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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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."

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.

Digs into the Bible to find out what Jesus did and said Encourages you to decide what place Jesus has in your life today More than 110 titles available! Features the popular inductive study approach Includes helpful notes for group leaders Convenient workbook format for groups or individuals Approach questions help get you thinking or start group discussion Application questions help you to act on what you have learned Field-tested by individuals and groups prior to publication

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.

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.

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.

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.

When Dr. David Jeremiah prepares a sermon or teaching, at the forefront of his mind
is helping people understand what the Bible says, what it meant to the people at the
time it was written, and what is means to us today. The Jeremiah Bible Study Series
captures Dr. Jeremiah's forty years of teaching employing this approach and will lead
readers through each book of the New Testament, one chapter at a time. Along the
way, readers will gain insights into the text, identify the key stories and themes, and
be challenged to correctly apply the truths and meanings they find to their own lives.

Sections in each lesson include:

Getting Started: An opening question to introduce readers to the lesson
Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study
Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions
Reviewing the Story: Questions to help readers identify key points in the Scripture reading
Applying the Message: Questions to help readers apply the key ideas to their lives
Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson
Each of the Bible studies in this series will help readers understand what the Bible says-particularly in its original context-and how to apply its teachings to their lives.