From the overcrowded apartment buildings of the poor to the halls of the emperors, this gripping tale of ambition, intrigue, and sacrifice is a compelling work of historical fiction that shows us the first-century Roman church as we've never seen it before. Illuminated with images and explanatory sidebars, we are invited into the daily struggles of the church at Rome just a few years before Paul wrote his famous epistle to them.
With its themes of grace, sin, justification, and salvation through Christ alone, Paul's letter to the early church in Rome has been a primary focus of Christian reflection throughout church history. In this RCS volume, church historian Gwenfair Adams guides readers through a diversity of early modern commentary on the first eight chapters of Paul's epistle to the Romans.
From beginning to end, the Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of God. In this comprehensive introduction to Matthew, David Bauer presents a holistic inductive approach with a literary, theological, and canonical focus. Exploring issues of genre, interpretive methods, authorship, audience, and literary structure, he also guides readers through interpretation and emerging theological themes.
In the field of Pauline studies, much has changed over the last twenty years. In this reliable guide to the major terrain of Pauline scholarship, Ben Witherington and Jason Myers explain and analyze the thought of recent major Pauline interpreters and track developments within this dynamic field over the past two decades.
Luke's Gospel was written to transform. Exploring Luke's portrait of the spirituality of Jesus, Catherine Wright focuses on the themes of simplicity, humility, and prayer in Jesus' life and teaching, considering how readers have understood and employed key Lukan passages for spiritual formation from the first century and the ancient church to today.
How was the apostle Paul influenced by the great philosophers of his age? Dodson and Briones have gathered contributors with diverse views who aim to make Paul's engagement with ancient philosophy accessible. These essays address Paul's interaction with Greco-Roman philosophical thinking on a particular topic, including discussion questions and reading lists to help readers engage the material further.
According to Brad Vaughn, some traditional East Asian cultural values are closer to those of the first-century biblical world than common Western cultural values. In this work Vaughn demonstrates how paying attention to East Asian culture provides a helpful lens for interpreting Paul's most complex letter, and we see how honor and shame shape so much of Paul's message and mission.
The Book of Revelation is a fascinating piece of Scripture as well as an extraordinary piece of literature. In this Tyndale Commentary, Ian Paul takes a disciplined approach to the text, paying careful attention to the ways that John draws from the Old Testament. Additionally, Paul examines how the original audience would have heard this message from John, and then draws helpful comments for contemporary reflection.
This comprehensive New Testament introduction not only outlines historical, social, cultural, and rhetorical contexts, but it also points students preparing for ministry to relevant facets of biblical interpretation. Brimming with maps, photos, points of interest, and aids to learning, this beautiful, full-color second edition of an established textbook is the first choice for those who want to integrate scholarship and ministry.
How did the books of the Bible come to be recognized as Holy Scripture? After nearly nineteen centuries the canon of Scripture remains an issue of debate. Adept in both Old and New Testament studies, F. F. Bruce brings the wisdom of a lifetime of reflection and biblical interpretation to bear in addressing the criteria of canonicity, the canon within the canon, and canonical criticism.