Biblical Studies
Showing 76–150 of 512 results
-
Discovering Biblical Equality
$45.00Add to cartThere is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
The conversation about the relationship between women and men and their roles in the Christian life and the church has evolved, but the topic continues to inspire debate and disagreement.
The third edition of this groundbreaking work brings together scholars firmly committed to the authority of Scripture to explore historical, biblical, theological, cultural, and practical aspects of this discussion. This fresh, positive defense of gender equality is at once scholarly and practical, irenic yet spirited, up-to-date, and cognizant of opposing positions. In this edition, readers will find both revised essays and new essays on biblical equality in relation to several issues, including the image of God, the analogy of slavery, same-sex marriage, abortion, domestic abuse, race, and human flourishing.
Discover for yourself God’s vision for gender equality.
-
Spirituality According To John
$28.00Add to cartThrough all of John’s works, a consistent message is woven: being a Christian is about abiding in Christ and in his words.
The Gospel of John, the epistle of 1 John, and the Apocalypse all begin in the same way: by pointing to the importance of knowing the Word, both written and incarnate. Using an artistic, storytelling approach to spirituality, John relies heavily on readers’ imaginations to help them see what it takes to become disciples by abiding in Jesus. Rodney Reeves combines exegesis with spiritual reflection to explore how the only biblical writer to employ three different genres presents a consistent vision of Christian spirituality. Rather than focusing on detailed instructions, John uses evocative metaphors and illustrations so that readers can envision how to follow Jesus–as disciples, in community, and even at the end of the world. Filled with stories and implications for today’s readers, Spirituality According to John provides an accessible introduction to the rich spiritual world of the Johannine literature that makes up much of the New Testament. In John’s era and now, anyone who has ears to hear can learn to truly abide in Christ.
-
Hayford Bible Handbook
$39.99Add to cartA Companion to the Spirit-Filled Life Bible. A Resource for Kingdom Living.
Are you a Spirit-filled Christian who longs for fresh insights from the Bible? Do you want God’s truth to challenge you, and change you, and bless others through you in ways you never thought possible?
The updated and revised Hayford Bible Handbook is an unparalleled resource that unveils the keys to Scripture uniquely, providing not only a wealth of information but also a spiritual stimulus that will encourage your faith and service to Christ. More than 400 Kingdom Dynamics notes, offering wisdom, insight, and spiritual instruction for life in God’s Kingdom have been collected into 41 thematic articles.
The Hayford Bible Handbook continues to offer charismatic and Pentecostal Christians a major reference tool that provides easy access to a wealth of biblical and practical information.
Within the Handbook are a variety of ‘keys’ to help readers study God’s Word:
The Kingdom Key: The Executive Editor’s assessment of each book
*The Timeline Key: Places the events of each book in the chronological context of history and the whole of Scripture
*The Master Key: Points out the place of the Lord Jesus Christ within each book
*The Power Key: Focuses on the Holy Spirit’s action and activities in each book
*The Word-Text Key: Most books include (1) a key verse, (2) a key chapter, and (3) a key word that tend to define each book.
Other important features include:
*An informative Survey section for each book of the Bible with hundreds of Kingdom Life Insights, offering Spirit-filled life perspectives on individual verses
*A Truth-in-Action chart for each Bible book, highlighting practical principles and specific actions that might grow out of them
*The unique Spirit-Filled Life Encyclopedic Dictionary with over 1,300 entries, including word studies, explanations of important biblical and doctrinal terms, and Kingdom Dynamics articles
*The Visual Survey of the Bible
-
Temple And The Tabernacle
$34.99Add to cartGrasp the Majesty, Beauty, and Significance of God’s Dwelling Places
At various points in Israel’s history, God dwelt in specific, significant places, most notably in the tabernacle and the temple. These structures, meticulously planned, extravagantly furnished, and regularly frequented by the devout, were more than just places of worship and sacrifice. They were pictures of God’s relationship with his chosen people and of the atoning work that would be done by the Messiah. To understand the tabernacle and the temple, then, is to understand how we are brought into God’s family through the sacrifice of his only Son, Jesus.Visually stunning and theologically rich, this full-color resource brings together the latest scholarship and archeological discoveries to bring God’s dwelling places alive for modern believers. It places these important structures in their historical and theological contexts, connects them with the overall biblical story, and shows how they bring meaning and depth to the faith of Christians today.
-
Holy Spirit In The New Testament
$28.00Add to cartIn the early church, miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit were normal and normative.
Today an ever-increasing number of Christians worldwide self-identify as Pentecostal or charismatic. William A. Simmons argues that this means the church needs a Spirit-centered interpretation of Scripture informed by a Pentecostal lens. In The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, Simmons provides an accessible New Testament introduction that discusses themes and passages of particular interest to Pentecostal readers. Each chapter explores the presence of the Spirit in a biblical book, then offers devotional applications to help readers respond to the text. In Matthew, for example, we discover that there is no Messianic era apart from the Spirit. For Paul in Romans, the Holy Spirit is the authenticating power and emotive heart of God. And Revelation is permeated with the illuminating voice of the Spirit from beginning to end. A Spirit-centered reading breaks down divisions between reason and spirit, mind and emotion. This book opens a dialogue between the academy and the church, demonstrating how sound exegesis speaks to Spirit-filled Christians. In the world and writings of the New Testament authors, we continue to encounter the revelatory presence of God. -
Piercing Leviathan : God’s Defeat Of Evil In The Book Of Job
$28.00Add to cartOne of the most challenging passages in the Old Testament book of Job comes in the Lord’s second speech (40-41). The characters and the reader have waited a long time for the Lord to speak-only to read what is traditionally interpreted as a long description of a hippopotamus and crocodile (Behemoth and Leviathan). The stakes are very high: is God right to run the world in such a way that allows such terrible suffering for one of his most loyal servants? Is Job right to keep trusting God in the midst of much criticism? But it is difficult for modern readers to avoid a sense of frustrating anticlimax as the book ends.
Eric Ortlund argues that Behemoth and Leviathan are better understood as symbols of cosmic chaos and evil-that a supernatural interpretation fits better exegetically within the book of Job and within Job’s ancient Middle Eastern context. It also helps modern readers to appreciate the satisfying climax the narrator intended for the book: in describing Behemoth and Leviathan, God is directly engaging with Job’s complaint about divine justice, implying to Job that he understands the evil at loose in his creation better than Job does, is in control of it, and will one day destroy it.
In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Ortlund considers different interpretations of the Lord’s second speech and their potential exegetical and pastoral weaknesses. He shows how a supernatural interpretation of Behemoth and Leviathan puts modern readers in a position to appreciate the reward of Job’s faith (and ours) as we endure in trusting God while living in an unredeemed creation.
Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Deep Calls To Deep
$40.99Add to cartDeep Calls to Deep demonstrates a new and generative way of reading the Bible, which looks for differences among texts to engage in dialogue over critical issues that are not only biblical but also are relevant to our contemporary crises. Bill Brown explores uncharted territory in the Bible with a particular focus on the Psalms, the most diverse book of the Bible. By taking his cue from Martin Luther, Brown explores how the “little bible” (the Psalter) engages the larger Hebrew Bible in dialogue, specifically how the Psalms counter, complement, reconstrue, and transform biblical traditions and themes across the Hebrew canon, from creation and law to justice and wisdom.
In this deep study of the Psalms, Brown asks What is humanity’s place and role in creation? What makes for a credible leader? What is “law and order”? What is the role of wisdom in the life of faith? What is the shape of justice in a society polarized by power and fear? These and other questions, such as a chapter that offers a fresh look at the authority of Scripture, are hosted by the Psalms with the aim of prompting dialogue, the kind of dialogue that is most needed in a time of deep division and disruption.Deep Calls to Deep can be used as the primary text for a class on the Psalms (at any level from a small group to a seminary class) and as a secondary text in a general Old Testament or Hebrew Bible introductory course, since it covers all major parts of the OT through the lens of the Psalms. It also is an ideal text for an intermediate course that is needed after any introduction to the Old Testament.
-
Changed Into His Likeness
$28.00Add to cartWhen it comes to the Christian life, what exactly can we expect with regard to personal transformation?
Gary Millar addresses this most basic question in this NSBT volume. After surveying some contemporary psychological approaches to the issue of change and discussions of biblical anthropology, he explores the nature of gospel-shaped change, exposing the dangers of both promising too much and expecting too little. The central part of his study focuses on “life in the middle”–between the change that is brought about when we become Christians and the final change in which we will be raised with Christ. Millar presents a case for reading the “character studies” of major Old Testament figures from Noah to Solomon as depicting a declension throughout their lives and their innate sinfulness and lack of change. This problem is resolved in the establishment of a new covenant, which promises both individual and corporate transformation in the power of the Spirit. This transformation is presented in the New Testament as a rich and complex process, which cannot be contained or adequately described by one set of images. Transformation is real, deep-rooted and far-reaching. In developing an integrated biblical theology of transformation, Millar draws on the contributions of key thinkers, including Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Edwards, Owen, Newton, James K. A. Smith and the Biblical Counselling movement. He concludes with a careful synthesis, charting a middle way between the errors of over-realized and under-realized eschatology. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Jesus According To Scripture
$50.00Add to cartUpdated Edition of a Bestselling Study of Jesus and the Gospels
In this work Darrell Bock, a leading evangelical New Testament scholar who speaks and teaches around the world, and Benjamin Simpson show that a coherent portrait of Jesus emerges from the four Gospels when they are taken seriously as historical documents. When read together, the Gospels provide a clear picture of Jesus and his unique claims to authority. This book surveys all the Gospel units and relates them to their parallel passages, showing how the literary and canonical relationships work. Offering up-to-date interaction with the latest discussions about Jesus, the second edition has been substantially revised and updated throughout and includes three new chapters on how we got the Gospels.
-
Cross Of Christ
$35.99Add to cart?The Cross is the universal symbol of the Christian faith. But what does the Cross mean? Why did Jesus have to die?
In this magisterial and best-selling book, John Stott explains the significance of Christ’s cross and answers objections commonly brought against biblical teaching on the atonement.
Stott will help you discover how Jesus himself understood the cross, and how ‘Christ in our place’ is at the heart of its meaning. Understand what the cross achieved, and learn what it means to live under the cross.
This modern classic combines excellent biblical exposition, and a characteristically thoughtful study of Christian belief, with a searching call to the church to live under the cross.
-
Cross Of Christ
$35.00Add to cart“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. . . . In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”
With compelling honesty John Stott confronts readers with the centrality of the cross in God’s redemption of our pain-filled world. Can we see triumph in tragedy, victory in shame? Why should an object of Roman distaste and Jewish disgust be the emblem of our worship and the axiom of our faith? And what does it mean for us today? From one of the foremost preachers and Christian leaders of his generation, The Cross of Christ is a classic, accessible, and compelling look at the work of Christ. At the cross Stott finds the majesty and love of God disclosed, the sin and bondage of the world exposed. More than a study of the atonement, this book brings Scripture into living dialogue with Christian theology and contemporary issues. What emerges is a pattern for Christian life and worship, hope and mission. In honor of John Stott’s one hundredth birthday, this centennial edition includes an updated foreword by Alister McGrath and a new timeline of Stott’s life. A study guide equips individuals and groups to more deeply reflect on and apply the book’s message.
-
Dispensational Truth
$39.99Add to cartDispensational Truth is the Rev. Clarence Larkin’s famous book on dispensationalism with his beautifully drawn black and white charts. A must-have book for any student of dispensationalism, the book contains more than 115 charts, maps, and woodcuts.
The result of thirty years of study, Dispensational Truth is a gold mine of information on prophetic truth for the busy pastor, evangelist, Bible teacher, and everyone who loves God’s Word. In fact, Larkin’s charts have been called “the gold standard” of pre-tribulation knowledge.
A trained draftsman, Larkin diagrammed what he read during his Bible studies. From his drawings and charts, the study of God’s Word has enriched generations of those who seek illumination and clarification regarding history, prophecy, and the future of mankind.
This book has sold thousands of copies since it was first published in 1920, including more than 17,000 copies in recent years.
-
Exploring The New Testament Volume 2 Third Edition
$35.00Add to cartWritten by scholars who have extensive experience teaching in colleges and universities, the Exploring the Bible series has for decades equipped students to study Scripture for themselves.
Exploring the New Testament, Volume Two provides an accessible introduction to the Letters and Revelation. It’s filled with classroom-friendly features such as discussion questions, charts, theological summary sidebars, introductory and intermediate-level essay questions, and further reading lists. This volume introduces students to:
*Jewish and Greco-Roman background
*ancient letter writing
*Paul’s life, mission, and theology
*the structure and major themes of each book
*issues of authorship, date, and setting
*methods in reading and interpreting the Letters and Revelation
*the intersection of New Testament criticism with contemporary issues of faith and cultureThis textbook is a valuable guide for anyone seeking an orientation to studying the New Testament. Now in its third edition, Exploring the New Testament, Volume Two has been updated throughout to engage recent sources and issues in New Testament scholarship.
-
Engaging The Christian Scriptures
$34.99Add to cartThis readable, faith-friendly, one-semester textbook aids students as they engage in their first reading of the biblical text in an academic setting. The authors, who have significant undergraduate teaching experience, approach the Christian Scriptures from historical, literary, and theological perspectives. Text boxes, illustrations, maps, and suggestions for further reading are included. This new edition incorporates professor and student feedback, adds a glossary, has been revised throughout, and is supplemented by updated and expanded web-based pedagogical resources.
-
Letters For The Church
$30.00Add to cartThe Catholic Epistles often get short shrift. Tucked into a few pages near the back of our Bibles, these books are sometimes referred to as the “non-Pauline epistles” or “concluding letters,” maybe getting lumped together with Hebrews and Revelation. Yet these letters, Darian Lockett argues, are treasures hidden in plain sight, and it’s time to give them the attention they deserve. In Letters for the Church, Lockett reveals how the Catholic Epistles provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice. Based on evidence from the early church, he contends that the seven letters of James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude were accepted into the canon as a collection and should be read together. Here Lockett introduces the context and content of the Catholic Epistles while emphasizing how all seven letters are connected. Each chapter outlines the author, audience, and genre of one of the epistles, traces its flow of thought, and explores shared themes with the other Catholic Epistles. The early church valued the Catholic Epistles for multiple reasons: they defend orthodox faith and morals against the challenges of heretics, make clear that Christianity combines belief with action, and round out the New Testament witness to Christian faith and life. By introducing the coherent vision of these seven epistles, Letters for the Church helps us rediscover these riches.
-
Exploring The New Testament Volume 1 Third Edition
$35.00Add to cartWritten by scholars who have extensive experience teaching in colleges and universities, the Exploring the Bible series has for decades equipped students to study Scripture for themselves.
Exploring the New Testament, Volume One provides an accessible introduction to the Gospels and Acts. It’s filled with classroom-friendly features such as discussion questions, charts, theological summary sidebars, introductory and intermediate-level essay questions, and further reading lists. This volume introduces students to:
*Jewish and Greco-Roman background
*literary genres and forms
*debated issues such as authorship, date, and setting
*the structure and major themes of each book
*various approaches to the study of the Gospels and Acts
*tools such as narrative criticism, reader-response approaches, and reception history
*the intersection of New Testament criticism with contemporary faith and cultureEspecially suited as a textbook for courses on Jesus, the Gospels, or Acts, this book is a valuable guide for anyone seeking an orientation to studying the New Testament. Now in its third edition, Exploring the New Testament, Volume One has been updated throughout to engage recent sources and issues in New Testament scholarship.
-
Understanding The Jewish Roots Of Christianity
$29.99Add to cartHow Jewish is Christianity?
The question of how Jesus’ followers relate to Judaism has been a matter of debate since Jesus first sparred with the Pharisees. The controversy has not abated, taking many forms over the centuries. In the decades following the Holocaust, scholars and theologians reconsidered the Jewish origins and character of Christianity, finding points of continuity.
Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity advances this discussion by freshly reassessing the issues. Did Jesus intend to form a new religion? Did Paul abrogate the Jewish law? Does the New Testament condemn Judaism? How and when did Christianity split from Judaism? How should Jewish believers in Jesus relate to a largely gentile church? What meaning do the Jewish origins of Christianity have for theology and practice today?
In this volume, a variety of leading scholars and theologians explore the relationship of Judaism and Christianity through biblical, historical, theological, and ecclesiological angles. This cutting-edge scholarship will enrich readers’ understanding of this centuries-old debate.
-
Figuring Resurrection : Joseph As A Death And Resurrection Figure In The Ol
$29.99Add to cartThe death and resurrection of Joseph
Towards the end of Genesis, the narrative slows down to tell the story of Joseph. There is no dispute that Joseph’s story is unique, but why does it deserve such focused attention? And how does this story relate to the rest of Genesis?
In Figuring Resurrection, Jeffrey Pulse presents the view that Joseph is a death-and-resurrection- figure. A close literary reading of Genesis 37-50 reveals that Joseph’s story is one of rejection and restoration, descent and ascent, condemnation and exaltation, exile and return, death and resurrection. Far from a lengthy diversion, Joseph’s story of “death and resurrection” plays an important role in the theology of Genesis and later Second Temple Jewish literature.
Figuring Resurrection has implications for our understanding of Joseph’s narrative, the book of Genesis, Hebrew thinking on the afterlife, and typology.
-
Evil In Genesis
$29.99Add to cartThe genesis of evil.
The book of Genesis recites the beginnings of the cosmos and its inhabitants. It also reveals the beginning of evil. Before long, evil infests God’s good creation. From there, good and evil coexist and drive the plot of Genesis.
In Evil in Genesis, Ingrid Faro uncovers how the Bible’s first book presents the meaning of evil. Faro conducts a thorough examination of evil on lexical, exegetical, conceptual, and theological levels. This focused analysis allows the Hebrew terminology to be nuanced and permits Genesis’ own distinct voice to be heard. Genesis presents evil as the taking of something good and twisting it for one’s own purposes rather than enjoying it how God intended. Faro illuminates the perspective of Genesis on a range of themes, including humanity’s participation in evil, evil’s consequences, and God’s responses to evil.
-
Jesus And The Forces Of Death
$35.00Add to cartAlthough most people acknowledge that Jesus was a first-century Jew, interpreters of the Gospels often present him as opposed to Jewish law and customs–especially when considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure. Matthew Thiessen corrects this popular misconception by placing Jesus within the Judaism of his day. Thiessen demonstrates that the Gospel writers depict Jesus opposing ritual impurity itself, not the Jewish ritual purity system or the Jewish law. This fresh interpretation of significant passages from the Gospels shows that throughout his life, Jesus destroys forces of death and impurity while upholding the Jewish law.
-
Womens Stories From The Bible Two Volume Set
$38.00Add to cartFor too long the women of the Bible have been depicted in one-dimensional terms. On one side are saints, such as Mary, while on the other are bad girls, such as Eve and Jezebel. Just as often, the female characters of the Bible are simply ignored. However, the women of the Bible are complex, multidimensional individuals whose lives are inspiring, funny, and tragic in ways too many of us never hear.
In the first book, From Widows to Warriors, Lynn Japinga acquaints us with the women of the Old Testament. From flawed heroes like Ruth and Rahab to fierce fighters like Deborah and Jael to tragic characters like Jephthah’s daughter and the unnamed concubine of the book of Judges, readers will encounter a wealth of foremothers in the faith in all their messy, yet redeemable, humanity. This Bible study introduces and retells every female character who contributes to one or more Old Testament stories, diving deeply into what each woman’s story means for us today with questions for reflection and discussion.
In the second book, From Daughters to Disciples, Lynn Japinga acquaints readers with the women of the New Testament. From faithful forerunners like Anna and Elizabeth to female disciples like the sisters Mary, Martha, and Mary Magdalene to first-generation followers like Lydia and Dorcas, readers will encounter a wealth of foremothers in the faith in all their messy, yet redeemable, humanity. This Bible study introduces and retells every female character who contributes to one or more New Testament stories, diving deeply into what each woman’s story means for us today with questions for reflection and discussion.
-
Conspicuous In His Absence
$34.00Add to cartIn the biblical canon, two books lack any explicit reference to the name of God: Song of Songs and Esther. What is the nature of God as revealed in texts that don’t use his name? Exploring the often overlooked theological connections between these two Old Testament books, Chloe T. Sun takes on the challenges of God’s absence and explores how we think of God when he is perceived to be silent.
In the biblical canon, two books lack any explicit reference to the name of God: Song of Songs and Esther. God’s peculiar absence in these texts is unsettling, both for theological discourse and for believers considering implications for their own lived experience. Chloe T. Sun takes on the challenges of God’s absence by exploring the often overlooked theological connections between these two Old Testament books. In Conspicuous in His Absence, Sun examines and reflects on the Song of Songs and Esther using theological interpretation. She addresses three main questions: What is the nature of God as revealed in texts that don’t use his name? How do we think of God when he is perceived to be absent? What should we do when God is silent or hidden? The experience of God’s absence or silence is an important part of the human condition. By exploring the distinct themes and perspectives of Song of Songs and Esther, as well as how they’ve been received in Jewish and Christian history, Sun demonstrates how both books serve as counter texts to the depiction of God and his work in the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus both contribute to a fuller picture of who God is and what it means to know him.
-
Signs Of The Messiah
$27.99Add to cartThat you may believe
Have you ever asked God for a sign? Throughout Scripture, God gave signs to his people, whether mighty acts during the exodus or miracles through Elijah and Elisha. Jesus was also asked for a sign. Yet despite giving seven remarkable signs, his people refused to believe him.
In Signs of the Messiah, Andreas KAstenberger–veteran New Testament scholar and expert on the Gospel of John–guides readers through John and highlights its plot and message. John’s Gospel is written to inspire faith in Jesus. By keeping the Gospel’s big picture in view, readers will see Jesus’ mighty signs and be compelled to trust more fully in the Messiah.
Readers will have a deeper grasp of John’s message and intent through this short and accessible introduction.
-
Servant Of The Lord And His Servant People
$27.00Add to cartIt is often recognized that the title “servant” is applied to key figures throughout the Bible, culminating in Jesus Christ.
In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume Matthew Harmon carefully traces this theme from Genesis to Revelation with the intention of seeing how earlier servants point forward to the ultimate Servant. While this servant theme certainly is significant in its own right throughout redemptive history, it also plays a supporting role, enhancing and enriching other themes such as son, prophet, and king. Harmon shows how the title “servant” not only gives us a clearer understanding of Jesus Christ but also has profound implications for our lives as Christians. When we grasp what it means to be servants of Christ, our love for him and our obedience to him deepen. Understanding that the ultimate Servant Jesus Christ indwells his people to empower them to serve others in love has the potential to transform how we interact with fellow believers and the world around us. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Introduction To The Old Testament Third Edition
$50.00Add to cartIncorporating the most current scholarship, this new edition also includes concrete tips for doing close readings of the Old Testament text, and a chapter on ways to read Scripture and respond in light of pressing contemporary issues, such as economic inequality, racial and gender justice, and environmental degradation.
In this updated edition of the popular textbook An Introduction to the Old Testament, Walter Brueggemann and Tod Linafelt introduce the reader to the broad theological scope of the Old Testament, treating some of the most important issues and methods in contemporary biblical interpretation. This clearly written textbook focuses on the literature of the Old Testament as it grew out of religious, political, and ideological contexts over many centuries in Israel’s history. Covering every book in the Old Testament (arranged in canonical order), the authors demonstrate the development of theological concepts in biblical writings from the Torah through postexilic Judaism.
-
Elements Of Biblical Exegesis
$29.99Add to cartWorld-renowned scholar Michael Gorman presents a straightforward approach to the complex task of biblical exegesis. This third edition of Gorman’s widely used and trusted textbook (over 60,000 copies sold) has been thoroughly updated and revised to reflect developments in the academy and the classroom over the past decade. The new edition explains recent developments in theological interpretation and explores missional and non-Western readings of the biblical text. Adaptable for students in various settings, it includes clear explanations, practical hints, suggested exercises, and sample papers.
-
Gods Messiah In The Old Testament
$30.00Add to cartTwo respected Old Testament scholars offer a fresh, comprehensive treatment of the Messiah theme throughout the entire Old Testament and examine its relevance for New Testament interpretation. Addressing a topic of perennial interest and foundational significance, this book explores what the Old Testament actually says about the Messiah, divine kingship, and the kingdom of God. It also offers a nuanced understanding of how New Testament authors make use of Old Testament messianic texts in explaining who Jesus is and what he came to do.
-
Misreading Scripture With Indivdualist Eyes
$32.00Add to cartThe Bible was written within collectivist cultures. When Westerners, immersed in individualism, read the Bible, it’s easy to misinterpret important elements-or miss them altogether. In any culture, the most important things usually go without being said. So to read Scripture well we benefit when we uncover the unspoken social structures and values of its world. We need to recalibrate our vision. Combining the expertise of a biblical scholar and a missionary practitioner, Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes is an essential guidebook to the cultural background of the Bible and how it should inform our reading. E. Randolph Richards and Richard James explore deep social structures of the ancient Mediterranean-kinship, patronage, and brokerage-along with their key social tools-honor, shame, and boundaries-that the biblical authors lived in and lie below the surface of each text. From Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to Peter’s instructions to elders, the authors strip away individualist assumptions and bring the world of the biblical writers to life. Expanding on the popular Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, this book makes clear how understanding collectivism will help us better understand the Bible, which in turn will help us live more faithfully in an increasingly globalized world.
-
Perspectives On Paul
$29.99Add to cartThis five-views work brings together an all-star lineup of Pauline scholars to offer a constructive, interdenominational, up-to-date conversation on key issues of Pauline theology. The editors begin with an informative recent history of biblical tradition related to the perspectives on Paul. John M. G. Barclay, A. Andrew Das, James D. G. Dunn, Brant Pitre, and Magnus Zetterholm then discuss how to interpret Paul’s writings and theology, especially the apostle’s view of salvation. The book concludes with an assessment of the perspectives from a pastoral point of view by Dennis R. Edwards.
-
Pauls Works Of The Law In The Perspective Of Second Century Reception
$38.00Add to cartWhen Paul wrote that we are justified by faith apart from “works of the law” what did he mean? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul’s second-century readers understood the conflicting interpretations, how their readings relate to “old” and “new” perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the apostle’s own meaning.
What did Paul mean by “works of the law”? Paul writes that we are justified by faith apart from “works of the law,” a disputed term that represents a fault line between “old” and “new” perspectives on Paul. Was the apostle reacting against the Jews’ good works done to earn salvation, or the Mosaic law’s practices that identified the Jewish people? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul’s second-century readers understood these points in conflict, how their readings relate to “old” and “new” perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the apostle’s own meaning. Surprisingly, these early witnesses align closely with the “new” perspective, though their reasoning often differs from both modern viewpoints. They suggest that Paul opposes these works neither due to moralism, nor primarily for experiential or social reasons, but because the promised new law and covenant, which are transformative and universal in scope, have come in Christ.
-
Salvation To The Ends Of The Earth
$35.00Add to cartThe saving mission of Jesus constitutes the foundation for Christian mission, and the Christian gospel is its message. This second edition of a classic NSBT volume emphasizes how the Bible presents a continuing narrative of God’s mission, providing a robust historical and chronological backbone to the unfolding of the early Christian mission.
Few biblical topics are as important as mission. Mission is linked inextricably to humanity’s sinfulness and need for redemption and to God’s provision of salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This good news of salvation must be made known. The saving mission of Jesus constitutes the foundation for Christian mission, and the Christian gospel is its message. This second edition of New Studies in Biblical Theology volume Salvation to the Ends of the Earth emphasizes the way in which the Bible presents a continuing narrative of God’s mission-ranging from the story of Israel to the story of Jesus and that of the early Christians. At the same time, it provides a robust historical and chronological backbone to the unfolding of the early Christian mission. The apostle Paul’s writings and the General Epistles are incorporated with the Gospel with which they have the closest and most natural canonical and historical affinity. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Reading Scriputre As The Church
$40.00Add to cartThe Bible is meant to be read in the church, by the church, as the church. Although the practice of reading Scripture has often become separated from its ecclesial context, theologian Derek Taylor argues that it rightly belongs to the disciplines of the community of faith. He finds a leading example of this approach in the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who regarded the reading of Scripture as an inherently communal exercise of discipleship. In conversation with other theologians, including John Webster, Robert Jenson, and Stanley Hauerwas, Taylor contends that Bonhoeffer’s approach to Scripture can engender the practices and habits of a faithful hermeneutical community. Today, as in Bonhoeffer’s time, the church is called to take up and read.
-
Resurrecting Justice : Reading Romans For The Life Of The World
$30.00Add to cartThe theme of justice pervades the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
And all Christians agree that justice is important. We often disagree, however, about what justice means, both in Scripture and for us today. Many turn to Old Testament laws, the prophets, and the life of Jesus to find biblical guidance on justice, but few think of searching the letters of Paul. Readers frequently miss a key source, a writing in which justice is actually the central concern: the book of Romans. In Resurrecting Justice, theologian Douglas Harink invites readers to rediscover Romans as a treatise on justice. He traces Paul’s thinking on this theme through a sequential reading of the book, finding in each passage facets of the gospel’s primary claim–that God accomplishes justice in the death and resurrection of Jesus Messiah. By rendering forms of the Greek word dikaiosyne as “just” or “justice,” Harink emphasizes the inseparability of personal, social, and political uprightness that was clear to Paul but is obscured in modern translations’ use of the words “righteous” and “righteousness” instead. Throughout this book, Harink includes personal reflection questions and contemporary implications, helping readers connect Paul’s teaching to issues in their world such as church life, politics, power, criminal justice, and violence. Romans demands nothing less than a fundamental rethinking of all things in the light of the gospel. And in Romans the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus makes all the difference in how we think about justice. Resurrecting Justice makes clear that the good news of a justice that can come only from God is crucial not only for individual lives but for all peoples and nations of the world.
-
Ancient Jewish And Christian Scriptures
$45.00Add to cartAncient Jewish and Christian Scriptures examines the writings included in and excluded from the Jewish and Christian canons of Scripture and explores the social settings in which some of this literature was viewed as authoritative and some was viewed either as uninspired or as heretical. John J. Collins, Craig A. Evans, and Lee Martin McDonald examine how those noncanonical writings demonstrate the historical, literary, and religious aspects of the culture that gave rise to the writings. They also show how literature excluded from the Jewish and Christian canons of Scripture remains valuable today for understanding the questions and conflicts that early Jewish and Christian faith communities faced. Through this discussion, contemporary readers acquire a broader understanding of biblical Scripture and of Jewish and Christian faith inspired by Scripture.
-
Biblical Theology According To The Apostles
$28.00Add to cartHow did the apostles understand the Old Testament?
Although relatively few in number, the New Testament’s explicit summaries of the Old Testament story of Israel give readers direct access into the way the earliest Christians told this story-that is to say, into the way they did biblical theology.
This stimulating New Studies in Biblical Theology volume examines the passages in the Synoptic Gospels, Acts, Paul’s letters, and Hebrews which recount the characters, events, and institutions of Israel’s story in chronological order and at substantial length. The authors demonstrate just how valuable a lens these summaries provide for a clearer vision of the earliest Christians’ practice of biblical theology. In doing so, they also show how contemporary readers can and should follow the apostles’ example.
Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Figural Reading And The Old Testament
$26.00Add to cartDon Collett, an experienced Old Testament teacher, offers an account of Old Testament interpretation that capitalizes on recent research in figural exegesis. Collett examines the tension between figural and literal modes of exegesis as they developed in Christian thought, introduces ongoing debates and discussions concerning figural readings of Scripture, and offers theological readings of several significant Old Testament passages. This book will work well as a primer on figural exegesis for seminarians or as a capstone seminary text that ties together themes from courses in Bible, exegesis, and theology.
-
Defending Shame : Its Formative Power In Paul’s Letters
$28.00Add to cartOur culture often views shame in a negative light. However, Paul’s use of shame, when properly understood and applied, has much to teach the contemporary church. Filling a lacuna in Pauline scholarship, this book shows how Paul uses shame to admonish and to transform the mind of his readers into the mind of Christ. The author examines Paul’s use of shame for moral formation within his Jewish and Greco-Roman context, compares and contrasts Paul’s use of shame with other cultural voices, and offers a corrective understanding for today’s church. Foreword by Luke Timothy Johnson.
-
Hope Of Israel
$34.00Add to cartThis volume highlights the sustained focus in Acts on the resurrection of Christ, bringing clarity to the theology of Acts and its purpose. Brandon Crowe explores the historical, theological, and canonical implications of Jesus’s resurrection in early Christianity and helps readers more clearly understand the purpose of Acts in the context of the New Testament canon. He also shows how the resurrection is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. This is the first major book-length study on the theological significance of Jesus’s resurrection in Acts.
-
Paul And The Language Of Faith
$40.99Add to cartA dynamic reading of Paul’s faith language, outlining its subtle nuances as belief, trust, and faithfulness.
Faith language permeates the letters of Paul. Yet, its exact meaning is not always clear. Many today, reflecting centuries of interpretation, consider belief in Jesus to be a passive act. In this important book, Nijay Gupta challenges common assumptions in the interpretation of Paul and calls for a reexamination of Paul’s faith language. Gupta argues that Paul’s faith language resonates with a Jewish understanding of covenant involving goodwill, trust, and expectation. Paul’s understanding of faith involves the transformation of one’s perception of God and the world through Christ, relational dependence on Christ, as well as active loyalty to Christ.
Pastors and scholars alike will benefit from this close examination of Paul’s understanding and use of faith language. For Gupta, Paul’s understanding involves a divine-human relationship centered on Christ that believes, trusts, and obeys.
-
Least Of These
$27.99Add to cartJesus cared for the least, but did Paul?
The apostle Paul has a reputation for being detached from the concerns of the poor and powerless. In this book, Carla Swafford Works demonstrates that Paul’s message and ministry are in harmony with the teaching of Jesus. She brings to light an apostle who preaches and models good news to the “least of these”–the poor, the marginalized, the disadvantaged, and the vulnerable.
The Least of These begins by highlighting the presence of the marginalized in Paul’s ministry by looking at poverty in Paul’s churches, the involvement of slaves and freedpersons in the community, and the role of women in the Pauline mission. Works then examines the significance of the marginalized in Pauline theology by investigating how the apostle employs metaphors of the “least.”
Like Jesus, Paul cared deeply for people at the margins. Paul’s ministry is consistent with that of Jesus. Both men cared for the poor. Paul served the least in his mission, modeling his apostolic ministry after the cross of Christ. Works shows that Paul, far from being an abstract thinker, was a practical theologian teaching a message and leading a life of compassion, kindness, and care.
-
Pauls Idea Of Community
$28.00Add to cartThis highly readable investigation of the early church explores the revolutionary nature, dynamics, and effects of the earliest Christian communities. It introduces readers to the cultural setting of the house churches of biblical times, examines the apostle Paul’s vision of life in the Christian church, and explores how the New Testament model of community applies to Christian practice today. Updated and revised throughout, this 40th-anniversary edition incorporates recent research, updates the bibliography, and adds a new fictional narrative that depicts the life and times of the early church.
-
Including The Stranger
$28.00Add to cartThe Old Testament, particularly the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings), has frequently been regarded as having a negative attitude towards foreigners. This has meant that these texts are often employed by those opposed to the Christian faith to attack the Bible–and such views can be echoed by Christians. While the story of David and Goliath is cherished, other episodes are seen to involve “ethnic cleansing” or “massacre” and are avoided. David Firth’s contention is that this approach emerges from an established interpretation of the text, but not the text itself. In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, he argues that the Former Prophets subvert the exclusivist approach in order to show that the people of God are not defined by ethnicity but rather by their willingness to commit themselves to the purposes of Yahweh. God’s purposes are always wider than Israel alone, and Israel must therefore understand themselves as a people who welcome and include the foreigner. Firth addresses contemporary concerns about the ongoing significance of the Old Testament for Christians, and shows how opponents of Christianity have misunderstood the Bible. His reading of the Former Prophets also has significant ethical implications for Christians today as they wrestle with the issues of migration and what it means to be the people of God. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Myths And Mistakes In New Testament Textual Criticism
$45.00Add to cartA renewed interest in textual criticism has created an unfortunate proliferation of myths, mistakes, and misinformation about this technical area of biblical studies. Elijah Hixson and Peter Gurry, along with a team of New Testament textual critics, offer up-to-date, accurate information on the history and current state of the New Testament text that will serve apologists and offer a self-corrective to evangelical excesses.
-
Holy Imagination : A Literary And Theological Introduction To The Whole Bib
$40.99Add to cartMost literary works have one primary voice, a discourse that expresses an author’s dominant culture and ideology. The whole Bible, however, should be read by allowing numerous voices or discourses during a thousand years of literary imagination to emerge and interact. This dialogic reading process introduces theological insights that are larger than the individual parts of the Bible.
Many books about the Bible introduce students to this sacred literature through a critical tour of the historical events and cultures that were present when the authors were at work. Holy Imagination, however, groups sections of the Bible by genre, to include the whole canon.
This “reader’s introduction” is informed by literary theory and theological synthesis. For example, the first section will describe the primordial history in Genesis 1-11 as literary myth. How do we use the term myth when it is applied to the beginning of Genesis? The next section, the ancestral narratives in Genesis 12-50 is described as “formational narratives of identity.” How do the stories use sibling rivalry to shape national identity then and now?
Each section in the introduction will identify and describe the genre (myth, historiography, poetry, apocalyptic literature, and so on) and then move into a discussion about its literary characteristics. Once the range of materials within a genre is evaluated, the introduction will deploy literary tools useful in reading a particular genre. The application of these tools will be guided by a set of “literary rules.”
Reading is always an act of interpretation. The Bible is a theological text. The Bible is a literary text in that it is written and uses literary devices. Scripture comes to us in a variety of forms/genres and knowing the genre helps the reader in the task of reading. Scripture comes from multiple sources, representing a variety of perspectives over time. These different sources form a dialogue from which greater meaning can be achieved.. This dialogue is ongoing and never-ending (always making new meanings). Scripture is highly metaphorical, and metaphor is a distinct form of dialogue.
Holy Imagination can serve as the primary text for an introductory course on the whole Bible. For instructors who prefer an historical-critical structure, this book could be an appreciated supplementary text that gives new Bible readers the larger picture of the wider biblical literature.
-
Not Scattered Or Confused
$50.00Add to cartThe Hebrew Bible displays a complicated attitude toward cities. Much of the story tells of a rural, agrarian society, yet those stories were written by people living in urban environments. Moreover, cities frequently appear in a negative light; the Hebrew slaves in the book of Exodus were forced to build cities, and the book of Samuel’s critique of monarchy assumes an urban setting that supports that monarchy. At the same, time Ezra-Nehemiah makes restoration of Jerusalem and its wall a holy priority, and Genesis 1-11 (and subsequent references to the primeval narrative) show a much more layered view of the dangers and opportunities of the urban context. As the world’s population continues to move into cities and we debate the impact on human life and the natural environment, it becomes increasingly important to know how the biblical writers understood the ways in which urban life enhances and disrupts human thriving. In this book, McEntire offers a comprehensive and hopeful understanding of the Bible and the city.
-
Galatians Debate : Contemporary Issues In Rhetorical And Historical Interpr
$47.00Add to cartStudents and scholars reading the secondary literature on Galatians must often negotiate specialized language and complex lines of argumentation. In addition to the theological jargon that traditionally characterizes discussion of Galatians, there is also a significant amount of rhetorical and sociohistorical terminology.
This volume facilitates familiarity with the technical terminology and with issues central to the interpretation of Galatians and presents examples of the prevailing points of view as well as some recent challenges to them. The essays included explore the rhetorical and epistolary approaches to examining Galatians, comprise a comprehensive introduction to significant research in the field, and represent some of the best work available. Mark Nanos offers an introduction and glossary of terms to help students begin their study and a comprehensive volume bibliography and modern author and ancient sources indexes for those who are continuing on to further study.
Contributors
John M. G. Barclay
Robert M. Berchman
Hans Dieter Betz
C. Joachim Classen
Nils A. Dahl
James D. G. Dunn
Philip F. Esler
Paula Fredriksen
Robert G. Hall
G. Walter Hansen
A. E. Harvey
James D. Hester
Robert Jewett
Paul E. Koptak
B. C. Lategan
Troy Martin
J. Louis Martyn
Dieter Mitternacht
Mark D. Nanos
Joop Smit
Johan S. Vos
Nikolaus Walter -
World Around The Old Testament
$45.00Add to cartLeading Experts Introduce the People and Contexts of the Old Testament
What people groups interacted with ancient Israel? Who were the Hurrians and why do they matter? What do we know about the Philistines, the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and others?
In this up-to-date volume, leading experts introduce the peoples and places of the world around the Old Testament, providing students with a fresh exploration of the ancient Near East. The contributors offer comprehensive orientations to the main cultures and people groups that surrounded ancient Israel in the wider ancient Near East, including not only Mesopotamia and the northern Levant but also Egypt, Arabia, and Greece. They also explore the contributions of each people group or culture to our understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures.
This supplementary text is organized by geographic region, making it especially suitable for the classroom and useful in a variety of Old Testament courses. Approximately eighty-five illustrative items are included throughout the book.
-
Paul And The Giants Of Philosophy
$28.00Add to cartWhat forces shaped the intellectual world of the Apostle Paul?
How familiar was he with the great philosophers of his age, and to what extent was he influenced by them? When he quoted Greco-Roman sources, what was his aim? Pauline scholars wrestle with such questions in journal articles and technical monographs, but now Paul and the Giants of Philosophy brings the conversation into the college classroom and the church. Each essay addresses Paul’s interaction with Greco-Roman philosophical thinking on a particular topic, such as faith, slavery, gift-giving, and the afterlife. And each chapter includes discussion questions and reading lists to help readers engage the material further. Dodson and Briones have gathered contributors with diverse views from various traditions who are united in the desire to make Paul’s engagement with ancient philosophy accessible to many readers.
-
Participating In Christ
$30.00Add to cartWorld-renowned scholar Michael Gorman examines the important Pauline theme of participation in Christ and explores its contemporary significance for Christian life and ministry. One of the themes Gorman explores is what he calls “resurrectional cruciformity”–that participating in Christ is simultaneously dying and rising with him and that cross-shaped living, infused with the life of the resurrected Lord, is life giving. Throughout the book, Gorman demonstrates the centrality of participating in Christ for Paul’s theology and spirituality.
-
Interpretation Of The Book Of Revelation
$35.95Add to cartRevelation is a book of prophecy. Revelation 1:3 proves this. Jesus will destroy this heaven and earth (see Rev. 6:12-14) and will create a new heaven and a new earth (Isa. 65:17 and 2 Pet. 3:13).
Interpretation of the Book of Revelation seeks to explain everything and to prove everything in the Bible. All the symbolic languages are interpreted and are used to prove that nothing is hidden-the four beasts with six wings, the beast with seven heads and ten horns, the woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, the sharp two-edged sword, and the battle of Armageddon.
The bottomless pit-where is it and what is it? The last war fought on Earth is plainly written. It was not fought between men. Rather, it was kingdom against kingdom-good against evil (see Matt. 24:7 and Rev. 20:7-10). Everything is interpreted by the Holy Spirit.
-
Reading Romans With Eastern Eyes
$28.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. How To Read With Eastern Eyes
2. Paul’s Mission Frames His Message (Rom 1, 15)
3. Dishonoring God And Ourselves (Rom 1-2)
4. Distinguishing “Us” And “Them” (Rom 2)
5. Christ Saves God’s Face (Rom 3)
6. Who Is Worthy Of Honor? (Rom 4)
7. Faith In The Filial Christ (Rom 5-6)
8. The Hope Of Glory Through Shame (Rom 5-8)
9. Shamed From Birth? (Rom 7)
10. They Will Not Be Put To Shame (Rom 9-11)
11. Honor One Another (Rom 12-13)
12. The Church As “Harmonious Society” (Rom 14-16)
Discussion Guide
Bibliography
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
What does it mean to “read with Eastern eyes”? According to Jackson Wu, an Eastern perspective is in many ways culturally closer to that of the first-century world. Cultural values of honor and shame, social status, tradition, hierarchy, and relationships are similar in both East Asia and the New Testament.As readers, we bring our cultural understanding and values to the text. Our biases and background influence what we observe-and what we overlook. Wu aims to help us develop our “Eastern lenses” in order to interpret Scripture well and gain insights we might have missed.
In Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, Wu demonstrates how an Eastern perspective sheds light on Paul’s most complex letter. When read this way, we see how honor and shame shape so much of Paul’s message and mission.
-
Romans Disarmed : Resisting Empire, Demanding Justice
$29.00Add to cartGlobalization. Homelessness. Ecological and economic crisis. Conflicts over sexuality. Violence. These crisis-level issues may seem unique to our times, but Paul’s Letter to the Romans has something to say to all of them.
Following their successful Colossians Remixed, Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh unpack the meaning of Romans for its original context and for today. The authors demonstrate how Romans disarms the political, economic, and cultural power of the Roman Empire and how this ancient letter offers hope in today’s crisis-laden world.
Romans Disarmed helps readers enter the world of ancient Rome and see how Paul’s most radical letter transforms the lives of the marginalized then and now. Intentionally avoiding abstract debates about Paul’s theology, Keesmaat and Walsh move back and forth between the present and the past as they explore themes of home, economic justice, creation care, the violence of the state, sexuality, and Indigenous reconciliation. They show how Romans engages with the lived reality of those who suffer from injustice, both in the first century and in the midst of our own imperial realities.
-
Sleuthing The Bible
$28.99Add to cartWhy is there crime-scene tape on my Bible? Elementary, my dear reader.There is an element of detective work to biblical scholarship that entails sniffing out and interpreting clues that often escape the notice of readers. John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie introduce the art of sleuthing the Bible, providing the necessary training to hunt for clues and piece them together to understand the larger picture.Sleuthing the Bible helps answer questions that occur during thoughtful examination of the Bible and provides exercises enabling readers to work through biblical passages on their own. Kaltner and McKenzie analyze two kinds of clues: (1) Smoking Guns- those that are obvious upon any close reading of biblical texts, and (2) Dusting for Prints-those that are more subtle or hidden from nonspecialists because of their unfamiliarity with the languages, culture, and larger content of the Bible.Written in a jargon-free and accessible style, Sleuthing the Bible is an ideal resource for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the biblical text.
-
Liberating Path Of The Hebrew Prophets
$26.00Add to cart“This book examines the liberation journey that is the heart of the Hebrew Scriptures. The work begins with a careful reading of narrative, prophetic and legal texts from the Hebrew Scriptures. All of these texts reveal exodus, the journey from constriction, as a fundamental biblical concern. After showing how the message of the Hebrew Prophets represents a consistent theme throughout Scripture, the author traces the further refinement of these liberation themes in contemporary writers and prophets such as Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Buber, Paulo Freire, Gustavo Guttiaerez, Erich Fromm, Martin Luther King, Beverly Harrison, Maya Angelou, Robin Wall Kimmerer and bell hooks. The book shows how the insights of these prophets, ancient and modern, offer guidance for confronting current challenges for readers of all faiths and backgrounds”–Provided by publisher.
-
Surprised By Jesus Again
$25.99Add to cartA bold, historical, robust approach to reading Scripture and encountering Jesus anewNo one expects to be surprised. Yet biblical interpretation can do exactly that. Christians expect to see Jesus as they read the Bible, but when and how Jesus actually speaks through Scripture can still surprise us!Drawing on the early church’s theological giants-Origen, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and more from the historical cloud of witnesses-author Jason Byassee models how we can recover ancient Christians’ multiple ways of reading the Bible to our benefit. As Byassee says, God himself is Jewish, Catholic, and Pentecostal-so much larger than our own little corner on the truth-and this book offers readers a refreshingly enhanced vision of the Bible and of Jesus himself.
-
Disability And The Way Of Jesus
$30.00Add to cartWhat does healing mean for people with disabilities?
The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus offering physical healing. But even as churches today seek to follow the way of Jesus, people with disabilities all too often experience the very opposite of healing and life-giving community: exclusion, judgment, barriers. Misinterpretation and misapplication of biblical healing narratives can do great damage, yet those who take the Bible as authoritative mustn’t avoid these passages either. Bethany McKinney Fox believes that Christian communities are better off when people with disabilities are an integral part of our common life. In Disability and the Way of Jesus, she considers how the stories of Jesus’ healings can guide us toward mutual thriving. How did Jesus’ original audience understand his works of healing, and how should we relate to these texts today? After examining the healing narratives in their biblical and cultural contexts, Fox considers perspectives from medical doctors, disability scholars, and pastors to more fully understand what Jesus does as he heals and how he points the way for relationships with people with disabilities. Personal reflections from Christians with disabilities are featured throughout the book, which concludes with suggestions for concrete practices adaptable to a variety of church settings. Bridging biblical studies, ethics, and disability studies with the work of practitioners, Fox provides a unique resource that is both theologically grounded and winsomely practical. Disability and the Way of Jesus provides new lenses on holistic healing for scholars, laypeople, and church and parachurch leaders who care about welcoming all people as Jesus would.
-
Prophetic Literature
$31.99Add to cartThis unique introduction to the Prophetic books provides a comprehensive examination of one of the most important, and misunderstood genres of the Hebrew Bible. It examines the nature and purpose of prophetic literature, as well as providing an in-depth account of the origins and development of each individual book. The book begins by placing the prophets in their historical context and introducing the idea of a prophetic book. A series of chronological chapters focus on each prophetic book examining its literary structure, authorship, and the editorial processes that produced each book. Readers are also introduced to the most recent scholarly research into the formation of prophetic books and the ongoing task of the scribes in updating previous works to meet new situations. The Prophetic Literature offers rich and rewarding insights into a series of prophetic works whose profound influences and inspirational wisdom have endured to the present day.
-
Old Testament Ethics
$30.00Add to cartWhat is ethics? Ethics is not merely about tricky situations or hot topics. Instead, ethics asks questions about what sort of people we are, how we think, what sort of things we do and don’t do, and how we ought to live our everyday lives. How might we learn ethics from the Old Testament? Instead of searching for support for our positions or pointing out problems with certain passages, trusted guide John Goldingay urges us to let the Old Testament itself set the agenda. In this volume, readers will encounter what the Old Testament teaches about relationships, work, Sabbath, character, and more. Featuring Goldingay’s own translation and discussion questions for group use, Old Testament Ethics: A Guided Tour is a resource for ethics like no other. Topically organized with short, stand-alone chapters, this book is one to keep close at hand.
-
Visual Theology Guide To The Bible
$29.99Add to cartWe live in a visual culture. Today, people increasingly rely upon visuals to help them understand new and difficult concepts. The rise and stunning popularity of the Internet infographic has given us a new way in which to convey data, concepts, and ideas.
But the visual portrayal of truth is not a novel idea. Indeed, God himself used visuals to teach truth to his people. The tabernacle of the Old Testament was a visual representation of man’s distance from God and God’s condescension to his people. Each part of the tabernacle was meant to display something of man’s treason against God and God’s kind response. Likewise, the sacraments of the New Testament are visual representations of man’s sin and God’s response. Even the cross was both reality and a visual demonstration.
As teachers and lovers of sound theology, Challies and Byers have a deep desire to convey the concepts and principles of systematic theology in a fresh, beautiful, and informative way. In this book, they have made the deepest truths of the Bible accessible in a way that can be seen and understood by a visual generation.
Visual Theology Guide to the Bible is a multi-faceted introduction to the Bible, combining graphics and text to teach the nature and contents of the Bible in a fresh and interesting way. Intended for both new believers and long-time Christians, you will encounter familiar teachings from the Scriptures in a fresh format. Meet the Bible again for the first time.
-
Marks Of Scripture
$26.00Add to cartThis volume written by a theologian and a biblical scholar offers a fresh model for understanding Scripture as God’s Word. The authors work out the four Nicene marks of the church–one, holy, catholic, and apostolic–as marks of Scripture, offering a new way of thinking about the Bible that bridges theology and interpretation. Their ecclesial analogy invites us to think of Scripture in similar terms to how we think of the church, countering the incarnational model propagated by Peter Enns and others.
-
Genesis Of Good And Evil
$30.00Add to cartFor centuries, the Garden of Eden story has been a cornerstone for the Christian doctrine of “the Fall” and “original sin.” In recent years, many scholars have disputed this understanding of Genesis 3 because it has no words for sin, transgression, disobedience, or punishment. Instead, it is about how the human condition came about. Yet the picture is not so simple. The Genesis of Good and Evil examines how the idea of “the Fall” developed in Jewish tradition on the eve of Christianity. In the end, the Garden of Eden is a rich study of humans in relation to God that leaves open many questions. One such question is, Does Genesis 3, 4, and 6, taken together, support the Christian doctrine of original sin? Smith’s well-informed, close reading of these chapters concludes that it does. In this book, he addresses the many mysterious matters of the Garden story and invites readers to explore questions of their own.
-
Encountering The Living God In Scripture
$30.00Add to cartThis work gives a philosophical and theological account of the belief that Scripture enables people to encounter the life-giving reality of God. The authors examine the biblical foundations for this belief as given in a variety of witnesses from both Testaments and explain the philosophical and theological underpinnings of Christian exegesis. What results is a contemporary statement of the traditional belief that Scripture can put its readers in transforming contact with the living God.
Encountering the Living God in Scripture sums up and makes accessible the teaching of revered senior scholar and teacher Francis Martin. Aimed squarely at students, the book assumes no advanced training in philosophy or theology and will work well in Bible, interpretation, and doctrine of Scripture courses.
-
Canon Of Scripture
$38.00Add to cartPreface
Abbreviations
Part One: Introduction
1. Holy ScripturePart Two: Old Testament
2. The Law And The Prophets
3. The Greek Old Testament
4. The Old Testament Becomes A New Book
5. The Christian Canon Of The Old Testament: A. In The East
6. The Christian Canon Of The Old Testament: B. In The Latin West
7. Before And After The ReformationPart Three: New Testament
8. Writings Of The New Era
9. Marcion
10. Valentinus And His School
11. The Catholic Response
12. The Muratorian Fragment
13. Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Novatian
14. Tertullian, Cyprian And Others
15. The Alexandrian Fathers
16. Eusebius Of Caesarea
17. Athanasius And After
18. The West In The Fourth Century To Jerome
19. Augustine To The End Of The Middle Ages
20. The New Testament Canon In The Age Of PrintingPart Four: Conclusion
21. Criteria Of Canonicity
22. A Canon Within The Canon?
23. Canon, Criticism And InterpretationAppendix 1: The ‘Secret’ Gospel Of Mark
Appendix 2: Primary Sense And Plenary Sense
Bibliography
Index
Additional Info
How did the books of the Bible come to be recognized as Holy Scripture?Who decided what shape the canon should take?
What criteria influenced these decisions?
After nearly nineteen centuries the canon of Scripture still remains an issue of debate. Protestants, Catholics and the Orthodox all have slightly differing collections of documents in their Bibles. Martin Luther, one of the early leaders of the Reformation, questioned the inclusion of the book of James in the canon. And many Christians today, while confessing the authority of all of Scripture, tend to rely on only a few books and particular themes while ignoring the rest.
Scholars have raised many other questions as well. Research into second-century Gnostic texts have led some to argue that politics played a significant role in the formation of the Christian canon. Assessing the influence of ancient communities and a variety of disputes on the final shaping of the canon call for ongoing study.
In this significant historical study, F. F. Bruce brings the wisdom of a lifetime of reflection and biblical interpretation to bear in answering the questions and clearing away the confusion surrounding the Christian canon of Scripture. Adept in both Old and New Testament studies, he brings a rare comprehensive perspective to his task.
Though some issues have shifted since the original publication of this book, it still remains a significant landmark and touchstone for further studies.
-
Bible Unwrapped : Making Sense Of Scripture Today
$30.99Add to cartMany people have questions about Scripture they are too afraid to ask. Drawing from the best of contemporary biblical scholarship and the ancient well of Christian tradition, scholar and preacher Meghan L. Good helps readers consider why the Bible matters. The Bible Unwrapped delves into issues like biblical authority, literary genre, and Christ-centered hermeneutics, and calls readers beyond either knee-jerk biblicism, on the one hand, or skeptical disregard on the other. Instead, Good invites readers to faithful reading, communal discernment, and deep and transformative wonder about Scripture. Join an honest conversation about the Bible that is spiritually alive and intellectually credible. Read the ancient story of God in the world. You may even learn to love it.
-
Discovering The New Testament Volume 1 The Gospels And Acts
$49.99Add to cartDiscovering the New Testament is a new and comprehensive introduction to the New Testament in three volumes, reflecting current research and scholarship in New Testament studies. Each volume provides a thorough discussion of background issues as well as treating theological themes and practical application.The first volume on the Gospels and Acts covers Jewish and Greco–Roman backgrounds, critical methodologies, the synoptic problem, and surveys each of the four gospels and Acts. It concludes with three chapters that explore the key theme of the kingdom of God, including its Old Testament background, the place of miracles, and an examination of Jesus’ parables. Ideal for college or seminary students, the volumes provide numerous maps and charts, as well as discussion questions for each chapter and a focus on real–life relevance and application. Forthcoming volumes will focus on Paul (Vol. 2) and the general epistles and Revelation (Vol. 3).
-
Finding Favour In The Sight Of God
$28.00Add to cartSeries Preface
Author’s Preface
List Of Abbreviations
1. The Problem Of Wisdom Literature In Old Testament Theology
2. The Message Of Proverbs 1-9
3. The Hermeneutics Of Proverbs
4. The Theology Of Proverbs
5. Theological Issues In Job 1-3
6. Divine Retribution, Suffering And God’s Justice (Job 4-26)
7. Where Is Wisdom To Be Found? (Job 27-42)
8. Key Questions Concerning The Book Of Ecclesiastes
9. The Message Of Qohelet
10. The Theology Of Ecclesiastes
11. Jesus And Wisdom
Bibliography
Index Of Names
Index Of Scripture ReferencesAdditional Info
There has been an explosion of interest in wisdom literature, and many studies are now available. There is every opportunity for people to “get wisdom, get insight” (Prov. 4:5). However, in today’s world it seems the practical sensibilities that come from wisdom are found in very few places. Wisdom literature is needed now more than ever. By walking in the way of wisdom, we will “find favour and good success in the sight of God and man” (Prov. 3:4).In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Richard Belcher begins with a survey of the problem of wisdom literature in Old Testament theology. Subsequent chapters focus on the message and theology of the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. These point forward to the need for Christ and the gospel. Belcher concludes by exploring the relationship of Christ to wisdom in terms of his person, work, and teaching ministry.
Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
-
Old Testament Theology
$50.00Add to cartPreface
1. Old Testament Theology: History And Methodology
2. The God Who Creates – Genesis
3. The One God Who Delivers Instructs – Exodus
4. The One God Who Is Holy – Leviticus
5. The God Who Expects Faithfulness – Numbers
6. The God Who Renews The Covenant – Deuteronomy
7. The God Who Gives Rest In The Land – Joshua
8. The God Who Disciplines Delivers – Judges
9. The God Who Protects, Blesses And Assesses – Samuel
10. The God Whose Word Shapes History – 1-2 Kings
11. The God Who Saves – Isaiah
12. The God Who Enforces The Covenant – Jeremiah
13. The God Who Is Present – Ezekiel
14. The God Who Keeps Promises – The Book Of The Twelve
15. The God Who Rules – Psalms
16. The God Who Is Worth Serving – Job
17. The God Who Reveals Wisdom – Proverbs
18. The God Who Extends Mercy To The Faithful – Ruth
19. The God Who Oversees Male-Female Sexuality – Song Of Solomon
20. The God Who Defines Meaningful Living – Ecclesiastes
21. The God Who Is Righteous Faithful – Lamentations
22. The God Who Protects The Exiles – Esther
23. The God Who Protects, Discloses Rules – Daniel
24. The God Who Restores Remnants To The Land – Ezra-Nehemiah
25. The God Who Elects, Chastens Restores – 1-2 Chronicles
26. The God Of The Old Testament: A Summary
Appendix: Old Testament Theology Since 1993Notes
Bibliography
Subject Index
Author Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
The discipline of Old Testament theology continues to be in flux as diverse approaches vie for dominance. Paul House serves as our guide-without being partisan or uninformed-exploring each Old Testament book, summarizing its content and showing its theological significance within the whole of the Old Testament canon. Readers with little prior background will find House’s thematic surveys particularly helpful for coming to grips with basic biblical content as well as for probing the theological nuances of individual parts of the canon. The book concludes by forging a set of summary statements concerning God and his character, the people of God, and links between the Old and New Testaments that suggest avenues for the exploration of a full biblical theology.Old Testament Theology offers an overview of the discipline and a fair treatment of differing views while remaining unabashedly evangelical. Readers will welcome the obvious passion of its author for the subject matter. Student friendly and useful to a wide audience, this impressive work has proved a profitable read for many. -
Wisdom Literature (Student/Study Guide)
$32.99Add to cartIf the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom formed in the life of faith, its end is nothing less than the shaping of a moral self and community attuned to the character of God. This pursuit of wisdom is an ongoing journey, never a simple arrival. For the wisdom writings of the Old Testament, the pursuit of wisdom calls for the ongoing attainment of instruction, insight, shrewdness, knowledge, prudence, learning, and skill. And persons who attain wisdom think more deeply, are more discerning, and have a keener insight into the complexities and nuances of decision making. For a world-perspective that assumes the power and reality of divinity, being wise means living ethically – and to live ethically, one must be in a constant intellectual pursuit of meaning. The book details the structure, themes, and contribution to both ancient and modern society of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The chapters on Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon will discuss the consonance and dissonance with “canonical wisdom,” giving special attention to the development of their core ideas. The book will conclude with a chapter on Wisdom’s abiding legacy.
-
Early Christian Readings Of Genesis One
$38.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Abbreviations
IntroductionPart I: Understanding The Context
1. Who Are The Church Fathers, And Why Should I Care?
2. How Not To Read The Church Fathers
3. What Does “Literal” Mean? Patristic Exegesis In ContextPart II: Reading The Fathers
4. Basil The Literalist?
5. Creation Out Of Nothing
6. The Days Of Genesis
7. Augustine On “In The Beginning”
8. On Being Like MosesBibliography
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
Do the writings of the church fathers support a literalist interpretation of Genesis 1? Young earth creationists have maintained that they do. And it is sensible to look to the Fathers as a check against our modern biases.But before enlisting the Fathers as ammunition in our contemporary Christian debates over creation and evolution, some cautions are in order. Are we correctly representing the Fathers and their concerns? Was Basil, for instance, advocating a literal interpretation in the modern sense? How can we avoid flattening the Fathers’ thinking into an indexed source book in our quest for establishing their significance for contemporary Christianity?Craig Allert notes the abuses of patristic texts and introduces the Fathers within their ancient context, since the patristic writings require careful interpretation in their own setting. What can we learn from a Basil or Theophilus, an Ephrem or Augustine, as they meditate and expound on themes in Genesis 1? How were they speaking to their own culture and the questions of their day? Might they actually have something to teach us about listening carefully to Scripture as we wrestle with the great axial questions of our own day?Allert’s study prods us to consider whether contemporary evangelicals, laudably seeking to be faithful to Scripture, may in fact be more bound to modernity in our reading of Genesis 1 than we realize. Here is a book that resets our understanding of early Christian interpretation and the contemporary conversation about Genesis 1. -
Conformed To The Image Of His Son
$38.00Add to cartForeword By N. T. Wright
Preface1. Introduction
1.1 Getting To This Point
1.2 A Few Notes On Methodology
1.3 Outline And Agenda For Each Section
AbbreviationsPart I: The Hope Of Glory In Romans 5-8
2. Glory And Glorification In Jewish Literature
2.1 A Discussion Of Semiotics
2.2 Glory And Glorification In The LXX
2.3 Glory And Glorification In Apocalyptic Literature
2.4 Conclusion3. Humanity’s Glory And Glorification In Romans
3.1 Humanity’s Glory And Glorification In Romans: Current Approaches
3.2 Humanity’s Glory And Glorification In Romans: Considerations
3.3 Paul’s Anthropological “Narrative Of Glory” In Romans
3.4 Conclusion4. Participation In Christ’s Glory
4.1 Participation As A Foundational Motif In Pauline Literature
4.2 Participation Elsewhere
4.3 ConclusionPart II: Romans 8:29
5. Image Of The Son
5.1 Son Of God Backgrounds
5.2 Christ As Messiah-A Presupposition
5.3 Son Of God As The Davidic Messiah
5.4 Son Of God As The New Adam
5.5 Conclusion6. Participation In The Firstborn Son’s Glory
6.1 Adoption Into God’s Eschatological Family: The Basis Of Conformity
6.2 Participation In The Son’s Inheritance And Glory In Romans 8:17
6.3 A Reglorified Humanity In Romans 8:30
6.4 Conclusion7. Purposed For Conformity
7.1 God’s Eternal Decree: Called With A Purpose: Romans 8:28-30
7.2 Called With A Present Purpose: Romans 8:17-30
7.3 Conclusion8. Conclusion
8.1 Alternative Proposals
8.2 Chapter Conclusions
8.3 Summary Of The ArgumentBibliography
Name Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
With its soaring affirmations and profound statements of salvation in Christ, Romans 8 is a high point in Pauline theology. But what does Paul mean when in 8:29 he speaks of being “conformed to the image of his Son”?Remarkably, there has been little scholarly attention awarded to this Pauline statement of the goal of salvation. And yet in Christian piety, preaching, and theology, this is a treasured phrase. Surprisingly, its meaning has been variously and ambiguously expressed. Is it a moral or spiritual or sanctifying conformity to Christ, or to his suffering, or does it point to an eschatological transformation into radiant glory?In Conformed to the Image of His Son, Haley Goranson Jacob probes and reopens a text perhaps too familiar and a meaning too often assumed. If conformity to the image of the Son is the goal of salvation, a proper understanding is paramount. Jacob points out that the key lies in the meaning of “glory” in Paul’s biblical-theological perspective and in how he uses the language of glory in Romans. For this investigation of glory alone, her study would be valuable for the fresh understanding she brings to Paul’s narrative of glory. But in introducing a new and compelling reading of Romans 8:29, this is a study that makes a strong bid to reorient our understanding of Paul’s classic statement of the goal of salvation. -
House Of El Shaddai
$44.99Add to cartA Project 314 Title
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” – Exodus 25:8
How was God’s house created? At Mount Sinai, God gave Israel plans to build a special “Tabernacle” so that he might dwell among his people. Although the Exodus Tabernacle or “dwelling place” is thought of as a portable and temporary structure, the divine tent first erected in the Sinai wilderness remained in use for 480 years, outlasting both Solomon’s Temple and the second Temple built by Zerubabel in Jerusalem.
After God’s tent was lost to history, it seems that Moses’ plans for God’s house were similarly lost in translation. How so? Relying more upon on religious tradition than the original Exodus texts themselves, scholars imagine the beams, bars, curtains, and coverings to form a rectangular Tabernacle structure and courtyard barrier. However, in The House of El Shaddai, Tabernacle orthodoxy is seriously reconsidered in the light of recent discoveries made in the Hebrew Exodus texts. Contrary to tradition, Tabernacle construction begins with the understanding that the curtains are not joined on the long edges, but rather on the short and “outermost” edges. Trivial as this detail may seem, the resulting curtain arrangement and measurement ultimately reveals the Hebrews’ tent featured a circular Tabernacle perimeter (boasting a circumference of 314 and diameter of 100 cubits), conveying p (PI) more accurately than known to any other ancient culture. Instead of being part of a bizarre four layer roof–as tradition also assumes–the curtain assembly is used to create fabric walls, which encircle an enormous domed yurt-like structure, which is likewise the logical outworking of the Tabernacle hardware rearrangement per literal Exodus texts.
With the help of hundreds of annotated high definition images and colorful diagrams, The House of El Shaddai demonstrates the cunning and divine design of the Tabernacle that has been “hidden in plain sight” in Moses’ writings for scores of generations. Written for an English audience, The House of El Shaddai proves beyond a reasonable doubt how the long edges are the wrong edges, and why nearly every Bible translation made for thousands of years following the introduction of Septuagint has drifted off course based on the misinterpretation of a single verse.
See firsthand how plans for God’s original Tabernacle come alive after being lost for scores of generations, revealing a massive tent towering perhaps
-
Introduction To Israels Wisdom Traditions
$28.99Add to cartIt can be a challenge to understand wisdom’s place in Israel’s salvific history, but John L. McLaughlin makes this complicated genre straightforward and accessible.
This introductory-level textbook begins by explaining the meaning of wisdom to the Israelites and surrounding cultures before moving into the conventions of the genre and its poetic forms. The heart of the book explores the wisdom books themselves: Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), and the deuterocanonical Ben Sira and Wisdom of Solomon. McLaughlin also points to where wisdom is expressed in the historical books and in the New Testament.
Designed especially for beginning students, An Introduction to Israel’s Wisdom Traditions offers an informed, panoramic view of wisdom literature’s place in the biblical canon.
-
Old Testament Wisdom Literature
$38.00Add to cartPreface
Abbreviations
Introduction1. An Introduction To Old Testament Wisdom
2. The Ancient World Of Wisdom
3. The Poetry Of Wisdom And The Wisdom Of Poetry
4. Proverbs
5. Women, Wisdom And Valor
6. Job
7. Where Can Wisdom Be Found?
8. Ecclesiastes
9. For Everything There Is A Season
10. Jesus, The Wisdom Of God
11. The Theology Of Old Testament Wisdom
12. The Theology Of Wisdom TodayAuthor Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
The books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are rooted in the order created by the one true God. Their steady gaze penetrates to the very nature of created reality and leads us toward peace and human flourishing. Craig Bartholomew and Ryan O’Dowd tune our ears to hear once again Lady Wisdom calling in the streets.Old Testament Wisdom Literature provides an informed introduction to the Old Testament wisdom books Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job. Establishing the books in the context of ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions and literature, the authors move beyond the scope of typical introductions to discuss the theological and hermeneutical implications of this literature.
