This book makes a major contribution to the ongoing debate about which of the Synoptic gospels was written first. Dr. Head has evolved a new approach to the problem, using the christological criterion in order to produce more objective results. He compares the consensus view--that Mark's gospel was the first to be written--with the view that Mark used, conflated and abbreviated Matthew and Luke (a view that is undergoing a contemporary revival). The author confirms the hypothesis of Markan priority, but argues that Matthew was a developer rather than a corrector of Mark.

M.V. Hubbard offers a full investigation of St. Paul's understanding of "new life" and "new creation," working closely with the language of his letters to unpack, in socio-anthropological context, the images and metaphors he uses. Professor Hubbard examines other approaches and literature on the topic, providing an important new perspective on the Pauline oeuvre and its meaning.

Three factors prompt this re-examination of the underlying questions that shape mainstream exegesis of Paul's letters. Hermeneutical studies have destabilized assumptions about the nature of meaning in texts; the letters are usually characterized as pastoral but explicated as expressions of Paul's thought; and the impact of E. P. Sanders' work on Paul has sharpened exegetical problems in Romans 1.16-4.25. The outcome is a two-step method of exegesis that considers a letter first in the light of the author's purpose in creating it and second as evidence for the patterns of thought from which...

This study examines the changes and developments in three early Christian communities' expectations of Christ's return and the End of the World. Mark 13, Matthew 24 and 25 and Didache 16 are analyzed to find how early Christian expectations developed and how they were affected by the delay of Christ's return. The book questions the accepted models of change and offers new insights into the communities behind the Gospels of Mark and Matthew and behind the early Christian writing known as the Didache.

This German language title presents a new interpretation of Luke's theology and ethics. The author demonstrates how Luke develops his theological agenda by contrasting the teaching of Jesus with that of John the Baptist. Throughout his writing, Luke develops his own theology of liberation, which he uses to try and win over the followers of John the Baptist to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. John and his followers preached with threats of judgment while Jesus is depicted as a forgiving pastoral leader--the good shepherd.

In this book, Madison N. Pierce analyzes the use of prosopological exegesis by the author of Hebrews in almost every major quotation of Scripture. She shows that the author uses Scripture in a consistent way that develops his characterization of God - Father, Son, and Spirit - and that results in a triune portrait of God in Hebrews. Offering a detailed reading of several passages, she also demonstrates how the author's portrayal of God is consistent with later theological developments. Pierce's method replaces atomistic approaches and allows readers to see a clear pattern of usage across the...

Provides the first full-scale, theoretically informed exploration of the rhetorical function of emotions in a New Testament epistle.