This book undertakes a biblical and theological analysis of evolutionary creation and creation themes pertinent to origins science. A key premise is that a fundamental congruity exists between what the Lord has revealed in nature (i.e., the book of God's work) and in Scripture (i.e., the book of God's Word). A corollary supposition is that, based on an analysis of the fossil record, genome evidence, morphological data, and so on, biological evolution offers the best persuasive scientific explanation for the origin and actualization of carbon-based life on earth, including Homo sapiens (i.e., modern humans). Furthermore, considering evolutionary creation in an objective, balanced, and informed manner reveals that the view is wholly compatible with classical theological metaphysics, including Augustinian and Reformed confessional orthodoxy.

In Axis of Glory, Dan Lioy conducts a biblical and theological analysis of the temple motif as a conceptual and linguistic framework for understanding Scripture. His investigation takes a fresh look at the topic, assesses a representative group of the Judeo-Christian writings through the various prisms of secondary literature, and offers a synthesis of what appears in the biblical data. The author notes that references and allusions connected with the temple motif crisscross the entire literary landscape of Scripture. An additional finding is that the presence of the shrine concept is comparable to a series of rhetorical threads that join the fabric of God's Word and weaves together its seemingly eclectic and esoteric narratives into a richly textured, multicolored tapestry. The author concludes that the Bible's theocentric and Christocentric emphases are heightened in their intensity and sharpened in their focus due to the temple motif making its way through the pages of the sacred text, beginning with the opening chapter of Genesis and ending with the final chapter of Revelation.

In this thought-provoking study, Dan Lioy asserts that a Christocentric and Christotelic perspective is an unmistakable feature of Paul's discourse. The journey begins with an analysis of the old Adamic creation in Genesis 1-3 before digressing into representative passages from Paul's writings, touching on such themes as new creation theology, the apostle's apocalyptic interpretation of reality, and his theology of the cross. Then Lioy examines the influence of the Old Testament on Paul's Christological outlook, how the apostle viewed Satan operating as the counterfeit word, and the way in which the writings of Paul correlate with the letter from James, leading into a deliberation that Paul, rather than Christ, is to be seen as a new or second Moses. Contrast is then provided regarding the historical authenticity of the Adam character in Paul's discourse, along with the Genesis creation narratives. Facets of Pauline Discourse in Christocentric and Christotelic Perspective is the ideal volume for college and seminary classes dealing with the teaching and theology of Paul.

The concept of the divine sabotage is the starting point for this expositional journey through Ecclesiastes. Dan Lioy notes that on the one hand, God has set eternity in the human heart (Eccl 3:11a). Yet on the other hand, no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Eccl 3:11b). God has imposed limitations on the human race that undermine human efforts to look beyond the present-especially to understand the past or probe into the future. Expressed differently, because people are creatures of time, their heavenly imposed finitude subverts their ability to fathom the eternal plan of God. The preceding observations help pinpoint why existence often seems vague, incongruous, and antithetical. People are left feeling confused, powerless, and frustrated. And somewhere along the way, they begin to ask what life is really all about. Solomon, who was Israel's wisest and most powerful king, also wrestled with these issues, and he recorded his observations and conclusions in the book of Ecclesiastes. Lioy's objective, balanced, and affirming examination of Solomon's treatise indicates that the fundamental quality of life is defined by revering God and heeding His commandments (Eccl 12:13). He notes that if human existence is likened to a cord made of three strands (an analogy based on Ecclesiastes 4:12), it remains coherent and interconnected when God is at the center of one's inner world, at the core of one's understanding of the external world, and the basis for the significance one derives from life. This volume is appropriate for personal study and is also suitable as a college and seminary textbook. Dan Lioy is a researcher, writer, and editor of biblical resource materials, including scholarly monographs, commentaries, and dictionaries. He has held faculty appointments at several tertiary institutions, both in the United States and abroad. His previous Wipf and Stock publication is Jesus as Torah in John 1 12 (2007).

In this study of John 1 12, the author develops the thesis that Jesus is the divine, incarnate Torah, and that Jesus as Torah is the conceptual center of the Fourth Gospel. An overarching goal of the treatise is to explore the Evangelist s portrait of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Mosaic law. Connected with this aim is the central thesis that the Messiah appears in the Gospel of John as the realization of all the law s redemptive-historical types, prophecies, and expectations. A corresponding major claim is that those who trust in Jesus for eternal life and heed his teaching satisfy fully the requirements of the moral law recorded in Scripture. An examination of John 1 12 substantiates the truth that Jesus is the perfection of the gift of the Tanakh. He existed in the beginning with the Father and Spirit as God. The eternal Torah is light and life, fulfillment and joy, in fellowship with the triune God for all eternity. The divine Tanakh, by becoming incarnate, revealed the glory of the Father and made the fullness of God s grace and truth available to humankind. The living Word not only provides salvation but in so doing unveils the loving and redeeming heart of the Father for all to see. The Son of God is the one to whom all the Old Testament luminaries such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah pointed, and in whom their eschatological hopes were realized. The Anointed One is greater than and supreme over all the religious institutions once associated with the Jerusalem tabernacle and temple. Even such Jewish festivals as the Feast of Tabernacles, Pentecost, Dedication, and Passover find their fulfillment in the Messiah. This volume is appropriate for personal study and is also suitable as a college and seminary text. Dan Lioy is a postgraduate supervisor with the South African Theological Seminary. He is the author of In Search of Ultimate Reality (2005), The Decalogue in the Sermon on the Mount (2004), and The Book of Revelation in Christological Focus (2003).