In our everyday lives, friends are the people whom we spend the most time with, go through struggles with, and who know us best. Each of Jesus' friends-Peter, John, Matthew, Judas, Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus-travelled with Jesus and were part of His daily ministry, and each has a compelling story to tell. There were some who would question or doubt Him...and one would even betray Him. Kingsbury brings these fascinating personalities to life in ways that will not only help bring you closer to the truths found in Scripture, but also to Christ. By combining valuable, instructive Bible study with compelling, insightful character sketches of Jesus' companions, Kingsbury provides you with a deeper understanding of the scriptural teachings featuring these fascinating people. Emotionally powerful, thought-provoking, and soulful, The Friends of Jesus will help you to appreciate the Bible and understand how it applies to your relationships with the most important people in your life.

First published in 1977, this book is intended as a record of sources in Islamic prophetology which focus on the prophet Isa - Jesus in Christian theology. The Islamic Isa differs markedly from the Christian Jesus, most obviously in that, although considered an important prophet, he is overshadowed by Muhammad. The doctrine of tawhid - the indivisible oneness of God - also necessarily means the rejection of Christ's incarnation or dual nature. The primary of role of Jesus in Islam, as with all Islamic prophets, is to reaffirm the primeval religion of man, best expressed by the Shadada and Islam. This book collects, as comprehensively as possible, bibliographic sources in English and French from the time of the earliest available texts (circa 1650) providing annotated commentary and source information - making it an invaluable research tool for anyone who wishes to study the Islamic Jesus in more detail.

What if everything you think you know about Jesus is wrong? In the sequel to 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' Michael Baigent reveals the truth and tackles controversial questions, such as whether or not Christ survived the crucifixion. Twenty years ago Michael Baigent and his colleagues stunned the world with a controversial theory that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene married and founded a holy bloodline. His bestselling book 'The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail' (with co-authors Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh) became an international publishing phenomenon and was one of the sources for Dan Brown's novel 'The Da Vinci Code'. Now, with two additional decades of research behind him, Baigent's 'The Jesus Papers' presents explosive new evidence that challenges everything we know about the life and death of Jesus. Who could have aided and abetted Jesus and why? Where could Jesus have gone after the crucifixion? What is the truth behind the creation of the New Testament? Who is working to keep the truth buried and why? Taking us back to sites that over the last twenty years he has meticulously explored, studied, and in some instances excavated for the first time, Baigent provides a detailed account of his groundbreaking discoveries, including many never-before-seen photos.

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (or Paidika) is one of the most unusual gospels in the Christian tradition. Instead of revealing the compassionate Jesus so familiar to us from the biblical Gospels, it confronts its readers with a very different Jesus - a child who sometimes acts like a holy terror, killing and harming others for trifling faults. So why is Jesus portrayed as acting in such an 'unchristian' fashion? To address this question, Cousland focuses on three interconnected representations of Jesus in the Paidika: Jesus as holy terror, as child, and as miracle-working saviour. Cousland endeavours to show that, despite the differing character of these three roles, they present a unified picture. Jesus' unusual behaviour arises from his 'growing pains' as a developing child, who is at the same time both human and divine. Cousland's volume is the first detailed examination of the Christology of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and provides a fresh and engaging approach to a topic not often discussed in representations of Jesus.

Releasing in conjunction with the major motion picture with the same title, Case for Christ charts Lee Strobel’s journey from atheist to faith in Christ. This edition includes an author interview with questions about the movie.

Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God?

Now a major motion picture, The Case for Christ, Strobel retraces his own spiritual journey from atheism and former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune to faith in Jesus Christ. Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields. Lee Strobel was the award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune and is the bestselling author of The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and The Case for Grace. With a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale, Lee has won four Gold Medallions for publishing excellence and coauthored the Christian Book of the Year. He serves as Professor of Christian Thought at Houston Baptist University.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Here's an astonishing claim. John 3:16 appears on everything from fridge magnets to sports stars' faces. But what does it actually mean? And how does it relate to you and me? With warmth, personal stories and humour, the author explains God's love, his Son, his sacrifice, and the all-important connection with us today. This is an invitation for anyone to dive straight in and take the first step in an exciting, life-transforming journey of faith.

What does archaeology tell us about Jesus and the world in which he lived? How accurate are the Gospel accounts of first-century Galilee and Judea? Has the tomb of Jesus really been found? Informed by the latest archaeological research, and illustrated throughout with photographs of key findings, this fascinating book opens up the subject for people of all religious backgrounds. It will help readers gain a much clearer and more accurate picture of life in the Roman world during first century, and enable them to understand and critique the latest theories - both sober and sensational - about who Jesus was and what he stood for.

Now available for the first time in English, Karl Ludwig Schmidt's The Framework of the Story of Jesus (Der Rahmen der Geschichte Jesu) has been a foundation of New Testament studies. Through meticulous analysis, Schmidt demonstrates that the Synoptic Gospels are collections of individual stories that circulated orally and independently in the earliest Christian communities. Schmidt shows persuasively how, in their oral forms, most of these traditions existed apart from any sequence or specific temporal or geographic location, and that the chronology and locations now evident in the Gospels were applied by the evangelists while collecting and recording the oral traditions. Across much of the twentieth century and even into the present day, Schmidt's thesis has undergirded Gospel interpretation. Yet as long as The Framework of the Story of Jesus remained untranslated, Schmidt's ideas have been open to neglect and misinterpretation among Anglophone scholars. Discussion of the Synoptic Gospels and broader New Testament study will be enriched by engagement with the evidence and argument as originally presented.

Did Jesus speak Greek? An affirmative answer to the question will no doubt challenge traditional presuppositions. The question relates directly to the historical preservation of Jesus's words and theology. Traditionally, the authenticity of Jesus's teaching has been linked to the recovery of the original Aramaic that presumably underlies the Gospels. The Aramaic Hypothesis infers that the Gospels represent theological expansions, religious propaganda, or blatant distortions of Jesus's teachings. Consequently, uncovering the original Aramaic of Jesus's teachings will separate the historical Jesus from the mythical personality. G. Scott Gleaves, in Did Jesus Speak Greek?, contends that the Aramaic Hypothesis is inadequate as an exclusive criterion of historical Jesus studies and does not aptly take into consideration the multilingual culture of first-century Palestine. Evidence from archaeological, literary, and biblical data demonstrates Greek linguistic dominance in Roman Palestine during the first century CE. Such preponderance of evidence leads not only to the conclusion that Jesus and his disciples spoke Greek but also to the recognition that the Greek New Testament generally and the Gospel of Matthew in particular were original compositions and not translations of underlying Aramaic sources.

In Defense of Extended Conciliar Christology: A Philosophical Essay examines the logical consistency and coherence of Extended Conciliar Christology-the Christological doctrine that results from conjoining Conciliar Christology, the Christology of the first seven ecumenical councils of the Christian Church, with five additional theses. These theses are the claims that multiple incarnations are possible; Christ descended into Hell during his three days of death; Christ's human will was free; Christ was impeccable; and that Christ, via his human intellect, knew all things past, present, and future. These five theses, while not found in the first seven ecumenical councils, are common in the Christian theological tradition. The main question Timothy Pawl asks in this book is whether these five theses, when conjoined with Conciliar Christology, imply a contradiction. This study does not undertake to defend the truth of Extended Conciliar Christology. Rather, it shows that the extant philosophical objections to Extended Conciliar Christology fail.

Medieval miracle stories from a major pilgrim destination in 12c France. In the second half of the twelfth century Rocamadour developed an international reputation as a centre of devotion to the Virgin Mary, drawing pilgrims from Spain, Italy, Germany, England and the Latin East as well as France, as witnessed by the 126 miracle stories written there in 1172-3, here translated for the first time. Reflecting and enhancing Rocamadour's status (aristocratic figures feature prominently), they throw light on many of the dangers faced by medieval men and women: illness and injury; imprisonment; warfare; arbitrary justice; and natural disasters. In his introduction Marcus Bull identifies issues which the collection helps to elucidate, and assesses thevalue of the text as source material, particularly in view of the lack of other chronicles from southern France for the period. He makes comparisons with other texts, such as the miracle collection compiled at the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury, and argues that the monks of Rocamadour asserted their importance through the miracles, in the face of competition from neighbouring monastic communities. MARCUS BULL is Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor of Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The aim of historical Jesus research is to identify the authentic material from which the historical figure as a social type underneath the overlay is constructed. Pieter Craffert's anthropological historiography offers an alternative framework for dealing with Jesus of Nazareth as a social personage fully embedded in a first-century Mediterranean worldview and the Gospels as cultural artefacts related to this figure. This cross-cultural model represents a religious pattern that refers to a family of features for describing those religious entrepreneurs who, based on regular Altered State of Consciousness experiences, perform a specific set of social functions in their communities.

This excellent work asks the important question: Is it right to describe Jesus as 'God'? Bringing together all the major biblical evidence as well as drawing on other early Jewish and Christian sources, this straightforward book provides a comprehensive view on the subject that is both accessible and authoritative, presenting both evidence in favour and some of the principal objections against the idea. While it will be of interest to anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of Scripture, it will have particular relevance for those with responsibility for leadership, teaching or evangelism in the church, as well as those in home groups. COMMENDATIONS "Anyone wishing to enlarge their view of Jesus or share their faith with others will unearth rich treasure in this book." - R.T. Kendall, Christian writer, speaker, and teacher; former Pastor of Westminster Chapel. "There is no shortage of exceptional books on Jesus, but David Lambourn's book offers a very readable and exciting examination of the greatest figure in human history." - Lord Carey, 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury

Rediscover the saving truth hidden in Bethlehem's manger.

Because of the warm fuzzy ambiance and economic impact of Christmas, Dr. John MacArthur is convinced that we are missing the enormous impact of the reality behind the season. In his usual easy-to-read style, he takes us beyond the tinsel and the seasonal hype to offer us an encounter with the miracle and mystery of the birth of Christ.

• He leads us line by line through the familiar Christmas scriptures.
• He exposes common misconceptions about Jesus' birth.
• He helps us to see Mary's baby through the eyes of those who saw Him first.
• He refutes attempts to dismiss the biblical account of the virgin birth as just another myth.

"We dare not trivialize or sentimentalize the persons and events surrounding the birth of Christ," Dr. MacArthur warns. "An authentic celebration of Christmas recognizes that the eternal, sovereign God came to earth as a human being to live a righteous life among His people and then to die as a perfect sacrifice to deliver from the wrath of God all who repent and belive."

Let God inject new life and meaning into your celebration of the coming of Christ as you use this simple volume to review what the Bible says about his birth.

'Son of Man' is practically the only self-designation employed by Jesus himself in the gospels, but is used in such a way that no hint is left of any particular theological significance. Still, during the first many centuries of the church, the expression as it was reused was given content, first literally as signifying Christ's human nature. Later 'Son of Man' was thought to be a christological title in its own right. Today, many scholars are inclined to think that, in an original Aramaic of an historical Jesus, it was little more than a rhetorical circumlocution, referring to the one speaking. Mogens MA1/4ller's 'The Expression 'Son of Man' and the Development of Christology: A History of Interpretation' is the first study of the 'Son of Man' trope, which traces the history of interpretation from the Apostolic Fathers to the present, concluding that the various interpretations of this phrase reflect little more than the various doctrinal assumptions held by its interpreters over centuries.

Next to the Bible itself, "The Imitation of Christ" is the most-published - and most deeply cherished - book in any language. For nearly 600 years, these thoughtful meditations on Jesus' life and teachings offer practical guidance on the central task of the Christian life: learning day by day to live like Jesus. This modern translation is direct and concise, yet retains a deep devotional flavor.

Jesus the Jew is the primary signifier of Christianity's indebtedness to Judaism. This connection is both historical and continuous. In this book, Barbara Meyer shows how Christian memory, as largely intertwined with Jewish memory, provides a framework to examine the theological dimensions of historical Jesus research. She explores the topics that are central to the Jewishness of Jesus, such as the Christian relationship to law, and otherness as a Christological category. Through the lenses of the otherness of the Jewish Jesus for contemporary Christians, she also discusses circumcision, natality, vulnerability, and suffering in dialogue with thinkers seldom drawn into Jewish-Christian discourse, notably Hannah Arendt, Julia Kristeva, Martha Nussbaum and Adi Ophir. Meyer demonstrates how the memory of Jesus' Jewishness is a key to reconfiguring contemporary challenges to Christian thought, such as particularity and otherness, law and ethics after the Shoah, human responsibility, and divine vulnerability.

'Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism' analyses the ideology underpinning contemporary scholarly and popular quests for the historical Jesus. Focusing on cultural and political issues, the book examines postmodernism, multiculturalism and the liberal masking of power. The study ranges across diverse topics: the dubious periodisation of the quest for the historical Jesus; 'biblioblogging'; Jesus the 'Great Man' and western individualism; image-conscious Jesus scholarship; the 'Jewishness' of Jesus and the multicultural Other; evangelical and 'mythical' Jesuses; and the contradictions between personal beliefs and dominant ideological trends in the construction of historical Jesuses. 'Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism' offers readers a radical revisioning of contemporary biblical studies.

For almost two thousand years, various images of Jesus accompanied Jewish thought and imagination: a flesh-and-blood Jew, a demon, a spoiled student, an idol, a brother, a (failed) Messiah, a nationalist rebel, a Greek god in Jewish garb, and more.

This volume charts for the first time the different ways that Jesus has been represented and understood in Jewish culture and thought. Chapters from many of the leading scholars in the field cover the topic from a variety of disciplinary perspectives - Talmud, Midrash, Rabbinics, Kabbalah, Jewish Magic, Messianism, Hagiography, Modern Jewish Literature, Thought, Philosophy, and Art to address the ways in which representations of Jesus contribute to and change Jewish self-understanding throughout the last two millennia. Beginning with the question of how we know that Jesus was a Jew, the book then moves through meticulous analyses of Jewish and Christian scripture and literature to provide a rounded and comprehensive analysis of Jesus in Jewish Culture.

This multidisciplinary study will be of great interest not only to students of Jewish history and philosophy, but also to scholars of religious studies, Christianity, intellectual history, literature and cultural studies.

Examines what the Gospels can tell us about the sexuality of Jesus, rather than simply what they say about sex and sexual ethics

According to the Nicene Creed, Christ died for us and for our salvation. But while all Christians agree that Christ's death and resurrection has saving significance, there is little unanimity in how and why that is the case. In fact, Christian history is littered with accounts of the redemptive value of Christ's death, and new models and motifs are constantly being proposed, many of which now stand in stark contrast to earlier thought. How then should contemporary articulations of the importance of the death of Christ be judged? At the heart of this book is the contention that Christian reflection on the atonement is faithful inasmuch as it incorporates the intention that Jesus himself had for his death. In a wide-reaching study, the author draws from both classical scholarship and recent work on the historical Jesus to argue that not only did Jesus imbue his death with redemptive meaning but that such meaning should impact expressions of the saving significance of the cross.

Who was Jesus Christ, and how did he make such an astonishing impact that still resonates today? Exploring evidence from the New Testament gospels, early church writings, the apocryphal gospels, Roman literature, and archaeology, readers are given a vivid portrait of Jesus' first-century Jewish cultural context. Examining the accounts of his birth, his radical message and lifestyle, the dramatic events around his death, and the revolutionary claims made regarding his resurrection, this book offers a compelling biography of a man that his followers called the Messiah. If you have ever wondered about the impact of Jesus' social class on his ministry; why he was at odds with religious authorities; the influence of Roman occupation; the interactions with contemporary resistance movements; or the prominent role of women in his disciple community, then allow this book to challenge and deepen your understanding of the Jesus found in the Bible.