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From Word to Book addresses questions that the author's students frequently raised about how the Bible was inspired, written, and passed down through the millennia. From the first storytellers to contemporary researchers working with digital technologies, the Bible's story reveals fascinating interactions between the divine and the human. The book's chapters offer insights both for those who find the Bible central in their life of faith, and for those who are skeptical about its claims or even wonder why the Bible matters. Brief illustrative texts from readers and scholars ranging across generations and geography enhance understandings about how the Bible as we know it was shaped.

Many of our current, lasting controversies in American Christianity are due, in part, to the willingness of liberals to champion reason and experience while leaving Scripture and tradition to conservatives, and vice versa. The liberal biblical theological voice, once quite strong, has fallen silent. Grounded in a solid knowledge of biblical study, Partnership in the Gospel presents a series of exercises, or angles of perspective, intended to support the rigorous consideration of biblical theological perspective that preachers, teachers, and lay leaders need. This work draws from a range of scholarly, theological, and everyday voices, and with kindred works of poetry, art, music, and literature, to explore the Bible's unifying themes through'partnerships'of perspective. Each chapter offers an exercise that integrates Scripture, experience, tradition, and reason--the four sides of John Wesley's'Quadrilateral'--as the means by which to engage with the gospel and appreciate a liberal biblical theology.

The trustworthiness of the Gospels rests not only on claims of inspiration, but also on eyewitness testimony. And our confidence in that testimony is directly related, Daniel Moore contends, to when the first Gospel was published. Therefore, it is incumbent upon Christians to consider whether an effective case can be made for asserting that the first Gospel was published within several years or perhaps a decade of the resurrection. To this end, this book offers a series of arguments demonstrating that an early publication of Matthew is reasonable, defensible, and preferable over the popular view that several decades passed before Gospels were published. These arguments include a reasonableness argument that the early church had the means, motive, and opportunity to produce a Gospel; an argument from the church fathers, which also resolves supposed conflicts; exegetical arguments from Galatians; apologetic-motivational arguments from Christian scholars over the last several centuries; arguments based on ancient perspectives on aging memory and on the obligation of orators to write, concerns which would have motivated the apostles to publish early; and an explanatory power argument. Ultimately, the author will encourage the reader to view Matthew as the Messiah's royal chronicler.

This book makes space (1) for Pasifika contributions to academic conversations on critical topics and (2) for influencing the conversations to account for, and thus reflect, Pasifika ways and modes. The critical topic that runs through the chapters is well-being, and the contributors were located at the time of writing in Pasifika--Aotearoa, Fiji, Kioa, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu--but there are many more Pasifika voices and concerns than are represented in this work. Nonetheless, the ways in which this work seeks to influence the conversations on well-being reflect the intersectional modes of thinking that native Pasifika Islanders share. The essays are placed into three intersecting clusters: well-being of bodies and (is)lands, well-being of traditions and theologies, and well-being of imaginations and worldviews. The rationale for this arrangement is that the well-being of Pasifika requires attention to the present (bodies and islands), to the past (traditions and theologies), and to the future (imaginations and worldviews). The chapters address Pasifika questions and concerns, and they are placed so that the conversations they spark can take place--free of the traps of Western theories and disciplines--with Pasifika accents and rhythms.

This volume's essays by Morna D. Hooker were written over a period of more than fifty years (1970?2021) and include two previously unpublished essays. They all deal with the theme of continuity and discontinuity - primarily between first-century Judaism and early Christianity - and explore the different ways in which New Testament writers interpreted their experience of Jesus, drawing on their own cultures and beliefs. Evangelists and letter-writers alike attempted to show how their new beliefs were'in accordance with the scriptures', though those beliefs inevitably shaped the ways in which they read the scriptures. Alongside essays on the Gospels and Paul, the collection also features an exploration of how Paul himself was in turn interpreted by Luther, illustrating the way in which continuity and discontinuity are to be seen in every generation.

Previous research has treated the Transjordanian regions - from the early Iron Age I to the Hellenistic period - as a geographically and/or culturally marginal area. The contributors of this volume demonstrate that the Transjordan was integrated beyond the Southern Levant into the Mediterranean, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. They deal with the unresolved questions surrounding Transjordan and its influence on religious and cultural history. In particular, this volume is the first to deal with Transjordan in the Persian period from a multi-disciplinary perspective - a period that has been ignored almost completely in current research, in favor of the Iron Age. With contributions from archaeology, Hebrew Bible studies, social and cultural history, Assyriology, ancient history, and religious history, this work provides a comprehensive and precise treatment of the topic.

What is Matthean fulfillment (pl?r?sis)? According to a triplex via of fundamental continuity, radical discontinuity, and transcendence-completion, it is the process of Christification by which those in communion with Christ become agents of his theandric activity. In light of this paradigm, the divine'with-ness'which Christ brings his people is more profoundly appreciated. The fullness which God's covenant people enjoy via communion with Christ is nothing less than the very fullness of God: they participate in his life and love, power and providence, righteousness and perfection, virtue and glory, identity and mission. In this monograph, Andrew D. Dalton argues that pl?r?sis is an ongoing and ever deepening process of deification: in and through the King of kings, God has filled inaugurally, is filling perpetually, and will fill consummately his church-kingdom Israel with his own divine fullness.

Handling moral infringement is complicated and this was as true in antiquity as it is today. Should one retaliate, demand compensation, be merciful, ignore the infringement, or forgive? Thomas Kazen and Rikard Roitto compare how Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Christians in antiquity navigated different ideas, practices, and rituals for moral repair. How did they think about morality and did this affect ideas about moral repair? What practices of moral repair did they use, within and beyond the court? In what different ways did they involve the gods in interpersonal conflicts through ritual? Insights from contemporary research on human behaviour guide the comparative work, since, as the authors argue, human moral behaviour and cognition is the result of both innate and cultural factors.

Die Bereitstellung von Spiritual Care ist durch die geringe Spiritual Care-Kompetenz unter Gesundheitsfachpersonen eingeschränkt. Das vorliegende Werk beleuchtet Spiritual Care-Kompetenz in der Ausbildung von Gesundheitsfachpersonen: in einer konzeptionellen Untersuchung erfolgt eine Begriffsklärung, in einer anwendungsbezogenen Untersuchung werden zwei Studien zur Spiritual Care-Kompetenz ausgewertet. Zunächst werden Bedeutungsdimensionen herausgearbeitet, die die Spiritual Care-Kompetenz charakterisieren. Sodann zeigt zum einen die Analyse von Interviews, dass die Teilnahme an einem Online-Spiritual Care-Seminar zu Veränderungen in der Spiritual Care-Kompetenz führt. Zum anderen zeigt eine Fragebogenauswertung, dass Spiritual Care-Kompetenz ein veränderbares Konstrukt ist und die Teilnahme am Seminar einen signifikanten Effekt auf die wahrgenommene Spiritual Care-Kompetenz hat. Zusammenführend kann das Gesamtverständnis wie folgt präzisiert werden: Spiritual Care-Kompetenz ist Relations- und Grenzsituationskompetenz und kann durch ein gezieltes Lehrangebot gefördert werden. Diese Ergebnisse sind für das Verständnis von Spiritual Care-Kompetenz im Allgemeinen sowie für die Aus- und Weiterbildung in Spiritual Care im Besonderen relevant.

O recurso definitivo e completo sobre o que diz o Antigo Testamento a respeito do Messias Na estrada de Emaús, Jesus revelou como as Escrituras previam sua vinda, mas muitos ainda hoje têm dúvidas sobre como falar do Messias no Antigo Testamento e interpretar suas profecias. Como saber o que se aplica a Jesus? E como interpretar o enigmático linguajar profético? Obtenha respostas e esclarecimentos neste conceituado e confiável manual acerca da profecia messiânica, redigido por alguns dos mais importantes estudiosos evangélicos do Antigo Testamento. Esta obra abrangente e fácil de usar oferece: Textos breves sobre as grandes ideias e os principais temas que dizem respeito à profecia messiânica; Um comentário claro e cuidadoso de praticamente todas as passagens do Antigo Testamento consideradas messiânicas; Observações esclarecedoras sobre o hebraico original e análises úteis das implicações teológicas. As Escrituras ganham cores vívidas à medida que você desenvolve uma nova percepção de passagens conhecidas e admira ainda mais a magistral obra-prima de Deus de preparação do caminho para Jesus, o tão esperado Messias.

Early modernity has long been seen as a crucial period in the history of biblical scholarship, witnessing rapid advances in studies of Hebrew, Greek, and the ancient Jewish and Christian past. Historians have devoted much attention to how these developments were received by the academic and clerical elite, and yet there is little research on their reception beyond such exclusive circles. Some have even argued that ordinary believers had no interest in the demanding world of elite scholarship. According to current narratives, the Protestant laity were preoccupied by practical piety, scripture-reading, and devotional exercises, all of which were far removed from the dazzling polyglot erudition of the scholar. Lay Learning and the Bible in the Seventeenth-Century Atlantic World offers an alternative account of popular religion in early modernity by reconstructing a striking and unstudied community of seventeenth-century puritan immigrants to North America. Composed of tradespeople without a university education, this community offers unparalleled evidence for lay engagement with even the most abstruse and challenging concerns of contemporaneous biblical scholarship. Drawing on whatever resources they could find, this group taught themselves the languages of biblical criticism; immersed themselves in the most specialized questions of controversial theology; and then promulgated, through their hard-earned learning, an unprecedentedly inclusive vision of education, society, and the church. By recovering their lives and interests, this book presents a new vision of lay puritanism in the Atlantic world, one marked by far greater ambition, critical thought, and intellectual boldness than ever before suspected.

The hypothesis of Undesigned Coincidences was first proposed by William Paley (1743-1805) and later popularized by J. J. Blunt (1794-1855). More recently, Lydia and Timothy McGrew have revived this hypothesis. McGrew defines an undesigned coincidence as'a significant connection between two or more accounts or texts that does not appear to have been planned by the individuals providing the accounts. Despite their apparent independence, the elements fit together like pieces of a puzzle.'Advocates use undesigned coincidences to argue that the Gospels are a compilation of independent and reliable sources. However, these advocates do not engage with biblical criticism and overlook relevant research on coincidences and casualness. The feeding of the five thousand is a prominent example discussed by proponents, who point to details such as the green grass, the location of Bethsaida, and the question posed by Jesus to Philip. These episodes are thoroughly reviewed and analyzed in The Hypothesis of Undesigned Coincidences.

In this follow-up to Toward a Theology of the Septuagint: Stellenbosch Congress on the Septuagint, 2018 (2020), contributors demonstrate what a theology of the Septuagint should look like. Essays address questions of methodology, and case studies from different books show the relevance and benefits of a theological approach. Examples are drawn from Exodus, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Job, Tobit, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Hosea, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Ben Sira. Contributors include Nicholas Peter Legh Allen, Bryan Beeckman, Alma Brodersen, Johann Cook, Beate Ego, Karin Finsterbusch, Pierre Jordaan, Wolfgang Kraus, Jean Maurais, Cynthia L. Miller-Naudé, Mogens Müller, Jacobus A. Naudé, Peter Nagel, Larry Perkins, Martin Rösel, Barbara Schmitz, Frank Ueberschaer, Jan Willem van Henten, and Michael van der Meer.

The legacy of the late Andre LaCocque is brought to life in this book, each chapter having been written by his beloved friends and former students. His work has so inspired them that each of the contributor chapters moves LaCocque's work forward in directions of which he surely would have joyfully approved. His great love of Jewish-Christian relations, matters of social justice, feminist biblical scholarship, and interdisciplinary dialogue are carried forward in the enthusiasm and careful work presented here. These offerings in his memory are sure to serve as a jumping-off point for further scholarship in each of these areas of interest and blossom in the years ahead.

This book begins by exploring the mysterious origins of an institution so familiar that most of us never wonder where it came from—the seven-day week. Jon D. Levenson then focuses on the historical development of the Jewish Sabbath and the rich range of theological and ethical meanings it has acquired over the centuries.Levenson evaluates the theory that the Hebrew word šabbāt derives from Akkadian and that the Sabbath may have begun as a day of ill omen, only later to be reinterpreted as the joyous festival that consummates the seven-day week. He explores the quasi-magical character of the number seven in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean compositions and examines the revealing variation of the Sabbath commandment between the two biblical versions of the Decalogue in Exodus and Deuteronomy. He also treats sabbatical law in the Second Temple and rabbinic periods, critiquing contemporary efforts to extract a spirituality from the Sabbath that is divorced from larger questions of communal identity, normative practice, and religious affirmation. Levenson concludes by discussing modern challenges to Sabbath observance and the surprising prospects for its continuation.Written by an eminent scholar in the field, this sophisticated inquiry bridges the gap between studies that explore the spiritual meaning of Jewish Sabbath observance and those that focus strictly on the history of the tradition. It will appeal to a wide audience of academics and lay readers.

Ask the animals, and they will tell you. Birds, beasts, and creeping things swarm throughout the Bible's pages. Despite their prevalence, most biblical scholars have viewed them merely as metaphors, passive objects, or background embellishment to the human experience. This collection seeks to move beyond this traditional view of biblical animals by engaging the growing interdisciplinary field of animal studies. Contributors Peter Joshua Atkins, Jared Beverly, William P. Brown, Margaret Cohen, Jacob R. Evers, Michael J. Gilmour, William “Chip” Gruen, Dong Hyeon Jeong, Brian Fiu Kolia, Anne Létourneau, Robert R. MacKay, Suzanna R. Millar, Timothy J. Sandoval, Robert Paul Seesengood, Ken Stone, Brian James Tipton, Arthur W. Walker-Jones, and Jaime L. Waters showcase the breadth and depth of inquiry that animal studies can foster in biblical studies as well as what animal studies can gain from a more rigorous engagement with biblical texts. Together the essays offer an animal hermeneutic that supports the flourishing of all creatures.

Alexandria war die bedeutendste geistige Metropole der hellenistisch-römischen Welt und zugleich ein Schmelztiegel der Kulturen und Religionen. Von Alexander dem Großen als hellenistische Stadt gegründet und gleichwohl auch durch die ägyptische Kultur geprägt, war sie Heimstätte namhafter Kulte, besonders des Isis- und des Serapiskultes. Aufgrund der starken jüdischen Präsenz spielte die Stadt auch für die Geschichte des Judentums und seine Hellenisierung von der Übersetzung des Alten Testaments ins Griechische bis hin zu dem Religionsphilosophen Philo eine herausragende Rolle, und wurde wohl gerade auch deshalb für die frühen Christen und ihre Theologie mit Denkern wie Klemens und Origenes zum ersten Zentrum von exegetischer und systematischer Wissenschaft. Zugleich war Alexandria seit der frühen Ptolemäerzeit die bedeutendste Stätte antiker Wissenschaft und Bildung, wobei gleichermaßen Naturwissenschaften und Technik wie die Philologie in Blüte standen. Im Zusammenhang mit letzterer wurde die Stadt in der römischen Kaiserzeit dann auch zum neuen Zentrum der platonischen Philosophie.

This volume collects thirteen essays by David M. Carr which join the study of the formation of the Pentateuch with research on other topics, from material history to animal studies. It begins with a detailed history of the last half-century of scholarship on the formation of the Pentateuch along with more general essays on the rationale for such study and on other methodological issues in Pentateuchal research. Two subsequent sections collect essays on intertextuality and on the material history of the five-scroll Pentateuchal collection. The volume concludes with essays linking such research with other areas, e.g. the question of the'author'in literary studies and questions about relations between humans and other animals in animal studies. Each chapter is prefaced with an introduction providing background on the context and problems addressed in the essay.

In this follow-up to They Were All Together in One Place? (2009) and Reading Biblical Texts Together (2022), biblical scholars from different racial/ethnic minoritized communities move beyond defining and pursing cross-cultural interpretation to investigating how spatial-geographical and temporal-historical locations affect the purposes and practices of minoritized biblical criticism today. Through an examination of a range of contemporary issues from HIV/AIDS to US immigration policy, contributors establish that how and why they engage the Bible are the result of the intersection of social and cultural factors. Contributors Cheryl B. Anderson, Hector Avalos†, Jacqueline M. Hidalgo, Tat-siong Benny Liew, Yii-Jan Lin, Vanessa Lovelace, Francisco Lozada Jr., Roger S. Nam, Aliou Cissé Niang, Hugh R. Page Jr., Jean-Pierre Ruiz, Fernando F. Segovia, Abraham Smith, and Vincent L. Wimbush demonstrate that interpretations carry broader implications for society and that scholars have ethical and political responsibilities to their communities and to the world.

A Masterpiece of Biblical and Systematic Theology for Understanding Scripture in Today's World.Graeme Goldsworthy's In These Last Days is an essential resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Bible's rich, historical, and theological landscape. With decades of expertise in biblical theology, Goldsworthy carefully guides readers through the complexities of Scripture, bridging the cultural and historical gaps to uncover its modern-day relevance.Praise for the Book'This will go down as Graeme Goldsworthy's magnum opus. What a gift to the church it is. Both busy pastors and hungry laymen will find it a goldmine of biblical thought and exegesis.'- Terry Allen, Pastor, Sandy Beach Baptist Church, NSW, AustraliaKey Features of the BookGoldsworthy's work offers an insightful exploration of the Bible's overarching themes, focusing on the transitions within biblical history.Divided into four key sections, the book thoroughly examines:The Word of GodThe Being of GodThe Doing of GodThe People of GodEach chapter concludes with a helpful summary and practical insights for interpreting Scripture, making this an indispensable tool for pastors, students, and serious Bible readers alike.Goldsworthy emphasises that true understanding comes from seeing Scripture's development from its Old Testament origins to its fulfilment in Christ, offering readers a Christ-centred lens for their studies. Perfect for pastors, students, and laypeople looking to deepen their understanding of God's Word, In These Last Days offers profound insights and a systematic approach to interpreting Scripture in today's world.

Intertextuality is a valuable interpretive tool that provides a rich understanding of Isaiah in its complex relationship with the larger witness of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. With essays by leading and upcoming scholars, this volume moves sequentially through the tri-partite Hebrew canon to showcase the interconnections between Isaiah and books within the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. It becomes evident that Isaiah is like a?prism? that refracts strands of tradition in ways that neither supersede nor exhaust the riches of the prior tradition and that are neither superseded by nor exhausted by the subsequent uses of Isaiah. The Book of Isaiah employs these traditions for its own rhetorical purposes, offering a message that is both unique in comparison with and interrelated to the wider web of biblical, textual traditions. Isaiah is to be read as a book amid Israel?s Scriptures.

Im vorliegenden Band führt Christoph Markschies seine Studien zur Geschichte der'Valentinianischen Gnosis', einer der einflussreichsten Schulen der sogenannten christlichen Gnosis, fort. Während sich der erste Band von 1993 mit den Fragmenten und Überlieferungen des angeblichen Schulgründers, des stadtrömischen christlichen Theologen Valentinus (2. Jh. n.Chr.) beschäftigte, geht es in diesem zweiten Band um den ebenfalls in Rom lehrenden christlichen Theologen Ptolemaeus, der gern als zweites Schulhaupt nach dem Gründer wahrgenommen wird. Durch eine sorgfältige Analyse seines beim spätantiken Bischof Epiphanius von Salamis überlieferten Brief an die römische Matrone Flora und eines angeblich seine Lehre zusammenfassenden Referats beim kaiserzeitlichen Bischof Irenaeus von Lyon wird ein eigenständiger christlicher Denker der hohen Kaiserzeit erkennbar, der in Auseinandersetzung mit anderen Autoren seiner Zeit und Anknüpfung an sie Probleme zu lösen versuchte, die sich einem Christen stellten, der auf dem Niveau zeitgenössischer Popularphilosophie dachte. Ein ausführlicher Kommentar zum Brief und seinem Kontext samt einer Einleitung in das Referat seiner Lehren wird ergänzt durch verschiedene Untersuchungen zur Frühgeschichte der nach Valentinus benannten Richtung christlichen Denkens, die schon in der Antike der sogenannten'Erkenntnis'('Gnosis') zugeordnet wurde. Im Ergebnis der sorgfältigen philologischen, ideen- und institutionengeschichtlichen Untersuchungen zeigt sich, dass höchstwahrscheinlich weder Valentinus noch Ptolemaeus nach dem Zeugnis ihrer erhaltenen Texte als Urheber der sogenannten Valentinianischen Gnosis in Anspruch genommen werden dürfen, sondern ihre stadtrömischen Schüler in der zweiten Hälfte des zweiten Jahrhunderts.

In Gal 2:14b-21, Paul relates his rejection of justification by'works of law'closely to concepts of gentile and Jewish sinfulness. In dialogue with recent interpretation, Nicolai Techow presents a detailed study of Paul's flow of thought in this passage in its historical and literary context and asks what in particular Paul's thinking indicates. Showing that the passage does present Paul's speech to Cephas at Antioch, the author argues for an interpretation which explains it as a linear and thematically unified argument, centered on God's judgment of people in the cross of Christ as integral to justification itself. Furthermore, he shows that the concepts of sinfulness and justification not by'works of law'in this text transcend'ethnicity'and are focused on the moral-religious realm generally.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” –Revelation 2:7 The unique hardships of our modern lives can often feel insurmountable. But God's Word reveals to us that there is no obstacle, habit, or situation we face that Jesus hasn't already given us the power to conquer. In Living as an Overcomer, bestselling author Dr. Tony Evans examines how Christ's message to the seven churches in Revelation can challenge, convict, and lead you toward emphatic victory over any difficulty in life. Through this powerful portion of Scripture, Dr. Evans helps you discover how Christ's words to some of the earliest churches brim with enduring life and relevance, even in our contemporary context rekindle your deepest convictions and strengthen your spiritual commitment as Christ's admonitions and promises permeate your heart vanquish obstacles and live triumphantly by laying claim to all God has in store for you As you heed God's instructions to the early church, you will receive everything you need to experience victory over sin and prevail in your present circumstances. Reject lukewarm faith, and start living as an overcomer!Also Available Living as an Overcomer DVDLiving as an Overcomer Workbook

Grow your faith. Transform your life.Cultivate a deeper relationship with God through Adult Bible Studies. This resource, endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of The United Methodist Church, offers a year-round, weekly Bible study plan for Sunday school classes and other small groups.Each weekly lesson offers background and focal Scriptures, key verses, and doctrinallysound and relevant biblical interpretation and application in a readable font size.Annual plans provide comprehensive coverage of the Bible, special lessons during the church seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, and suggestions for developingspiritual practices such as prayer, worship, community, and service, among manyothers. Adult Bible Studies is a reliable companion and guide for learning and growing in Christian faith.With the help of the Adult Bibles Studies Student Book, and DVD, your group will embrace that it's not just about learning - it's about living out biblical teachings.Summer 2024 Theme: Finding BalanceThis summer, our Bible lessons follow the theme “Finding Balance.” They look at the concepts of work, rest, and celebration from a theological and biblical perspective and challenge us to find a balance among the three. The teacher book writer is Greg Weeks.Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!

A notable figure in the cultural and social history of Denmark, Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig's (1783-1872) works are still salient for us now. Highlighting his vivacious ideas and personality, A Grundtvig Anthology includes extracts from Grundtvig's historical, educational, theological, devotional, and poetical works. Each chapter is prefaced by insightful explanatory introductions by leading authorities on Grundtvig's monumental body of work, along with a comprehensive general introduction and illuminating annotations. Grundtvig viewed the myths of the North as an expression of the moral values and understanding of life, and his hymn and song writing reveal the same joy of life, openness and freedom as the Norse perspective. By offering selections from across his major works, this anthology succeeds in capturing his spirit in English translation, and continuing his written legacy.

Im wissenschaftlichen Werk Martin Karrers liegen seit Jahren Schwerpunkte auf textkritischen Arbeiten zur Septuaginta, zum Hebräerbrief und zur Apokalypse. Zur Textgeschichte und Rezeption dieser Schriften bzw. Schriftengruppe legen Wegbegleiterinnen und Wegbegleiter　wie auch Kolleginnen und Kollegen Beiträge vor, mit denen sie ihn zum 70. Geburtstag ehren. Die Sammlung gibt Einblick in die Vielfalt heutiger Textforschung und ihre Relevanz für die Erforschung des frühen Judentums, des Neuen Testaments und des frühen Christentums. Die Artikel　befassen sich mit der Rezeption von LXX-Zitaten in neutestamentlichen Schriften und in Werken der Kirchenschriftsteller ebenso wie　mit der Textgeschichte und Auslegung des Hebräerbriefes, der Johannesapokalypse und des Johannesevangeliums sowie mit einzelnen Handschriften apokrypher Texten. Behandelt werden　hierbei papyrologische und kodikologische Aspekte, paratextuelle Elemente und Illustrationen in Handschriften, patristische Texte und Katenen, frühe Versionen (Lateinisch, Sahidisch, Arabisch), spätantike bzw. frühmittelalterliche Kommentare und Fragen der Kanongeschichte. Die Textüberlieferung und ihre Träger kommen als Zeugen einer vielfältigen, lebendigen Geschichte in den Blick.

The relationship of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is a perennial puzzle in Pauline scholarship, with considerable questions raised about their supposed theological incompatibility. In this work, Sydney Tooth examines the text of 1 and 2 Thessalonians without presuppositions about authorship in order to give full attention to the shape of each letter's eschatological teaching. In doing so, the author is able to provide the first extensive and detailed comparison of their eschatologies and to determine to what extent they are compatible with each other. She also traces the tradition history of the eschatological material in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, exploring shared imagery, themes, and language between the Thessalonian correspondence and the Synoptic Gospels. This all contributes to a full reassessment of the historical setting and literary and theological relationship of these two letters.

Brandon Massey presents the first intellectual history of the preMarkan passion narrative hypothesis, once considered the'most assured result'of form criticism. He traces the origin and development of the hypothesis from the History of Religions school's conception of Jesus tradition to its origin in form-critical investigations of the Synoptic tradition and subsequent attempts to reconstruct the source of the Markan passion narrative. This history of the hypothesis reveals that the preMarkan passion narrative, and all attempts to reconstruct the source, are based upon a form-critical conception of Jesus tradition. Advancements in scholarship over the past decades challenge the form-critical consensus that prevailed throughout much of the twentieth century and lead to the abandonment of this conception of the Jesus tradition, and, with it, the preMarkan passion narrative.

In einer stringenten Erzähllinie entwickelt das Markusevangelium seine Vorstellung der basileia tou theou mehr und mehr als Idee einer königlichen Präsenz Gottes. Judith König zeigt, dass das Markusevangelium dabei die Nähe der basileia Gottes als Katalysator einer neuen Art von Weltwahrnehmung versteht. Dabei erstreckt sich der Aufruf, diese neue Art von Wahrnehmung zu entdecken, einzuüben, und sie anzuwenden über die Charaktere der erzählten Welt hinaus auch auf die Leserinnen und Leser des Markusevangeliums. Für Letztere ist die veränderte Wahrnehmung besonders wichtig, denn nur mit ihrer Hilfe kann die herausfordernde Erzählung vom Leiden und Tod Jesu am Kreuz entschlüsselt werden. Das Markusevangelium bietet für die zentrale Frage, wie selbst im Tod des Gottessohnes am Kreuz die königliche Präsenz Gottes wahrgenommen werden kann, nur vorsichtige Antworten.

Desiree Zecha überprüft die weit verbreitete These, die hinter dem Begriff des sogenannten'Waw consecutivum'im klassischen Althebräisch steht, und nimmt damit einen zentralen Aspekt der althebräischen Grammatik in den Blick. Sie untersucht die Ursprünge verschiedener Erklärungsansätze seit dem späten Mittelalter und die Verbreitung der klassischen These der sogenannten'Konsekutivtempora', also der Verbindung der Verbform mit einer inhärenten'Folgebedeutung'. Auf der Basis der Analyse der Verbformen in den Büchern Genesis bis Könige wird gezeigt, dass Begriff und Inhalt der Rede von den'Konsekutivtempora'auf alten, mittlerweile überkommenen sprachhistorischen Annahmen beruhen und somit zu modifizieren sind. Diese Arbeit wurde mit dem Preis des Hebraistenverbands 2024 ausgezeichnet.

Verantwortung ist zum Schlüsselbegriff evangelischer Ethik geworden. Trotzdem ist die Ambivalenz der Zurechnung von Verantwortung – auch durch Ethik selbst – kaum reflektiert worden. Um dies nachzuholen, bearbeitet der Band praxissoziologische und imaginationstheoretische Kategorien für die Selbstreflexion evangelischer Ethik. Das ermöglicht es, Verantwortung als soziale Praxis zu verstehen. Die Ambivalenz dieser Praxis wird untersucht, indem systematisch der Mehrwert des Verantwortungsbegriffs insbesondere gegenüber dem Pflichtbegriff herausarbeitet wird. Dann werden Imaginationen diskutiert, die der Verantwortungsbegriff in Diskursen vor allem evangelischer Ethik konnotiert. Abschließend wird der Ansatz einer ambivalenzsensiblen, selbstreflexiven Ethik freier Verantwortung entwickelt, die endliche und fehlbare Verantwortungsübernahmen im Horizont des Unverantwortbaren orientieren soll. Der Band schlägt evangelischer Ethik einen konkreten Verantwortungsbegriff vor, zeichnet Linien der Begriffsgeschichte nach, lotet die Ambivalenzen von Verantwortungspraktiken imaginationstheoretisch aus und entwickelt Kategorien und Orientierungen für den Verantwortungsgebrauch, die gerade für Materialethiken hochrelevant sind.

Amulets are devices for fear management and communication with supernatural forces. Textual amulets - that is, amulets which contain mostly texts - attest explicitly to human fears, or threats which were supposed to be repelled by the amulets. They are valuable sources which can be analyzed for the study of the history of religion, historical anthropology, and interreligious research. The contributions in this current volume are based on the research project'Between Materiality and Scribal Magic: West-Semitic Textual Amulets from the First Millennium BCE to the Rise of Islam'. Within this project, teams from Leipzig University and Tel Aviv University studied textual amulets from the Levant in the 1st mill. BCE and CE that were written in the West-Semitic languages. Several scholars were invited to discuss and share their expertise within the scope of this research project. The present volume is the result of this interdisciplinary and international cooperation.

When Christians profess faith in the teaching that Jesus “ascended into heaven” and is “seated at the right hand of the Father”, what do they mean? And what kind of truth is denoted by the narratives of the battle in heaven, the Fall, the Exodus, Annunciation, the theophanies of the gospels, and Second Coming? Some may interpret these literally and ascribe to a model of faith that quite happily runs contrary to reason and life experience. Many, however, recognize that the language in question is symbolic but it is not always apparent as to what is being symbolized and how such symbolism relates to objective truth claims. In response, Interpreting Mythical Language in Christian Doctrine draws upon the insights of thinkers including St. Thomas Aquinas, Paul Ricoeur, and Carl Jung so as to rescue Christian doctrines expressed through mythical language from an unwarranted expectation that they convey historical, ontological, or much less, scientific truth – or equally concerning, an assumption that these symbols relate only to a subjective form of meaning so that no interpretation is wrong. This book endeavors to unleash the true power of myth to engage with mystery and express meaning in a manner that surpasses the capacities of other genres.

In Supralapsarian Christology and the Progressive Work of Christ: Christus Dominus, Thomas G. Doughty Jr. produces a fresh theological narrative presenting the work of Christ progressively. Through both biblical and systematic theological lenses, Christus Dominus explains how the incarnate Son of God accomplishes multiple benefits for humanity and the cosmos. This model articulates a supralapsarian motivation for the incarnation of divine-human co-dominion but also accounts for the infralapsarian motivation of atonement for human sin. In doing so, Christus Dominus demonstrates that supralapsarian Christology is compatible with objective approaches to atonement, showing also how penal substitutionary atonement fits within the more holistic motif of Christus Victor. This book addresses weaknesses in infralapsarian Christologies which deem the incarnation primarily contingent on the human fall into sin. By exploring God's creation intentions and his faithfulness to realize those intentions in the incarnate Christ through eschatological promises, Christus Dominus encapsulates the biblical revelation relating the work of Christ to humanity's progressive vocation. Then, by drawing on the strengths of recent work of Christ frameworks, the author systematically arranges an objective atonement model within that progressive work of Christ. Christus Dominus thus upholds the unique necessity of the crucifixion within a supralapsarian Christology as the incarnate Christ's work progressively unfolds.

The Bible and Gender-based Violence in Botswana foregrounds the rampancy of gender-based violence against women and girls in biblical texts and how it resonates with gender-based violence (GBV) in the author's contemporary context of Botswana.The volume reads selected texts from the Bible alongside newspaper reports of GBV against women and girls in Botswana to show that while the Bible is taken as an authoritative text within the Botswana context, it is riddled with GBV against female persons. It asserts that by acknowledging and naming GBV in biblical texts and not concealing, ignoring, or spiritualizing it, contemporary communities of faith will be able to confront the problem in these contexts. By so doing, the book argues, the Bible will become a resource for positive transformation rather than a tool for supporting gender injustice.The book appeals to everyone willing to see positive change in regard to gender in/equality and is intended for a wide readership including researchers, postgraduates, church and other representatives of religious institutions, and upper-level undergraduates.

Reading the Bible Amid the Environmental Crisis: Interdisciplinary Insights to Ecological Hermeneutics ventures into the realms of love, loss, despair, and compassion, demonstrating the profound interconnectedness of ecology with every facet of human existence. Drawing from diverse disciplines such as trauma theory, affect theory, ethics, animal studies, posthumanism philosophy, and environmental humanities. Sébastien Doane intertwines biblical texts and theoretical frameworks to challenge traditional methodologies, presenting a fresh perspective on the ecological crisis of our time. This book argues for a vital role of biblical studies in addressing the ecological challenge, acknowledging the Bible's profound influence on Western cultures. Doane advocates for critical examination of anthropocentrism in biblical texts, exploring innovative ways to read the Bible in the Anthropocene.

Reading the Bible in Australia invites reflection about how the Bible matters to Australia. Contributors probe intersections between vital debates about Australian identity (who we have been, are, and aspire to become) and the Bible, bringing a range of perspectives to critical themes--indigeneity, colonization, and migration; landscape, biodiversity, and climate; gender and marginality; economics, ideology, and rhetoric. Each chapter explores the past and present influence of a biblical text or theme. Some offer fresh contextually and ethically informed readings. All interrogate the wider outcomes of reading the Bible in different ways. Given the tragic consequences of how it has been used historically, and sometimes still is, some Australians would exclude the Bible and its interpreters from public debate. Yet, as Meredith Lake's The Bible in Australia demonstrates,'a degree of biblical literacy--along with critical skill in evaluating how the Bible has been taken up and interpreted in our history--can only help Australians grapple well with the choices Australia faces.'Love it or hate it, there is no getting around the reality that the Bible, and how it is read, still matters.

Rabbi Sacks Book Prize Finalist 2024. This book addresses central theological issues and biblical narratives in terms of a bold thesis regarding relations between God and humans: that the actions of God and the actions of humans are informed by independently valid moral viewpoints which do not entirely overlap. The author suggests that God's plans and actions refl ect the interests and obligations appropriate to His goal of creating a worthy world, but not necessarily our world. In contrast, humans must attend to special obligations grounded in their dependence on their existing created world and in their particular places in the human family. However, in acts of grace, God voluntarily takes on special obligations toward the created world by entering covenants with its inhabitants. When the covenant involves reciprocal obligations, as in the case of God's covenant with Israel, it also recruits human beings to play conscious roles in God's larger plans. These covenants frame the moral parameters of human-divine interaction and cooperation in which each party strains to negotiate confl icts between its original duties and the new obligations generated by covenants. The interpretive discussions in this book involve close readings of the Hebrew text and are also informed by rabbinic tradition and Western philosophy. They address major issues that are of relevance to scholars of the bible, theology, and philosophy of religion, including the relationship between divine commands and morality, God's responsibility for human suff ering, God's role in history and the intersection between politics and religion.

Exploring Latin@ theologies and the power of revelation.The Word Became Culture enacts a preferential option for culture, retrieving experiences and expressions from across latinidad as sources of theologizing and acts of resistance to marginaliza­tion. Each author in this edited volume demonstrates the many ways in which Latin@ theologies are disruptive, generative, and creative spaces rooted in the richness, struggles, texts, and rituals found at the intersections of faith and culture. With a foreword by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture, this book situates Latin@ theologies in the ongoing search for and recognition of the “Word becoming” within the particularities of diverse cultural experiences.

This book argues that the parallel narrative structures of Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1:1--3:32 are intended to connect the two books and highlight theological connection of building the community through exclusive ownership of the land. This is developed by contrasting the return narrative in Nehemiah 1-3 with the two other return narratives in Ezra 1-2 and 7-8. Then the removal of foreign wives in Ezra 9-10 is contrasted with foreign wives crises in Nehemiah 9-10 and 13:23-29. In these comparisons, the major thematic points, prominent character(s) and primary concern, and the narrative movements are examined. Once the differences between the thematically similar passages have been shown, the structures of Nehemiah 1-3 and Ezra 9-10 are compared. This comparison shows that the narrative movements of the two passages overlap, indicating that the narratives have been intentionally shaped to mirror each other. Finally, the theological and thematic importance of this is explained by comparing the theological message in each movement of the narrative in Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1-3. The conclusion is that these highlight the shared theological message of building the community through exclusive ownership of the land.

Parce qu'il y a des empreintes de Jérémie dans les écrits de Paul et qu'elles sont régulièrement considérées avec scepticisme, j'ai choisi d'étudier l'usage rhétorique potentiel que fait l'Apôtre de ces éléments. Me concentrant sur des extraits significatifs des Lettres aux Corinthiens, j'ai analysé avec méthode différents types de relations intertextuelles, allant de la citation explicite (1Co 1,31) au simple écho (2Co 10,8 ; 13,10). D'où il ressort que Paul cherche moins à utiliser ces éléments jérémiens comme des preuves techniques (sauf en 1Co 1,31) ou à déployer une théologie de l'accomplissement des Écritures qu'à susciter une ambiance (ou un'monde', selon la terminologie phénoménologique), à l'appui de son propos. C'est un nouveau regard qui est posé sur le lien entre Paul et Jérémie, permettant aussi de clarifier certains passages de ses lettres dont la complexité est reconnue.

Justin J. White explores the nature of images in ancient Israel through a reconceptualization of the relationship between image and text. He proposes that in ancient Israel, texts evoked images as a core part of their rhetoric. Rather than conceptualizing texts and images as ontologically or functionally distinct media, he argues that both media are mixed media even while neither medium is reducible to the other. In order to make this argument, he focuses on the visual aspects of textual rhetoric?what he terms'the poetics of visuality.'He builds his argument across three text-specific axes of visual rhetoric: ekphrasis, the visual imagination and material agency. He makes the claim that each of these three axes are endemic to Israelite literature, and mutually contribute to the formation of a robust ontology of visual representation in ancient Israel.

In this volume of collected essays, Adela Yarbro Collins provides a wide-reaching insight into her work on the Apocalypse that spanned her professional career from 1973 to 2021. Emphasizing the variety in form and content of the early and late antique Christian apocalypses within the genre, she focusses on the apocalyptic Son of Man sayings in the Synoptic Gospels and raises questions about the impact of Revelation on its ancient and modern audiences regarding ethical norms and the problem of violence. Also examined in detail are a range of themes in the Apocalypse, feminine symbolism, the role of the city of Pergamon in the work, its use of vivid description (ekphrasis), its millennial themes, portraits of rulers, and time and history, especially the author's contemporary history. The collection is rounded off with a discussion of the challenge of apocalypticism to the project of creating a New Testament theology.

This volume explores the production, transmission, and reading practices of vernacular Bibles in early modern Europe. This varied collection of essays provides historical, book historical, literary, theological, and art historical perspectives to the movements of manuscript and printed Bibles. The contributions concern Bibles in many different languages and from across the European continent, from Ireland to Portugal. Rather than perceiving Scripture and the material carriers of Scripture as static things, this volume demonstrates how Bibles constantly acquired new meanings and functions as they moved through time and space, and were touched by the hands of makers, readers, and users.

In this ICC Martin de Boer provides an introduction and commentary on chapters 1-6 of John's Gospel.de Boer sets out to interpret the Gospel in the historical context in which it was written and first read, and to explain it both historically and theologically. Taking his primary bearings from the seminal work of Raymond E. Brown and J.L. Martyn, de Boer applies and advances their approach through each section of his commentary, whilst also engaging with the latest scholarship, alternative viewpoints, and critiques of the Brown/Martyn approach. As such de Boer takes very seriously the view that John's Gospel was written for a particular community, and that the composition of the text as we know it took place over an extended period of time. Examination of the historical realities of this community is a hallmark of this commentary including the notion that, as members of the community, women may have played a role in the Gospel's composition.

According to the CDC, one in four people in the United States lives with a disability, yet many of our churches don't resemble this reality. Attempts to welcome those with a disability are often implemented by well-meaning but ill-informed people. The results can lead to those with disabilities feeling excluded and isolated from the family of God. One Body, One Spirit gives eyes to the able-bodied to see the challenges experienced by those with disabilities: - Physical barriers to places of worship, classrooms, and small group settings leave people outside the gathered family of God. - Emotional barriers, like fear and prejudice, preclude them from using their spiritual gifts. How can church communities, on both the congregational and individual level, address these issues? B. Jason Epps and Paul Pettit provide a road map by looking at a biblically informed solution. They survey disability in the Old and New Testaments, provide a vision for full integration, outline how to conduct a disability audit, and offer a five-step plan for how to change the culture of your church.

In this insightful book, Andrei A. Orlov examines the symbolism of the'image of God'found in early Jewish pseudepigraphical accounts, paying special attention to the cultic traditions in the Apocalypse of Abraham. The study demonstrates that the Jewish pseudepigrapha transform various biblical characters? including Enoch, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Aseneth? into eschatological embodiments of the imago Dei. The book argues that these cultic metamorphoses preserve memories of ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian rituals involving the vivification of cultic statues. The Apocalypse of Abraham and other early Jewish pseudepigraphical accounts attempt to polemically refashion the concept of cultic statues by envisioning their protagonists as divine representations in the form of the eschatological image of God.

The contributions to this volume explore the question of what spiritual transformation means for Early Christianity and beyond, with articles ranging from Old Testament wisdom literature to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Graeco-Roman philosophy, the gospels, epistles, and Johannine literature of the New Testament and other Early Christian literature. The contributions provide reflections on the involvement of the self and agency in spiritual transformation and concern diverse anthropological dimensions of mind, emotions, body, and embodiment related to this phenomenon of metamorphosis. The impact of spiritual transformation may relate to a renewal of the mind, to a therapeutics of emotions, and to material dimensions of bodily posture and physiological metaphors expressing spiritual identity.