How did early Christians remember Jesus--and how did they develop their own ""Christian"" identities and communities? In this accessible and revelatory book, Greg Carey explores how transgression contributed to early Christian identity in the Gospels, Acts, Letters of Paul, and Revelation. Carey examines Jesus as a friend of sinners, challenger of purity laws, transgressor of conventional masculine values of his time, and convicted seditionist. He looks at early Christian communities as out of step with ""respectable"" practices of their time. Finally, he provides examples of contemporary Christians whose faith requires them to ""do the right thing,"" even when it means violating current definitions of ""respectability.

For a generation after his death his surviving associates preserved good traditions about the message of Jesus. Then disaster struck: it began to be believed that he was risen, exalted to heaven, and soon to return to establish his kingdom on earth. A cult of Jesus' person and fictitious lives of him quickly followed, and the surviving traditions of his actual teaching became totally blurred - as they still are.Since then, nobody has ventured to assess Jesus seriously, as a thinker. But today, as the supernatural beliefs fade, and better reconstructions of his teaching have become available, Don Cupitt thinks we can at least question Jesus from the standpoint of philosophy. Just how original and important is he? What is the status of his ideas: was he a religious figure at all, and why did he arouse such fierce antagonism? The Jesus who emerges from this enquiry is an astonishing figure, and much bigger than the insipid Christ of popular faith. Don Cupitt is a philosopher of religion and the author of over 40 books. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

This book examines Paul's letter to the Philippians against the social background of the colony at Philippi. After an extensive survey of Roman social values, Professor Hellerman argues that the cursus honorum, the formalized sequence of public offices that marked out the prescribed social pilgrimage for aspiring senatorial aristocrats in Rome (and which was replicated in miniature in municipalities and in voluntary associations), forms the background against which Paul has framed his picture of Jesus in the great Christ hymn in Philippians 2. In marked contrast to the values of the dominant culture, Paul portrays Jesus descending what the author describes as a cursus pudorum ('course of ignominies'). The passage has thus been intentionally framed to subvert Roman cursus ideology and, by extension, to redefine the manner in which honour and power were to be utilized among the Christians at Philippi.

Conflict stories appear throughout the Synoptic Gospels, and although they are familiar and dramatic, the stories are particularly challenging for pastors to interpret and teach. In this book, David Buttrick delves into each conflict story, analyzing the particular controversy at hand and highlighting problems that these passages pose for preachers--including anti-Jewish attitudes in the text. As he moves through each story, he helps readers correct long-standing biases, shows how many of these controversies are still with us, and provides sample sermons to demonstrate how these stories might be preached more effectively.

Jesus of Galilee taught through stories, which even today contain the power to startle us out of our prejudices and preconceptions. Now Father Andrew M. Greeley, one of America's most beloved storytellers, examines the parables told by Jesus in search of a fuller understanding of the man and his message.This engaging and informal collection of homilies reveals a Jesus whose simple parables carry profound lessons about the Kingdom of Heaven. Along the way, Father Greeley touches on such provocative topics as the significance of Jesus's Jewish roots, his deep and revolutionary relationship with women, "The Da Vinci Code", and "The Passion of the Christ". He also singles out the four greatest parables, which best illustrate the infinite love and mercy of the God whose kingdom began with Jesus and continues even today.As a storyteller, Jesus often surprised his listeners with unexpected twists that challenged them to see the world in a whole new light. Father Greeley's insightful tour of the Gospels provides a fresh look at the parables that strips away centuries of false and mistaken interpretations to get at the essential truth of who Jesus really was and what he believed.

Drawing on the wisdom and teaching experience of highly respected theologians, the Engaging Theology series builds a firm foundation for graduate study and other ministry formation programs. Each of the six volumes-- Scripture, Jesus, God, Discipleship, Anthropology, and Church--is concerned with retrieving, carefully evaluating, and constructively interpreting the Christian tradition. Comprehensive in scope and accessibly written, these volumes, used together or independently, will stimulate rich theological reflection and discussion. More important, the series will create and sustain the passion of the next generation of theologians and church leaders. "This book means to explore who Jesus was, is, and is to come, and by what series of events this man of Jewish history came to be viewed by millions as a man of God-like powers in their present lives and their hoped for future." Rich in familiarity with Jesus' Jewish world, Gerard Sloyan helps us discover a Jesus thoroughly situated in his own time and place. Grounded in the New Testament gospels, Sloyan's study leads us to an already interpreted Jesus, distinctly portrayed by each evangelist. Going outside the New Testament, Sloyan takes us into the theological questions and developments that culminated in the affirmations of the councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. This impressive, clearly written work challenges readers to see both the historical Jesus who preached the in-breaking of God's reign and the post-resurrection Jesus whom Christians named Lord and Savior.

This book, beautifully illustrated with maps and photos, traces the little-known story of the original Jewish Christian community and presents intriguing evidence connecting Jesus and his family with the Essenes. Focusing on the first century (33-135 C.E.) in Jerusalem after the death of Jesus, its thesis is that the Jerusalem community remained true to their Jewish heritage and had a connection with the Essenes. The first bishop of Jerusalem was James, the brother of Jesus. He was the author of the letter of James. He was murdered in the year 62. An Essene priest, Thabuti, expected to replace James but was not elected, and this led to the first schism in the church. James was followed by Simon, the cousin of Jesus, who was bishop until 104. At that time, descendants of the house of David were persecuted by the Romans. There were 13 bishops between then and 135. Christianity was a sect within Judaism. After the Bar Kohaba rebellion a gentile bishop was appointed. The Jewish church was inundated by gentiles and eventually integrated into the Byzantine church. The purpose of the book is to bring to light our Jewish connections, and, as the state of Israel is being threatened, an appreciation of our Jewish heritage. Uniqueness: * The only book available that attempts to reconcile Christianity with our Jewish heritage

Since the beginning of the Christian era, people have used the words and ideas of Jesus to justify all manner of political action. Despite these repeated attempts, however, few have been able to move past the rhetoric and understand the true nature of Jesus's political views.
Now, in The Political Teachings of Jesus, longtime political analyst and commentator Tod Lindberg goes beyond political punditry to address how Jesus's words and teachings-once a radical set of ideas-have come to define our concept of government and our vision for society. With nuanced prose, Lindberg draws a crucial distinction between Christ's religious and political teachings, presenting a detailed discussion of the world transformation that Jesus sought through his words, stories, and sayings.
Guiding readers through the social and political dialogue of the Gospels, Lindberg expertly analyzes how Jesus's principles of universal freedom and equality have combined in our social order to become the unacknowledged bedrock of the modern world. In addition, he offers a provocative look at the role that Jesus's words have played in the formation of the modern democratic ideal, demonstrating how the basic principles of both liberal and conservative thought find common roots in the Christian messiah's words.
Through close reading of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus's parables, Lindberg offers a sophisticated portrait of Jesus as a teacher of unique insight and perception, one whose political views have transcended time and become essential to the way everyone lives in our society. In an era when people on both sides of the aisle are prone to using Jesus's beliefs for their own ends, The PoliticalTeachings of Jesus is a refreshingly clear-eyed take on our shared concepts of government and society-and their common roots between the covers of the New Testament.

Contending that preachers have become silent on a major doctrinal theme of the Christian faith--the meaning of the crucifixion and the cross as a theological symbol--Sally A. Brown describes the nature and causes of this phenomenon and provides a strategy for reclaiming "cross talk" in the pulpit. Brown proposes a metaphorical and pastoral model for preaching about the cross. Preachers can reclaim preaching on the cross, she urges, by joining New Testament metaphors to pastoral situations rather than adapting atonement theories for the pulpit. She offers specific examples in sermons designed for particular homiletical occasions.

This richly illustrated book traces the development of a specifically Catholic imagination from its roots in the thought-world of Jesus to Catholic art at the end of the first millennium.

Seeing Jesus as He Really Is takes you on a journey through the Gospels and along the way, you'll see how Jesus really lived, how He radically changed the world, and how Jesus is portrayed through the word of God.

Seeing Jesus as He Really Is will help every reader know how to answer the questions that Jesus asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I am" and "Who do you say that I am?"

Chapters include:
Jesus and His Methods;
The Sweet Presence of Jesus;
The Name of Jesus;
Called to Do the Works of Jesus;
Pressing in to Jesus.

Recent years have seen an explosion of talk about the historical Jesus from scholarly settings as well as media outlets (including sensational TV documentaries and national magazines). How is the student of the Bible to assess these various claims about Jesus? And what difference does knowledge of his time and place make for Christian faith, theological thinking, and historical research? James Charlesworth presents the solid results of modern study into the life and times of Jesus, especially regarding the role of the Essenes, the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the nature of messianic expectation, and much more. No one today is better equipped than James Charlesworth to lead students through the thickets of controversy that surround much of contemporary historical Jesus research.

This Abingdon Essential Guide will fulfill the need for a brief, substantive, yet highly accessible introduction to this core area of New Testament studies. Drawing on the best in current scholarship, written with the need of students foremost in mind, addressed to learners in a number of contexts, this Essential Guide will be the first choice of those who wish to acquaint themselves or their students with the broad scope of issues, perspectives, and subject matters relating to modern quests for the historical Jesus. It will also be a preferred text for those who need or want to refresh their knowledge regarding the context within which Jesus lived in preparation for leading church discussion groups in studies of the Gospels.

Do you not understand this parable? is a question Jesus posed to his disciples (Mark 4:13). Just as the first disciples often did not understand Jesus ' many parables, so it is for listeners and readers nearly two thousand years later. In Parables of the Kingdom, Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan helps readers to hear and see and understand the parables of Jesus. She offers a general introduction to the use of parables in the life and ministry of Jesus and the early church. In addition, Getty-Sullivan helps readers learn to interpret parables, to enter into what the parables can reveal about Jesus and his audience, about the evangelists and their communities, and about how we are to understand the Kingdom of God today. Parables of the Kingdom helps us hear and see Jesus ' parables with new eyes and renewed hearts 'thereby allowing the parables to transform our lives and help us respond with new conviction to the gospel's power in our world. Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan holds an S.T.D. from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. She has been teaching New Testament courses in colleges and seminaries for more than thirty years and has recently retired from teaching full time to devote more time to writing and lecturing. Mary Ann has written several commentaries on the Letters of Saint Paul. Her recent books include Women in the New Testament published by Liturgical Press.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

In what has been passed down to us about Jesus' life, there is not a single detail that is not in total conformity with the language and mode of thinking of the Near East - a culture completely different from our own. In this book we travel with the author, a Lebanese Christian born in 1869, back into this vanished Biblical world.

He had experienced it first-hand, since during his boyhood living conditions were still identical with those of Jesus' time. When Abraham Rihbany tells us about the domestic life of his family and the world of Syrian shepherds and farmers, the Biblical world comes to life with the colorful commotion of the market-place, the discomforts of traveling, the birth of children, the struggle for ones' daily bread, the Eastern manner of speech - in short, Rihbany immerses us in this ancient world, and we see Jesus the man in his own Near Eastern culture.

This powerful and warmhearted book will delight the reader with its simplicity of narrative and with its insight into the world of the Near East.

"Intriguing and thought-provoking, "Murder at Golgotha" amounts to a latter-day "Cold Case" episode on a centuries-old event that has changed the lives of millions throughout the world."
---"Booklist"
"The most definitive recent study of the historical relic."
---"The Dallas Morning News "on "The Shroud of Turin"
"Wilson's outstanding study must surely be the most complete yet undertaken of the subject."
---"Washington"" Post" on "The Shroud of Turin"
"If you want a beautifully illustrated account of the sort of evidence that can be got from papyri, textual criticism, archaeology, and grammar concerning the founder of Christianity, you will find it in Wilson."
---"The Spectator "on "Jesus: The Evidence"
"Murder at Golgotha "approaches Jesus' crucifixion from the perspective of a crime scene investigator: What do we know is fact? What can be historically documented? What can we deduce may have happened?
Taking the popular "CSI" television dramas as inspiration, "Murder at Golgotha "is a direct reaction to Mel Gibson's much talked about movie "The Passion of the Christ," Ian Wilson carefully assesses what can be known about Jesus' trial and crucifixion, as well as where art and the movies have gone astray in depicting them. He systemically deploys eyewitness testimony (that embodied in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), archaeology, history, and medical and forensic findings to unravel the truth surrounding the most famous murder in history.
Ian Wilson is a historian and writer whose many books include "The Shroud of Turin, Jesus: The Evidence,""" "Shakespeare: The Evidence, "and "The Blood and the Shroud." He lives with his wife, Judith Wilson, inQueensland, Australia.

Catholic storyteller Ann Ball joins Damian Hinojosa to offer remarkable stories about Jesus' infant life, including scripture stories and apocryphal narratives. Photos from around the world highlight unforgettable art that depicts the young Jesus.

Cyflwynir yn y gyfrol hon holl syniadaeth athrawiaethol yr Apostol Paul a'i gefndir meddyliol mewn un bennod ar ddeg, ynghyd a swmp y farn ysgolheigaidd ddiweddaraf ar y pwnc. Trafodir perthynas yr Apostol a Iesu; cefndir syniadol Paul; natur ei droeedigaeth a'i alwad apostolaidd, a'i ddealltwriaeth o natur y ddeddf Iddewig; ei syniadaeth am iachawdwriaeth a Pherson Crist; ei ddealltwriaeth o natur y bod dynol a gwaith yr Ysbryd ynddo ac arno; dysgeidiaeth foesegol yr Apostol; ei syniadaeth am yr eglwys; ei farn am eschatoleg a'r 'Pethau Diwethaf'; a thrafodaeth ar gyfraniad y llythyrau yr amheir gan rai mai Paul oedd eu hawdur. Mae'r gyfrol yn unigryw fel yr ymdriniaeth lwyraf eto yn y Gymraeg ar y maes hwn; mae'n amlygu hefyd gyfraniad ysgolheigion o Gymry, yn arbennig C. H. Dodd a W. D. Davies, dau ysgolhaig Cymreig byd-eang eu dylanwad, i astudiaethau Paulaidd.

How did Jesus, a much-loved and highly respected Jewish teacher, get sentenced to death as a criminal? The questions of students and scholars about the actual circumstances, legal situation, and subsequent development of the Passion Narratives are here answered in Sloyan's second edition of this reliable resource, first published by Fortress Press in 1973. This second edition includes additional text, updated bibliography and notes, and a new preface.

Dorothy Lee argues passionately for restoring the study of The Transfiguration to the centre of the theological stage, and she succeeds triumphantly. Whereas a theology of transfiguration has long been an essential part of the Eastern theologoical tradition, it has often seemed strange to our Western rational minds. The book argues that the transfiguration functions as an epiphany revealing Jesus' true identity and also an apocalyptic vision, depicting God's transforming future. A chapter is devoted to each of the four New Testament narratives of the transfiguration, setting the story within the wider literary and theological framework of the text. Traces of the transfiguration are examined in other parts of the New Testament, particularly in The Gospel of John, where the symbolism is close to that of the transfiguration. Finally, the author draws out the symbolism and theological implications of the transfiguration for an understanding of Christ, God's radical future and the transformation of all creation, drawing on the icons of Eastern Christianity and Western theologies of beauty. This book is a small masterpiece and a model of clarity and lucid exposition.

In this series of reflections on the mystery of Jesus and the questions that surround him, noted New Testament scholar Wayne Meeks redirects the course of the Jesus debates. Insisting that we cease focusing on who the historical Jesus was and ask instead, who is Christ? Meeks demonstrates with electric and lucid prose that Jesus is not a permanent artifact whose precise nature can be traced back through history but, rather, a figure whose identity continues to emerge as contemporary persons engage him in their daily lives.

Among the classics of ancient Greek and Jewish literature, the story of Luke-Acts has few rivals. Yet we moderns miss much of the meaning of Luke's two-part drama because we read it like any other text and not as it would have been "heard" by ancient listeners -- in public performance by a skilled storyteller.

"The Way according to Luke" unlocks the big picture of Jesus' mission by attending to the repetition, patterns, and other clues of oral narrative. In this single volume Paul Borgman lays out a holistic view of the organic unity between Luke and Acts while demonstrating that the meaning of Luke-Acts is uniquely embedded in its narrative. Borgman's distinctive work makes available both the satisfying pleasure of reading the Bible as great literature and the rewarding insight gained from receiving Scripture as it was originally delivered.

Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ, was released on Ash Wednesday, February 24, 2004 to capacity audiences in theatres and auditoriums across the U.S. and other countries. Prior to the film's release, a groundswell of controversy filled the airwaves and media outlets. Some religious groups protested the film, while others embraced it. Mel Gibson focuses on the Passion not the life nor resurrection of Christ. By doing so, he leaves out most of the elements of the Jesus story familiar to Christians and consequently he adds non-biblical gruesome details foreign to the Gospels. Mel Gibson's Passion: The Film, the Controversy, and Its Implications exposes the flaws of Gibson's cinematic Christ and lays out assertively and persuasively the rationale of Jews and Christians in how to grasp and comprehend the passion and execution of the Christian savior known scripturally as the "King of the Jews."