Questions regarding the afterlife are many, and the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts pay a great deal of attention to them: why does Luke speak about several different forms of the afterlife? Why is resurrection described as a person's transformation into an angelic being? How many abodes are appointed for the righteous and the wicked after death? Alexey Somov addresses these queries in relation to the apparent confusion and variety found in the text, and in respect of the interrelatedness of these issues, and their connection with other eschatological issues in Luke-Acts, and in relation to the wider cultural context of the Mediterranean world to which Luke belonged. Every culture expresses its beliefs by means of special metaphors that allow it to comprehend supernatural realities in terms of everyday experience. Belief in the afterlife was part of this metaphorical system which Luke shared with the ancient eastern Mediterranean culture. Somov takes his analysis one step further by applying Cognitive Metaphor Theory to selected metaphorical aspects of the afterlife. While the inconsistencies and incoherence of the combined metaphors may seem jarring to a contemporary Western reader, Somov's reading enables a recognition of the specific religious metaphors used, which for Luke would have been current and widely accepted.

A series of short, question-based study guides based around the New Testament For Everyone series. The series is intended to encourage church (and other) groups to study the Bible using the For Everyone model. Experienced Bible study writers have selected excerpts and written questions that guide users through the thought of Tom Wright on each passage. These have been reviewed, edited and approved by Tom Wright. Creation is in anguish. Paul's letter to the Romans, as well as the merest glance at our world, shows this clearly. The Church shares in the suffering, groaning in the tension between the 'already' of possessing the fruit of the Spirit and the 'not yet' of our present existence. Paul, however, also makes it abundantly clear that God doesn't stand apart from the pain. Rather, he entered it through Jesus and dwells in the middle of it in the Spirit. These studies present the whole picture of a suffering, sinful world and God's deep love, still working today to reconcile that world to himself.

Making use of his true scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Tom Wright captures the dauntless power of these letters. They were written by Paul while in prison facing the possibility of imminent death, yet burn with undimmed passion. Paul seeks to help direct the growing faith where his influence might prove crucial, and writes a very personal letter to a slave-owner on behalf of a runaway.

In this title, Itzhak Benyamini re-reads Paul's epistles using a critical psychoanalytical approach in light of Jacques Lacan's theory. For several decades, Paul's epistles have been right at the focus of academic and philosophic debate regarding the questions pertaining to Jewish law; love in relation to the law; the linkage between Judaism and Christianity; and, so on. What do Paul's writings consist of that can be used as a key for understanding Western Culture? Itzhak Benyamini seeks to re-read Paul's epistles using a critical psychoanalytical approach in light of Jacques Lacan's theory, in order to find which unconscious core this text provides us with. Benyamini examines Paul's use of Christian ritual and concomitant authoritative evocation of the Biblical tenet Love thy Neighbor, in order to establish a communal Christian identity, separate from 'carnal' Judaism and idolatry alike. According to Benyamini, Paul has founded a narcissist community of sons who place the Son at the centre of their existence. Consequently, the Christian Imaginary is juxtaposed as an alternative to pagan-carnal pleasure - but also as alternative to Judaic law. 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.

In discussions of Paul's letters, much attention has been devoted to statements that closely identify Christ with Israel's God (i.e., 1 Cor 8:6). However, in Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20, Paul uses the phrase "God is one" to link Israel's monotheistic confession and the inclusion of the Gentiles in the people of God. Therefore, this study traces the OT and early Jewish backgrounds of the phrase "God is one" and their possible links to Gentile inclusion. Following this, Christopher Bruno examines the two key Pauline texts that link the confession of God as one with the inclusion of the Gentiles. Bruno observes a significant discontinuity between the consistent OT and Jewish interpretations of the phrase and Paul's use of "God is one" in relation to the Gentiles. In the both the OT and earlyJewish literature, the phrase functions as a boundary marker of sorts, distinguishing the covenant people and the Gentiles. The key exception to this pattern is Zech 14:9, which anticipates the confession of God as one expanding to the nations. Similarly, in Romans and Galatians, the phrase is not aboundary marker, but rather grounds the unity of Jew and Gentile. The contextand arguments in Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20 lead to the conclusion that Paul's monotheism must now be understood in light of the Christ event; moreover, Zech14:9 may play a significant role in the link between Paul's eschatological monotheism and his argument for the inclusion of the Gentiles in Romans and Galatians.

This version of the New Testament is invaluable for those serious about studying and understanding the New Testament. The original Greek is side-by-side Young's Literal translation which is a strictly literal translation of the Greek, as well as being side-by-side the King James Version and the American Standard Version, enabling the reader to gain tremendous insight into the text.

In this addition to the well-received Paideia series, New Testament scholars Duane Watson and Terrance Callan examine cultural context and theological meaning in First and Second Peter. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by
- attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs
- showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits
- commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book
- focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text
- making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format
This commentary, like each in the projected eighteen-volume series, proceeds by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight Watson and Callan offer in interpreting First and Second Peter.

Mark's Gospel tells the complete story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Accurate and readable, the NIV (New International Version) is the world's most popular modern English Bible translation.

In this six-session video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Kristy Cambron invites you on a journey through the Gospel of Luke using a technique that revolutionized her time with God–Verse Mapping.

If you have a deep desire to unpack the meaning of the Scriptures you’re reading but you want to do it in a simple way–then verse mapping is for you. Verse mapping includes Hebrew/Greek word studies, finding connections in Scripture, comparing Bible translations, and learning as much as you can from your time with the Holy Spirit. And it’s even better when you do it with others as a group.

Simply put, verse mapping is getting real about studying Scripture. More than just reading a verse or passage, it’s about researching everything you can about what you’ve read to learn more about who God is and how He speaks into your life through His Word.

What if there were no barriers to your faith journey?

Take a verse mapping journey through the book of Acts and experience your own story road through Scripture!

The "Bilingual New Testament, English - German" is derived from the 1901 American Standard and 1912 German Luther translations.
Printed in 10-point text on white paper for easy reading, verses are paired in classical Biblical English and German 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."
Johannes 3:16 "Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, dass er seinen eingeborenen Sohn gab, auf dass alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben."
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."
Mattha us 28:18-20
"18. Und Jesus trat zu ihnen, redete mit ihnen und sprach: Mir ist gegeben alle Gewalt im Himmel und auf Erden.
19. Darum gehet hin und lehret alle Vo lker und taufet sie im Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes,
20. und lehret sie halten alles, was ich euch befohlen habe. Und siehe, ich bin bei euch alle Tage bis an der Welt Ende."
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 - Matthaus
Mark - Markus
Luke - Lukas
John - Johannes
Acts - Die Apostelgeschichte
Romans - Romer
I Corinthians - I Korinther
II Corinthians - II Korinther
Galatians - Galater
Ephesians - Epheser
Philippians - Philipper
Colossians - Kolosser
I Thessalonians - I Thessalonicher
II Thessalonians - II Thessalonicher
I Timothy - I Timotheus
II Timothy - II Timotheus
Titus - Titus
Philemon - Philemon
Hebrews - Hebraer
James - Jakobus
I Peter - I Petrus
II Peter - II Petrus
I John - I Johannes
II John - II Johannes
III John - III Johannes
Jude - Judas
Revelation - Offenbarung

"Reading Acts Today" provides a 'state of the art' view of study of Acts from a variety of perspectives and approaches. It is a fresh and stimulating collection of scholarly essays at the cutting edge of the discipline. The contributions come at "Acts" from many different angles including historical, theological, socio-economic, literary, narrative, and exegetical approaches. This enables a thorough examination of the way that other ancient writings illuminate "Acts" and locates the book in its ancient context. The wide range of contributors features some of the most influential names in modern New Testament studies, providing a remarkable assessment of current scholarship on the book of "Acts". These include James D.G. Dunn, I. Howard Marshal, and Richard Burridge. It was 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 "Bilingual New Testament, English - Spanish" is derived from the 1901 American Standard Version and the 1909 Biblia Reina Valera translations.
Printed in 10-point text on white paper for easy reading, verses are paired in classic Biblical English and Spanish 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."
Juan 3:16 "Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unige nito, para que todo aquel que en e l cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida 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."
Mateo 28:18-20
"18. Y llegando Jesu s, les hablo, diciendo: Toda potestad me es dada en el cielo y en la tierra.
19. Por tanto, id, y doctrinad a todos los Gentiles, bautiza ndolos en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espi ritu Santo:
20. Ensen a ndoles que guarden todas las cosas que os he mandado: y he aqui, yo estoy con vosotros todos los di as, hasta el fin del mundo. Ame n."
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 - Mateo
Mark - Marcos
Luke - Lucas
John - Juan
Acts - Hechos
Romans - Romanos
I Corinthians - I Corintios
II Corinthians - II Corintios
Galatians - Ga latas
Ephesians - Efesios
Philippians - Filipenses
Colossians - Colosenses
I Thessalonians - I Tesalonicenses
II Thessalonians - II Tesalonicenses
I Timothy - I Timoteo
II Timothy - II Timoteo
Titus - Tito
Philemon - Filemo n
Hebrews - Hebreos
James - Santiago
I Peter - I Pedro
II Peter - II Pedro
I John - I Juan
II John - II Juan
III John - III Juan
Jude - Judas
Revelation - Apocalipsis

A number of New Testament passages depict the Holy Spirit acting in conjunction with gospel preaching or other forms of humanly given communication about Jesus, yet there is considerable disagreement about how these passages should be interpreted. Unresolved exegetical debates about the correlative action (the "dual testimony") of the Spirit and the humanly conveyed word plague the interpretation of whole writings, extended sections of individual works, and important themes. This book examines this contested motif in a focused and comprehensive way. It begins by taking the Pauline, Johannine, and Lucan writings in turn, subjecting the central texts that express dual testimony to detailed exegetical analysis. On the basis of this exegetical work it then moves to a big-picture analysis of the way each corpus expresses and uses the dual-testimony motif, identifying individual emphases and tendencies as well as shared elements that can be observed across the three bodies of writing. Two final chapters offer brief reflections on possible developmental scenarios and points at which the preceding exegetical findings may impinge on questions of contemporary theology.

How would the confession, 'Jesus is Lord', have been understood in the first-century Roman world? Was it more than a statement of one's devotion to Jesus? Was it also an implicit challenge to the living Caesar, the lord of the Roman empire? There were many lords in the first century and the use of the title kyrios was complex. Clearly Paul was influenced by the use of this title for Yahweh in the Greek Old Testament. But he was also part of a culture in which the title was used for many persons, including fathers, slave owners, government officials-and the emperor. However, the title kyrios was used sparingly of emperors in the early and mid-first century. On the basis of the extant evidence, scholars since Deissmann have come to differing conclusions as to whether a challenge to the emperor is contained in the phrase. Fantin proposes a more powerful method of resolving the question, drawing upon the insights of relevance theory. He examines a whole range of persons referred to with this title, and evaluates the potential influence of such contexts on Paul's usage. Only then is it possible to draw compelling conclusions on whether any challenge is likely to be implied. In The Lord of the Entire World, Fantin shows that the living Caesar was indeed acknowledged in Paul's time as the supreme lord of the Roman world. Key New Testament texts such as Romans 10.9, 1 Corinthians 8.6 and Philippians 2.11 show that in all likelihood the Christian confession was in fact a challenge to imperial authority.

The Book of Revelation can be read in various ways. Where interpretation opts not to venture beyond Revelation or approach the book as a forecast of end-time events, it typically favours either going behind the text, in search of a socio-historical context of origin to which it might refer, or else standing in front of the text and investigating the book's reception history, or its present relevance and impact. Comparatively little interpretative work has been undertaken inside the text, exploring the mechanics of how Revelation 'works', still less how its complex parts might fit together into a meaningful whole. Gordon Campbell considers Revelation to be a coherent narrative composition that draws its hearer or reader into its text-world. In Reading Revelation: A Thematic Approach, Campbell gives an innovative account of Revelation's sophisticated thematic content. Mindful of Revelation's narrative verve, or its architecture en mouvement (as Jacques Ellul once put it), Campbell plots a series of thematic trajectories through the book. On this reading, parody and parallelism fundamentally shape the whole narrative. As a first-ever integrated account of Revelation's macro-themes, Reading Revelation makes an important contribution to Revelation scholarship. In its light, the book may justifiably be seen as the 'crowning achievement' of the Scriptures.

The Gospel of Mark, more than any other Gospel, gives us precious glimpses into Christ's humanity. Pastor John MacArthur will take you through the book of Mark, passage by passage, so that you can better understand Mark's unique perspective and the astounding humanity of Christ. Jesus amazes His followers-those in the past as well as His disciples today-as He teaches, heals, performs miracles, casts out demons, and raises the dead. Mark's account shows Christ using every opportunity, despite resentment and persecution from His enemies, to show God's awesome power. Through Mark's writings, we follow Jesus' very human pain, joy, and fervent dedication as He walks the earth, touches lives, and ultimately conquers sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection. -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.

In this volume, Lamar Williamson's commentary provides teachers, preachers, and all serious students of the Bible with an interpretation that takes serious hermeneutical responsibility for the contemporary meaning and significance of Mark's text.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

It is difficult to underestimate the significance of the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 within the biblical tradition. Although hell occupies a prominent position in popular Christianrhetoric today, it plays a relatively minor role in the Christian canon. The most important biblical texts that explicitly describe the fate of the dead are in the Synoptic Gospels. Yet among these passages, only the Lukan tradition is intent on explicitly describing the abode of the dead; it is the only biblical tour of hell. Hauge examines the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, uniquely the only 'parable' that is set within a supernatural context. The parables characteristically feature concrete realities of first-century Mediterranean life, but the majority of Luke 16:19-31 is narrated from the perspective of the tormented dead. This volume demonstrates that the distinctive features of the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus are the result of a strategic imitation, creative transformation, and Christian transvaluation of the descent of Odysseus into the house of hades in Odyssey Book 11, the literary model par excellence of postmortem revelation in antiquity.

Believers in the early church scattered across the Roman Empire were facing the threat of increased persecution. Peter, the most outspoken of the disciples and leader among the apostles, wrote two practical and encouraging letters to strengthen the hearts of these followers of Christ. Pastor John MacArthur will take you through these two letters, passage by passage, so that you can better understand Peter's words of hope and wisdom and how to live victoriously in the midst of life-threatening trials. In the first letter, Peter reminds believers of the many blessings available to them because of their persecution. In the second letter, he warns them to discern and defeat the false teachers who were invading their churches and teaching them dangerous and deceptive doctrines. Peter's letters of encouragement and warning are just as important for believers today as they were during the first century. -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.

Twenty years on from its original appearance, this ground-breaking first volume in N. T. Wright's magisterial series, 'Christian Origins and the Question of God', still stands as a major point of reference for students of the New Testament and early Christianity. This latest impression has been completely reset to make Wright's elegant and engrossing text more readable. 'The sweep of Wright's project as a whole is breathtaking. It is impossible to give a fair assessment of his achievement without sounding grandiose: no New Testament scholar since Bultmann has even attempted - let alone achieved - such an innovative and comprehensive account of New Testament history and theology.' Richard B. Hays