New Testament History

Who was Jesus? Historical sources portray a person who was complex, multi-layered, and often contradictory to the tidy portrait that much of modern Christianity paints him as. Even the gospel accounts render him as both judge and healer, teacher and temple, servant and savior. A Doubter's Guide to Jesus is a persuasive and often challenging investigation into the historical figure found in the earliest sources. These sources, which include references both direct and indirect - from Roman, Jewish, and Christian accounts - offer us more than simple evidence that Jesus existed.

Best-selling author and national radio host Dr. Andrew Farley is known to challenge legalistic and lifeless interpretations with his discerning take on controversial scriptures. In Twisted Scripture, Andrew skewers sacred cows and shatters destructive lies, bringing the undiluted truth about God's love and grace in a colorful and conversational look at the most controversial passages in the New Testament.

Missionary, theologian, and religious genius, Paul is one of the most powerful human personalities in the history of the Church. E. P. Sanders, an influential Pauline scholar, analyzes the fundamental beliefs and vigorous contradictions in Paul's thought, discovering a philosophy that is less of a monolithic system than the apostle's convictions would seem to suggest.

Unlock the Secrets of Biblical Typology – Your Gateway to Profound Theological Insights! Are you ready to dive into the profound depths of Biblical Typology? Discover the hidden connections between the Old and New Testaments that unveil a unified, divine plan across centuries. "TYPOLOGY: The Connecting Link Between Old and New Testament Theology" is your definitive guide to understanding the intricate tapestry of Scripture, meticulously woven with prophetic symbols and divine revelations. This groundbreaking book offers a scholarly yet accessible exploration of Biblical Typology, shedding...

Some questions about the New Testament canon are far from settled, either in the academy or the church—to say nothing of misconceptions and confusion. This is a crucial topic, given the importance of the canon's formation for our understanding of early Christianity and the nature of the Christian faith itself. In Creating the Canon, Benjamin P. Laird explores misunderstood, disputed, and overlooked matters tied to the composition, collection, and authority of the New Testament canon.

In this new audiobook, Hall makes the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists; that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. In addition, Hall explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today.

In The Misunderstood Jew, scholar Amy-Jill Levine helps Christians and Jews understand the "Jewishness" of Jesus so that their appreciation of him deepens and a greater interfaith dialogue can take place. Levine's humor and informed truth - telling provokes honest conversation and debate about how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus, the New Testament, and each other.

What does it mean for Jesus to be “deified” in early Christian literature? Litwa’s samples take us beyond the realm of abstract theology to dwell in the second- and third-century imagination of what it meant to be a god and shows that the Christian depiction of Christ was quite at home there.

A sound grasp of the background and contents of the New Testament is imperative for any serious following of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament we find answers to some of the most basic questions of life, including who God is, how the world was created, how sintered the world, and how God chose to create men and women to walk with him in a covenant relationship. Yet is only in the New Testament that we get the full revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God sent into the world to seek and save lost humanity (Luke 19:10). In this fourth book in the Teach Me Your Paths series, we follow up on...

The Foundations of Faith series features important writings from the early Christian Church, with modernized language to make these influential works more accessible to today's reader. Included in Volume 1 are the following works: The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) The First and Second Epistles of Clement The Epistle of Barnabas The Odes of Solomon The Epistle of Polycarp The Martyrdom of Polycarp The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus The Seven Prison Epistles of Ignatius Ignatius to the Ephesians Ignatius to the Magnesians Ignatius to the Trallians Ignatius to the Romans ...

The Apostolic Church: In the Twenty-First Century is a collection of articles and essays on the nature and mission of the church. Written in an accessible style, this book will help both ministers and laypersons understand how to live out their faith in the community we know as the church.

Alexandria was the epicenter of Hellenic learning in the ancient Mediterranean world, yet little is known about how Christianity arrived and developed in the city during the late first and early second century CE. In this volume, M. David Litwa employs underused data from the Nag Hammadi codices and early Christian writings to open up new vistas on the creative theologians who invented Christianities in Alexandria prior to Origen and the catechetical school of the third century.

The Qur'anic sura (chapter) of Joseph deals almost entirely with the story of this noble Prophet, his brothers, and their father Prophet Jacob. Since the revelation of the Qur'an fourteen centuries ago, there have been numerous attempts to interpret this sura. The present study is a genuinely new look at the sura - including careful examination of the historical background of its story and detailed comparison with the corresponding Biblical narrative. While referring to interpretations from classical exegetical works, this book offers new insights into the meanings and magnificence of this ...

It’s not often that you come across a document of such religious and historical importance as The Septuagint Genesis – in fact its significance would be hard to overstate. But what is the Septuagint? Well, its name refers to the “seventy’ (actually 72) translators – six from each tribe of Israel – who translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the primary language of Jews in Egypt at the time. This, the oldest and arguably most important translation, was the version of The Bible that Jesus himself would have read – and the one from which almost all the New Testament’s writers were quoting.

Wills turns his remarkable gift for biblical analysis to the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Wills examines the goals, methods, and styles of the evangelists and how these shaped the gospels' messages.

The Apocrypha of the Bible examines the history of the books excluded from the Bible, the characters and events told by the books, and the discoveries that have influenced Biblical studies in the last few centuries.

"The Text of the New Testament: A Beginner's Handbook to New Testament Textual Studies" is an essential and expanded guide to understanding the intricate processes behind the preservation, transmission, and restoration of the New Testament text. This comprehensive work, now extensively updated to cover even more topics, bridges the gap between scholarly rigor and accessibility, making it an indispensable resource for students, pastors, and anyone passionate about delving deeper into the foundation of the Christian Scriptures. Edward D. Andrews introduces readers to the world of textual ...

This guide is intended to help those who are learning about the historical context of the New Testament, its authors, and their audiences. Every book of the New Testament is explored with those context points as well as commentary. For those of you who are new to Christianity, I expect this guide to help you grow in your faith. The realization that most of the New Testament was written to an audience of “new” Christians will help it become more personal to you. For those of you who are Christians since youth, I hope that this guide serves to pull you back into the Bible, to revisit its ...

Did you know that Jesus made puns? Did you know that Paul never calls himself or the churches he writes to “Christian?” Did you know that we don’t know who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews, or if it’s even really a letter? James F. McGrath sheds light on these and many other surprising realities of Scripture in The A to Z of the New Testament. Cutting through common myths and misunderstandings of problematic bible passages, James F. McGrath opens up expert knowledge to laypeople in his friendly introduction to New Testament studies.

The Bible made simple! In a world brimming with diverse beliefs, cultures, and worldviews, one book has held a unique place in human history, transcending time and borders - the Bible. While revered as a sacred and religious text by many, the Bible is also a fascinating historical and literary treasure providing unparalleled insights into the evolution of human thought, ethics, and storytelling. This is not a theological or faith-based exploration, but an easy-to-understand discovery of the Bible to give you all-you-need-to-know in a quick and easy-to-read format. Join us on a journey into ...