This book offers a detailed analysis of the Gospel of Thomas in its historic and literary context, providing a new understanding of the genesis of the Jesus tradition. Discovered in the twentieth century, the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas is an important early text whose origins and place in the history of Christianity continue to be subjects of debate. Aiming to relocate the Thomasine community in the wider context of early Christianity, this study considers the Gospel of Thomas as a bridge between the oral and literary phases of the Christian movement. It will therefore, be useful for Religion scholars working on Biblical studies, Coptic codices, gnosticism and early Christianity.

Study Hebrews in its Second Temple Context Following the proven model established in Reading Romans in Context, Reading Mark in Context, and Reading Revelation in Context, this book brings together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast the theology and hermeneutical practices of the book of Hebrews with various early Jewish literature. Going beyond an introduction that merely surveys historical events and theological themes, this textbook examines individual passages in Second Temple Jewish literature in order to illuminate the ideas and emphases of Hebrews' varied discourses. Following the rhetorical progression of Hebrews, each chapter in this textbook: pairs a major unit of Hebrews with one or more sections of a thematically related Jewish text introduces and explores the historical and theological nuances of the comparative text shows how the ideas in the comparative text illuminate those expressed in Hebrews In addition to the focused comparison provided in the essays, Reading Hebrews in Context offers other student-friendly features that help them engage broader discussions, including an introductory chapter that familiarizes students with the world and texts of Second Temple Judaism and a glossary of important terms. The end of each chapter contains a list of other thematically-relevant Second Temple Jewish texts recommended for further study and a focused bibliography pointing students to critical editions and higher-level discussions in scholarly literature they might use to undertake their own comparative studies.

Sparkling reflections by our most popular Christian author, from Advent to Christmas

How might late second/early third century readings of Paul illuminate our understanding of the first century texts? A close comparison of Tertullian and Paul reveals the former to be both a dubious and a profoundly insightful interpreter of the latter. With growing interest in the field of patristic exegesis, there is a need for examination of Tertullian's readings of Paul. Tertullian, the first among the significant Latin writers, shaped generations of Christians by providing both a vocabulary for and an exposition of elemental Christian doctrines, wherein he relied heavily on Pauline texts and appropriated them for his own use. This new collection of essays presents a collaborative attempt to understand, critique, and appreciate one of the earliest and most influential interpreters of Paul, and thereby better understand and appreciate both the dynamic event of early patristic exegesis and the Pauline texts themselves. Each chapter takes a two pronged approach, beginning with a patristic scholar considering the topic at hand, before a New Testament response. This results in a fast paced and illuminating interdisciplinary volume.

This is a comprehensive and essential introductory textbook on the New Testament by an eminent professor in the field."The New Testament in Context" is the fruit of a scholarly life teaching the New Testament to undergraduate students.George Shillington, now Emeritus Professor at Canadian Mennonite University, has written a textbook on the New Testament which stresses the varying social, rhetorical and theological contexts of these twenty-seven texts. He introduces the book by emphasizing the importance of 'context' for reading 'texts'. The discussion then moves onto a description of the socio-rhetorical and theological approach, illustrated by exploring a text from one of Paul's letters. The usefulness of a socio-rhetorical reading is often limited by neglecting to recognize the theological aspect of a text. Shillington's textbook addresses this tendency by never losing sight of the theological dimension. The discussion is then broadened out to explore the larger context of the New Testament world within which the various documents were written.In addition to leading the students into the texture of the texts, Shillington encourages them to engage in interpretation, e.g. for writing an exegetical essay on a given text. The terms of reference are defined along the way, and different schools of thought on given subjects are brought to light. Each chapter concludes with suggestions for further research on the particular material.

The first publication in a new series-Christian Arabic Texts in Translation, edited by Stephen Davis-this book presents English-language excerpts from thirteenth-century commentaries on the Apocalypse of John by two Egyptian authors, Bulus al-Bushi and Ibn Katib Qas.ar. Accompanied by scholarly introductions and critical annotations, this edition will provide a valuable entry-point to important but understudied theological work taking place at the at the meeting-points of the medieval Christian and Muslim worlds.

In this study the methods of social concept criticism, poststructuralism, and social memory theory are innovatively and rewardingly combined with a revalued component of Greimas' system, the morpho-syntactic and actantial model. Analysis clearly reveals that the Lukan author reconceptualized social memory of the covenant and employed it as a literary device by following a sequence of the Exodus motifs culminating in the altered Exodus goal of covenant service/worship. The Lukan author also employed the reconceptualized covenant as a theological device that provided thematic links in the logical flow of the story, organizing the collective memory of Israel, through which perceived social needs are addressed and a call is issued for a mimetic response to the salvific activity of servant Jesus. The actantial model accurately illustrates the organizing capacity of the covenant, mapping the covenant's strategic placement and function to structure the plot-episode story and interrelate themes which articulate the servant identity of the Christian community. Researchers and academics alike will engage with this study that demonstrates the organizational capacity of the covenant concept in Lukan compositional design.

Hansen argues that unity formula employed in "Gal 3.28", "1 Cor 12.13" and "Col 3.11" offers equality between competing social groups. Hansen argues against prevalent views that the unity formula employed in "Gal 3.28", "1 Cor 12.13" and "Col 3.11" reflects either a Hellenistic anthropology of ideal androgyny or a modern liberal conception of social equality. Rather, Hansen contends, attention to function and context demonstrates each epistle's vision of social unity. Insights from ethnic theory elucidate how the epistles characterize this unity in terms of a new social identity, and the practices warranted by that identity. Furthermore, Hansen claims that because identity construction is continual, dynamic and discursive, alternate identities (e.g. ethnic, gender, religious, economic) within the new Christian communities, may be seen as influencing one another and may be termed as the collective Christian identity. Hansen employs theories from Ethnic study as tools for assessing how such overlapping identities persist and interact with one another. His analysis thereby demonstrates that the social unity promoted by this formula opposes cultural dominance by any particular group and, conversely reinforces the persistence of marginal social identities within new communities. The issue is then not one of gender equality, but of the equality that Paul wishes to develop between competing social groups. 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.

Since David Hume, the interpretation of miracle stories has been dominated in the West by the binary distinction of fact vs. fiction. The form-critical method added another restriction to the interpretation of miracles by neglecting the context of its macrotexts. Last but not least the hermeneutics of demythologizing was interested in the self-understanding of individuals and not in political perspectives. The book revisits miracle stories with regard to these dimensions: 1. It demands to connect the interpretation of Miracle Stories to concepts of reality. 2. It criticizes the restrictions of the form critical method. 3. It emphasizes the political implications of Miracle Stories and their interpretations. Even the latest research accepts this modern opposition of fact and fiction as self-evident. This book will examine critically these concepts of reality with interpretations of miracles. The book will address how concepts of reality, always complex, came to expression in stories of miraculous healings and their reception in medicine, art, literature, theology and philosophy, from classic antiquity to the Middle Ages. Only through such bygone concepts, contemporary interpretations of ancient healings can gain plausibility.

Mark A. Jennings challenges the consensus that there is no clear single purpose that shapes the entire epistle to the Philippians; instead arguing that there is significant evidence for Paul to have written the letter with the sole intent of persuading the church to maintain its exclusive partnership with him and his gospel mission. Jennings examines each section of Philippians with standard historical-critical methods, rhetorical criticism, and social-scientific methods. Establishing that Paul's argument is rooted in three fundamental tenets, emphasis is first placed on koinonia, and the agreement that Paul and the Philippians had entered into regarding his apostolic mission. Second, Jennings looks at the repeated 'proofs' that Paul offers, that simultaneously affirm the ordained superiority of his apostolic mission and repudiate the claims of his rivals. Third, Jennings analyses the issue of finances in the epistle, discussing how Paul rhetorically transforms the Philippians' financial support into a salient indicator that they esteem his gospel mission authentic. Finally, whereas other scholars have argued that Paul entreats the Philippians to be steadfast in their commitment to the gospel of Christ, Jennings proposes that Paul urges the church to be steadfast in their commitment to his gospel of Christ. Jennings then considers how this seemingly small distinction has profound ramifications for understanding the letter, and shows the gap between these interpretations.

In this landmark study of the literary relationship between the gospel of John and the synoptic gospels, Gary Greenberg presents compelling evidence for the existence of a written pre-canonical Alpha gospel that contained almost all of the main episodes in the adult life of Jesus (excluding major speeches, such as discourses, parables, and "I Am" sayings) and which became the written source for the core biography of Jesus in Mark, Luke, John, and Matthew. While Mark used the Alpha gospel with only slight variations, John had profound theological disagreements with it, objecting to its theological message about how to obtain eternal life, the depiction of Jesus, and other matters. This induced him to rewrite the Alpha gospel so that it conformed to his own very different theological agenda. Consequently, John's gospel functions as a thorough theological critique of Mark, but the changes he introduced made it difficult to see how he and Mark worked from the same written source. By using John's theological concerns as a filter for reading and understanding what objections John would have with Mark's Jesus stories, The Case for a Proto-Gospel reverse-engineers the editorial path taken by John and reconstructs the content of the Alpha gospel. Finally, the author discusses the relationship of the other two synoptic gospels to the Alpha gospel, asserting that Luke also knew the Alpha gospel but used Mark as his primary source, and that while Matthew did not know the Alpha gospel, his use of Mark as a primary source ensured that his core biography of Jesus also derived from this earlier source.

Though much-studied, Pauline soteriology can be seen afresh by giving focused attention to the apostle's language and conception of sin. Sometimes Paul appears to present sin and disobedience as transgression, while at other times sin is personified as an enslaving power. Is there a single model or perspective that can account for Paul's conceptual range in his discussion of sin? What does careful study of Paul's letters reveal about the christological and pneumatological remedies to the problem of sin as he conceives of them? These questions are explored in the context of individual Pauline letters, building a richer understanding of the apostle's attitude to sin and its remedy.

Core to Paul's gospel is the relationship between Israel and the Nations in light of the coming of Christ. But historic Christianity, in claiming to be a new Israel, and in not recognising the purpose of God in Christ for Jews and the nations, has ignored its Jewish roots, the scriptures of Israel, and the Jewishness of Jesus and the apostles leaving a lacuna in its own identity, which Campbell argues, can only be overcome by a covenantal understanding of diversity in Christ. The denial of the covenant leads to a negation of God's revelation to Israel, and leaves Christianity with a deficient self-understanding. Although covenant language is not prominent in Paul's letters it remains the basis of his thought in differentiated ways concerning Israel and the nations. The covenant remains God's covenant with Israel. But through the covenant re-ratified in Christ, non-Jews although not included in the covenant, participate through Christ in the Abrahamic promises. Hence participation language is prevalent in Paul's letters since these address non-Jews in Christ as representatives of the nations. Rather than being 'indifferent to difference', Paul's gospel is not anti-ethnic, but is focused on the continuation of difference in Christ. God's purpose is designed to relate to differing peoples, not in their becoming one and the same, but in reciprocal blessing among those who remain different. The corollary of this respect for difference is the call for reconciliation as an essential part of following Christ, a fundamental element in Paul's gospel. God created a diverse world so that his people will find blessing in its rainbow diversity.

In A Relevant Way to Read, Margaret G. Sim draws on her in-depth knowledge of New Testament Greek to forge a new exegesis of the Gospels and Paul's letters. Locating her studies in the linguistic concept of relevance theory, which contends that all our utterances are laden with crucial yet invisible context, Sim embarks on a journey through some of the New Testament's most troubling verses. Here she recovers some of that lost information with a meticulous analysis that should enlighten both the experienced biblical scholar and the novice. Whether discussing Paul's masterful use of irony to shame the Corinthians, or introducing the ground-breaking ideas behind relevance theory into a whole new field of study, Margaret G. Sim demonstrates her vast learning and experience while putting her complex subject into plain words for the developing student.

In Galatians, the apostle Paul makes his most passionate and direct appeal for a gospel free of ethnic or ritual exclusion. Paul's gospel is that of salvation through Christ alone - in him there is 'neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. By placing Paul's discussion firmly within its historical context, R. Alan Cole illuminates the potency and power of Paul's message to the Galatian church.This classic commentary has been completely retypeset and presented in a fresh, vibrant new large paperback format, with new global branding.

The Gospel writers state they aim to tell the story of Jesus in a clear manner, but throughout Paul McCarren's years in ministry, he has seen that these simple and important messages are too often missed. In his Simple Guides to the Gospels series, McCarren provides a new translation of each Gospel book, leading readers chapter by chapter through the text. Each section includes scripture and a brief, engaging commentary about how readers can relate to the material. The Simple Guides introduce readers to life in early Christianity, describe points of controversy, and show how each section fits with those that went before. The Simple Guide to Matthew highlights many of Jesus' compelling sayings, stories such as the Sermon on the Mount, and key themes of Jesus' ministry, such as trust. The books in the Simple Guides to the Gospels series are available individually or together as a complete set.

This paradigm-shifting study is the first book-length investigation into the compositional dates of the New Testament to be published in over forty years. It argues that, with the notable exception of the undisputed Pauline Epistles, most New Testament texts were composed twenty to thirty years earlier than is typically supposed by contemporary biblical scholars. What emerges is a revised view of how quickly early Christians produced what became the seminal texts for their new movement.

This book provides an original and comprehensive assessment of the hypotheses concerning the origin of resurrection Christology. It fills a gap in the literature by addressing these issues using a transdisciplinary approach involving historical-critical study of the New Testament, theology, analytic philosophy, psychology and comparative religion. Using a novel analytic framework, this book demonstrates that a logically exhaustive list of hypotheses concerning the claims of Jesus' post-mortem appearances and the outcome of Jesus' body can be formulated. It addresses these hypotheses in detail, including sophisticated combinations of hallucination hypothesis with cognitive dissonance; memory distortion; and confirmation bias. Addressing writings from both within and outside of Christianity, it also demonstrates how a comparative religion approach might further illuminate the origins of Christianity. This is a thorough study of arguably the key event in the formation of the Christian faith. As such, it will be of keen interest to theologians, New Testament scholars, philosophers, and scholars of religious studies.

William Wrede was among the first to recognise the creative contribution of the Gospel writers. His work thus laid the foundation for the work of the Form Critics, Redaction Critics and Literary Critics whose scholarship dominated New Testament studies during the twentieth century. This highly influential work was throughout this period the departure point for all studies in the Gospel of Mark and in the literary methods of the evangelists. It remains highly relevant for its ground-breaking approach to the classically complicated question of whether Jesus saw himself and represented himself as the Messiah.

The Gospel writers state they aim to tell the story of Jesus in a clear manner, but throughout Paul McCarren's years in ministry, he has seen that these simple and important messages are too often missed. In his Simple Guides to the Gospels series, McCarren provides a new translation of each Gospel book, leading readers chapter by chapter through the text. Each section includes scripture and a brief, engaging commentary about how readers can relate to the material. The Simple Guides introduce readers to life in early Christianity, describe points of controversy, and show how each section fits with those that went before. The Simple Guide to Matthew highlights many of Jesus' compelling sayings, stories such as the Sermon on the Mount, and key themes of Jesus' ministry, such as trust. The books in the Simple Guides to the Gospels series are available individually or together as a complete set.

The relationship between the messages of Jesus and Paul, once dubbed by one scholar 'the second founder of Christianity', must count as one of the most central issues in the study of the New Testament. The essays collected in this volume first survey the history of the study of this problem, and look at some of the main evidence for supposing that the connection between Jesus and Paul was slight, notably the paucity of Paul's references to Jesus' teachings and his seeming disinterest in the earthly Jesus. Other essays take up the question of the continuity between the teaching and the manner of life of the two men, and raise the question how this continuity may have been mediated from one to the other. A final essay raises the question how far Paul's statements about Christ were related to the earthly life of Jesus. This volume brings together a number of substantial contributions to this question, by Professor V.P. Furnish of Dallas, by two scholars from the German Democratic Republic, Professor N. Walter and Dr C. Wolff, and by the editor.

A Postcolonial African American Re-reading of Colossians: Identity, Reception, and Interpretation Under the Gaze of Empire examines the identities of two seemingly unrelated groups of people; the initial recipients of the letter and the enslaved African in the North American Diaspora. Both groups, although unrelated, share a common element. They are both considered erroneous in their interpretations of the gospel. They are labeled and summarily silenced. This work gives both a voice and determines from their identities their response to the gospel. Despite the lack of harsh labels given to the initial readers of Colossians by modern commentators, the author of the letter was guilty of error in that the letter lacked deference to their former beliefs and culture.