The New Testament is a Jewish book and no part of it is more Jewish than the Gospel of Matthew-the story of how God fulfilled His word to Israel and sent them His Messiah, who in turn carried out the work of redemption. The Gospel of Matthew was written to prove to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ, the fulfillment of their Scriptures. It contains the most thorough and organized presentation of Christ's teaching anywhere in Scripture. Thus the Gospel of Matthew is like the Christian Torah, the record of God's words and deeds through Christ. Matthew's Gospel also stresses the Church, since it is the true Israel, the holy remnant, whose message is to be taken to Jews (and Gentiles) everywhere. Other books in the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series: "Shepherding the Flock: The Pastoral Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy and to Titus": 978-1888212563 "Universal Truth: The Catholic Epistles of James, Peter, Jude, and John": 978-1888212600 "The Gospel of Mark: The Suffering Servant ": 978-1888212549

The catholic, or general, epistles of the "other apostles"-James, Peter, Jude and John-are sometimes overshadowed by the stirring theology of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul. But these seven epistles are quiet gems of instruction, encouragement and exhortation for all believers. Written at various times and locations and to differing audiences, the general epistles nevertheless share some common themes: endurance under persecution, living out the Faith in a hostile society, discerning heresy by its fruits-namely, immorality and lack of love-and resisting it, holding fast to the apostolic faith. As Fr. Lawrence Farley deftly shows in this commentary, all these are timely themes from which believers today can richly profit.Working from a literal translation of the original Greek, this commentary examines the text section by section, explaining its meaning in everyday language. Written from an Eastern Orthodox and patristic perspective, it maintains a balance between the devotional and the exegetical, feeding both the heart and the mind.

Fr Lawrence Farley brings his Biblical interpretation skills to bear on the Song of Songs, one of the shortest but richest-and most difficult-books of the Bible. This balanced, verse-by-verse commentary examines the text on two main levels: both as a beautiful image of the love and the bond shared between man and woman in marriage, and as an icon of the "great mystery" toward which human marriage points: Christ and the Church (Eph 5.32). We live in swiftly changing times, when the value, the meaning, and the very definition of marriage are the subject of heated debate. Fr Lawrence offers us a vision of the biblical foundation for marriage, which can withstand the floods of life, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph 2.20).

Shepherding the Flock is part of The Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series

PMThe community Paul founded in Corinth gave him both joy and grief, for he was to encounter problems there of disunity, sin, and arrogance - including a rejection by some of his own apostolic authority. His two epistles to the Corinthians came straight from the heart, as he appeals to them to live in peace,in righteousness, in generosity, and not to resist his God-given authority. His Corinthian correspondence abides as a lasting legacy, and a challenge for all churches everywhere.About the Commentary Series:This commentary was written for your grandmother. And for your plumber, your banker, and the girl who serves you french fries at the nearby McDonald's. That is, it was written for the average lay-person, for the nonprofessional who feels a bit intimidated by the presence of copious footnotes, long bibliographies,and all those other things which so enrich the lives of academics. It is written for the pious Orthodox layman who is mystified by such things as Source Criticism, but who nonetheless wants to know what the Scriptures mea

Israel expected the Messiah to be a conquering hero who would liberate the Jews from their Roman servitude. But instead, Christ came as a suffering servant to liberate all mankind from slavery to sin. The Gospel of Mark records Christ's public ministry as a journey to the Cross, yet-paradoxically again-as a time of vigorous action when His miracles astounded the multitudes, and His boldness infuriated His foes.About the commentary series This commentary was written for your grandmother. And for your plumber, your banker, and the girl who serves you French Fries at the nearby McDonald's. That is, it was written for the average layperson, for the nonprofessional who feels a bit intimidated by the presence of copious footnotes, long bibliographies, and all those other things which so enrich the lives of academics. It is written for the pious Orthodox layman who is mystified by such things as Source Criticism, but who nonetheless wants to know what the Scriptures mean.