Paul's Letter to the Romans may well be the most influential book in Christian history. In this Romans commentary Colin Kruse shows how Paul expounds the gospel against the background of God's sovereign action as creator, judge, and redeemer of the world. Valuable "additional notes" on important theological themes and difficult texts -- such as ......
This accessible text by James P. Ware provides both a concise guide to Paul's theology and a general introduction to the key issues and debates in the contemporary study of Paul. Examining Paul's message in the context of the ancient world, Ware identifies what would have struck Paul's original audience as startling or unique. By comparing ......
&;We no longer need to separate Paul from Judaism in order to claim his Christianness,&; writes Gabriele Boccaccini, adding, &;nor do we need to separate him from the early Jesus movement in order to state his Jewishness.&; With this guiding principle Boccaccini unpacks the implications of Paul&;s &;belonging&; simultaneously to Judaism and ......
For centuries, Pharisees have been well known but little understood--due at least in part to their outsized role in the Christian imagination arising from select negative stereotypes based in part on the Gospels. Yet historians see Pharisees as respected teachers and forward-thinking innovators who helped make the Jewish tradition more adaptable ......
This volume is a combined edition of Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes, Kenneth Bailey's intensive studies of the parables in the gospel of Luke. Bailey begins by surveying the development of allegorical, historical-eschatological, aesthetic, and existential methods of interpretation. Though figures like Julicher, Jeremias, Dodd, Jones, ......
Tradition has painted a portrait of a Savior aloof from governmental concerns and whose teachings point to an apolitical life for his disciples. How, then, are we to respond today to a world so thoroughly entrenched in national and international affairs? But such a picture of Jesus is far from accurate, argues John Howard Yoder. Using the texts ......
Envisioning cruciform community built on resurrection hope After Paul's encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he turned from coercion and violence to a ministry centered on the hope of Christ's resurrection. In earthly terms, Paul had traded power for weakness. But--as he explained in his subsequent letters--this "weakness" ......
Every church congregation encounters challenging situations, some the same the world over, and others specific to each church. Richard Osmer here seeks to teach congregational leaders -- including, but not limited to, clergy -- the requisite knowledge and skills to meet such situations with sensitivity and creativity. Osmer develops a framework
The psalms made intimate and tangible Life is often so busy and chaotic that even when we do find the time to pray, our minds cannot settle and our thoughts drift to the stresses and concerns that pull our attention elsewhere. With the use of beads, however, our whole bodies are directly incorporated into the act of praying, allowing us to remain ......