Originally published in Italian in 1978, The Transmission of Sin is a study of the origins of the doctrine of original sin, one of the most important teachings of the Catholic Church. While the doctrine has a basis in biblical sources, it found its classic expression in the work of St. Augustine. Yet Augustine did not work out his theory on the basis of the biblical texts alone, rather he sought to understand them in the context of the religious thinking of his own time. Pier Franco Beatrice's work seeks to illuminate that context, and discover the post-biblical influences on Augustine's thought. Although he made considerable efforts to defend and elaborate the doctrine of hereditary guilt, says Beatrice, the doctrine already existed before Augustine and was in fact widespread in the Christianity of the time, particularly in the West. He locates its origins in Egypt in the second half of the second century CE, in Jewish-Christian circles that saw sexual congress as the source of the physical and moral corruption that afflicts all humans. In reaction to this extreme view, which rejected marriage and procreation as inherently evil, other theologians developed a more moderate position, recognizing only personal sin, which could not be inherited. Beatrice argues that Augustine's doctrine exemplified a synthesis of these two trends which would ultimately triumph as the orthodox Catholic position.

Jerome (c. 345-420) was one of the greatest biblical scholars of antiquity. He produced the first Latin translation of the Bible which was made not from Greek but directly from the Hebrew. This translation came to be called the Vulgate, the standard Bible of Latin Christendom. In this book, the author considers the origins of this project through an analysis of the "Quaestiones Hebraicae in Genesim", a commentary on the book of Genesis published at about the same time as the translation. He looks at Greek scholarship at the time of Jerome, and discusses to what extent Jerome's work represented a new departure. This book should be of interest to scholars and students of the Bible, especially of Old Testament texts and versions, classicist and patristic scholars of early Christianity, and historians of the medieval church.

Philo's Quod deterius is a discussion of the Cain and Abel episode in the Bible. Philo follows the Greek translation of the Septuagint, not the Hebrew text, although he may have known traditions that relied on the Hebrew. His treatment of the text is unique, combining elements of traditional Greek commentary on literary texts, moralizing diatribe in highly wrought rhetorical language, midrashic-like exegesis involving the extensive use of other biblical passages, and philosophical theory. The present commentary illuminates these various components of Philo's discussion, especially by means of parallel texts, pagan, Jewish, and Christian, from across antiquity. Using these sources and paying attention to ancient exegetical thinking, Adam Kamesar attempts to trace the overall direction and coherence of what Philo is saying. This kind of treatment of Philo's allegorical treatises has rarely been undertaken before on this scale. The volume also includes a new English translation of the work.

The works of Philo of Alexandria, a slightly older contemporary of Jesus and Paul, constitute an essential source for the study of Judaism at the turn of the eras and the rise of Christianity. They are also of extreme importance for understanding the Greek philosophy of the time and help to explain the onset of new forms of spirituality that would dominate the following centuries. This handbook presents, in an unassuming format, an account of Philo s achievements. It contains a profile of his life and times, a systematic overview of his many writings, and survey chapters of the key features of his thought, as seen from the perspectives of Judaism and Greek philosophy. The volume concludes with a section devoted to Philo s influence and significance. Composed by an international team of experts, The Cambridge Companion to Philo gives readers a sense of the current state of scholarship and provides depth of vision in key areas of Philonic studies.

The works of Philo of Alexandria, a slightly older contemporary of Jesus and Paul, constitute an essential source for the study of Judaism at the turn of the eras and the rise of Christianity. They are also of extreme importance for understanding the Greek philosophy of the time and help to explain the onset of new forms of spirituality that would dominate the following centuries. This handbook presents, in an unassuming format, an account of Philo s achievements. It contains a profile of his life and times, a systematic overview of his many writings, and survey chapters of the key features of his thought, as seen from the perspectives of Judaism and Greek philosophy. The volume concludes with a section devoted to Philo s influence and significance. Composed by an international team of experts, The Cambridge Companion to Philo gives readers a sense of the current state of scholarship and provides depth of vision in key areas of Philonic studies.

Edmondo Lupieris main goal in "A Commentary on the Apocalypse of John" is to introduce readers to the mental and spiritual world of John as both a first-century Jew and a follower of Jesus. The fruit of over ten years of research, a constructive response to postmodern criticism, and an academic best-seller in its Italian edition, Lupieris commentary offers both new proposals and traditional interpretations to shed light on this complex coda to the biblical message.

In an illuminating preface Lupieri discusses the strange world of the Apocalypse and promises an open commentary, full of original treatments of knotty interpretive problems. Maintaining a strong historical perspective throughout, he examines the text of the Apocalypse line by line, paying careful attention to the Greek text, offering a new translation, making wide use of apocryphal, pseudepigraphal, and Qumran literature, and often analyzing Johns Apocalypse as compared to other Jewish apocalypses.

Thoughtful, thorough, and nonsectarian, Lupieris "Commentary on the Apocalypse of John" will appeal to anyone with a serious interest in the meaning of the biblical text.