Commentaries on Early Jewish Literature is a new series in English dealing with early Jewish literature between the third century BC and the middle of the second century AD; it is scheduled to encompass a total of 58 volumes. The texts are intended to be interpreted as a textual unity against the background of their particular Jewish and historico-political contexts, with text-based, historical, literary and theological analyses being undertaken. The first volume, by Joseph A. Fitzmyer, is devoted to a commentary on the Book of Tobit (Tobias).

The apostle Paul's letter to his friend and fellow Christian Philemon, which focuses on the question of slavery, has long inspired debate. Onesimus, one of Philemon's slaves and a Christian himself, has left his master's house and sought refuge with Paul. In a letter to Philemon, Paul assures his friend that he is sending Onesimus back into captivity, but pleads for mercy on the slave's behalf, asking Philemon to treat him as a beloved brother and as he would treat the apostle.

Examining Paul's letter within the context of the social, political, and economic realities of the times, Fitzmyer sheds light on the question of whether Paul was suggesting that Onesimus be granted freedom from slavery or whether he was simply advocating a lenient treatment of this particular slave. His insights not only clarify Paul's position but show why the letter is relevant in the Church today.

The book of Romans is often regarded as the most profound yet also difficult statement of the Christian faith. While not overlooking the complex theology of Paul's letter, Joseph A. Fitzmyer demonstrates here that Romans is also a wellspring of devotional insight, accessible and deeply rewarding even to everyday readers.

In this book Fitzmyer recasts the text of Romans into the form of meditations for devotional reflection in spiritual retreats, Bible studies, church classrooms, small groups, and other prayerful gatherings. Styled after the famous "Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, the book includes twenty-four meditations that can be divided in a variety of ways and fit to a range of reading schedules. Each meditation is accompanied by a set of questions that encourages reflection on the passage of Romans being considered and also a colloquy in the form of a psalm or New Testament hymn that matches the sentiment of the Pauline passage.

A truly unique approach to spirituality, this book shows the role of Scripture in properly ordering the Christian life.

Additional Editing By Walter J. Burghardt.

Additional Editing By Walter J. Burghardt.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are texts not discovered in the Dead Sea itself, but in caves and holes along the northwest shore of the Dead Sea between 1947 and 1963, has had an enormous impact on human intellectual life, in particular the fields of biblical studies and archaeology. The Dead Sea Scrolls have influenced not only the study of the Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures, but also the history of Judaism in Judea, the study of the ancient languages of Aramaic and Hebrew, and the interpretation of many New Testament writings. Since 1957, Joseph Fitzmyer has done considerable study and research on the Dead Sea Scrolls along with having published extensively on this topic. The result is informative, interesting, and insightful reading that will appeal expecially to students of the Bible and those interested in ancient archaeology. Highlights: * Succinct description of the Dead Sea Scrolls along with their significance and importance both for biblical studies and ancient archaeology. * Author's expertise. He has done extensive research, study, and scholarly writing on the Dead Sea Scrolls since 1957. * Helpful reading resource for students of the Bible and those interested in history and ancient archaeology. * Accompanying photos and illustrations that complement the presentation.

"Catholic Press Association Award Winner "
In order to promote the Church's ongoing efforts to share the boundless riches of the divine Word with the faithful entrusted to its care" (Dei Verbum 25), "The Scripture Documents" reproduces in one volume key documents that record Catholic teaching on the interpretation of the Bible.

Intended as a reference work, this collection of conciliar, papal, and curial documents on sacred Scripture includes for each official document a brief historical introduction that facilitates a contextual understanding of each document, a running annotation, and a select bibliography of available commentaries and related works.

Like the Canon of Scriptures itself, this collection includes various kinds of documents authored by different Roman ecclesiastical authorities within the Church's Teaching Office and expressed in several different literary forms. Each document addresses issues and problems peculiar to the historical situation in which it was written.

"The Scripture Documents" provides easy access to those official documents that record some of the Church's efforts to promote and guide the study of the Bible among the faithful. The teaching these instructions convey is helpful for all who seek to read and interpret the Scriptures in the light of faith.

Dean P. Bechard, SJ, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Theology at Fordham University."

Gathers recent research that provides background to the Bible and Christianity.

This volume by Joseph Fitzmyer, a pioneer in the field of Dead Sea Scrolls research, collects twelve of his recent studies on the Scrolls, including a new essay on Qumran messianism. Well known for his landmark work in Aramaic studies and on the Semitic background of the New Testament, Fitzmyer explores how the Scrolls have shed light on the interpretation of biblical themes and on the rise of early Christianity. All of the articles in this volume have been updated to take into account current discussions.

In this greatly expanded second edition of To Advance the Gospel, Joseph A. Fitzmyer has added eight new studies of important Pauline and Lucan topics not part of his original work. Together these nineteen essays consider a number of major issues in the study of the New Testament as well as in the life of the church today. Readers will find discussions of such themes as the priority of Mark and the "Q" source in Luke, crucifixion in ancient Palestine, the gospel in the theology of Paul, the ascension of Christ and Pentecost, and the resurrection of Christ according to the New Testament.

"Messiah" is one of the most popular and most contested terms in the biblical interpretation. To understand this concept is to understand one of the earliest terms applied to Jesus.

While many often read the concept back into early Old Testament texts, Joseph Fitzmyer carefully and comprehensively tells the story of its development from Daniel 9 to the New Testament. "The One Who Is to Come" begins with the term itself, then discusses passages that reveal the developing understanding of the Davidic dynasty and those that are often seen as Old Testament precursors. It also takes on the place of the term in the Septuagint and extrabiblical Jewish writings, as well as the New Testament, Targums, and Mishnah.

Fitzmyer's masterful work takes issue with the excessive claims for the concept of messiah in the Old Testament, pointing instead to the proper (and no less full) tradition of "messiah" that emerged in the intertestamental period. "The One Who Is to Come" presents a novel yet biblical thesis that will appeal to scholars, students and all who wish investigate the origins of the concept of "messiah."

Many scholars wishing to consult a specific text in the Dead Sea Scrolls encounter a very specific difficulty: finding where it has been published. The scrolls are found in many publications, especially in the 39 volumes of the series ???Discoveries in the Judean Desert.??? Here they are not published in any systematic way, but in the order in which they were ready for publication.

Joseph Fitzmyer seeks to remedy that situation. His A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature starts by explaining the conventional system of abbreviations for the Scrolls. Then it helpfully lists specifically where readers can find each of the scrolls and fragmentary texts from the eleven caves of Qumran and all the related sites.

Fitzmyer supplies information on tools of study helpful for scholars ? concordances, dictionaries, translations, outlines of longer texts, and more ? and briefly indications electronic resources for the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This winning guide makes navigating the sprawl of scrolls and information much more straightforward.

This volume contains a collection of previously unknown compositions from Cave 4 at Qumran. These compositions, written during the Second Temple period, use specialized terminology that allows them to be classified as sapiential (or instructional) literature. As such, they are part of the larger genre of wisdom literature, common in the ancient Near East, which includes other collections of sayings and instruction such as the Book of Proverbs, Ben Sira, and the Epistle of James. The documents published here include Mysteries (a manuscript of which was also found in Cave 1), several Meditations on Creation, an Admonitory Parable, Work Concerning Divine Providence, Ways of Righteousness, a number of small sapiential texts, and one text written in the script known as Cryptic A Words of a Sage to All Sons of Dawn. These compositions enhance our understanding of the keen interest in theological and ethical issues (such as God's omnipotence, justice, creative power and design, and man's moral and ethical responsibility to his Creator and fellow men), both of the Qumran community specifically and of Second Temple period Judaism in general.