Christians cannot ignore the intersection of religion and violence. In our own Scriptures, war texts that appear to approve of genocidal killings and war rape raise hard questions about biblical ethics and the character of God. Have we missed something in our traditional readings? Identifying a spectrum of views on biblical war texts, Webb and Oeste pursue a middle path using a hermeneutic of incremental, redemptive-movement ethics.
Christians read the Jewish Scriptures in the light of what God did in Jesus the Christ. This ACCS volume on Exodus through Deuteronomy bears ample witness to this new way of reading these ancient texts. Varied in texture and nuance, the interpretations included in this volume display a treasure house of ancient wisdom, speaking with eloquence and intellectual acumen to the church today.
Genesis 12–50 recounts the history of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—and the early fathers used these passages to draw out the spiritual significance of the patriarchal narrative for Christian believers. In this ACCS volume, ancient commentators provide a wealth of ancient wisdom to stimulate the mind and nourish the soul of the church today.
The creation narrative in the early chapters of Genesis proved irresistible to the church fathers. Following the apostle Paul, they explored the six days of creation and the profound significance of Adam as a type of Christ, the second Adam. With comment from Basil the Great, Ambrose, and Augustine, this ACCS volume on Genesis 1-11 opens up a treasure house of ancient wisdom.
To modern eyes, what we call the biblical law, or Torah, seems either odd beyond comprehension (not eating lobster) or positively reprehensible (executing children). Using a consistent methodology to look at the Torah through the lens of the ancient Near East, Walton and Walton offer a restorative understanding that will have dramatic effects in interpreting the text and in discerning the significance of the Torah for today.
Do women and men have different intellectual, spiritual, moral, or emotional capacities? Over the centuries, women have read and interpreted the story of Eve, scrutinizing the details of the text to discern God's word for them. Biblical scholar Amanda Benckhuysen traces the history of women's interpretation of Genesis 1-3, allowing the voices of women to speak of Eve's story and its implications for life today.
How might we learn ethics from the Old Testament? Trusted guide John Goldingay urges us to let the Old Testament itself set the agenda. Topically organized with short, stand-alone chapters, this volume takes readers through the Old Testament's teaching about relationships, work, Sabbath, character, and more, featuring Goldingay's own translation and discussion questions for group use.
The Genesis flood account has been probed and analyzed for centuries. But what might the biblical author have been saying to his ancient audience? In order to rediscover the biblical flood, we must set aside our own cultural and interpretive assumptions and visit the distant world of the ancient Near East. Walton and Longman lead us on this enlightening journey toward a more responsible reading of a timeless biblical narrative.
Israel’s exodus from Egypt is the Bible’s enduring emblem of deliverance. But more than just an epic moment, the exodus shapes the telling of Israel’s and the church’s gospel. In this guide for biblical theologians, preachers, and teachers, Bryan Estelle traces the exodus motif as it weaves through the canon of Scripture, wedding literary readings with biblical-theological insights.
How does the Old Testament Law fits into the arc of the Bible, and how it relevant to the church today? Exploring how God intended the Law to work in its original context as well as the New Testament perspective on the Law, Richard Averbeck argues that the whole Law applies to Christians—our task is to discern how it applies in the light of Christ.