What does it look like to read the texts we now call the gospels like first- and second-century readers? There is no evidence of anyone regarding the gospel as a book published by an author until the end of the second century. So, put differently, what does it mean to read the gospels "before the book"? For centuries, the ways people discuss the gospels have been shaped by later ideas that have more to do with the printing press and modern notions of the author than ancient writing and reading practices. In Gospels before the Book, Matthew D. C. Larsen challenges several subtle yet problematic assumptions about authors, books, and publication at work in early Christian studies. He then explores a host of under-appreciated elements of ancient textual culture such as unfinished texts, accidental publication, post-publication revision, and the existence of multiple authorized versions of the same work. Turning to the gospels, he argues that the earliest readers and users of the text we now call the Gospel according to Mark treated it not as a book published by an author, but as an unfinished, open, and fluid collection of notes (hypomnmata). In such a scenario, the Gospel according to Matthew would not be regarded as a separate book published by a different author, but as a continuation of the same unfinished gospel tradition. Similarly it is not the case that, of the five different endings in the textual tradition we now call the Gospel according to Mark, one is "right" and the others are "wrong." Rather each represents its own effort to fill a perceived deficiency in the gospel. Larsen offers a new methodological framework for future scholarship on early Christian gospels.

Every Sunday, the Lord's Prayer echoes in every Church around the world. It is an indispensable element of the faith. It is the way Jesus taught his followers to pray, and encapsulates the essential beliefs and attitudes to which all Christians aspire. Here, John Dominic Crossan, one of the world's leading experts on Jesus and his times, explores this foundational prayer line by line. This is quintessential Crossan, providing just the right amount of historical detail and literary insight to enhance our understanding, and drawing out the enduring richness and relevance of Jesus' words for today.

The ESV Journaling Bible provides the perfect way for you to keep a journal of your spiritual life right in the 2-inch margins of the Bible that you read and study every day.

We all long for a full, rich satisfying life. But how do we fill up the empty places in our soul? How can we quench our thirst for something deeper, more lasting, more meaningful? John urges us to take a fresh look at Jesus and he invites us to renew our faith in the One who promises to be the way to true life. 26 studies in 2 parts for individuals or groups. This revised title features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, as well as a "now or later" section in each study.

Luke, the eponymous author of the gospel that bears his name as well as the book of Acts, wrote the largest portion of the New Testament. Luke is generally thought to be a gentile. This book addresses a question raised by Jesus's disciples at the very beginning of Acts: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" The question is freighted with political and national significance as it inquires about the restoration of political sovereignty to the Jewish people. This book investigates Luke's perspective on the salvation of Israel in light of Jewish restoration eschatology. It situates Luke-Acts in the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The author of Luke-Acts did not write the Jews off but still awaited the restoration of Israel. Luke conceived of Israel's eschatological restoration in traditional Jewish terms. The nation of Israel would experience liberation in the fullest sense, including national and political restoration. Luke's Jewish Eschatology builds upon the appreciation of the Jewish character of early Christianity in the decades after the Holocaust, which has witnessed the reclamation of the Jewishness of the historical Jesus and even Paul.