What did violence against women and children mean for ancient audiences and how do modern audiences hear and process the meaning of violence in the texts of the Hebrew Bible? The rape of Tamar, the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter, babes ripped from the womb during war—texts such as these are hardly fodder for Sunday School classes; yet we are left with the reality that the Bible is a violent text full of war, murder, genocide, and destruction, often carried out at the behest of God. The essays in this volume explore ways in which the Hebrew Bible uses and abuses women and children to make indelible points concerning the people of Israel, the lived realities of the Israelite society, and God’s relationship to His people. Where other works turn to the study of the violence itself, or to the divine nature of violence, this volume focuses in on the human component. As a result, these studies are reminders that women and children born out of trauma are at once vulnerable and valuable, fragile and resilient.

In The Word on the Street, John Martens brings the Bible to where people live: in the church, at home, at work, and in the broader world. This Lectionary commentary for every Sunday of the liturgical year will help readers understand the Bible in light of their daily lives, experiences, and challenges and will help Sunday Mass preachers find new ways to articulate God's work in the world. John Martens is known for his contributions to "The Word," a popular column in America magazine. The Word on the Street, Year C is the final book in a three-volume series that presents scriptural, liturgical, and preaching commentary for Sundays throughout the year.

In The Word on the Street, John Martens brings the Bible to where people live: in the church, at home, at work, and in the broader world. This Lectionary commentary for every Sunday of the liturgical year will help readers understand the Bible in light of their daily lives, experiences, and challenges, and help Sunday Mass preachers find new ways to articulate God's work in the world. John Martens is known for his contributions to The Word, a popular column in America magazine. The Word on the Street, Year B is the second book in a three-volume series that presents scriptural, liturgical, and preaching commentary for Sundays throughout the year.

In The Word on the Street, John Martens brings the Bible to where people live, in the church, at home, at work, and in the broader world. This lectionary commentary for every Sunday of the liturgical year offers readers a way in which the Bible can speak to them in light of their lives today. John Martens is known for his contributions to The Word, a popular column in America magazine. The Word on the Street is the first book (Year A) in a three-volume series that presents scriptural, liturgical, and preaching commentary for Sundays throughout the year.

Although Jesus called on his first followers to welcome children in his name and to become like children, the lives of the first Christian children have remained in the shadows. This book explores the hidden lives of children at the origins of Christianity. It draws on insights gained from comparisons of children's experiences in ancient Judaism and the Graeco-Roman world. The authors also engage a vast body of early Christian literature, extending from the New Testament to sermons, letters, theological treatises, poetry, pedagogical manuals, and historiography in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and other languages of the early Christian world. The guiding question of the book focuses on how Christianity changed the lives of children in the ancient world. Some of the other questions examined by the authors include: Did boys and girls both receive a formal education? Were Christian children slaves? How did they participate in manual labor? What kinds of games did children play? How did children become a part of the Christian church? This book breaks new ground in the study of early Christianity by examining the challenges to Christian childhood in the first centuries of the Church. The authors look at the violence perpetrated against children, and they consider the effects and opportunities arising from Christians' experiences of martyrdom and from the increased Christian interest in various forms of asceticism, including celibacy. The book brings into the open the lives of early Christian children and throws much needed light on what has been a largely neglected area of study in early Christianity.