Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Biblical Studies - New Testament - Paul's Letters

Are Paul's letters undergirded and informed by key narratives, and does a heightened awareness of those narratives help us to gain a richer and more rounded understanding of Paul's theology? The last two decades of the twentieth century witnessed an increasing interest in the narrative features of Paul's thought. A variety of studies since that period have advanced "story" as an integral and generative ingredient in Paul's theological formulations. In this book, a team of leading Pauline scholars assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a narrative approach, looking in detail at its...

Though the apostle Paul wrote letters to many of the churches he founded, none of his extant letters reveal more about him, his missionary activity, and the community of faith he sought to pastor than 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul tried to influence--even control--the church in the context of a city that had lasting memories of Greek democracy but the present realities of a Roman proconsul. This volume highlights Paul as apostle, missionary, and pastor against the backdrop of the Greco-Roman culture, economics, and politics.

Paul's messianism put him at the margins of Pharisaism, his preaching placed him in tension with the Synagogue, and his Gospel set him on the outer border of Hellenistic religion. This book explores the tensions and creativity that Paul's marginality let loose. In six short chapters, Roetzel explains Paul's complex relationship to first century Judaism and elements of the early church. In so doing, he tackles a great many of the most disputed areas of Pauline theology: How can we speak of Paul as a convert? How far did Paul accept the apocalyptic myth? What are we to make of Paul's...

A. Katherine Grieb insightfully traces the argument of Paul's letter to the Romans and shows how it is grounded in the story of God's faithfulness to Israel. She draws together a number of crucial insights: the narrative character of Paul's thought, the apocalyptic message of his gospel, the depth of his engagement with Israel's Scripture, and the practical and political impact of his theology. She demonstrates the letter's relevance today and invites contemporary readers to locate their own stories within Paul's account of God's righteousness. Informed by recent Pauline scholarship, this...

Jouette Bassler, one of the foremost experts on Pauline theology, offers her wisdom and insight into the core of Paul's thought in this brief and accessible book. She focuses on major themes in Paul, such as grace, law, faith, righteousness, Israel, resurrection, and what it means to be "in Christ." Through each of these themes, she explores the wealth of Paul's various writings, lifting up the most important and basic of Paul's ideas and explaining them within the context of the ancient Greco-Roman world.

Dennis Ronald MacDonald focuses particularly on the legend of Thecla, the virgin and martyr who was converted by Paul and who, with his blessing, became a Christian teacher. Such utilization of women and an affirmation of celibacy and hostility toward the state were attitudes of Paul...

This unique study considers the exegetical and hermeneutical possibilities of analyzing the entire letter of 1 Thessalonians as letter of consolation. Abraham Smith maintains that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians with a full knowledge of the tradition of Greco-Roman letters of consolation and chose the genre to sustain members of the Thessalonian church. Showing how Paul's letter of consolation was understood in Paul's world and by subsequent generations, Smith demonstrates the usefulness of Paul's rhetoric of comfort for modern society.

The Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation...

David Bartlett explores Paul's letter to the Romans and there discovers Paul's vision of the nature of God. Along the way, Bartlett also highlights Paul's thoughts on God's gift of Jesus Christ, the world of the first Christians, and the nature of faith. Fascinating and clearly written, this rewarding and uplifting book will encourage and enlighten the modern reader faced with contemporary issues, including pluralism and the meaning of faith.

Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice....

Paul's influence on Christian thought has been powerful and formative. The deuteropauline epistles, attributed to but not written by Paul, were actually authored by early Christians in an attempt to apply Pauline insights to particular challenges not addressed specifically by Paul. According to Lewis Donelson, this rearticulation and reinterpretation of Pauline wisdom served these early communities by linking them more closely to their apostolic roots. It also provided them with a living gospel that had continuing relevance for their particular time and place.

Books in the...

In this book, Peter Stuhlmacher stresses the Old Testament and postbiblical Jewish traditions as the primary backdrop to Paul's thought, as these traditions were known by Paul himself or mediated to him through Jesus and the early church. The themes of the righteousness of God and the corresponding justification of both Jews and Gentiles are viewed as the center of Romans. Finally, Stuhlmacher seeks to place the apostle's theology within its historical context. He overcomes the false dichotomy that has often characterized the study of Romans, mediating between the view that it is a general...

How did ancient persons understand themselves, other people, and the world around them? Is there a marked contrast between their understandings of "self" and "other" and the way modern Westerners define the same? Bruce Malina and Jerome Neyrey focus on the figure of Paul to provide a comprehensive investigation of how one man was perceived in the ancient world. Drawing on primary sources from antiquity, as well a lessons from cultural anthropology, the authors help provide a fuller understanding of the person of Paul and his world. The result is a new, more balanced way to approach the New...

The Leader Guide provides process guidance for weekly group sessions. The Leader Guide understands the role of leader as facilitator of small-group sessions. Procedures for guiding sessions include: directions for using related video segments, and questions for discussion.

Exploring how people have interpreted Romans through the ages is a good lens to view the history of Christianity itself. Compare what Paul writes in Romans to what theologians like Augustine, Luther and Calvin say in trying to understand Paul in their time. At the end of this study your group will have a more...

A Trusted Resource for Your Study of God's Word

Unlock the treasure of the "joy epistle," which pinpoints the joy-stealers in life and shows why you don't need to be anxious. Like us, the believers at Philippi needed to understand what it means to be joyful in Christ, no matter what the circumstances may be. However, God wants us to discover the secret of true joy and contentment by living in His will.

Written in a personal, easy-to-understand style, join Dr. Warren Wiersbe, trusted pastor and respected Bible teacher, as he leads you on a journey to opening...