This collection of essays by leading experts in New Testament scholarship addresses core themes in the study of early Christianity. The topics addressed include text-critical issues relating to the New Testament, the historical situation in which the earliest Christian documents were composed, early Christian rituals, historical questions concerning Jesus and Paul, and the origin and development of important theological ideas in the early Church. This volume is dedicated to Henk Jan de Jonge (Emeritus Professor in the New Testament, Leiden University) in honour of his important contributions to the field of New Testament Studies.

The Book of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel (6th century B.C.E.) is a book of forceful language and impressive images. Its message is often clear, sometimes mysterious. The book had great impact in Jewish and early Christian literature as well as in western art. This book deals with the intentions of the book of Ezekiel, but also focuses on its use by subsequent writers, editors or artists. It traces Ezekiel's influence in Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God, in Paul, the Gospels, and Revelation, and also shows that Ezekiel's imagery, via Jewish mysticism, influenced the visionary art of William Blake. Presenting contributions from leading biblical scholars in Oxford and Leiden, based on their unique collaborative research, this book will be of interest to a wide range of scholars working in the field of biblical studies, including those studying the Hebrew Bible, its early versions, 'inter-testamental' Judaism, New Testament and Early Christianity, and the reception of Biblical literature in later centuries.

The Book of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel (6th century B.C.E.) is a book of forceful language and impressive images. Its message is often clear, sometimes mysterious. The book had great impact in Jewish and early Christian literature as well as in western art. This book deals with the intentions of the book of Ezekiel, but also focuses on its use by subsequent writers, editors or artists. It traces Ezekiel's influence in Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God, in Paul, the Gospels, and Revelation, and also shows that Ezekiel's imagery, via Jewish mysticism, influenced the visionary art of William Blake. Presenting contributions from leading biblical scholars in Oxford and Leiden, based on their unique collaborative research, this book will be of interest to a wide range of scholars working in the field of biblical studies, including those studying the Hebrew Bible, its early versions, 'inter-testamental' Judaism, New Testament and Early Christianity, and the reception of Biblical literature in later centuries.

The Life of Adam and Eve once belonged to the most popular literature in the Christian world. Retelling the Genesis 3 story, it gives an elaborate description of Adam's death and his assumption to Paradise in the third heaven. His continued existence, as well as his future resurrection, are as much a paradigm for humanity as his transgression, condemnation and death. For a long time attention was focused on the Greek and Latin versions only. More recently, editions of Georgian and Armenian versions have become available, occupying a middle position between the Greek and the Latin. This new material now makes it necessary to sort out the relationships between no less than five clearly related but in many respects different documents. Taken together they present a complex but interesting mosaic of reflections on the human plight, inspired by the Genesis story.