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"The Third Sword: On the Political Role of Prophets" by James Bernard Murphy is a book that explores the political role of prophets throughout history. The author examines five prophetic figures, including Socrates, Jesus of Nazareth, Joan of Arc, Thomas More, and Martin Luther King Jr., and their impact on society. Murphy argues for the existence of a "third" sword of prophecy, which stands apart from political and religious powers. The book delves into the moral nature of God, the role of conscience, and the importance of human rights in prophetic concerns about justice. While the book is accessible and engaging, some theological questions and the significance of the church are not fully addressed. Overall, the book provides valuable insights into the enduring significance and challenge of biblical prophecy. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the study of the Gospels included in the New Testament in relation to other ancient Gospels that were not included. The author, Simon Gathercole, compares the canonical Gospels with seven non-canonical Gospels to determine their distinctiveness and antiquity within early Christianity. He argues that the four canonical Gospels contain all four elements of the early Christian kerygma, making them unique and early within Christian history. While the study is comprehensive and well-researched, the author does not address theological questions or the assumption of the superiority of the canonical Gospels. The article suggests that further exploration is needed to engage with these questions and their implications for Christian thought and practice today. [Extracted from the article]

But it is to invite Allison to follow up his important book with a sequel, in article or book form, that will offer fuller engagement with this challenge to some of his working assumptions. Admittedly, Allison delimits his book at the outset with the disclaimer, 'I do not ... discuss whether the very idea of "religious experience" ... is coherent or useful' (p. ix). The indefatigable Dale Allison is widely known for his excellent New Testament commentaries and studies. [Extracted from the article]

Several biblical passages specifically condemn the practice of homosexuality. Christians need to exercise judgment in this area but not pass sentence on people as behaving according to the Bible.

This article is a book review of "Romans: A Theological and Pastoral Commentary" by Michael J. Gorman. The reviewer praises Gorman's fresh understanding of Paul's message and his ability to integrate interpretations of Paul with classic Christian theology. The reviewer also highlights Gorman's emphasis on the role of Israel's scriptures in Paul's thinking and his inclusion of sections that provide spiritual, pastoral, and theological reflections for readers. Overall, the review recommends the book as a rich and accessible resource for understanding the key document of the New Testament. [Extracted from the article]

A Notable emphasis in some twentieth-century theology has been a sharp dichotomy between the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. Most famously, Cullmann argued that only [...]

This would have been a better book if Dever had stuck to archaeology and made more modest claims about the Bible and its interpretation. William Dever is a distinguished and prolific North American archaeologist of the Levant and the world of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, who is now in his 80s. [Extracted from the article]

But one of the things I particularly appreciated is Hays' grasp of the issues at stake in New Testament scholarship and his ability to map and analyze them so that the nonspecialist reader can better see what is going on. But even if there is more yet to be said about some of the issues that Hays discusses, no serious student of the New Testament should be without this fine contribution to biblical scholarship. Richard Hays is one of the most distinguished New Testament scholars of recent years. [Extracted from the article]

David Fergusson's recent book, Creation, overviews differing aspects of creation for a theologically-literate but non-specialist readership, while Ian McFarland's From Nothing: A Theology of Creation offers a sophisticated account of the meaning and theological implications of the classic doctrine of creatio ex nihilo. Although both books make constructive appeal to Scripture, I suggest that their use of Scripture indicates that their creative theological thinking is not primarily done by working through the interpretative challenges that Scripture presents. There thus remains a distance between biblically and systematically oriented theological thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers four recent contributions to the field of theological hermeneutics in relation to reading the Bible as Christian Scripture. All four contributions are found to be helpful, and Sarisky's Modern Readings could serve as an excellent MA textbook. The three monographs well model the practice of ressourcement, although they do not engage with the differences that gender issues and renewed appreciation of Jewish interpretations might make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robert Alter is a distinguished scholar both of literature and of Hebrew, who has recently completed a fresh and acclaimed translation of the whole Hebrew Bible. Strikingly, Alter gives strong and consistent praise to the translators of the King James Version. Of course, Alter himself is under no obligation to be religiously interested in the Bible (though as a Jew who speaks of "Abram our forefather" (p. 8) he is evidently fully at home in it). [Extracted from the article]

Les symboles dans la Bible. Essai de theologie biblique enracinee dans l'expirience humaine universelle. By MARC GIRARD. Pp. 1023. (Recherches, Nouvelle Serie, 26.) Montreal: Bellarmin/Paris: Cerf, 1991. ISBN 2 89007 [...]

Syren's monograph focuses on the striking fact that in Genesis the first-born sons of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - Ishmael, Esau, Reuben, and Manasseh - all lose their status [...]

Books reviewed: Legitimating New Religions, James R. Lewis, Rutgers University Press 2003 (0-8135-3324-4), pp. viii + 272, Pb $21.95 Dictionary of Buddhism, Damien Keown with contributions from Stephen Hodge, Charles Jones and Paola Tinti, Oxford University Press 2003 (0-19-860560-9), pp. x + 357, Hb £20/$35 The Bible: The New Revised Standard Version Cross-Reference Edition, with Apocrypha; Anglicized Text, Managing Editor Martin H. Manser, with John Barton (for the Old Testament) and Bruce Metzger (for the Apocrypha and New Testament), Oxford University Press 2003 (0-19-100016-7), pp. xxii +1,520, Hb £35 When the Great Abyss Opened: Classic and Contemporary Readings of Noah's Flood, J. David Pleins, Oxford University Press 2003 (0-19-515608-0), pp. xi + 242, Hb £20 Exploring the Old Testament, Volume 3: The Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Ernest Lucas, SPCK 2003 (0-281-05431-2), pp. xvi + 207, Pb £16.99 Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?, William G. Dever, Eerdmans 2003 (0-8028-0975-8), pp. xi + 268, Pb £17.95 Paul, Luke and the Graeco-Roman World: Essays in Honour of Alexander J. M. Wedderburn, Alf Christophersen, Carsten Claussen, Jörg Frey and Bruce Longenecker (eds), Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 217, Sheffield Academic Press 2002, A Continuum Imprint (1-84127-259-0), pp. xvi + 290, Hb £65 God and History in the Book of Revelation: New Testament Studies in Dialogue with Pannenberg and Moltmann, Michael Gilbertson, Cambridge University Press 2003 (0-521-82466-4), Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 124, pp. xiii + 235 Hb £47.50/$65 From Dogma to History: How Our Understanding of the Early Church Developed, William H. C. Frend, SCM Press 2003 (0-334-02908-2), pp. vii + 212, Pb £12.99 Richard Hooker and Reformed Theology: A Study of Reason, Will, and Grace, Nigel Voak, Oxford University Press 2003 (0-19-926039-7), pp. xviii + 348, Hb £50/$85 Nice and Hot Disputes: The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Seventeenth Century, Philip Dixon, Continuum 2003 (0-5670-8816-2), pp. xi– 236, Hb £40 Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages, Ursula King, Routledge 2004 (0-415-32652-4), pp. v + 270, Pb £13.99 The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology, Peter Scott and William T. Cavanaugh (eds), Blackwell 2004 (0-631-22342-8), pp. x + 566, Hb £85 Progressive Christians Speak: A Different Voice on Faith and Politics, John Cobb Jr (ed.), Westminster John Knox Press 2004 (0-664-22589-6), pp. xvi + 341, Pb £20 War and Peace: A Selection of Key Readings. Problems in Theology 3, Jeff Astley, David Brown and Ann Loades (eds), T. & T. Clark 2003, A Continuum Imprint (0-567-08973-8), pp. viii + 111, Pb £12.99 Invitation to the Sociology of Religion, Phil Zuckerman, Routledge 2003 (0-415-94126-1), pp. ix + 156, Pb £15.99 Faith and Feminism: An Introduction to Christian Feminist Theology, Nicola Slee, Darton, Longman and Todd 2003 (0-232-52486-6), Exploring Faith: Theology for Life, pp. xi + 131, Pb £8.95 Introducing Feminist Perspectives on Pastoral Theology, Zoë Bennett Moore, Introductions in Feminist Theology 11, Sheffield Academic Press 2002, A Continuum Imprint (0-8264-6261-8), pp. 157, Pb £15.99/$11.90 Teaching Freud Diane Jonte-Pace (ed.), Oxford University Press 2003 (0-19-5157680), AAR Teaching Religious Studies Series, pp. xi + 276, Pb £48 Blessed are the Cynical: How Original Sin Can Make America a Better Place, Mark Ellingsen, Brazos Press 2003 (1-58743-042-8), pp. 208, Hb $23.99 Worship, Keith F. Pecklers, Continuum 2003 (0-8264-6856-X), pp vi + 234, Pb, £14.99 Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into Christian Practice, John D. Witvliet, Baker Academic 2003 (0-8010-2623-7), pp. 319, Pb $26.99 Theology at the Eucharistic Table: Master Themes in the Theological Tradition, Jeremy Driscoll, Gracewing 2003 (0-85244-469-9), pp. 251, Pb, £17.99 Confessing Jesus Christ: Preaching in a Postmodern World, David J. Lose, Eerdmans 2003 (0-8028-4983-0), pp. viii + 264, Pb £19.99 Charis and Charisma: David Yonggi Cho and the Growth of Yoido Full Gospel Church, Sung-Hoon Myung and Young-Gi Hong (eds), Regnum 2003 (1-870345-45-2), pp. xi + 217, Pb £19.99 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Books reviewed: Perry Schmidt–Leukel (ed.), Buddhist Perceptions of Jesus: Papers of the Third Conference of the European Network of Buddhist–Christian Studies (St Ottilien 1999) David Jobling, Tina Pippin, Ronald Schleifer (eds), The Postmodern Bible Reader Mark D. Chapman, Ernst Troeltsch and Liberal Theology: Religion and Cultural Synthesis in Wilhelmine Germany Stephen J. Hunt, Religion in Western Society James J. Buckley and David S. Yeago (eds), Knowing the Triune God: The Work of the Spirit in the Practices of the Church Miroslav Volf and Dorothy C. Bass (eds), Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian Life Dan R. Stiver, Theology After Ricoeur: New Directions in Hermeneutical Theology T. J. Gorringe, The Education of Desire: Towards a Theology of the Senses Anthony Harvey, By What Authority? George Guiver (ed.), Priests in a People‘s Church Sarah Coakley, Powers and Submissions: Spirituality, Philosophy and Gender Robert McKim, Religious Ambiguity and Religious Diversity Kenneth Leech, Through our Long Exile: Contextual Theology and the Urban Experience David N. Power, ‘The Word of the Lord’: Liturgy’s Use of Scripture Owen Hardwicke, Living Beyond Conformity: An Experience of Ministry and Priesthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]