Early Christology must focus not simply on historical but also on theological ideas found in contemporary Jewish thought and practice. In this book, a range of distinguished contributors considers the context and formation of early Jewish and Christian devotion to God aloneGCothe emergence of GCGBPmonotheismGC[yen]. The idea of monotheism is critically examined from various perspectives, including the history of ideas, Graeco-Roman religions, early Jewish mediator figures, scripture exegesis, and the history of its use as a theological category. The studies explore different ways of conceiving of early Christian monotheism today, asking whether monotheism is a conceptually useful category, whether it may be applied cautiously and with qualifications, or whether it is to be questioned in favor of different approaches to understanding the origins of Jewish and Christian beliefs and worship. This is volume 1 in the Early Christianity in Context series and volume 263 in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

Basics of Ancient Ethiopic by Archie Wright introduces students to the basic grammar of ancient Ethiopic (Ge'ez) while approaching the language through its wider cultural and literary context, and its historical legacy. As part of the widely-used Zondervan Language Basics series of resources, Wright's Ethiopic grammar is a student-friendly introduction. It helps students learn by: Minimizing technical jargon Providing only the information needed to learn the basics Breaking the grammar of language down into manageable and intuitive chunks Illustrating the grammar in question by its use in rich selections from ancient Christian and the Second Temple Jewish books of 1 Enoch and Jubilees Providing grammar, readings, exercises, and a lexicon all in one convenient volume Basics of Ethiopic provides an ideal first step into this important language and focuses on getting the student into texts and translation as quickly as possible.

The volume is a commentary on 1 Enoch chapters 91-108 that begins with the Ethiopic text tradition but also takes the Greek and Aramaic (Dead Sea Scrolls) evidence into account. This section of 1 Enoch, which contains material from at least five different documents composed some time during the 2nd century BCE, provides a window into the early stages of the reception of the earliest Enoch tradition, as it was being negotiated in relation to elitist religious opponents, on the one hand, and in relation to other Jewish traditions that were flourishing at the time. The commentary, at the beginning of which there is an extensive introduction, is structured in the following way: there is a translation for each unit of text (including the Greek and Aramaic where it exists, with the Greek and Ethiopic translations presented synoptically), followed by detailed textual notes that justify the translation and provide information on a full range of variations among the manuscripts. This, in turn, is followed by a General Comment on the unit of text; after this there are detailed notes on each subdivision of the text which attempt to situate the content within the stream of biblical interpretation and developing Jewish traditions of the Second Temple period. The five documents in 1 Enoch 91-108 are dealt with in the following order: (1) Apocalypse of Weeks (93:1-10; 91:11-17); (2) Admonition (91:1-10, 18-19); (3) Epistle of Enoch (92:1-5; 93:11-105:2; (4) Birth of Noah (106-107); and (5) the Eschatological Appendix (108).

Leading international contributors on biblical texts, including the New Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, intersect with the work of James H. Charlesworth and examine Charlesworth's vast contribution to the field of biblical studies, honoring the work of one of the most significant biblical scholars of his generation. Divided into five sections, this volume begins with a section on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament texts, with particular focus on the Gospel of John and Jesus studies. The contexts of these texts are considered, with a focus on the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds, and the varying intersections between texts and the worlds that created them. The contributors then focus on the most significant body of Charlesworth's work, the apocrypha/pseudepigrapha and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the journey concludes with an assessment of the history of scholarship on the core areas addressed across the book.

One "apocalyptic" reading of Paul's letter to the Galatians has been attempted before and is now widely accepted, but that reading is not based on a thorough engagement with Jewish apocalyptic traditions of the Second Temple period. In this book, James M. Scott argues that there is an essential continuity between Galatians and Paul's Jewish past, and that Paul uses the apocalyptic Epistle of Enoch (1 Enoch 92-105) as a literary model for his own letter. Scott first contextualizes the Epistle of Enoch using the entire Enochic corpus and explores the extensive similarities (and some differences) between the Enochic tradition and early Stoicism. Then he turns to deal specifically with Paul's letter to the Galatians, showing that, despite their obvious differences, the two apocalyptic letters have some remarkable features in common as well. This approach to the interpretation of Galatians fundamentally stands to change the way biblical scholars understand Paul's letter and the gospel that he preached. Paul is "within Judaism," if the net for what is included in "Judaism" is wide enough to encompass the Enochic tradition.

Reading Revelation in Context brings together short, accessible essays that compare and contrast the visions and apocalyptic imagery of the book of Revelation with various texts from Second Temple Jewish literature. Going beyond an introduction that merely surveys historical events and theological themes, Reading Revelation in Context examines individual passages in Second Temple Jewish literature in order to illuminate the context of Revelation's theology and the meaning and potency of John's visions. Following the narrative progression of Revelation, each chapter (1) pairs a major unit of the Apocalypse with one or more sections of a thematically related Jewish text, (2) introduces and explores the historical and theological nuances of the comparator text, and (3) shows how the ideas in the comparator text illuminate those expressed in Revelation. In addition to the focused comparison provided in the essays, the book contains other student-friendly features that will help them engage broader discussions, including an introductory chapter that familiarizes students with the world and texts of Second Temple Judaism, a glossary of important terms, and a brief appendix suggesting what tools students might use to undertake their own comparative studies. At the end of each chapter there a list of other thematically relevant Second Temple Jewish texts recommended for additional study and a focused bibliography pointing students to critical editions and higher-level discussions in scholarly literature. Reading Revelation in Context brings together an international team of over 20 New Testament experts including Jamie Davies, David A. deSilva, Michael J. Gorman, Dana M. Harris, Ronald Herms, Edith M. Humphrey, Jonathan A. Moo, Elizabeth E. Shively, Cynthia Long Westfall, Archie T. Wright, and more.

The T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism provides a comprehensive reference resource of over 600 scholarly articles aimed at those studying Judaism in the Second Temple Period, and the numerous texts and artefacts related to it. The work is split into four parts across two volumes. Part One locates the discipline in relation to other relevant fields (for example the Hebrew Bible, Rabbinics, Christian Origins) and provides an orientation to the discipline's distinctive nomenclatures and debates. The history of research in the area is also presented in full. Part Two presents an overview of respective contexts of the discipline set within the broad framework of historical chronology. Social/cultural, literary, linguistic, geographical, political, and religious contexts are all explained, from the time period of the conquests of Alexander the Great (332 B.C.E.) through to the reign of Hadrian (135 C.E.). Part Three focuses specifically on the literature of the Second Temple period, summarizing the content of key texts, and examining their similarities and differences with other texts of the period. This section includes surveys of scholarship on date, provenance, location, language(s), and interpretative issues. The reception history of texts is considered. Part Four addresses topics, specifically those relevant to Second Temple literature such as places, practices, historical figures and artefacts. The volumes include 14 specially created color maps and over 60 charts and illustrations.

The public worship of the risen Christ as depicted in John's Apocalypse directly contradicts the guidingangel's emphasis that only God should be worshiped (Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9). In Angel Veneration and Christology , Loren Stuckenbruck explores this contradiction in light of angelveneration in Early Judaism. Stuckenbruck surveys a wide variety of Jewish traditions related to angelic worship and discovers proscriptions against sacrificing toangels; prohibitions against making images ofangels; rejections of the "two powers"; second-century Christian apologetic accusations specifically directed against Jews; and, most importantly, the refusal tradition, widespread in Jewish and Jewish-Christian writings, wherein angelic messengers refuse the veneration of the seer and exhort the worship of God alone. While evidence forthe practice of angelvenerationamong Jews of antiquity (Qumran, pseudepigraphal literature, and inscriptions from Asia Minor) does not furnish the immediate background for the worship of Christ, Stuckenbruck demonstrates that the very fact that safeguards to a monotheistic framework were issued at all throws light on the Christian practice of worshiping Jesus. The way the Apocalypse adapts the refusal tradition illuminates Revelation's declarations about and depictions of Jesus. Though the refusal tradition itself only safeguards the worship of God, Stuckenbruck traces how the tradition has been split so that the angelophanic elements were absorbed into the christophany. As Stuckenbruck shows, an angelomorphicChristology, shared by the author of Revelation and its readers, functions to preserve the author's monotheistic emphasis as well as to emphasize Christ's superiority over theangelsasetting the stage for the worship of the Lamb in a monotheistic framework that does not contradict the angelic directive to worship God alone.

The mythical story of fallen angels preserved in 1 Enoch and related literature was profoundly influential during the Second Temple period. In this volume renowned scholar Loren Stuckenbruck explores aspects of that influence and demonstrates how the myth was reused and adapted to address new religious and cultural contexts. Stuckenbruck considers a variety of themes, including demonology, giants, exorcism, petitionary prayer, the birth and activity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the conversion of Gentiles, "apocalyptic" and the understanding of time, and more. He also offers a theological framework for the myth of fallen angels through which to reconsider several New Testament texts-the Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John, Acts, Paul's letters, and the book of Revelation.

Early Christology must focus not simply on "historical" but also on theological ideas found in contemporary Jewish thought and practice. In this book, a range of distinguished contributors considers the context and formation of early Jewish and Christian devotion to God alone-the emergence of "monotheism". The idea of monotheism is critically examined from various perspectives, including the history of ideas, Graeco-Roman religions, early Jewish mediator figures, scripture exegesis, and the history of its use as a theological category. The studies explore different ways of conceiving of early Christian monotheism today, asking whether monotheism is a conceptually useful category, whether it may be applied cautiously and with qualifications, or whether it is to be questioned in favor of different approaches to understanding the origins of Jewish and Christian beliefs and worship. This is volume 1 in the Early Christianity in Context series and volume 263 in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

Leading international contributors on biblical texts, including the New Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, intersect with the work of James H. Charlesworth and examine Charlesworth's vast contribution to the field of biblical studies, honoring the work of one of the most significant biblical scholars of his generation. Divided into five sections, this volume begins with a section on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament texts, with particular focus on the Gospel of John and Jesus studies. The contexts of these texts are considered, with a focus on the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds, and the varying intersections between texts and the worlds that created them. The contributors then focus on the most significant body of Charlesworth's work, the apocrypha/pseudepigrapha and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the journey concludes with an assessment of the history of scholarship on the core areas addressed across the book.