Hebrews 12: 1-13 portrays the suffering of the community to which it is addressed by means of two images: an athletic contest, and God's fatherly discipline. In this 1998 book, N. Clayton Croy provides a thorough exploration of the theme of suffering in the Jewish and Graeco-Roman traditions, and surveys the different interpretations of this passage which have been offered by Christian writers over the centuries. He argues that the concept of 'training' unites the passage, which presents Jesus as the supreme athlete, an agonistic exemplar for those running the race. These verses also support a non-punitive understanding of discipline, in which God's children undergo a positive process of education. The educative notion of paideia combines with images of athletic training to establish a call to faithful endurance rather than repentance.

In this volume an expert teacher of the Bible provides an introduction to New Testament exegesis that will appeal to students across the spectrum. Clayton Croy begins with the preparation of the interpreter, proceeds to analysis of the text, and concludes with appropriation of the message of Scripture in the context of modern faith communities. He combines a step-by-step plan for historical exegesis with substantive discussion of broader hermeneutical issues. The book interacts with recent scholarship and is academically rigorous but is written in an engaging style, incorporating anecdotes, humor, scriptural illustrations, and examples of the practical payoff of disciplined interpretation. Each chapter includes discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.

Hebrews 12: 1-13 portrays the suffering of the community to which it is addressed by means of two images: an athletic contest, and God's fatherly discipline. In this 1998 book, N. Clayton Croy provides a thorough exploration of the theme of suffering in the Jewish and Graeco-Roman traditions, and surveys the different interpretations of this passage which have been offered by Christian writers over the centuries. He argues that the concept of 'training' unites the passage, which presents Jesus as the supreme athlete, an agonistic exemplar for those running the race. These verses also support a non-punitive understanding of discipline, in which God's children undergo a positive process of education. The educative notion of paideia combines with images of athletic training to establish a call to faithful endurance rather than repentance.

This book theorizes that there was probably more to both the beginning and the ending of Mark's Gospel than we currently have in our Bible. It was once the consensus of scholars that Mark lacked its ending. Croy asks why scholarly opinions changed on this question during the late 20th century and whether earlier scholars may in fact have been correct. In short, this book has the potential to re-open a major debate in Markan studies. Beyond scholarly interest in the original extent of the Gospel text, there are implications for our understanding of Markan theology. If a conclusion has been lost, Mark may not be as negative in his portrayal of the disciples as we now assume. The credibility of the disciples - and Jesus own credibility - also may have been rehabilitated by the original ending. Croy urges that we should not assume that post-resurrection appearance stories were unimportant to Mark or that Mark s theology of suffering would be incompatible with a triumphant outcome. The challenge to the scholarly consensus will be of interest to academics; the theological implications will make the book useful in seminary classes on the Gospels. The author s demonstration of the connection between the social context of biblical research and our ways of reading the Gospel is important for theological education in general. Readers will also benefit from an awareness of the process by which we have received the texts printed in our Bibles."

Though there are currently a number of texts for teaching biblical Greek, most of them are plagued by various deficiencies. Written with these flaws in mind, this new primer by N. Clayton Croy offers an effective, single-volume introduction to biblical Greek that has proven successful in classrooms around the country.This volume takes a primarily deductive approach to teaching biblical Greek and assumes that students have no prior knowledge of the language. Divided into 32 separate lessons, each containing a generous number of exercises, the text leads students from the Greek alphabet to a working understanding of the language of the Septuagint and the New Testament.Special features of A Primer of Biblical Greek An abundance of exercisesEach lesson includes practice sentences taken from the Septuagint and the New Testament as well as Greek sentences composed by the author. Exercises in English-to-Greek translation are also included.Concise but accurate grammatical explanationsGreat care has been taken to insure that grammatical explanations are clear, correct, and succinct. In particular, the Greek participle receives a fuller-than-usual treatment.A natural order of presentationMaterial is presented according to the natural structure of Greek and the traditional terminology of grammarians. Declensions and principal parts, for example, are presented in numerical order.Inclusive languageThe book uses inclusive language for human beings throughout.Helpful appendixes for quick referenceIncluded at the back of the book are the Greek paradigms, Greek-to-English vocabulary, English-to-Greek vocabulary, and a bibliography for further study.