This study explains Philippians (the apostle Paul's letter) by thinking about the lives of the Philippians (the people who received the letter). It is unique in using archaeology and literary evidence to build a detailed picture of the types of people likely to have been in Philippi and in the Christian community there. This comprehensive new explanation of Philippians as a letter written to call the Christians to unity under economic suffering, explains the letter (especially 2.6-11) in the specifically Roman setting of Philippi that includes a comparison of Christ with the Roman Emperor.

Torah in the New Testament is a collection of papers delivered at the Manchester Lausanne Seminar of June 2008. This also involved contributions from the Universities of Sheffield, Geneva and the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The purpose of the seminar was to offer some significant studies on the general topic of the Torah in the New Testament with particular reference to methodological issues, to the Jesus traditions in the Gospels, and to Paul and the Law. Two previous collections of papers from these scholarly co-operations have been published in the Library of New Testament Studies: C.M. Tuckett (ed.), Luke's Literary Achievement: Collected Essays (LNTS 116, 1995) and T. Klutz (ed.), Magic in the Biblical World: From the Road of Aaron to the Ring of Solomon (LNTS 245, 2003). This collection will be of great interest to New Testament scholars who are actively engaged in research on the relationship between early Christianity and the Jewish Torah. It contains cutting-edge comments on issues of methodology in such debates and on both Jesus and the Law and Paul and the Law. Since the landmark works of Sanders and others in the 1980s these topics have been of considerable interest to scholars who are trying to represent Jesus, Paul and early Christianity in a suitable Jewish context.

A case-study in modelling the social make-up of an early Christian community, including estimated figures for the various social groups in the model. A case-study in how such modelling can make an impact on the exegesis of a text. The result is a proposal for reading Philippians as a call for unity under economic suffering. In particular, the story of Christ in Philippians 2.6-11 is read as a reinforcement of this call in the specifically Roman context of Philippi. The book begins with a discussion of archaeological and literary evidence about the development of the Roman colony of Philippi. It also includes discussion of the likely effects of suffering among various social groups in the church, exploration of Paul's and Christ's roles as models for the Philippians, and comparison of Paul's language about Christ with Imperial ideology.

Oakes and Boakye rethink Galatians by examining the text as a vision for the lives of its hearers. They show how, in tackling the difficulties that he faces in Galatia, Paul offers a vision of what the Galatians are in their relationship with the living Christ. This offers a new understanding of the concept of unity in diversity expressed in Gal 3:28. The authors develop their views over six chapters. First, Oakes maps a route from the letter to a focus on its Galatian hearers and on Paul's vision for their identity and existence. In the next chapter, Oakes uses the Christology of Galatians as a way to support the idea of pistis as current relationship with the living Christ. Boakye then offers three chapters analysing the letter's scriptural quotations and ideas about salvation and law. Boakye sees a key dynamic at work in Galatians as being a movement from death to life, as prophesied metaphorically by Ezekiel and as made literal for Paul in his encounter with the resurrected Christ, trust in whom becomes the route to life. Life becomes a key category for evaluating law. Boakye also draws Galatians close to Romans 4 in seeing in both texts the promise of the birth of Isaac, with Paul closely tying that to the resurrection of Jesus. Oakes then argues that the letter has a thematic concern for unity in diversity. In the first instance this is between Jews and gentiles but, in principle, it is between any other socially significant pair of groups.

Combines archaeology and biblical studies to give the reader a fresher, deeper understanding of Paul's letter to the Romans.

In this volume, respected New Testament scholar Peter Oakes offers a translation and reading of Galatians as presenting a gospel of unity in diversity in Christ. He shows that Paul treats the Galatians' possible abandonment of his gospel as putting at stake their fidelity to Christ. As with other volumes in the Paideia series, this volume is conversant with contemporary scholarship, draws on ancient backgrounds, and attends to the theological nature of the text. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary.

About the Contributor(s): Isaac K. Mbabazi (PhD, University of Manchester) is Professeur Associe of the New Testament. Former Dean of the School of Theology at Shalom University, Congo, he is presently Rector of Great Lakes School of Theology and Leadership, Burundi, and is adjunct Professor at International Leadership University-Burundi. He is the author of several articles, including ""Christians as Members of a 'Royal Family' in Matthew's Gospel,"" AJET (2011).

Torah in the New Testament is a collection of papers delivered at the Manchester-Lausanne Seminar of June 2008. This also involved contributions from the Universities of Sheffield, Geneva and the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The purpose of the seminar was to offer some significant studies on the general topic of the Torah in the New Testament with particular reference to methodological issues, to the Jesus traditions in the Gospels, and to Paul and the Law. Two previous collections of papers from these scholarly co-operations have been published in the Library of New Testament Studies: C.M. Tuckett (ed.), Luke's Literary Achievement: Collected Essays (LNTS 116, 1995) and T. Klutz (ed.), Magic in the Biblical World: From the Road of Aaron to the Ring of Solomon (LNTS 245, 2003). This collection will be of great interest to New Testament scholars who are actively engaged in research on the relationship between early Christianity and the Jewish Torah. It contains cutting-edge comments on issues of methodology in such debates and on both Jesus and the Law and Paul and the Law. Since the landmark works of Sanders and others in the 1980s these topics have been of considerable interest to scholars who are trying to represent Jesus, Paul and early Christianity in a suitable Jewish context.