signs of John's Gospel (chapters 1-12). Unlike many conventional biblical commentaries, Weinandy concentrates on the theological content contained within John's Gospel. This is accomplished through a close reading of John's Gospel, theologically interpreting each chapter of the Gospel sequentially. In so doing he also takes into account the Johannine corpus as a whole. He also relates John's Gospel to relevant material found within the Synoptic Gospels, the Pauline Corpus and other New Testament writings. In this present volume, Weinandy's original theological interpretation focuses first on the Evangelist's narrative of the Last Supper, which includes Jesus' washing of his disciples' feet, followed upon his lengthy farewell address and his ensuing High Priestly Prayer (chapter 13-17). Although Jesus speaks of his leaving his disciples, yet their hearts should not be troubled, for he is going to prepare a place for them in his Father's house, and he will also send them another Counselor, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not only convict the world sin, but he will also empower the disciples to profess their faith in Jesus as the Father's Son, even in the midst of persecution. All that Jesus tells his disciple in his final discourse, he then prays that his Father will accomplish through his forthcoming death and resurrection-above all that his disciples will share in the same oneness of love that he and his Father possess. Weinandy masterfully treats John's Passion and Resurrection Narratives. He not only theologically interprets the uniqueness of the Evangelist's narratives, but also how his narratives insect with the Synoptic accounts. Moreover, Weinandy's theological reading of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection weaves together John's soteriology, ecclesiology, and sacramentality-all of which are founded upon the Incarnation, that Jesus is the Father's Spirit-filled incarnate Son. As the title suggests, Jesus, being named Jesus, in his death and resurrection, definitively enacts his name and so becoming who he is-YHWH-Saves.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Wright's own translation of the Letter to the Hebrews is combined, section by section with a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanation and interpretation, and thoughts as to how it can be relevant to our lives today. No knowledge of technical jargon is required.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

It is difficult to underestimate the significance of the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 within the biblical tradition. Although hell occupies a prominent position in popular Christianrhetoric today, it plays a relatively minor role in the Christian canon. The most important biblical texts that explicitly describe the fate of the dead are in the Synoptic Gospels. Yet among these passages, only the Lukan tradition is intent on explicitly describing the abode of the dead; it is the only biblical tour of hell. Hauge examines the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, uniquely the only 'parable' that is set within a supernatural context. The parables characteristically feature concrete realities of first-century Mediterranean life, but the majority of Luke 16:19-31 is narrated from the perspective of the tormented dead. This volume demonstrates that the distinctive features of the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus are the result of a strategic imitation, creative transformation, and Christian transvaluation of the descent of Odysseus into the house of hades in Odyssey Book 11, the literary model par excellence of postmortem revelation in antiquity.