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The book explores ancient interpretations and usages of the famous Delphic maxim “know yourself”. The primary emphasis is on Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman sources from the first four centuries CE. The individual contributions examine both direct quotations of the maxim as well as more distant echoes. Most of the sources included in the book have never previously been studied in any detail with a view to their use and interpretation of the Delphic maxim. Thus, the book contributes significantly to the origin and different interpretations of the maxim in antiquity as well as to its reception history in ancient philosophical and theological discourses. The chapters of the book are linke...
Back cover: Jonathon Lookadoo studies the high priestly and temple metaphors in Ignatius's letters and shows how Ignatius depicts Jesus and the church. He shows that Jesus functions as an intermediary between God the Father and the churches, which should be unified as God's temple.
Does the letter to the Hebrews display Jewish or Christian identity? Ole Jakob Filtvedt shows that it takes up a traditional Jewish category, namely membership in God's people, and proposes it for its audience as a collective identity but also significantly reshapes that category in light of belief in Jesus. (Publisher).
From early on, Christians passed down the account of Jesus’s agony at the prospect of his own death and his prayer that the cup should pass from him (Gethsemane). Yet, this is a troublesome aspect of Christian tradition. Jesus was committed to his death, but as it approached, he prayed for his escape, even as he submitted himself to God’s will. Ancient critics mocked Jesus and his followers for the events at Gethsemane. The ‘hero’ failed to meet the cultural standards for noble death and masculinity. As such, this story calls for further reflection and interpretation. The present book unfolds discourses from the earliest centuries of Christianity to determine what strategies were developed to come to terms with Gethsemane.
The application of theological and literary approaches to the study of the New Testament in recent years has enabled a seismic shift in our understanding of the identity of Jesus as the New Testament presents him. In terms of the Gospel of John, these theological and literary explorations have resulted in a richer understanding of what it means to identify Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, the one who bears unique witness to the God of Israel, and the one whose life fulfills and embodies numerous symbols that were significant within biblical texts and the traditions of Second Temple Judaism. This volume gathers many of today's most significant interpreters of the Bible as they examine Joh...
One of the leading Historical Jesus scholars of our time, John Meier has also made significant contributions in the areas of early Judaism and New Testament studies writ large. The Figure of Jesus in History and Theology features more than a dozen prominent scholars who engage Meier's work and address its reception today. These scholars, whose areas of expertise range from second temple Judaism to early Christianity, revisit, extend, and respond to Meier's scholarship in ways that allow readers to appreciate anew Meier's landmark publications. Collectively, these essays cast new light on the question of the Historical Jesus and provide a wealth of insight into John Meier's body of work as vi...
What does the Letter to the Hebrews have to say to Christians today? A compelling exhortation to hold true to the faith in the face of adversity. A sermon rife with iconic imagery and Old Testament allusions. A signal work of theology in the New Testament. Above all, the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. But the book’s textual complexity and long history of interpretation can be overwhelming. In this new Pillar commentary, Sigurd Grindheim illuminates the Letter to the Hebrews, paying careful attention to linguistic features and historical context—all while centering its relevance to modern readers. Grindheim clearly and comprehensively addresses major issues about the text, including authorship, date, canonicity, formal qualities, and major themes. Following his thorough introduction, he explains each line of the text and its significance for believers today. Grindheim’s commentary offers pastors, students, and scholars the clarity and fresh insights they want in their scriptural study.
Despite scholars’ ongoing historical and sociological investigations into the ancient family, the right and the status of the firstborn son have been rarely explored by NT scholars, and this topic has not attracted the careful attention that it deserves. This work offers a study of the meaning of the firstborn son in the New Testament paying specific attention to the concept of primogeniture in the Old Testament and Jewish literature. This study argues that primogeniture was a unique institution in Jewish society, and that the title of the firstborn son indicates his access to the promise of Israel, and is associated with the right of the inheritance (i.e., primogeniture) including the Land and the special status of Israel.
Christian faith depends upon the resurrection of Jesus, but the claim about Jesus’ resurrection is, nevertheless, disputed. This book, written by a New Testament scholar and a systematic theologian in conjunction, develops the conditions for the claim. It carefully analyzes the relevant texts and their possible interpretations and engages with New Testament scholarship in order to show nuances and different trajectories in the material. The picture emerging is that the New Testament authors themselves tried to come to terms with how to understand the claim that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. But the book does not stop there: by also asking for the experiential content that gave rise to the belief in the resurrection. Sandnes and Henriksen argue that there is no such thing as an experience of the resurrection reported in the New Testament—only experiences of an empty tomb and appearance of Jesus, interpreted as Jesus resurrected. Hence, resurrection emerges as an interpretative category for post-Easter experiences, and is only understandable in light of the full content of Jesus’ ministry and its context.