Through exegetical studies of 1 Corinthians and Galatians, John Lewis shows how Paul synthesises theology and ethics - which interpreters frequently separate - as integrated aspects of Christian thinking and living. This fusion becomes evident in Paul's complex process of theological, moral reasoning that lies beneath the surface of his letters for which we have coined the phrase 'theo-ethical reasoning'.

The book also examines how Paul encourages his churches to apply this theo-ethical reasoning in the community practice of spiritual discernment - a dialogical, comparative process...

Did first century Mediterranean readers of the Fourth Gospel have comparable literary examples to inform their comprehension of Moses as a character? In addressing this question, Harstine's study falls into two parts. The first is an analysis of the character Moses as utilized in the text of the Fourth Gospel. The second is an examination of other Hellenistic narrative texts, in which the character of Homer is also considered, as another important legendary figure with whom the readers of the Fourth Gospel would have been familiar.

'Enemies of the Cross' employs classical rhetorical analysis to examine how Paul structures a deliberative argument using his understanding of the 'cross of Christ'. His goals are to guide/advise the Philippian community through internal and external strife (ch. 2), combat his opponents (ch.3), and develop his notion of the eschatological community (3:18-21). Williams proposes that while Paul has a 'theology of the death of Jesus', of which cross terminology is one of several aspects, this terminology is used almost exclusively in polemical/conflictual contexts. Hence Paul appears to be...

This major study of a Markan genre, represented in the central section 8.27-10.4, ranges through Greek, rabbinic and early Christian literature, providing detailed comparison with the anecdotes in Lucian's Demonax and the Mishnah.Moeser concludes that the Markan anecdotes clearly follow the definition of, and typologies for, the Greek chreia. His analysis indicates that while the content of the three sets of anecdotes is peculiar to its respective cultural setting, the Greek, Jewish and Christian examples all function according to the purposes of the genre.

The Bezan ('Western') text of Acts is traditionally dismissed as the work of an enthusiastic and fanciful scribe who embellished the original text represented by the Alexandran manuscripts. This study compares the language of Codex Bezae with that of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, using the approach of discourse analysis to re-assess how variant readings have arisen. It emerges that the language patterns of the Alexandrian text are variable and the focus of its message historical. In contrast, the Bezan text displays an exceptional degree of lingusitic consistency and a coherence of...

Although many scholars consider Luke 17:22-37 to be "the most important eschatological passage in Luke-Acts," few agree on the precise meaning of the enigmatic proverb which forms its conclusion (Luke 17:37). Generally, Jesus' logion is taken to convey a macabre image of impending judgement. However, this study offers fresh literary, redactional, and historical evidence to suggest that Luke recast Jesus' saying in order to describe something much more glorious--the deliverance of the elect. Examination of the material elsewhere in Luke-Acts corroborates Luke's expectation of an ethereal...

The Gospel of Mark is often described as a paradoxical gospel, a riddle that teases its readers' response, and a narrative that possesses an enigmatic and puzzling character. Santos argues that this puzzling character is seen clearly in the paradox of authority and servanthood in the gospel. In tracing and analyzing this paradox throughout the Markan narrative, he first develops a literary method for the study of paradox, and having applied the results to authority and servanthood in Mark, he discusses key contributions of the paradox to the three Markan issues of the disciples' role in...

The current interest in reading the Gospels as narratives has reclaimed aspects of these texts that historical-critical approaches failed to respect. The richness of these newer readings can, however, disguise their limitations as literary-critical exercises. Developing Hans Frei's concern for theological reading, David Lee reworks the narratology of the Dutch literary theorist Mieke Bal to produce a theological narrative reading practice that formally respects the text as scripture while leaving open the possible meanings that readers may construct for themselves in the act of reading....

This monograph interprets the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15.11-32) in the light of Graeco-Roman popular moral philosophy. Luke's special parables are rarely studied in this way, but the results of this study are very fruitful. The unity of the parable is supported, and it is shown to be deeply concerned with a major Lukan theme: the right use of possessions. The whole parable is read in terms of the moral topos 'on covetousness', and shown to be an endorsement of the Graeco-Roman virtue of liberality, modified by the Christian virtue of compassion.

This collection of papers from members of the 'Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament' seminar (held at St Deinid's, Hawarden, Wales) has been commissioned to honour its retiring chairperson, J.L. North. It includes contributions by Michael Goulder (Isaiah 61), Joel Marcus (Matthew), Maurice Casey (Christology), George Brooke (Parables), Judith Lieu (John), Peter Doble (Acts), Morna Hooker (Philippians), John O'Neill (Galatians), Ivor Jones (2 Thessalonians), Martin Menken (Matthew) and Steve Moyise (Intertextuality). BLURB AS REWRITTEN BY PRD 11 JANUARY 2000: It is well known, but...