Mimesis is a fundamental and pervasive human concept, but has attracted little attention from Johannine scholarship. This is unsurprising, since Johannine ethics, of which mimesis is a part, has only recently become a fruitful area of research. Bennema contends that scholars have not yet identified the centre of Johannine ethics, admittedly due to the fact that mimesis is not immediately evident in the Johannine text because the usual terminology for mimesis is missing. This volume is the first organized study on the concept of mimesis in the Johannine literature. The aim of the study is to establish that mimesis is a genuine Johannine concept, to explain its particulars and to show that mimesis is integral to Johannine ethics. Bennema argues that Johannine mimesis is a cognitive, creative process that shapes the believer's identity and behaviour within the context of the divine family. Besides being instrumental in people's moral transformation, mimesis is also a vital mechanism for mediating the divine reality to people

In Paul and Scripture, an international group of scholars discuss a range of topics related to the Apostle Paul and his relationship(s) with Jewish Scripture. The essays represent a broad spectrum of viewpoints, with some devoted to methodological issues, others to general patterns in Paul's uses of Scripture, and still others to specific letters or passages within the traditional Pauline canon (inclusive of the disputed letters). The end result is an overview of the various ways in which Paul the Apostle weaves into his writings the authority, content, and even wording of Jewish Scriptures.

Klaus Wachtel has pioneered the creation of major editions of the Greek New Testament through a blend of traditional philological approaches and innovative digital tools. In this volume, an international range of New Testament scholars and editors honour his achievements with thirty-one original studies. Many of the themes mirror Wachtel's own publications on the history of the Byzantine text, the identification of manuscript families and groups, detailed analysis of individual witnesses and the development of software and databases to support the editorial process. Other contributions draw on the production of the Editio Critica Maior, with reference to the Gospels of Mark and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Epistles and the Apocalypse. Several chapters consider the application of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method. A wide selection of material is considered, from papyri to printed editions. The Greek text is analysed from multiple perspectives, including exegesis, grammar and orthography, alongside evidence from versions in Latin, Syriac, Coptic and Gothic. This collection provides new insights into the history of the biblical text and the creation, development, analysis and application of modern editions.

The apostle Paul makes clear the central truths of Christianity. But sometimes he leaves us puzzled. As Peter said so long ago, Paul's "letters contain some things that are hard to understand." Is the law good? Is it better to be single or married? Is God really just? What wil happen to the Jews? Should women be allowed to teach? Seldom have the questions become easier over time. Manfred Brauch, drawing on years of pastoral experience and biblical study, takes on forty-eight hard sayings of Paul and offers the kind of help we need. By supplying background and putting these sayings in the context of the whole of Paul's teaching, he helps us not only to understand them but to see their importance for Christian living today.

In Creation, Power and Truth, Tom Wright invites readers to consider the crucial ways in which the Christian gospel challenges and subverts the intellectual, moral and political values that pervade contemporary culture. In doing so, he asks searching questions about three defining characteristics of our time: neo-gnosticism, neo-imperialism and postmodernity. Employing a robust Trinitarian framework, Wright looks afresh at key elements of the biblical story while drawing out new and unexpected connections between ancient and modern world-views. The result is a vigorous critique of common cultural assumptions and controlling narratives, past and present, and a compelling read for all who want to hear, speak and live the gospel of Christ in a world of cultural confusion.

The ending of Mark's Gospel is one of the great unsolved mysteries. However, interest in the Markan conclusion is not a modern phenomenon alone. Comments about the different attested endings date back to Eusebius' Ad Marinum in the fourth century. Responding to the apparent discrepancy between the timing of the resurrection in Matthew and Mark, Eusebius notes one may solve the difficulty in one of two ways: either ignore the passage on the basis of the manuscript evidence or harmonize the two passages. Unfortunately, Eusebius' comments are all too often viewed through the lens of the modern text-critical endeavor, and for that reason, his intent has largely been missed. This volume argues that Eusebius' double solution can be read as recognizing the authority of both the Longer and the Abrupt conclusions to Mark's Gospel. The solution represents his ecumenical synthesis of those authors who preceded him, the faithful and pious" from whom the Scriptures have been received. Only with this understanding of the double solution may we fully appreciate Eusebius' dual reception.

How can one reconcile the political nature of Jesus with his disinclination to power? Moore's argument comes in three stages. Part one answers the question 'Was Jesus Political?' by examining Jesus' words and actions that have political import. Part two addresses the issue 'How was Jesus Political?' It concentrates on Mark 10:32-45 as a real articulation of Jesus' political praxis that is consistent throughout Jesus' ministry and teaching. Part three, 'Why did Jesus not openly announce his political role?' examines Jesus' treatment of the Jewish kings of the past, particularly why Jesus, 'meek and mild,' could claim to surpass them in honor. It is argued that Jesus' disinclination to associate himself with other rulers is not a rejection of a political role. Rather, he lived so consistently with his political praxis of self-abnegation that these other rulers were not appropriate models for Jesus to follow. Furthermore, the very claim to such titles was antithetical to his political praxis which relinquished all aggrandizement to God, who alone could exalt, abase, judge, and rule.

This book offers an ideal introduction to the Gospels and explains why it is that scholars and lay people have such different understandings of the person of Jesus. The first half of the book looks at the main sources for the life of Jesus, principally the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but also the so-called apocryphal Gospels. The second half of the book begins with an examination of the criteria employed by scholars to determine the earliest and most reliable forms of the tradition. The third edition interacts with developments in modern scholarship, particularly the advance of memory studies. With study questions at the end of each chapter, updated reading lists, and a new chapter bringing scholarship up to date the third edition of this classic text will provide a perfect companion for students coming to grips with academic study of Jesus and the Gospels.

This commentary by Dr. Stephen Manley is the first volume within the Acts series. Stephen has been studying the book of Acts since late 1990s, and has been speaking, writing, and preaching the Word since 1961.

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.

The Bible is the world's best-selling book - it has influenced and inspired millions through the ages. The New Testament recounts the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and follows the first Christians as they begin to spread his revolutionary message to people all around the world. The New International Version is the most popular Bible translation in modern English. It is both readable and accurate, and this edition includes shortcuts to well-known stories and people in the Bible, as well as an introductory reading plan and a selection of passages offering help and guidance.

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.