A powerful new devotional commentary series designed to inform and inspire

The last book of the Bible is not primarily about weird beasts, strange allegories, or encoded detail about the final years of planet Earth. It's a book which focuses on one great fact which trumps all others throughout the whole of AD history. It's a simple fact, but a fact which changes everything: God is on the Throne of the universe, and he is working out his strategies from the control-room of Heaven.

Straight to the Heart of Revelation is one of a series of devotional commentaries, which allow people to get to grips with each book of the Bible one bite at a time. Phil Moore does not cover the whole of each book, but rather focuses on key sections which together form a useful introduction. There will be 25 volumes in all, each containing 60 readings. The short chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship.

"Phil Moore has served us magnificently."
Terry Virgo

"Most commentaries are dull. These are alive. Most commentaries are for scholars. These are for you "
Michael Green

"Think of these books as the Bible's message distilled for everyone."
Adrian Warnock

This study examines the scriptural justification for believers to expect the Eucharist to be a place where God will come and bless them with freedom and formation. Bubbers' focus is not on liturgy, but rather on the biblical message of the benefits of participation in the Eucharist. Why keep this Feast? Why is Eucharist important? Bubbers' interpretive approach is a synthesis of historical-literary aspects of Biblical Theology and canonical-creedal aspects of the Theological Reading of Scripture, taking into account the biblical-historical place of Eucharist, as well as its ongoing presence within the Church. Bubbers begins by displaying the Last Supper as a Passover meal which bridges between Old Testament motifs and the New Testament Feast. She then shows that the Exodus context reveals a paradigm which links blessing with remembrance, and suggests that the remembrance motif describes these blessings. Finally, Bubbers gathers a catalogue of specific blessings, summarized by freedom and formation. Her conclusion is that the Feast is a divinely designed paradigm for worship, which is accompanied by a promise of transformational encounters.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction-covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography-a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation-the author's own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes-the author's notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting-a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment-verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation-brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography-occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

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. Thoughtful questions, prayer suggestions, and useful background and cultural information all guide you into a deeper understanding of the Christian story and the Christian life. What is Christianity? A philosophy? A set of ideas? A path to spirituality? A rule of life? Is it even a political agenda? Christianity is none of these things, yet it includes and, indeed, gives energy to them all. Christianity is a way of life. It is rooted in the good news revealed by an event that rocked the world. And those who believe this good news and live by it experience deep and lasting change. This is Paul's message to the Corinthians - and to us today. These studies on 1 Corinthians encourage us truly to engage in leadership, love and worship, as those who are being transformed by the resurrected Jesus.

This ground-breaking work is a critical edition of chapter XI (The Resurrection of Lazarus) of Nonnus of Panopolis' Paraphrasis of the Gospel of St John, written in the mid-fifth century in elegant hexameters. Made available for the first time in Anglophone literature, the volume consists of an introduction discussing cultural (theological and philosophical affiliations, dialogue with contemporary art), literary (character-sketching, narrative, interaction with the Dionysiaca), and technical (paraphrastic technique, transmission, metre) aspects and places the work in its immediate and broader context. The Introduction includes an edition of chapter XI from the so-called Athous paraphrase of Nonnus' Paraphrasis. An exhaustive line-by-line commentary covers a wide range of issues arising from Nonnus' spiritualizing rendition. Konstantinos Spanoudakis identifies literary models and intertextual links with earlier traditions: epic (mainly Homer, Apollonius Rhodius, Oppian), mystic (Orphic literature, Chaldean Oracles), and philosophical (Neoplatonists, Gnostics). Dr Spanoudakis illustrates Nonnus' interaction with early Christian poetry and literature, his debt to Cyril of Alexandria's Commentary on the Gospel of John, his familiarity with Syriac exegesis (John Chrysostom and Theodore of Mopsuestia), and the homiletic and apocryphal tradition on Lazarus. The book features a short Appendix discussing a curse against the Jews embedded as an interpolated verse in ms V.

In this volume Ben Cooper analyses how commitment to God is described within the Gospel of Matthew, how this is related to becoming a disciple of Jesus, and how reading or hearing the Gospel works to evoke such a response. The analysis draws upon a variety of approaches in linguistics and literary studies in a new way to characterise the 'communicative equilibrium' between the author and the subset of readers who process the text compliantly. Cooper argues that Matthew's Gospel evokes in its compliant readers a particular kind of theocentric commitment, which he calls 'incorporated Servanthood'. Such readers become persuaded that Jesus came to bring forgiveness of sins to the people of God and then to take this salvation out to the nations, a program that can be associated with Isaiah's Servant of the Lord. Compliant readers are humbled so they can be served by the Servant for the forgiveness of their sins. They are then incorporated into his program for the nations, to join in the task of incorporating others.

History of Christian Dogma is a translation of Ferdinand Christian Baur's Lehrbuch der christlichen Dogmengeschichte, second edition, 1858. The Lehrbuch, which Baur himself prepared, summarizes in 400 pages his lectures on the history of Christian dogma, published post-humously in four volumes. Baur, professor of theology at the University of Tubingen from 1826 to 1860, brilliantly applied Hegelian categories to his historical studies in New Testament, church history, and history of Christian dogma. According to Baur, "Dogma" is the rational articulation of the Christian "idea" or principle-the idea that God and humanity are united through Christ and reconciled in the faith of the spiritual community. Following an introduction on the concept and history of the history of dogma, the Lehrbuch treats three main periods: the dogma of the ancient church or the substantiality of dogma; the dogma of the Middle Ages or the dogma of inwardly reflected consciousness; and dogma in the modern era or dogma and free self-consciousness. The entire history is a progression in the self-articulation of dogma through conflict and resolution, moving gradually from objective to subjective forms and to the mediation of subject and object by the philosophers and theologians of the early nineteenth century. The detailed analyses provide a wealth of information on individual thinkers and doctrines that is still relevant today.

In Revelation for Everyone, bestselling author and theologian Tom Wright helps us understand the complex book of Revelation in a fresh new way. Many regard Revelation as the hardest book in the New Testament. It is full of strange, lurid, and sometimes bizarre and violent imagery. As a result, people who are quite at home in the Gospels, Acts and Paul's letters find themselves tiptoeing around Revelation with a sense that they don't really belong there. But they do! Revelation for Everyone offers one of the clearest and sharpest visions of God's ultimate purpose for the whole creation. Here we see how the powerful forces of evil can be and are being overthrown through the victory of Jesus the Messiah, which continues to inspire and strengthen his followers today. The For Everyone commentary series by Tom Wright can be used on its own or alongside his New Testament for Everyone guides. They commentaries by Tom Wright are designed to help you understand the Bible from a new perspective under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars without requiring an in-depth understanding of theology.

Does Paul teach a hierarchy of authority of man over woman, or does he teach the full equality of man and woman in the church and home? In Man and Woman, One in Christ, Philip Barton Payne answers this question and more, injecting crucial insights into the discussion of Paul s view of women. Condensing over three decades of research on this topic, Payne s rigorous exegetical analysis demonstrates the consistency of Paul s message on this topic and its coherence with the rest of his theology. Payne s exegetical examination of the Pauline corpus is thorough, exploring the influences on Paul, his practice as a church leader, and his teachings to various Christian communities. Paul s theology, instruction, and practice consistently affirm the equal standing of men and women, with profound implications for the church today. Man and Woman, One in Christ is required reading for all who desire to understand the meaning of Paul s statements regarding women and their relevance for Christian relationships and ministry today. This work has the potential of uniting the church on this contentious issue."

Pastor John MacArthur will take you through the book of Hebrews, passage by passage, so that you can better understand the author's message, the cultural context, and the perfect sufficiency of Christ. The early Jewish believers had come from a background of legalism and works. When God came to earth in human flesh as the New Covenant, these believers discovered the freedom they could have in Jesus and the relationship they could enjoy with Him. Yet in the midst of persecution and rejection, they were often tempted to hold on to the former symbols, rituals, and traditions grounded in the requirements of the Old Covenant. The unknown author of Hebrews sought to address this problem by contrasting the Old and New Covenants, brilliantly showing that Christ is higher than any Old Testament character, priest, ritual, or sacrifice. Because of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, He is the perfect sacrifice and our own High Priest. And He has given all believers unfettered access to God! -ABOUT THE SERIES- The MacArthur Bible Study series is designed to help you study the Word of God with guidance from widely respected pastor and author John MacArthur. Each guide provides intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture by examining its parts and incorporates: Extensive, but straight-forward commentary on the text. Detailed observations on overriding themes, timelines, history, and context. Word and phrase studies to help you unlock the broader meaning and apply it to your life. Probing, interactive questions with plenty of space to write down your response and thoughts.

This book honors the extraordinary contribution of Elizabeth Struthers Malbon to biblical studies. In the opening chapter, Werner Kelber places Malbon's work within the larger context of critical reflection, from antiquity to the modern era, on the role and function of discourse. Kelber locates Malbon's approach squarely within the framework of modernity and concludes that her "supremely creative achievement has been the employment of modern, narrative critical tools with a view toward uncovering the fecundity of the gospel of Mark." Drawing from and conversing with Professor Malbon's extensive publications, each of the five sections engages a theme from her works, focusing particularly on the Gospel of Mark. This tribute includes meaning as narrative, issues in methodology, studies in characterization, narrative readings of specific texts, and aesthetic and political readings. Contributors include: Werner H. Kelber; R. Alan Culpepper; Kelly R. Iverson; Mikeal C. Parsons; David Barr; David J.A. Clines; Robert C. Tannehill; J. Cheryl Exum; Heidi Hornik and Richard Walsh.

Mary Magdalene is a larger figure than any text, larger than the Bible or the Church; she has taken on a life of her own. She has been portrayed as a penitent whore, a wealthy woman, Christ's wife, an adulteress, a symbol of the frailty of women and an object of veneration. And, to this day, she remains a potent and mysterious figure. In the manner of a quest, this book follows Mary Magdalene through the centuries, explores how she has been reinterpreted for every age, and examines what she herself reveals about woman and man and the divine. It seeks the real Mary Magdalene in the New Testament and in the Gnostic gospels where she is extolled as the chief disciple of Christ. It investigates how and why the Church recast her as a fallen woman, it traces her story through the Renaissance when she became a goddess of beauty and love, and it looks at Mary Magdalene as the feminist icon she has become today.

Bart Ehrman-the New York Times bestselling author of Misquoting Jesus and a recognized authority on the early Christian Church-and Zlatko Plese here offer a groundbreaking edition of the Apocryphal Gospels, one that breathes new life into the non-canonical texts that were once nearly lost to history. In The Other Gospels, Ehrman and Plese present a rare compilation of over 40 ancient gospel texts and textual fragments that do not appear in the New Testament. This essential collection contains Gospels describing Jesus's infancy, ministry, Passion, and resurrection, as well as the most controversial manuscript discoveries of modern times, including the most significant Gospel discovered in the 20th century-the Gospel of Thomas-and the most recently discovered Gospel, the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. Each translation begins with a thoughtful examination of key historical, literary, and textual issues that places each Gospel in its proper context. The end result is a resource that enables anyone interested in Christianity or the early Church to understand-better than ever before-the deeper meanings of these apocryphal Gospels. The Other Gospels is much more than an annotated guide to the Gospels. Through its authoritative use of engaging, accurate translations, it provides an unprecedented look at early Christianity and the New Testament. This is an indispensable volume for any reader interested in church history, antiquity, or the Christian faith.

The Bilingual New Testament, English-Italian is derived from the 1901 English American Standard and Italian 1927 Riveduta Bible translations. Printed in 10-point text on white paper for easy reading, verses are paired in classical Biblical English and Italian 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."

Giovanni 3:16 "Poiche Iddio ha tanto amato il mondo, che ha dato il suo unigenito Figliuolo, affinche chiunque crede in lui non perisca, ma abbia vita 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."

Matteo 28:18-20 "18. E Gesu, accostatosi, parlo loro, dicendo: Ogni potesta m'e stata data in cielo e sulla terra. 19. Andate dunque, ammaestrate tutti i popoli, battezzandoli nel nome del Padre e del Figliuolo e dello Spirito Santo, 20. insegnando loro d'osservar tutte quante le cose che v'ho comandate. Ed ecco, io sono con voi tutti i giorni, sino alla fine dell'eta presente."

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 - Matteo Mark - Marco Luke - Luca John - Giovanni Acts - Atti degli Apostoli Romans - Romani I Corinthians - I Corinzi II Corinthians - II Corinzi Galatians - Galati Ephesians - Efesini Philippians - Filippesi Colossians - Colossesi I Thessalonians - I Tessalonicesi II Thessalonians - II Tessalonicesi I Timothy - I Timoteo II Timothy - II Timoteo Titus - Tito Philemon - Filemone Hebrews - Ebrei James - Giacomo I Peter - I Pietro II Peter - II Pietro I John - I Giovanni II John - II Giovanni III John - III Giovanni Jude - Giuda Revelation - Apocalisse

In this lively introduction, J. Nelson Kraybill shows how the book of Revelation was understood by its original readers and what it means for Christians today. Kraybill places Revelation in its first-century context, opening a window into the political, economic, and social realities of the early church. His fresh interpretation highlights Revelation's liturgical structure and directs readers' attentions to twenty-first-century issues of empire, worship, and allegiance, showing how John's apocalypse is relevant to the spiritual life of believers today. The book includes maps, timelines, photos, a glossary, discussion questions, and stories of modern Christians who live out John's vision of a New Jerusalem.

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.

Current reception histories emphasize the world of Biblical readers, their socio-historical contexts, and the myriad effects of Biblical exegesis. This reception history studies interpretations of Jesus' encounter with a Canaanite woman (Matt 15:21-28) as normative "scripts" that exhort specific types of compliance in a broad range of historical and cultural settings, revealing remarkably diverse understandings of Christian identity and community.

Sin was an extremely important and serious concern for the earliest Christians and the authors of the New Testament writings. Early Christians came to see the life and ministry of Jesus as challenging presumptions about the meanings of sin and faithfulness. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of different understandings of sin in early Christianity. Jeffrey S. Siker describes how the earliest Christian voices represented in the New Testament writings understood "sin" not only as a theological abstraction, but also as a real reflection upon human thought and behavior that violated right relationships with both other human beings and with God. Siker explores language about sin in relation to the Jewish and Greco-Roman contextual worlds of the New Testament writings, and examines the development and change of these worlds in relation to the modern concept of sin.