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The New Testament: Methods and Meanings (Core Biblical Studies #No. 204)
By Amy-Jill Levine, Warren Carter. 2004
In this concise, accessible book, Warren Carter and A.J. Levine introduce three aspects of New Testament study: the world of…
the text (plots, characters, setting, and themes), the world behind the text (the concerns, circumstances, and experiences of the early Christian communities), and the world in front of the text (the meaning for contemporary readers). As students engage the New Testament, they face a central issue that has confronted all students before them, namely, that these texts have been and are read in diverse and often quite conflicting ways. These multiple readings involve different methods: historical-critical, traditional (history of interpretation), colonial, multicultural, and sociological, with feminist and liberationist implications for the first-century readers as well as the ongoing implications for today's reader. For example, Carter and Levine show how a text can be used by both colonizer and colonized, feminist and anti-feminist, or pro- and anti-Jewish. The authors also show how scholarly work can be both constructive and threatening to the contemporary Church and how polemical texts can be used, whether for religious study, theological reflection, or homiletical practice.Reluctant Prophets and Clueless Disciples: Introducing the Bible by Telling Its Stories
By Robert Darden. 2006
It was once said that all a person has to do to realize God has a very good sense of…
humor is to look at a platypus. The same sentiment applies to the Bible. The Bible often seems like foreign territory, not only for students encountering it in introductory classes, but also for those who have spent many years in church. To many people, it is an intimidating collection of rules, lists, and theological arguments. But in reality, most of the Bible is made up of fascinating stories. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're weird, sometimes they're inspiring, but they're never dull. This college-level introduction invites students into biblical studies through creative, humorous retellings (and a few cartoons here and there) of the basic biblical narratives. The best way to get into the Bible, says Robert F. Darden, is to get to know its stories. In this new approach to introducing the Bible to students, Darden covers the major biblical stories and characters, retelling them in such a way as to bring out their original humor and pathos, and inviting the student to encounter them more fully by moving into the text itself. Click here to listen to Terri Gross's interview with Robert Darden on NPR's Fresh Air about the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. Darden runs the project at Baylor University where he is a journalism professor. The purpose of the project is to identify, acquire, preserve, record, and catalogue the most at-risk music from the black gospel music tradition, primarily between 1945 and 1970.On the Road with Jesus: Teaching and Healing
By Ben Witherington. 2011
Travel to the Holy Land with New Testament scholar Ben Witherington and experience the birth and ministry of Jesus in…
this study guide that goes along with a four-session video study available seperately. Filmed throughout the places Jesus walked and dwelt among us, On the Road with Jesus, with Dr. Witherington's knowledge and perspective, will help you see God's grace at work and bring us back to lives of true meaning and purpose. As believers see places such as Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and more, our faith will be deepened while following along the paths Jesus journeyed during his world-changing life and ministry.After years of close contact with the Johannine epistles, David Rensberger discusses the numerous puzzles--linguistic, literary, and historical--that characterize these…
brief texts. His comments on their theological and ethical significance illumines the meaning and interrelationship of faith and love. In short, Rensberger skillfully demonstrates that despite the Johannine epistles' existence on the periphery of the New Testament canon, they nevertheless touch on the heart of its message. Inquiry includes relationship of these epistles to the gospel of John, Christology, Dualism, Eschatology, the Church, and Salvation.Abingdon New Testament Commentaries | James: James (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries)
By C. Freeman Sleeper. 1998
Sleeper's lucid exposition of James restores this often neglected work to its rightful place in the Christian canon. Carefully charting…
the verbal structures and argument of the letter, he demonstrates that it is a coherent piece of moral teaching intended to encourage the development of Christian character, not just a collection of disparate maxims. As he guides the reader through the letter's basic themes, Sleeper is attentive to its echoes in the Old Testament, Hellenistic Jewish wisdom literature, and sayings of Jesus, as well as to its affinities with other Christian writings. Moreover, he shows that the author's understanding of God and of human nature provides a significant theological foundation for practical wisdom about the Christain moral life.The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible: Understanding Jewish and Christian Scriptures
By Joel S. Kaminsky, Joel N. Lohr, Mark Reasoner. 2014
The Bible has profoundly influenced the western world. Many of its characters and stories are well known and yet, oddly…
enough, wide swaths of the Bible are unknown and misunderstood. The laws and teaching contained within it have shaped contemporary thinking and jurisprudence in ways many do not realize. Equally important, two of the world's largest religions--Judaism and Christianity--consider the Hebrew Bible to be sacred and to contain enduring truths about beginnings and creation, life and death, the world, and what it means to be human. Introductions to the Bible tend toward extensive discussion with little to introduce the beginner to the Bible's tremendous influence on contemporary society or to the complexities of reading ancient religious literature. Further, few discuss the differing ways Jews and Christians approach those parts of the Bible that they share in common or how each group appropriates materials from this common scriptural pool in divergent, conflicting, and often complex ways. As classroom teachers of introductory courses on the Bible, the authors of this volume will acquaint students with the tremendous influence that the Bible has had on culture and to address some of the critical questions in user-friendly, faith-respecting ways, in order to maximize students' appreciation of the biblical text and their understanding of it. This introduction will introduce the beginner to the Bible with simplicity and precision, in an engaging manner. It will provide the reader with a quick overview of the issues related to reading and studying the Bible as an academic discipline while simultaneously illustrating the importance of the Bible for religion, western jurisprudence, ethics, and contemporary conceptions of the family, morality, and even politics.Introduces literary, historical, and theological issues of Luke and Acts. Biblical texts create worlds of meaning, and invite readers to…
enter them. When readers enter such textual worlds, which are often strange and complex, they are confronted with theological claims. With this in mind, the purpose of the Interpreting Biblical Texts series is to help serious readers in their experience of reading and interpreting by providing guides for their journeys into textual worlds. The controlling perspective is expressed in the operative word of the title--interpreting. The primary focus of the series is not so much on the world behind the texts or out of which the texts have arisen as on the worlds created by the texts in their engagement with readers. In keeping with the goals of the series, this volume provides an introductory guide to readers of the New Testament books of Luke and Acts. It focuses on both the synchronic and diachronic dimensions of the literature in an effort to acquaint readers with literary, historical, and theological issues that will facilitate interpretation of these important books. F. Scott Spencer is Professor of New Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah
By J. Clinton Mccann. 0201
Taking his point of departure from the newest frontier of research, McCann reads the psalms in the context of their…
final shape and canonical form. He interprets the psalms as scripture as well as in their character as songs, prayers, and poetry from Israel's history. McCann's intent is to contribute to the church's recovery of the psalms as torah--as instruction, as a guide to prayer, praise of God, and pious living. The explicit connections which McCann draws from the psalms to the New Testament and to Christian faith and life are extensive, making his work suitable for serious study of the psalms in academic and in church settings. An appendix examines the tradition of singing the psalms and offers suggestions for the use of the psalms in worship.What's in the Bible About Life Together?: What's in the Bible and Why Should I Care? (Why Is That in the Bible and Why Should I Care?)
By Abingdon Press, Paul E. Stroble. 2008
What's in the Bible about Life Together? What is the Bible is all about? What's in it? Why is it…
so important for Christians? Is it really relevant for people in the 21st century? Should I care about what's in the Bible? Why? What difference will it make in my life? The study series, What's in the Bible and Why Should I Care? offers opportunities to explore these questions and others by opening the Bible, reading it, prayerfully reflecting on what the Bible readings say, and applying the readings to daily life. The title of this unique and exciting Bible study series points to the two essential features of meaningful Bible study: reading the Bible and applying the Bible to life. First, we read the Bible to discover answers to the question What's in the Bible? and second, we reflect upon what we read in order to discover answers to the question, Why Should I Care? and apply these answers to our lives. What's in the Bible about Life Together? is one of the study books in the series, What's in the Bible and Why Should I Care? What's in the Bible About Life Together? will help readers explore how living God's way contributes to whole and holy life together as God's people. Chapters include: The Law Reveals God's Way of Life, The Prophets Challenge Us to Return to God's Way, Jesus Teaches God's Way, Jesus Invites Us into God's Kingdom Each chapter contains the following features: Bible Readings - Each chapter explores specific readings from the Bible. The Questions - Each chapter begins with focus questions that will be explored in the Bible readings and the chapter information. A Psalm - Each chapter begins with verses from a psalm. These excerpts from the psalms give readers the experience of using the Bible for personal and group devotion. A Prayer - A brief two or three sentence prayer at the beginning and end of each chapter What's in the Bible? Participants will read and reflect upon key Bible readings in each chapter and use the space provided to write personal and private reflections. Reflection Questions - These questions are related to the chapter information and are designed to help the reader consider key ideas that emerge from this information and from the Bible readings. Bible Facts - Additional related information about the Bible readings. Here's Why I Care - This activity near the end of each chapter contains questions that invite the readers to grow in faith as they prayerfully reflect about what they have learnedIn this volume, Pheme Perkins mines the writings from Nag Hammadi and Qumran for illuminating parallels to Ephesians, showing how…
a first-century audience would have heard and responded to the various parts of the letter. Under her sure guidance, contemporary readers are led to see the rhetorical power and the theological depth of this pseudonymous letter.A Critical Introduction to the New Testament
By Carl R. Holladay. 2005
This book introduces the New Testament in two senses: it not only provides basic literary and historical information on each…
of the twenty-seven writings but also orients readers to the religious, theological, and ethical issues related to the message and meaning of Jesus Christ. The overall goal is to help interested readers of the New Testament become informed, responsible interpreters of these writings and thereby enrich their personal faith and understanding. By giving special emphasis to how the New Testament has helped shape the church's identity and theological outlook throughout the centuries, as well as the role it has played within the broader cultures of both East and West, this introduction also seeks to assist readers in exercising creative, informed leadership within their own communities of faith and in bringing a deeper understanding of early Christianity to their conversations with the wider public. Along with separate chapters devoted to each New Testament writing, there are chapters explaining how this collection of texts emerged as uniquely authoritative witnesses to the church's faith; why they were recognized as canonical whereas other early Christian writings were not; how the four canonical Gospels are related to one another, including a discussion of the Synoptic Problem; how the Jesus tradition--his teachings, stories from his ministry, and the accounts of his suffering, death and resurrection--originated and developed into Gospels written in narrative form; and how the Gospels relate to Jesus Christ as he was and is. Also included is a chapter on the writings of Paul and how they emerged as a collection of authoritative texts for the church. This chapter includes a discussion of ancient letter-writing, special considerations for interpreting the Pauline writings, and Paul's decisive influence within the history of the church and western culture.The Letters of Paul: Interpreting Biblical Texts Series (Interpreting Biblical Texts)
By Charles B. Cousar. 1996
The Interpreting Biblical Texts series presents a concise edition covering the seven undisputed epistles of Paul. In this volume, Charles…
Cousar is primarily concerned not with the man Paul and his life and work, but with his surviving letters. Part 1 introduces methods in reading the Pauline letters. Part 2 attends to the critical themes emerging in the letters--the decisiveness of Jesus Christ and old versus new life. Part 3 discusses the other six letters bearing Paul's name that appear in the New Testament.Biblical texts create worlds of meaning and invite readers to enter them. When readers enter such textual worlds, which are…
often strange and complex, they are confronted with theological claims. With this in mind, the purpose of the Interpreting Biblical Texts series is to help dedicated students in their experience of reading and interpreting by providing guides for their journeys into textual worlds. The controlling perspective is expressed in the operative word of the title: interpreting. The primary focus of the series is not so much on the world behind the texts or out of which the texts have arisen as on the worlds created by the texts in their engagement with readers. In this volume, Donald Senior provides an up-to-date introduction to the Gospel of Matthew. The seven chapters of Part One focus on modern biblical scholarship and the interpretation of Matthew, discussing the sources and structure of the Gospel, its use of the Old Testament, its understanding of Jewish Law, its setting as a part of the mission of Christianity to the Gentiles, its Christology, its understanding of the nature of discipleship, and the community from which the Gospel originated. The six chapters of Part Two provide a structured guide to reading and interpreting Matthew's Gospel.Immersion Bible Studies | Romans: Romans
By Lynn H. Cohick. 2011
Journey inside the pages of Scripture to meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative work…
from the inside out. Shaped with the individual in mind, Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of the Word to become a new creation in Christ. Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, they'll be able to discover God's revelation through readings and reflections.The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues, 3rd Edition
By Victor Paul Furnish. 2009
In this expanded and updated third edition of an important work, respected Pauline scholar Victor Paul Furnish presents an analysis…
of some of Paul's most famous yet often misunderstood ethical teachings.Dr. Furnish enriches his discussion of key Pauline topics including: sex, marriage, divorce, homosexuality, women in the church, and the Church in the world. He pays particular attention to the socio-cultural context of Paul's ministry, the complexity of his thought, the character of his moral reasoning, and the way his thought and reasoning may inform and challenge us today.Victor Paul Furnish is University Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Emeritus at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and general editor of the Abingdon New Testament Commentaries.Reading the Good Book Well: A Guide to Biblical Interpretation
By Jerry Camery-Hoggatt. 2007
The state of teaching biblical interpretation in colleges and seminaries is generally a mess, and many conventional approaches can be…
alarming for religious students. The sources of this difficulty are wide ranging, but a quick summary would include at least the following: jargon that is unnecessarily technical; competing and contradictory methodologies; and a failure on the part of Biblical scholarship to demonstrate the direct relevance of its methods to the pastoral life of the Church. As a consequence, biblical scholarship is often opaque at best and distressing at worst to the student and beginning theologian. And because pastors and lay people are trained within this cobweb of methods, they are often functionally unable to draw clear conclusions from most teaching resources. Jerry Camery-Hoggatt addresses this problem with several solutions: a return to a conscious affirmation of authorial intention as the beginning place for interpretation; a careful examination of the actual workings of communication; a concept of text to include the assumptions and cultural knowledge upon which the text depends for meaningful communication; an examination of the various academic disciplines with an eye toward correlating their conclusions with the necessary activities of reading; and easily accessible language that makes sense to the beginning student and the lay reader alike. Here is a single, accessible volume that explains the basic vocabulary and logic of biblical interpretation, shows how the various methodologies can be fitted together into a seamless interpretive model for exegesis, and then reflects carefully on the implications of that method for the various issues of reading, teaching, reflection, and preaching. Through common and practical examples Jerry Camery-Hoggatt teaches students a way of reading the Bible that replicates the activities the biblical authors expected their readers would perform, and he uses a model that is applicable across linguistic boundaries, genres, and various cultural contexts; that is, throughout the human experience of language there exists a common set of mental activities that can be identified and studied, and these are fundamental to reading and interpreting the Bible. The prose style is conversational, non-technical, and is intended to be inviting to the beginning student, and refreshing for advanced students and teachers.The Historical Jesus: An Essential Guide (Essential Guides #26)
By James H. Charlesworth. 2008
Recent years have seen an explosion of talk about the historical Jesus from scholarly settings as well as media outlets…
(including sensational TV documentaries and national magazines). How is the student of the Bible to assess these various claims about Jesus? And what difference does knowledge of his time and place make for Christian faith, theological thinking, and historical research? James Charlesworth presents the solid results of modern study into the life and times of Jesus, especially regarding the role of the Essenes, the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the nature of messianic expectation, and much more. No one today is better equipped than James Charlesworth to lead students through the thickets of controversy that surround much of contemporary historical Jesus research. This Abingdon Essential Guide will fulfill the need for a brief, substantive, yet highly accessible introduction to this core area of New Testament studies. Drawing on the best in current scholarship, written with the need of students foremost in mind, addressed to learners in a number of contexts, this Essential Guide will be the first choice of those who wish to acquaint themselves or their students with the broad scope of issues, perspectives, and subject matters relating to modern quests for the historical Jesus. It will also be a preferred text for those who need or want to refresh their knowledge regarding the context within which Jesus lived in preparation for leading church discussion groups in studies of the Gospels.A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: 2nd Edition
By Walter Brueggemann, Bruce C. Birch, Terence E. Fretheim, David L. Petersen. 2005
This book has become a standard text in seminary and university classrooms. The purpose of this second edition is to…
help readers come to a critically informed understanding of the Old Testament as the church's scripture. This book introduces the Old Testament both as a witness of ancient Israel and as a witness to the church and synagogue through the generations of those who have passed these texts on as scripture. The authors of this volume share a commitment to the interpretation of the Old Testament as a central resource for the life of the church today. At the same time, they introduce the Old Testament witness in a manner that honors the importance of biblical scholarship in helping students engage the variety of theological voices within the Old Testament. This second edition gives special attention to deepening and broadening theological interpretations by including, for example, issues related to gender, race, and class. It also includes more detailed maps and charts for student use.365 Meditations for Teachers by Teachers
By Abingdon Press, Sally Sharpe. 2005
365 Meditations for Teachers by Teachers offers a year's worth of short daily meditational readings written specifically for teachers, by…
teachers. Four different writers of faith present three months' worth of meditations each, providing a variety of topics and writing styles. Designed to be used by readers of all ages, each daily meditation is brief enough to be read in just a few short minutes, yet meaningful enough to prompt a longer time of reflection and prayer if desired. Each day's reading includes a focus Scripture verse, a brief reflection, and a prayer.The Rosary with Pope Francis
By Marianne Lorraine Trouvé FSP. 2015
Let Pope Francis guide you through the Rosary with down-to-earth meditations. The Rosary with Pope Francis offers the Holy Father's…
insightful words for each Hail Mary, using quotes from his various homilies, addresses, and written texts. With his simple, unassuming way of speaking, Pope Francis has caught the attention of the world, and this book brings his gentle encouragement and straightforward way of thinking to this powerful prayer and beloved devotion.