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In modern times, evangelical Protestants have advocated for the
belief that the Bible is the only real standard of truth and true
Christian praxis for the church. But is this how the early Jews and
Christians, who wrote the biblical books, viewed their sacred
texts? And what counted as those sacred texts? Furthermore, there
is often a lack of clarity as to what is meant by the famous phrase
that became a motto of the German Reformation: sola scriptura. Does
it mean that the Bible is the only authority for Christian faith
and practice, or does it mean the Bible is the final authority,
allowing non-biblical traditions, human reason, and perhaps even
experience to have some authority in the church? With this
magisterial study, Ben Witherington III invites readers to go back
to the time of the writing of the Bible and look at what is said
about the sacred texts with a specific focus on how the authority
of such texts was viewed. Witherington then walks through Christian
history until the point where the phrase sola scriptura actually
appears as an authority claim of some kind. Surprisingly, it does
not show up until the fourteenth century A.D. and not in the
writings of a Protestant. From there, Witherington examines how the
phrase continued to be used in the various Reformations and into
the modern era. The story of Sola Scriptura also involves the rise
of science, the effect of the Enlightenment, and changes in views
about human sexuality that have affected the discussion of the
Bible's authority in various ways. Students of Scripture, budding
scholars, pastors, and laity alike stand to benefit from this book
as Christians of all stripes are confronted by the same crises: a
profound historical amnesia that is affecting even churches which
are bibliocentric; the general chaos in Western culture that has
further alienated younger generations from the church and angered
the older generations who still attend church; and the increasing
biblical illiteracy in the church, including in its pulpits, which
has led to churches taking their signals and sense of direction
from the culture rather than the biblical witness itself. Such
crises will not be overcome without a serious coming to grips with
the Bible, its history, and its authority for the Christian life.
Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians, Volume 2' is the
third of three volumes extending Ben Witherington's innovative
socio-rhetorical analysis of New Testament books to the
latter-Pauline and non-Pauline corpora. By dividing the volumes
according to the socioreligious contexts for which they were
written, Witherington sheds fresh light on the documents, their
provenance, character and importance. Throughout, Witherington
shows his thorough knowledge of recent literature on these texts
and focuses his attention on the unique insights brought about
through socio-rhetorical analysis that either reinforces or
corrects those gleaned from other approaches. "Bridging the
Horizons" sections point to the relevance of the text for believers
today, making this volume of special value to pastors and general
readers as well as to students and scholars.
Who was the real Paul? For more than a decade there has been a
renewed quest for the figure behind the Pauline letters and the
Acts of the Apostles. In this important contribution to the debate,
Ben Witherington provides a profile of Paul in his context as a
first-century Jewish Christian and a citizen of the classical Roman
world. The author engages constructively with recent scholarship in
gleaning numerous fascinating insights into the Jew of Tarsus, and
show how these contribute to our understanding of his writings.
There is no doubting the legacy of the Protestant Reformers and
their successors. Luther, Calvin, and Wesley not only spawned
specific denominational traditions, but their writings have been
instrumental in forging a broadly embraced evangelical theology as
well. In this volume, Ben Witherington wrestles with some of the
big ideas of these major traditional theological systems (sin,
God's sovereignty, prophecy, grace, and the Holy Spirit), asking
tough questions about their biblical foundations. Witherington
argues that evangelicalism sometimes wrongly assumes a biblical
warrant for some of its more popular beliefs, and, further, he
pushes the reader to engage the larger story and plot of the Bible
to understand these central elements of belief.
In this commentary on Hebrews, James and Jude, Ben Witherington III
applies his socio-rhetorical method to elucidate these letters
within their primarily Jewish context, probing the social setting
of the readers and the rhetorical strategies of the authors of the
letters.
Grace in Galatia is an innovative socio-rhetorical study of Paul's
most polemical letter. Ben Witherington breaks new ground by
analyzing the whole of Galatians as a deliberative discourse meant
to forestall the Galatians from submitting to circumcision and the
Jewish law. The commentary features the latest discussion of major
problems in Pauline studies, including Paul's view of the law and
the relationship between the historical data in Galatians and in
Acts. Yet the narrative character of Witherington's work allows it
to remain exceedingly accessible. The volume also includes sections
following the major divisions of the commentary that point to the
relevance of the text for believers today, making Grace in Galatia
of special value to pastors and general readers as well as students
and scholars.
In this final installment of his trilogy on the central ordinances
of the Christian faith (baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the
proclamation of God's Word), Ben Witherington asks: What does it
mean to call the Bible "God's word"? In doing so, he takes on other
recent studies which downplay the connection between history and
theology, or between historical accuracy and truth claims. The
Bible is not merely to be viewed as a Word about God, Witherington
argues. Instead, he says, the Bible exhorts us to see the Bible as
a living Word from God.
Making a Meal of It explores the background and implication of the
Lord's Supper. Delving into its historical and Scriptural origins,
Witherington argues that the Lord's Supper is a sacramental
celebration of the community of God, designed to incorporate people
of varying backgrounds. Excavating the diverse ways in which
Scripture and early Christian tradition speak about the Lord's
Supper, Witherington advocates that the meal is primarily about who
the people of God are and how they should thus live together.
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The Gospel of Luke (Paperback)
Amy-Jill Levine, Ben Witherington III
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R1,395
R1,125
Discovery Miles 11 250
Save R270 (19%)
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This volume offers a comprehensive overview of one of the four New
Testament gospels and brings a unique approach to the genre of
Bible commentary. Featuring distinct Jewish and Christian voices in
respectful conversation, Amy-Jill Levine and Ben Witherington, III
methodologically break new ground in exploring why scholars
disagree on questions of history (what actually happened, what is
authorial invention, how do we address different versions of the
same account), literature (what does this story tell us about Jesus
and Peter, Mary Magdalene and Judas, among other characters), and
theology (what can we say about resurrection and divine justice, or
about Jesus as the Messiah). They show how Luke has been used to
create both tragedy and hope, as well as to promote sexism,
anti-semitism, and religious intolerance, thereby raising important
questions regarding ethically responsible interpretation. This
volume will be essential reading for theologians, clergy, and
anyone interested in biblical studies and Jewish/Christian
dialogue.
This volume offers a comprehensive overview of one of the four New
Testament gospels and brings a unique approach to the genre of
Bible commentary. Featuring distinct Jewish and Christian voices in
respectful conversation, Amy-Jill Levine and Ben Witherington, III
methodologically break new ground in exploring why scholars
disagree on questions of history (what actually happened, what is
authorial invention, how do we address different versions of the
same account), literature (what does this story tell us about Jesus
and Peter, Mary Magdalene and Judas, among other characters), and
theology (what can we say about resurrection and divine justice, or
about Jesus as the Messiah). They show how Luke has been used to
create both tragedy and hope, as well as to promote sexism,
anti-semitism, and religious intolerance, thereby raising important
questions regarding ethically responsible interpretation. This
volume will be essential reading for theologians, clergy, and
anyone interested in biblical studies and Jewish/Christian
dialogue.
There is no doubting the legacy of Protestant Reformers and their
successors. Luther, Calvin, and Wesley not only spawned specific
denominational traditions, but their writings have been
instrumental in forging a broadly embraced evangelical theology as
well. Ben Witherington wrestles with some of the big ideas of these
major traditional theological systems (sin, God's sovereignty,
prophecy, grace, and the Holy Spirit), asking tough questions about
their biblical foundations. Advocating a return to Protestantism's
sola scriptura roots, Witherington argues that evangelicalism
sometimes wrongly assumes a biblical warrant for some of its more
popular beliefs. Witherington pushes the reader to engage the
larger story and plot of the Bible in order to understand the
crucial theological elements of Protestant belief. The Problem with
Evangelical Theology casts today's evangelical belief and practice
- be it Calvinistic, Wesleyan, Dispensational, or Pentecostal - in
the light of its scriptural origins. Witherington offers a
comprehensive description of evangelical theology while
concurrently providing an insistent corrective to its departures
from both tradition and text.
Baptism has been a contested practice from the very beginning of
the church. In this volume, Ben Witherington rethinks the theology
of baptism and does so in constant conversation with the classic
theological positions and central New Testament texts. By placing
baptism in the context of the covenant, Witherington shows how
advocates of both believer's baptism and infant baptism have added
some water to both their theology and practice of baptism.
Written in clear, and at times colorful, prose, Ben
Witheringtonas "Whatas in the Word" explains how the recognition of
the oral and socio-rhetorical character of the New Testament and
its environment necessitates a change in how the New Testament
literature is read. Expanding on the work in which he has been
fruitfully engaged for over a quarter century, Witherington
challenges the previously assured results of historical criticism
and demonstrates chapter by chapter how the socio-rhetorical study
shifts the paradigm.
Taken together, the chapters in "Whatas in the Word" coalesce
around three of Witheringtonas ongoing academic concerns: orality
and rhetoric; New Testament history, including issues of
authenticity and canonicity; and the exegesis of given words in
their canonical and socio-cultural contexts. Always unpredictable,
this book never fails to pique interest and proffer
instruction.
These seminal essays introduce the reader to the interdisciplinary
approach of New Testament scholarship which is affecting the way
the Book of Acts is studied and interpreted. Insights from the
social sciences, narratological studies, Greek and Roman rhetoric
and history, and classics, set the Acts of the Apostles in its
original historical, literary and social context; these methods of
interpretation have not always been applied to biblical study in a
systematic way. The discussions from a shared general perspective
range over genre and method, historical and theological problems,
and issues of literary criticism. History, Literature and Society
in the Book of Acts is an interesting and valuable overview of some
of the chief preoccupations of biblical studies with contributions
from leading scholars in the Old and New Testaments and the history
of antiquity.
These essays use an interdisciplinary approach for recent Book of Acts scholarship. Insights from the social sciences, narratological studies, Greek and Roman rhetoric and history, and classics, set Acts in its original historical, literary and social context. These methods of interpretation have only recently been applied to Acts in a systematic way. This is a valuable overview of some of the chief preoccupations of current biblical studies from leading scholars in Old and New Testament studies and the history of antiquity.
This book examines the roles and functions that women assumed in the early Christian communities from AD 33 to the Council of Nicaea. It surveys, too, the views about women held by various New Testament authors including Paul and the Evangelists.
Women in the Ministry of Jesus is a study of both of Jesus'
attitudes towards women as reflected in his words and deeds, and of
the women who were part of his ministry, or who interacted with him
according to the Gospel accounts. The book seeks to provide a
balanced analysis of the relevant Biblical material, and also the
historical background necessary to illuminate the setting of the
Gospel events. Particular attention is given to related issues such
as Jesus' views on marriage, the family and the single life, as
well as his teaching on adultery, the laws of the clean and unclean
and the sabbath. Witherington concludes that Jesus cannot be
categorized neatly either as chauvinist or as feminist.
This book is the first of its kind: an innovative socio-rhetorical commentary on the Book of Revelation. Without sacrificing scholarly perspective or academic rigor, it is written to be accessible for a wide audience--including pastors, scholars, teachers, seminarians, and interested lay people. A "Suggested Reading List"--a feature of all volumes in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary--will serve as point of entry for the new serious student of Revelation and as a helpful annotated bibliography for all readers. Frequent "Closer-Look" sections examine key elements of the Roman-Greco world that bear on the text's meaning while "Bridging the Horizons" sub-chapters connect this world with the cultural, political, and religious environments of today. The entire NRSV translation is provided throughout the text as a convenience to the reader. Award-winning author Ben Witherington III brings a New Testament scholar's insight to the often opaque passages of the last book of the New Testament.
This book is the first of its kind: an innovative socio-rhetorical commentary on the Book of Revelation. Without sacrificing scholarly perspective or academic rigor, it is written to be accessible for a wide audience--including pastors, scholars, teachers, seminarians, and interested lay people. A "Suggested Reading List"--a feature of all volumes in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary--will serve as point of entry for the new serious student of Revelation and as a helpful annotated bibliography for all readers. Frequent "Closer-Look" sections examine key elements of the Roman-Greco world that bear on the text's meaning while "Bridging the Horizons" sub-chapters connect this world with the cultural, political, and religious environments of today. The entire NRSV translation is provided throughout the text as a convenience to the reader. Award-winning author Ben Witherington III brings a New Testament scholar's insight to the often opaque passages of the last book of the New Testament.
In this final installment of his trilogy on the central ordinances
of the Christian faith (baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the
proclamation of God's Word), Ben Witherington asks: What does it
mean to call the Bible ""God's word""? In doing so, he takes on
other recent studies which downplay the connection between history
and theology, or between historical accuracy and truth claims. The
Bible is not merely to be viewed as a Word about God, Witherington
argues. Instead, he says, the Bible exhorts us to see the Bible as
a living Word from God.
Women in the Ministry of Jesus is a study of both of Jesus'
attitudes towards women as reflected in his words and deeds, and of
the women who were part of his ministry, or who interacted with him
according to the Gospel accounts. The book seeks to provide a
balanced analysis of the relevant Biblical material, and also the
historical background necessary to illuminate the setting of the
Gospel events. Particular attention is given to related issues such
as Jesus' views on marriage, the family and the single life, as
well as his teaching on adultery, the laws of the clean and unclean
and the sabbath. Witherington concludes that Jesus cannot be
categorized neatly either as chauvinist or as feminist.
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