This innovative study makes a major contribution to the long scholarly discussion of the problematic geography of "Mark's Gospel". Using both modern spatial theory and an exhaustive review of ancient evidence, Stewart demonstrates how Mark's spatial perceptions reflect Greek, Roman and Jewish understandings of human geography. He addresses Mark's editorial and compositional control over the geographic presentation of Jesus' ministry, ultimately arguing that in Mark, Jesus offers a unique spatial practice.

A translation of many of the forbidden books of the Bible banned by the Council of Nicene, including the Gospels of the Infancy of Jesus, translated and published by William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury 1716-1737. Less than a century before, William Tyndale had been executed by the church for daring to translate the Bible into English. Wake believed that many, if not most, of these passages were historically accurate, even those showing the young Jesus in a less than sympathetic light. The Fascination of Lost Scripture continues to be of great interest to Bible Scholars and Lay People.

When you need to know how to do something, a manual is the best place to start. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus could be called the 'Teacher's Manual' because these letters contain so much advice about the kind of teaching Christian leaders should - and shouldn't - be giving. Just as Timothy and Titus needed help to lead their young churches in the midst of powerful cultural forces, we need guidance for leading and living well in our own context. These studies of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus point us in the right direction. They bring us to a greater understanding of ourselves and show us the way through the challenges we face.

This unique commentary on Paul's early letters by an outstanding New Testament specialist, provides a broad range of original perspectives of how people have interpreted, and been influenced by, Paul's first two letters. Addresses questions concerning the content, setting, and authenticity of the two Thessalonian letters, drawing on responses from leading scholars, poets, hymn writers, preachers, theologians, and biblical scholars throughout the ages Offers new insights into issues they raise concerning feminist biblical interpretation. Provides a history of two-way influences, as exemplified by Ulrich Luz, Hans Robert Jauss, and Hans-Georg Gadamer Written by Anthony Thiselton, a leading commentator on the Greek New Testament

The Blackwell Companion to Paul presents a distinctive dual focus approach that encompasses both the historical Paul and the history of Paul's influence. In doing so, expert contributors successfully address the interests of students of early Christianity and those of Christian theology. * Offers a complete overview of the life, writings and legacy of one of the key figures of Christianity * The essays compass the major themes of Paul's life and work, as well as his impact through the centuries on theology, Church teaching, social beliefs, art, literature, and contemporary intellectual thought * Edited by one of the leading figures in the field of Pauline Studies * The contributors include a range of world-renowned academics

This introduction to the interpretation of Matthew aims to encourage in-depth study of the text, and genuine grappling with the theological and historical questions raised, by providing a 'map' to the Gospel as a whole, and to key interpreters and interpretative debates.

As a child Wendy Craig had a strong faith, but as she grew older, God was squeezed out of her life. In the busyness of her career and family life, she thought she could manage on her own. It was only later on, approaching 40, that she discovered the emptiness she felt inside and the longing for God again.;Reflecting on the Gospel of Mark she finds, 'the whole book unfolds like a wonderful piece of drama, which builds to an amazing climax at the end.' The entire text of the Gospel of Mark, in the Good News Bible, forms the second part of the book.

What is the nature of Christian unity? Is it Sacramental, Organic, Federal, Spiritual? These are questions that demand careful examination when different Christian traditions are drawing closer to one another in a common desire to heal the divisions that hinder the witness of the Church to the world. In any attempt to deal with these questions, full weight must be given to the evidence of the New Testament itself: what kind of unity does it reveal? In New Testament Pattern, Jean-Louis Leuba reveals a two-fold framework of unity in the New Testament. One strand - in its witness to Christ, to the Apostles and to the Church - emphasises the institutional, traditional and particular. The other strand emphasises the personal, dynamic and universal. Yet the two strands are actually one. Their unity is more comprehensive, more creative, than any undifferentiated unity could be, with important implications for ecumenism and broader scriptural study.

This book explores the link between Paul's belief that Jesus is Israel's Messiah, and his interpretation of the Abrahamic Land Promise in Galatians. Countering claims that Paul replaces the Promised Land with the gift of the Spirit or salvation, Esau McCaulley argues that Paul expands this inheritance to include the whole earth; believing that, as the seed of Abraham and David, Jesus is entitled to the entire world as his inheritance and kingdom. McCaulley argues that scholars have neglected Paul's expanded interpretation of the inheritance of the earth, rarely appreciate the role that messianism plays in Galatians, and fail to acknowledge that Second Temple authors often portrayed royal and messianic figures as God's means of fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and Israel, via the establishment of kingdoms. Through a comparison of texts from the Pseudepigrapha, apocrypha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls with Galatians 3:1-4:7, 5:21, McCaulley argues Paul's interpretation of Jesus's death is a manifestation of Second Temple messianism because it ends the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy and begins the restoration of the inheritance to Abraham's offspring through the establishment of Jesus's worldwide kingdom; he concludes that Paul's interpretation of the Abrahamic inheritance is inseparable from his belief that Jesus is Israel's Messiah.

Since the earliest commentators, such as Origen in the third century, Luke 7:18-35, which contains one of the longest fragments dealing with John the Baptist, has often been glossed-over, misunderstood or misrepresented by scholars. Roberto Martinez contributes to our understanding with a refreshing use of a narrative-critical perspective, which has only recently gained prominence within the field of Biblical studies. This is the very first study that deals exclusively with this pericope, building upon previous Lukan scholarship dominated by historical-critical and redaction-critical views. The contradiction in verses 19-20 where John's disciples seem to question Jesus' identity despite John's prior affirmation that Jesus is the lamb of God, among other features of the pericope, is compared with the corresponding passage in Matthew. This strategy and textual analysis reveal how Luke's narrative has been carefully crafted to place emphasis on the Christology of the text while qualifying the plot involving John the Baptist. Martinez places the passage into a uniquely literary context, recognising that early commentators often commented on Luke's rhetorical art, which is somehow lost to modern commentators. Roberto Martinez is Adjunct Professor of the New Testament at the Dominican Study Center of the Caribbean (CEDOC) in Puerto Rico. He completed his doctoral dissertation at the Catholic University of America. 'Disciples of John the Baptist make a sudden appearance in Luke's gospel at 7:18. Their appearance allows the evangelist to reprise the comparison between John and Jesus found in the Infancy Narratives, with greater emphasis on their respective roles in the history of salvation. Using both the historical-critical method and the literary-method of textual analysis, Martinez carefully teases out the meaning of what Jesus had to say about John and himself in a stream of consciousness response to the critical question, " 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" ' Raymond F. Collins, Visiting Scholar, Brown University.

I felt as if I were actually there - on that hill, sitting with the others - as the young teacher was speaking the most radical words our world has ever known.' - Rob Parsons, OBE The Sermon on the Mount is one of history's best-known and most loved teachings. While the words Jesus used are simple, humble and straightforward, the power contained in them will revolutionize your world. Known for his keen insight and biblical understanding, Dr R.T.Kendall offers you the keys to unlocking and applying this matchless sermon. In his accessible, in-depth, verse-by-verse exposition of Matthew 5-7 he brings the words of Jesus to life. Complete with an index for easy reference, this is the definitive, must-have resource on the most famous sermon in the world. 'Dr Kendall writes as he preaches, with conviction and clarity. He is a formidable Bible teacher for whom the Spirit and the word flow seamlessly. This, his masterpiece, is a must-read on the pivotal teaching of the New Testament.' - Ken Costa, Chairman, Alpha International ''The words of the Sermon on the Mount are some of the best known and least understood verses in the Bible. I am delighted that Dr R.T.Kendall, whom I consider to be one of the best Bible teachers in the world, has given us his scholarly, thoughtful, insightful commentary and application - this book and its message are manna for today.'' - Revd Canon J.John "Dr Kendall presents us with a profound, yet eminently readable study. He sweeps aside the confusion that so often surrounds the Sermon on the Mount and exposes the pure teaching of the gospel. A must for everyone who truly desires to follow Christ today." - Colin Dye, Kensington Temple, London

The Passion Translation is a modern, easy-to-read Bible translation that unlocks the passion of God's heart and expresses his fiery love-merging emotion and life-changing truth. This translation will evoke an overwhelming response in every reader, unfolding the deep mysteries of the Scriptures. If you are hungry for God, The Passion Translation will help you encounter his heart and know him more intimately. Fall in love with God all over again.

When Paul wrote First Thessalonians shortly after the recipients had accepted the Gospel, many significant issues had already arisen among them. Of great concern was the social complexity, and even persecution, they encountered because they had "turned to God from idols" (1:9). The countercultural stance of those earliest believers, and especially the impact that may have had for women, is addressed throughout this commentary. While Paul directs no remarks only to women in this letter, the ramifications of his preaching on their daily lives emerge vibrantly from the application of a feminist hermeneutics of suspicion to the text. While Second Thessalonians is a shorter letter, it has been disproportionately influential on Christian thought, especially apocalyptic doctrine and the "Protestant work ethic." From a feminist perspective, it is androcentric, rhetorically manipulative, and even violent. In this commentary, Mary Ann Beavis and HyeRan Kim-Cragg explore this text from many angles to expose both constructive and destructive implications in the text. Notably, they suggest a perspective on the "afflictions" endured by the Thessalonian church that neither glorifies suffering nor wishes for revenge but rather sees the divine presence in women's acts of compassion and care in circumstances of extreme duress and inhumanity. From the Wisdom Commentary series Feminist biblical interpretation has reached a level of maturity that now makes possible a commentary series on every book of the Bible. It is our hope that Wisdom Commentary, by making the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format to ministers, preachers, teachers, scholars, and students, will aid all readers in their advancement toward God's vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all. The aim of this commentary is to provide feminist interpretation of Scripture in serious, scholarly engagement with the whole text, not only those texts that explicitly mention women. A central concern is the world in front of the text, that is, how the text is heard and appropriated by women. At the same time, this commentary aims to be faithful to the ancient text, to explicate the world behind the text, where appropriate, and not impose contemporary questions onto the ancient texts. The commentary addresses not only issues of gender (which are primary in this project) but also those of power, authority, ethnicity, racism, and classism, which all intersect. Each volume incorporates diverse voices and differing interpretations from different parts of the world, showing the importance of social location in the process of interpretation and that there is no single definitive feminist interpretation of a text.

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 apostle Paul affirms in several places that there is only one God. Yet in the same letters Paul also gives praise to the Lord Jesus Christ, often using language similar to his descriptions of God. How can this self-avowed Hebrew of Hebrews reconcile these ideas? This book explores the strongest one-God statements in Paul's undisputed letters and asks how Paul's Jewish monotheistic understanding informs his overall argument. These three texts - Corinthians 8:6, Galatians 3:20, and Romans 3:30 - occur in very different contexts and address different issues. By looking at the historical, cultural, and grammatical contexts of these passages, as well as Paul's language about God and Christ elsewhere in these letters, Dr. Nicholson argues that Paul's understanding of the one God is not static or perfunctory; rather, it is dynamic and flexible, influencing significant aspects of Paul's Gospel message. Paul's ethics, his view of salvation history, and his soteriology are fundamentally shaped by his understanding of the one God of Israel.

Michael A. Daise identifies literary features found in six quotations in the Fourth Gospel, suggesting they should be revisited as clusters rather than as discrete units. Three quotations are the only ones whose introductory formulae explicitly ascribe them to Isaiah; three are the only ones cast as being 'remembered' by Jesus' disciples; and each of these groupings forms an inclusio within the Book of Signs which, when combined with the other, produces a chiasmus to Jesus' public ministry. Daise examines these clusters in three studies, addressing their exegetical issues and theological implications. After an introductory apologia for an historical-critical and theological approach, the first two studies distil narrative themes embedded in the Isaianic and 'remembrance' inclusios. The third study then reconstructs the synthesis of these themes created by the chiasmus, and translates its key elements into theological categories. Daise concludes that, while the Isaianic inclusio brings 'closure' to the Book of Signs -by disclosing the angelic cause of the Jews' unbelief - the 'remembrance' inclusio creates an anticipation of the Book of Glory - by casting Jesus as poised to establish a new dynasty with the casting out that angelic cause. Daise further argues that this broader storyline carries ramifications for an array of motifs in the Fourth Gospel's theological taxonomy: in particular its christology, soteriology, eschatology, ecclesiology and pneumatology.

Judaism in the New Testament explains how the writings of the early church emerged from communities which defined themselves in Judaic terms even as they professed faith in Christ. These two extremely distinguished scholars introduce readers to the plurality of Judaisms of the period. They show, by examining a variety of texts, how the major figures of the New Testament reflect distinctly Judaic practices and beliefs.
This important study shows how the early movement centred on Jesus is best seen as `Christian Judaism'. Only with the Epistle to the Hebrews did the profile of a new and distinct Christian religion emerge.

In "Judaism in the New Testament, " Bruce Chilton and Jacob Neusner, the most prolific author writing in English today, contend that, contrary to conventional wisdom, early Christians identified not as Christians, but as Jews. Drawing upon parts of the Gospels, the Letters of Paul, and the Letters to the Hebrews, Neusner and Chilton read the early Christianity as a formation of Judaism--a comprehensive, religious system that is nothing short of a Judaic account of Holy Israel.
Bound to be controversial, Neusner, an accomplished Talmudic scholar and Chilton examine the New Testament as a statement of the Torah of Sinai.
This important work provides a provocative and trenchant critique of existing scholarship that seeks to view Christianity as autonomous from Judaism. By examining Christianity as an extension of Judaism, Neusner and Chilton place Christianity in its proper historical, literary and religious context.

This book examines all the relevant passages containing the Term "Son of Man" in both Matthew and the Parables of Enoch. Depictions of the Son of Man in the Gospel of Matthew and in the "Parables of Enoch" ("Par. En.") raise questions about their relationship. The meaning and origin of the term "Son of Man" are discussed, as well as the possible influence of "Par. En." on Matthew. Literary, Redaction, Sociological and Narrative criticisms are employed.

Introductory questions of date, provenance and social setting are addressed for both Matthew and "Par. En." Dates as early as the early second century bce and as late as the late third century ce have been proposed for "Par. En.," but a consensus seems to be growing for the late first century bce. Therefore Matthew could have known "Par. En." Sociological methodologies reveal that the author and audience of "Par. En." may have been members of an ousted ruling elite, opposed to the current administration, and yearning for a just reversal of fortunes.

Sets of characteristics of the Son of Man in "Par. En. "and Matthew are developed, and the term is examined briefly in the other Gospels. Then the two sets of characteristics are carefully compared. Similarities in vocabulary as well as in the pattern of relationships prove to be intriguing, showing that Matthew and "Par. En.," in contrast to other writings, share a unique conception of the judgment scene focussed on the Son of Man as eschatological judge. This suggests quite strongly the shaping of Matthew's concept in the direction of "Par. En."

Wright's The New Testament and the People of God is the first volume of his acclaimed series 'Christian Origins and the Question of God' comprehensively addressing the historical and theological questions surrounding the origins of Christianity. The text outlines Wright's hermeneutical theory and discusses the history of the Jews stressing the close connection with Judaism and developing this to examine the treatment of early Christians. Wright's work has played a significant role in challenging prevailing assumptions relating to the religious thought of first-century Jews. On a more technical level, Wright provides a reappraisal of literary and historical readings of the New Testament.

Does John's Apocalypse envision destruction or salvation for the nations of the world? Scholarly views on this issue range from extreme (total destruction) to extreme (universal salvation). Jon Morales maintains that the question must be reframed to highlight, not only the destiny of the nations, but also their dilemma within the drama of world history. Using narrative methodology, Morales asks four key questions concerning the nations: What is John's story of the nations? How does he tell this story? What is John's message to the nations? And what is his message to the church concerning the nations? Literary characters cannot be understood in the abstract, but must be rather discovered sequentially in the development of an entire narrative. The nations in Revelation are no exception. Understanding that previous studies have neglected to situate the nations within Revelation's larger plot, or in interaction with other narrative characters, Morales concludes that John's purpose is to show that the nations belong to God. John achieves his purpose in part by deploying a novel metaphor, virtually unexplored until now - Christ, shepherd of the nations

From the editors of the bestselling The Five Gospels, The Complete Gospels presents for the first time anywhere all twenty of the known gospels from the early Christian era, offering a fuller and more fascinating picture of early Christian origins than found in the four canonical gospels alone -- or in any other source. Each of these gospels records offers fresh glimpses into the world of Jesus and his followers, including:

Gospel of Thomas reveals that Jesus, contrary to the popular image of him as an apocalyptic preacher of damnation and salvation, was actually a wisdom teacher who taught about the true origins of humankind.

Gospels of Mary suggests that women held prominent role in early church, and provides a startling look at what may have been the first attempts to supress their leadership.

Sayings Gospels Q, the controversial reconstruction of the first gospel used by Jesus' original followers, contains only Jesus' sayings and none of the dramatic stories about his life later told in the New Testament gospels.

Signs Gospel is almost entirely a catalog of Jesus' miracles, intended to demonstrate that he was the Jewish Messiah, the Anointed.

Secret Book of James relates that immediately prior to his ascension, Jesus imparted a private revelation to James and Peter, which James presents here as a letter.

Gospel of Peter contains what may have been the original passion narrative later adapted in the New Testament synoptic gospels' accounts.

Four new pieces have been added to this third expanded edition: the three Jewish-Christian gospels and the Greek fragment of the Gospels of Thomas.

Each gospel is translated into lively, contemporary English, recapturing the spirit of the original. Exciting both to read and to hear, this Scholars Version (SV) translation has -- as one reader put it -- "a vitality that jumps off the page."

The Greek New Testament, Produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge edited by Dr. Dirk Jongkind and Dr. Peter Williams, is a critical Greek text reflecting decades of scholarly advances and groundbreaking scribal habit studies.

A powerful devotional commentary series designed to inform and inspire

If you think that 1 and 2 Corinthians are somebody else's mail, then you need to think again. Paul wrote them for you and he wrote them for me. Right from the outset, his goal was far bigger than the city walls of Corinth. He copied them to "all the saints throughout Achaia" and to "all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." They are God's message to believers in any local church in any place at any time. They describe the kind of church God can use.

Straight to the Heart of 1 and 2 Corinthians 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