"Mark Ellingsen's new" Lectionary Preaching Workbook" will be a wonderful resource for pastors for decades to come. I say this because I find the book to be exegetically sound, theologically strong, homiletically creative, liturgically sensitive, and imminently practical in the best sense of that word. Practical Theology of the highest order -- that's what describes Ellingsen's workbook. A modest hope is that preachers who have found themselves timid about approaching the lectionary will see in Mark Ellingsen's workbook a way to test the waters, and eventually dive in. Ellingsen provides here the opportunity for that homiletical leap of faith
"William J. Carl III, Ph.D.
President and Professor of Homiletics
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
"Dr. Ellingsen presents the preacher with a resource that deeply enriches weekly sermon preparation. Not only does he offer exegetical and theological information for the lections, but sermon topics, themes, and other resources as well... I also appreciate the resources that he offers at the beginning of the workbook: the review of the books of the Bible, a theological overview, as well as reviews of the various seasons of the church. Unlike so many lectionary resources that are grounded in the scriptures, Dr. Ellingsen incorporates a strong focus on the theological emphasis of the texts and context. I will definitely encourage the students to purchase this workbook.
"Lucy Lind Hogan, Ph.D.
Hugh Latimer Elderdice Professor of Preaching and Worship
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington DC
"Mark Ellingsen's "Lectionary Preaching Workbook" (Series IX Cycle A) is a rich and stimulating resource for preachers, especially those who manage the adamant deadline (really, lifeline) imposed on preachers by weekly worship. Each section is filled with theological reflection, liturgical sensibility, exegetical sketches, along with sermon prompts, outlines, and "gimmicks." This last is his own word for what amount to suggestions for why a sermon on a particular text can be made to matter to both preacher and audience...
Ellingsen's stated intent is to be an unbiased conversation partner with the preacher and in this goal he is careful to provide a range of options for topic and approach for each occasion... The closer a preacher is to wanting to continue in the Protestant tradition if theologically informed, exegetically nuanced, liturgically sensitive, and rhetorically focused preacher, the more that preacher will find "Lectionary Preaching Workbook" a sturdy companion.
"Henry J. (Hank) Langknecht
Haman-Pfahler Professor of Homiletics and Christian Communications
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
Columbus, Ohio
Mark Ellingsen, a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), has been a professor of Church History at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1993. He graduated magna cum laude from Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania) and Yale University, from which he received three master's degrees in divinity, arts, and philosophy, as well as his Ph.D. He has authored eighteen books including "Sin Bravely: A Joyful Alternative to a Purpose-Driven Life" (Continuum) and "The Integrity of Narrative" (Wipf and Stock). He and his wife have three grown children. When he is not writing or teaching, Ellingsen enjoys discussing politics, sports, and playing guitar.

Micah Kiel discusses the overly simplistic nomenclature ('Deuteronomistic') given to Tobit's perspective on retribution and attempts to show, by coordinating it with Sirach and parts of 1 Enoch, how the book's view is much more complex than is normally asserted. Kiel argues that the return of Tobit's sight is a catalyst that ushers in new theological insight, specifically, that the world does not run to the tightly mechanized scheme of act and consequence. Kiel's close comparison between Tobit and selected contemporaneous literature provides context and support for such narrative observations. Sirach and parts of 1 Enoch demonstrate how authors at the time of Tobit were expressing their views of retribution in the realm of creation theology. The created order in Tobit is unruly and rises up in opposition to God's righteous characters. By way of this quirky tale, the author of Tobit suggests that God does not function strictly according to old formulae. Instead, a divine incursion into human reality is necessary for the reversal of suffering.

These essays explore new methods and overlooked traditions that appear to shed light on how the founders of the Christian movement understood the older sacred tradition and sought new and creative ways to let it speak to their own times. Gurtner discusses the Matthean version of the temptation narrative. Chandler investigates the exhortation to 'love your neighbour as yourself' from Lev. 19.18b. Talbot re-examines Jesus' offer of rest in Mt. 11.28-30. Myers explores the ways Matthew's appeal to Isa. 42.1-4 in Mt. 12.17-21 affects the characterization of Jesus in his Gospel. Hamilton explores 1 Enoch 6-11 as a retelling of Genesis 3-6. Herzer seeks to explain varuiys aspects of Mt. 27.51b-53. McWhirter explores the citation of Exod 23.20, Mal. 3.1, and Isa. 40.3 in Mk 1.2-3. Hopkins investigates the manner in which Jesus engages questions and persons regarding purity and impurity. Miller notes that victory songs are a generally acknowledges category of Hebrew poetry. Gregerman argues that studies of early Christian proselytism to Gentiles are largely focussed on missionary methods of converts.

The Church has rendered God safe. His wrath is a matter relegated to days of antiquity. It seems rare that we connect the brevity and frailty of this existence with His overflowing anger at sin. Unfortunately, having dispensed with His wrath we've also diminished His holiness and His majesty, and made the cross less necessary. This study invites the reader to take a second look at God and His wrath-and His Christ-through the eyes of Moses. Suitable for individuals or groups.

2013 Reprint of 1963 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. K. C. Pillai (1900-1970) was a Bishop-at-large of the Indian Orthodox Church in Madras India. He spent the last twenty years of his life in the United States of America on a special mission to acquaint Christians with the orientalisms and customs of the Bible. He wrote books and worked with western Christians to help clarify what he believed were difficult Scriptural passages through an understanding of the eastern manners and customs. During his time in the United States, he became associated with Victor Paul Wierwille, with whom he worked through every orientalism in the Bible from Genesis through Revelation over a six-week period in 1953.

How did the New Testament writers and the earliest Christians come to adopt the Jewish scriptures as their first Old Testament? And why are our modern Bibles related more to the Rabbinic Hebrew Bible than to the Greek Bible of the early Church? The Septuagint, the name given to the translation of the Hebrew scriptures between the third century BC and the second century AD, played a central role in the Bible's history. Many of the Hebrew scriptures were still evolving when they were translated into Greek, and these Greek translations, along with several new Greek writings, became Holy Scripture in the early Church. Yet, gradually the Septuagint lost its place at the heart of Western Christianity. At the end of the fourth century, one of antiquity's brightest minds rejected the Septuagint in favor of the Bible of the rabbis. After Jerome, the Septuagint never regained the position it once had. Timothy Michael Law recounts the story of the Septuagint's origins, its relationship to the Hebrew Bible, and the adoption and abandonment of the first Christian Old Testament.

Full of Judgment, Full of Eyes When it comes to the Hebrew prophets of old, few can match the obscurity of Ezekiel, the son of Buzi. Largely ignored by New Testament writers, he is thought to have seen a UFO and provided an archaic description. The rabbis of Israel thought otherwise, convinced that Ezekiel's merkebah held the secrets of all creation. But there is much more than chariots here, as author Joe Conti deftly explains: > Why the cherubim are the essence of life, reflected in life below > Why their 3-to-1 grouping validates the quadriform gospel accounts > Why the fall of Tyre confirms his writings, together with Babylon's tree > Why Gog and Magog are not Russia - Turkey is the nation to watch This is a game of last man standing, as the Son of man gets a glimpse of glory, plunges the nations into the pit, breaks the idolatry of the Jews, and brings them back in fear to Zion, the mountain of the Lord.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, called this his 'Song of Songs.' But through the centuries many have struggled to make sense of it. Who is the mysterious woman with whom the king is so in love? What is her story - and why is it in the Bible? In this devotional exposition and modern English translation, we follow the heart-searching highs and lows of their relationship as we unravel the answers to these questions. We see how lovingly and patiently Solomon wins her heart and confidence until finally, freed from her past, she becomes the magnificent queen that he first saw her to be. But what of Solomon himself? He is not what we would expect: at heart a shepherd, an adventurer, a lover of wild, open spaces. And as the story progresses we come to understand the prophetic significance of Solomon's vision of the 'shepherd king' - and why his attempts to fulfill it himself caused his downfall. Yet, more importantly, we see how perfectly it is fulfilled, and all out deepest needs met, in the ultimate 'Good Shepherd' and 'King of Love, ' Jesus Christ.

About the Contributor(s): Rabbi Edward Feld is the senior editor of Mahzor Lev Shalem (2010) and the author of The Spirit of Renewal: Finding Faith after the Holocaust (1994). He has served as Rabbi-in-Residence at the Jewish Theological Seminary and as Hillel Director and Chaplain to the College at Princeton University and Smith and Amherst Colleges. As the Educational Director of Rabbis for Human Rights he developed a curriculum for teaching "Judaism and Human Rights."

This volume in the Old Testament for Everyone series covers one of the most popular books of the Old Testament, a book known for its themes of suffering and doubt. Taking the form of a play, with different characters relating different themes, the book of Job tells the story of one man whose life fell apart, who went to the depths and questioned God, and whose life was eventually rebuilt. Goldingay's careful and compelling commentary explores the book of Job's enduring message and is perfect for daily devotion, Sunday school preparation, or brief visits with the Bible.

Description: Genesis ""was a political document of the state, and its major function was to exalt David and his monarchy, not only with his own people but also among the other states of that world. The scribes of the monarchy used many sources for this work, and certainly the literary criticism of the past has helped us to isolate many of these sources. However, the view presented here is quite different from the older criticism in that the sources that were used in this work must date from before the exile. This is obvious, if the sources were used by the scribes of the Davidic monarchy. None of this can be said with dogmatic zest, but we can at this point discuss some reasons why it seems possible to see Genesis in this way."" --from the Introduction Endorsements: ""Loren Fisher applies what is perhaps the single most valuable method of biblical interpretation to the book of Genesis, the principle of 'multiple voices.' Instead of forcing agreement between clearly distinct units and genres, he allows the differences to speak, and then brings them together to function as a royal epic of leadership and nationhood."" -Baruch A. Levine Skirball Professor Emeritus of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies New York University ""Loren Fisher has produced an elegant and eminently readable translation of the book of Genesis, with helpful literary and comparative notes throughout. The author does an exceptionally fine job of situating Genesis within the world of ancient Near Eastern literature. Both the casual reader and the advanced scholar of the Bible will gain many insights from this well-conceived project."" -Gary Rendsburg Department of Jewish Studies Rutgers University About the Contributor(s): Loren R. Fisher retired as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and as Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at the Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of The Many Voices of Job, Tales from Ancient Egypt, The Jerusalem Academy, and the editor of Ras Shamra Parallels, vols. 1 and 2,

This volume contains 20 articles by leading scholars on the king and Messiah, mostly in the Old Testament, but also in the ancient Near East and post-biblical Judaism and New Testament. This volume is a major contribution to the study of kingship and messianism in the Old Testament in particular, but also in the ancient Near East more generally, and in post-biblical Judaism and the New Testament. It contains contributions by 20 scholars originally presented to the Oxford Old Testament Seminar. Part I, on the ancient Near East, has contributions by John Baines and W.G. Lambert. Part II, on the Old Testament, has essays by John Day, Gary Knoppers, Alison Salvesen, Carol Smith, Katharine Dell, Deborah Rooke, S.E. Gillingham, H.G.M. Williamson, J.G. McConville, Knut Heim, Paul Joyce, Rex Mason, John Barton and David Reimer. Part III, on post-biblical Judaism and the New Testament, is by William Horbury, George Brooke, Philip Alexander and Christopher Rowland. This noteworthy volume has many fresh insights and is essential reading for all concerned with kingship and messianism.

Dale Patrick examines the first five books of the Bible--the Pentateuch--the Law.He provides an effective method for studying and understanding this vital part of the canon. His introduction concentrates on the exposition of the major thrust of Old Testament Law: the Ten Commandments, the Book of the Covenant, the Deuteronomic Law, the Holiness Code, and the Priestly Law.Law--rules and regulations, concepts and principles, legal codes--written and unwritten. Patrick tackles important questions surrounding the formation of the Law. What is the Law? How was it formulated? What implications does the Law of the Israelites have for Christians today? Patrick's deft handling and answering of these questions results in a book that provides a means to understand the specific rules governing the concepts and principles of the written law so that we may grasp the unwritten law; i.e., the justice, righteousness, and holiness required by God.Patrick offers critical exposition in a format that makes a seemingly difficult and esoteric part of the Bible accessible to the reader. This introductory text serves as a springboard to further study.

Zechariah 1-6 is unlike most of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is pro-establishment and he conveys his message mostly with visions. These observations have led to scholarly disagreements as to how one should understand his role. Antonios Finitsis mediates this disagreement by triangulating the relationship of Zechariah's visionary mode of expression, his message and his function. Zechariah has often been seen as a link between prophecy and apocalypticism. However, Finitsis argues again assuming the presence of this link - warning against the potential for reductionist thinking. Furthermore, Proto-Zechariah's viewpoint is particular to the post-exilic social setting. His visions are influenced by the social circumstances in which they are expressed. Proto-Zechariah refers to the near future using elements from the community's present. Therefore, Finitsis defines the message of Proto-Zechariah one of restoration eschatology, suggesting that the text is addressed to a small province plagued by inner-community conflicts. The text succeeds in alleviating social discord by empowering the people to rebuild their community. This presents a unique and challenging understand of Zechariah's prophetic role.

The volume brings together eight new essays on Amos, which focus on a range of issues within the book. They represent a number of different approaches to the text from the text-critical to teh psychoanalytical, and from composition to reception. Arising out of a symposium to honour John Barton for his 60th birthday, the essays all respond, either directly or indirectly, to his "Amos's Oracles Against the Nations," and to his lifelong concern with both ethics and method in biblical study.

Studying the Bible can be a daunting prospect, with each passage revealing new truths at every reading. The Studies on the Go series is designed to help keep your youth group focused and exciting, exploring the rich depths in every book of the bible. In Genesis, Laurie Polich-Short delivers a set of 30 in-depth study sessions to unlock the potential in the first book of the Bible. Every chapter is examined with care and matched with questions to promote discussion in a group study setting. These segments also include tips to help your students apply what they learn in their everyday lives. The Studies on the Go series has provided invaluable resources for small group leaders, and Genesis is a title in that same tradition. Structured study questions and varied discussion topics promise a rich experience and deeper understanding of God s word for your small group."

Synopsis: Although the book of Psalms is a collection of ancient hymns and poems originally written in Hebrew, it continues to be a source of fascination and inspiration. The psalms live on because they reflect a profound belief in a God who was involved with people and with human affairs-a God who had done wonderful things in the past, for which he should be praised and held in awe; a God to whom complaints could be addressed because of apparent inactivity on behalf of those loyal to him in the present; a God who, despite the distresses and difficulties of those who called upon him, could be trusted to ensure justice in the future. The Psalter contains some very human responses to a God who was sometimes very real to those who addressed him and who sometimes seemed deaf to their cries. Adrian Curtis invites his readers to enter into the world of the Psalms and to find there, sometimes surprisingly, experiences and emotions that resonate with their own. Author Biography: Adrian Curtis is Honorary Research Fellow in the Department for Religions and Theology at the University of Manchester.

Imagine a life of true happiness, a life of complete honesty with God. Through this study of the Scriptures, you learn how to live a life of gratitude while producing actions that honor God. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step suggestions for leading a group are provided as well as questions to facilitate class discussion. This eight-week volume is part of the Immersion Bible Studies series. Inspired by a fresh translation, the Common English Bible (CEB), Immersion stands firmly on Scripture and helps you explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of your personal faith. Whether you are using the CEB or another translation, Immersion will offer new insights into God s Word, your own life, and your life with God. Psalms features eight sessions."