In Contested Creations in the Book of Job: the-world-as-it-ought- and -ought-not-to-be Abigail Pelham reads the Book of Job both 'forwards'-examining the perspectives on creation presented by Job and his friends and corrected by God's authoritative voice from the whirlwind-and 'backwards,' demonstrating how the epilogue explodes readers' certainties, forcing a reappraisal of the characters' claims. The epilogue, Pelham argues, changes the book from one containing answers about creation to one which poses questions: What does it mean to make the world? Who has the power to create? If humans have creative power, is it divinely sanctioned, or has Job, acting creatively, set himself up as God's rival? Engaging more thoroughly with Job's ambiguity than previous scholars have done, Contested Creations explores the possibilities raised by these questions and considers their implications both within the book and beyond.

2012 Reprint of 1899 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This book is a series of eighteen meditations contrasting the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. Murray shows us the blessings God has given us, along with the conditions necessary for the full and continual experience of those. Murray's discussion of covenants is instructive, describing the nature of a covenant, the difference between the two covenants, and the transition between them. His ultimate goal, however, is to show "what exactly the blessings are that God has covenanted to bestow upon us." And here Murray's spiritual insight and ability for profound teaching shines through. His "humble attempt" to instruct the believer can have a renewing and transformative effect.

Take a Refreshing Plunge into theBible

Journey inside the pages of Scripture andyou ll meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative workfrom the inside out. Immersion Bible Studies is your guide forthat journey. Shaped with the individual in mind, Immersionencourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of theWord to become a new creation in Christ.

Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation, the CommonEnglish Bible, stands firmly on Scripture and helps you explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of your personal faith. More importantly, you llbe able to discover God 's revelation to you through readings andreflections.

So, take the plunge and find the transforming loveand knowledge of a personal God. Job features 6 sessions.

With An Introduction And Appendices. Eight Lectures Preached Before The University Of Oxford In The Year 1889 On The Foundation Of The Late Rev. John Bampton, Canon Of Salisbury.

The oracle against the King of Tyre, found in Ezekiel 28.12-19, is a difficult text that inspired diverse interpretations in Late Antiquity. For example, according to one rabbinic tradition the text spoke of the first man, Adam, while the Church Fathers found in the same text a description of the fall of Satan. This book studies the rabbinic sources, patristic literature, the Targum, and the ancient translations, and seeks to understand the reasons for the diverse interpretation, the interaction between the exegetical traditions and the communities of interpreters, in particular between Jews and Christians, and the effect the specific form and wording of the text had on the formation and development of each interpretation.

This commentary on Greek Jeremiah is based on what is most certainly the best complete manuscript, namely Codex Vaticanus. The original text is presented uncorrected and the paragraphs of the manuscript itself are utilized. The translation into English on facing pages is deliberately literal so as to give the modern reader a hint of the impression the Greek translation could have made on an ancient reader. The purpose of the commentary is to provide a discussion of the Greek text of Jeremiah in its own right. Hence references to the Vorlage are only made to explain peculiarities in the Greek text.

How does someone obtain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding? How do they apply them to their lives? This volume of Immersion Bible Studies focuses on touchstone Scriptures that reveal the essence of wisdom as found in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Written in a conversational tone, this study engages readers in the virtues shared while deepening their love of the Bible. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step suggestions for leading a group are provided, as well as questions to facilitate class discussion. Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, they ll be able to discover God s revelation through readings and reflections."

The Homicidal, Obsessive and Delusional Women of the Old Testament is a "Behind the Music" depiction of three women: Leah, first wife of Jacob, Michal, first wife of David and Athaliah, stepdaughter of Jezebel. The book examines the tragedy of their lives and offers valuable life lessons to be learned from them.

The message of the old testamentary Maccabees is martial and pernicious as well as already pointed out by Erasmus of Rotterdam. The circumstances in which the Maccabeean literature emerged are complex and have not yet been explored by scholars in all their details; even more complex is the history of its influence, the Wirkungsgeschichte in the sense Hans-Georg Gadamer has given to the term, a history which was to large extent a purely Christian one. The early Christians saw the Maccabees as prototypical martyrs. Later they discovered warrior heroes whose courage was the measure of whoever fought in the name of God or freedom: Saxons, Scots, or citizens of Cologne who rose up against their rulers. This history of influence is the focus of the essays collected in this book, which extend thematically and chronologically from the cult of martyrs in late antiquity to the time of the modern wars of liberation.

"No scholar of this generation has had a greater fire in his bones for communicating the word of God than Walter Brueggemann. These essays on Jeremiah exemplify his insistence that criticism should lead to interpretation, and remind us again why prophets like Jeremiah still matter in the 21st century." - John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament, Yale "Like Fire in the Bones is a gift to the churches and to anyone interested in prophetic literature with its harsh rhetoric, blazing visions, and demanding yet merciful God. Jeremiah may have had fire in his bones, but Brueggemann sets fires with his pen. He shows how Jeremiah speaks into the abyss of historical catastrophe with speech that matches experience. He underlines the disputatious political character of theological speech. He reiterates Jeremiah's call to covenant loyalty even in the face of religious and government forces that suppress and silence words of life. He illuminates Jeremiah's bare-boned hope for a world in the thrall of empire and social amnesia. If ever there was need for imaginative rereading of Jeremiah and of the texts of common life, it is now. At this, Brueggemann is a master." - Kathleen M. O'Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary "Jeremiah, the longest book in the Bible, is neglected much too often by preacher and teacher alike. That neglect is due, in significant part, to the prophet's often-sharp words that strike too close to home, in his own generation and in ours. It is telling that the prophet Jeremiah, the focus of these essays that span much of Walter Brueggemann's prophetic ministry, has been in his head and heart for such a long time. Again and again, Brueggemann's own words have mirrored Jeremiah to us, and the times in which we presently live could profit from hearing them again." - Terence E. Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary

Sixty superlative sermons on familiar Old Testament texts. Many Christian preachers today largely neglect the Old Testament in their sermons, focusing instead on the Gospel accounts of Jesus' teachings and activities. As Fleming Rutledge points out, however, when the New Testament is disconnected from the context of the Old Testament, it is like a house with no foundation, a plant with no roots, or a pump with no well. In this powerful collection of sixty sermons on the Old Testament, Rutledge expounds on a number of familiar Old Testament passages featuring Abraham, Samuel, David, Elijah, Job, Jonah, and many other larger-than-life figures. Applying these texts to contemporary life and Christian theology, she highlights the ways in which their multivocal messages can be heard in all their diversity while still proclaiming univocally, -Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.-

Little known historical background and compelling humor combine to make this an unusual look at the role the Ten Commandments should play in the life of today's Christian. Reflection questions make it perfect for study groups and classes.

Synopsis: Like the book of Romans in the New Testament, the book of Deuteronomy provides the most systematic and sustained presentation of theology in the Old Testament. And like the Gospel of John, it represents mature theological reflection on God's great acts of salvation, in this case associated with the exodus of Israel from Egypt. Unfortunately, for many Christians, Deuteronomy is a dead book, either because its contents are unknown or because its message is misunderstood. The essays in this collection arise from a larger project driven by a passion to recover for Christians the life-giving message of the Old Testament in general and the gospel according to Moses in particular. The "meditations" cover a wide range of topics, from explorations into the meaning of specific texts to considerations of the ethical and homiletical relevance of the book for Christians today. Endorsements: "Dan Block is a world-class scholar and dynamic Bible teacher who has a passion for helping the church understand the Old Testament. In this volume, which is the fruit of decades of careful study in the book of Deuteronomy, Dr. Block brings clarity to crucial issues in biblical interpretation and reveals the grace of God in the law of Moses." --Philip G. Ryken President, Wheaton College "Daniel Block makes a persuasive case for the critical importance of the book of Deuteronomy. It culminates the Pentateuch and throws a long shadow of influence on the rest of the Old Testament. One must understand Deuteronomy to understand the Old Testament. Through his erudition and his love for the word of God, Block powerfully unpacks this crucial book. His passion is contagious and his insight will transform how you read Deuteronomy." --Tremper Longman III Robert H. Gundry Professor of Old Testament Westmont College "Block writes with energy, passion, and clarity. He is at home both in teasing out linguistic details and in delineating large theological landscapes. Known as a first-rate teacher, Block's research is thorough, his arguments compelling (e.g., the Shema' text), and his graphs and tables helpful. This good menu of articles on worship, leadership, mission, the Decalogue, etc., is flavored with spicy ANE input, with challenging applications, and above all with scholarly acumen and spiritual fervor." --Elmer A. Martens President Emeritus and Professor of Old Testament Emeritus Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary Author Biography: Daniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24 (1997), The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25-48 (1998), Judges and Ruth (1999), and Deuteronomy (NIVAC, forthcoming).

2011 Reprint of 1944 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In "What Religious Science Teaches," Ernest Holmes references the great spiritual texts of the world, from the Upanishads to the Kabala, showing us how we are the masters of our own fate. According to Holmes, shorn of dogmatism, freed from superstition, and always ready for greater illumination, Religious Science offers the student of life the best that the world has so far discovered. Holmes shows how the ideas of Religious Science have been treated by Taoism, Hindu scriptures, the Koran, the Talmud and other great teachings of the world.

Severus of Antioch was the Patriarch of Antioch and a moderate Miaphysite. Sergius the Grammarian is a lesser-known figure, but the content of his letters demonstrates that he was a more extreme Miaphysite. The early 6th century correspondence between the two consists of a set of three letters apiece and an apology by Sergius. Made available in Syriac along with Torrance's translation, these letters are an important part of the working out of concerns associated with the Council of Chalecedon.

2011 Reprint of 1920 Seventh Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Levi H. Dowling (1844-1911), who originally published "The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ" under the sole name of Levi, was a Church of Christ pastor, a Civil War chaplain for the Union Army, a practitioner of homeopathic medicine, a New Thought lecturer, and a religious publisher. Levi maintained he had transcribed the text of the book from the Akashic records. In the later 20th century, it was adopted by New Age spiritual groups. The title is derived from the practice in astrology of naming time periods in terms of constellations and their dominant positions in the sky. In that system, the Age of Aquarius is approaching. The Aquarian Gospel makes the following claims, among others: The revelation of the Aquarian Gospel was prophesied 2000 years ago by Elihu, who conducted a school of the prophets in Zoan, Egypt. Jesus puts on the role of The Christ, but is not automatically Christ by nature. By making himself, through effort and prayer, a fit vessel, Jesus enabled The Christ to dwell within him. Christ is therefore used as a term for the perfect human being that Jesus exemplified, a human being that has been "Christened" (anointed) and therefore made holy. Jesus came to earth to show the way back to God via his lifestyle and teachings. He is the example we must model our own lives after, if we seek salvation. Reincarnation exists, and is the explanation for various seeming injustices. Reincarnation allows people to settle debts they have incurred in past lives. Humanity has forgotten God and is currently working its way back to fully remembering God. Time is separated into ages. These ages last approximately 2,000 years. We are now nearing the start of the Aquarian Age. All souls will eventually mature and become perfect, like Jesus, thus ending the cycle of reincarnation. No soul is ever abandoned by God.

This is a new commentary volume looking at the theological and literary motivations of "Genesis" 1-11. Joseph Blenkinsopp provides a new commentary on "Genesis" 1-11, the so-called 'Primeval History' in which the account of creation is given. Blenkinsopp works with the conviction that, from a biblical point of view, creation cannot be restricted to a single event, nor to two versions of an event (as depicted in "Genesis" 1-3) but, rather, must take in the whole period of creation arranged in the sequence: creation - uncreation - recreation (as can be derived from "Genesis" 1-11). Through the course of the commentary, presented in continuous discussion rather than in a rigid verse-by-verse form, Blenkinsopp takes into account pre-modern interpretations of the texts, especially in the Jewish interpretative tradition, as well as modern, historical-critical interpretations. Blenkinsopp works from the perspective of acknowledging the text's literary integrity as an 'authored' work, rather than focusing simply on the its background in various sources (whilst of course paying due attention to those sources). This enables Blenkinsopp's engaging discussion to focus upon the literary and theological artistry of the material at hand.

Various biblical studies on wealth and poverty have been published over the last thirty years. Some of these studies touch on the wealth of the patriarchs in Genesis 12-50, but they focus predominantly on other parts of the Bible. Scholars who have studied the patriarchal narratives in detail comment on aspects of patriarchal wealth, but do not offer an in-depth analysis of this topic. This book on Jacob s wealth shows that such an analysis is warranted. In the Jacob story, material possessions and their associated attitudes and actions are essential to understand the various relationship dynamics. Often, possessions are the cause of conflict, but they also play a role in conflict resolution. As a result, this study contributes to a fuller understanding of the Jacob-cycle.

This book puts forward an interpretation of the Canticle which is alert to the literal sense of the poem. The author thus distances himself both from the allegorical interpretation and from an interpretation that is purely secular. According to the author, the Song offers a theological vision of human love. Barbiero sees the Song as composed in the third century BC, in the Hellenistic epoch, but also as hugely dependent on the love poetry of the Ancient Near East, particularly that of Egypt. Above all, however, the Song was composed in dialogue with the other books of the Old Testament, especially in contrast with the negative view of sexuality which they represent. The study pays particular attention to the structure of the poem and of the individual cantos: for Barbiero, the Song is a closely unitary work and is only to be understood as a whole.

Description: The themes of these stories are profoundly human themes, capturing the persistent interaction between God and humankind. These narratives invite us to witness the manner in which God enters human community in all of its complexities, struggles, challenges, fears, and ultimately hope. As the narratives unfold, not only is it clear that God will not be restricted by societal and cultural conventions, but the human journey will be generated by faith and doubt, fear and hope, promise and fulfillment. Hemchand Gossai not only explores the various themes within a variety of texts, but maintains a constant eye on the implications for the church and contemporary readers. In this regard, some of the literal and particular experiences such as barrenness, wilderness, and wrestling with God are examined as metaphors for our experiences. The richness and texture of metaphors allow us to embrace these stories in a way that makes them our stories. Endorsements: ""Hemchand Gossai has long been working on the stories of Abraham and Sarah with great clarity, literary sensitivity, and theological savvy.In this volume, he expands upon that journey with newstudiesregarding God, the human characters, and their interrelationships.Gathering the major themes from these narratives, Gossai presents them in such a waythat Israel's stories canspeak once again into the complexities of our interreligious world.Students and scholars alike will benefit from his many insights."" --Terence E. Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament, Luther Theological Seminary; author of Abraham: Trials of Family and Faith About the Contributor(s): Hemchand Gossai is Director of Religious Studies at Georgia Southern University. He is also the author of Social Critique by Israel's Eighth-Century Prophets and River Crossings: Memories of a Journey--A Memoir.