The World of the Parables invites readers to meet the people behind the parables—from children and parents to shepherds and merchants—so that they may hear Jesus’ words as first-century Galileans did, coming away with deeper understanding and appreciation.
The parables of Jesus are filled with familiar figures—farmers and fishermen, widows and landowners, fathers and sons, merchants and laborers. Yet when we hear these stories today, we often miss the full force of their meaning because we no lo...
Did Jesus intend to start a new religion—or was Christianity simply born from conflict?Did Jesus intend to found a church separate from Judaism? Who were the very first followers of Jesus? And how did a clash between two families—the family of Jesus on one hand and the family of high priest Annas and their aristocratic allies on the other—eventually lead to the formation of Christianity?Best-selling author Craig A. Evans looks at how a tumultuous chain of events from 30-70 CE—beginning with Jesu...
William C. Placher and Derek R. Nelson compile significant passages written by the most important Christian thinkers, from the early church through the Middle Ages, and up to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Illustrating the major theologians, controversies, and schools of thought, Readings in the History of Christian Theology is an essential companion to the study of church history and historical theology. Excerpts are preceded by the editors' introductions, allowing the bo...
Chu rch historians have long known and appreciated Christianity's global history. Until recently, however, introductory textbooks on the history of Christianity focused almost exclusively on Europe and North America. Robert Bruce Mullins's A Short World History of Christianity, by contrast, offers a panoramic picture of the history of Christianity in its Western and non- Western expressions. It tells the story of the early church in the Greek East as well as the Latin West; of Chris...
A modern classic, A History of Christian Theology offers a concise yet complete chronicle of the whole of Christian theology, from its background in the history of Israel to the liberation and postliberal theologies of recent years. This updated thirtieth anniversary includes expanded treatments of theological developments at the end of the twentieth century, and preliminary trajectories for theology in the twenty-first century. It also includes updated bibliographies and revised...
The Eucharist is the central act of Christian worship. In this book Martin Stringer brings together some of the scholarship associated with the sociological analysis of biblical texts into conversation with liturgists and historians of the first century. He begins his analysis of the Eucharist and other early Christian meals from a detailed discussion of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, the most studied text in the sociological tradition of biblical scholarship. He proposes t...
To answer the title question effectively requires more than the citing of a few texts; we must first acknowledge that the way to the answer is more difficult than it appears and recognize that the answer may be less straightforward than many would like. The author raises some fascinating yet vexing questions: What is worship? Is the fact that worship is offered to God (or a god) what defines him (or her) as "G/god?" What does the act of worship actually involve? The conviction tha...
SEVENTYFIVEPERCENT>Why do religious people choose paths that lead to their deaths as martyrs? Why do some who are killed for their faith become known and revered while others do not? Gail Streete asks these important and disturbing questions in the context of early Christianity, looking at the stories of martyred women such as Thecla, Perpetua, and Felicitas-- women whose stories helped shape Christian faith for centuries, yet are all but forgotten in the modern world. Streete recl...
In this unique Armchair volume, noted church historians Justo and Catherine Gonzalez introduce readers to important early church figures whose teachings were denounced by the church as heresies. Instructional for what they taught and for revealing what the church wished to safeguard and uphold, these "heretics," including Marcion, Arius, Nestorius, and Pelagius, are engagingly presented in their contexts through a clear and accessible text that is highlighted by the humorous ill...
Judaism and Christianity both arose in times of empire, with roots in Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. In order to understand these religious movements, we must first understand the history and society of these imperial cultures. In these formative years, wisdom and apocalyptic traditions flourished as two significant religious forms. In Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea, distinguished New Testament scholar Richard A. Horsley analyzes the function ...
This is a compact introduction to the work of Philo (c. 20 BCE-50 CE), the important Jewish thinker and scriptural interpreter. Kenneth Schenck provides a guide for understanding Philo's complex works, a roadmap for topics and contents of Philo's writings, and a description of contemporary research so students can easily find their ways into Philo study.
In an inclusive reading of Augustine, Mark Ellingsen reveals a patterned conceptual richness in Augustine's thought. The Richness of Augustine is a wonderful introduction and a rich ecumenical and historical resource. It is the first introduction that places in focus the significance of Augustine's African cultural and ethnic roots.
This masterful study of the early centuries of Christianity vividly brings to life the religious, political, and cultural developments through which the faith that began as a sect within Judaism became finally the religion of the Roman empire. First published in 1970, Grant's classic is enhanced with a new foreward by Margaret M. Mitchell, which assesses its importance and puts the reader in touch with the advances of current research.
First Corinthians provides a unique glimpse info the life of a young Christian community in a Greco-Roman environment during the early decades of emerging Christianity. It supplies a range and richness of information about the early church that is unparalleled by any other New Testament document. Much effort has gone into reconstructing Christianity at Corinth; more recently, attention has focused on the Corinthian community itself. The scholarly picture of the Corinthian Christians ...
This is a unique reference resource for study of the theological ideas developed in the early church period. Patristic theology is the theology of Christian writers up to the ninth century which became formative for succeeding centuries of Christianity. This handbook provides easy access to these leading theological understandings.The Westminster Handbook to Christian Theology series provides a set of resources for the study of historic and contemporary theological movements and Chr...
This highly engaging and readable book is a study of Joseph Caiaphas, a Jewish high priest of the first century and one of the men who sent Jesus to his death. Caiaphas is a valuable resource for scholars of ancient history and students of the Gospel of Acts.
This book provides ready access into and sure guidance through the marvelous, often convoluted, invariably rich world of Origen: the man, the ecclesiastical dynamics of his day, his extant works, the range of his theological explorations, his influence, and the controversies associated with him in life and in death. Included are recommendations for use and clear presentation of topics which enable the reader, whether novice or specialist, to engage Origen in ways that address the re...
This revised and expanded edition of a book that first appeared in 1945 offers an inside look at the growth and spread of Christianity in the second century by providing source materials from pagan witnesses, Christian churches, and movements that became known as heretical. Reading these selections provides a first-hand sense of issues and concerns in that period. It brings the reader right into the arena in which Christianity and Christians were being discussed and provides a first...
This book is a tool for teaching and studying the great Christian classic, Augustine's Confessions. It is a unique venture in which thirteen different scholars look at each of the thirteen books in the Confessions and interpret their chapters in light of that book and in light of the rest of Augustine's work. The result is that the richness and ambiguity of Augustine's work shines through as well as the richness and ambiguity of different readings of the Confessions.
In this classic work in patristic studies, R. P. C. Hanson elucidates the views of the third-century theologian Origen on the nature and interpretaion of Scripture. The introduction by a leading Origen scholar sets Hanson's work in its context and explores its significance to Origen scholarship.
In this book, Stephen Cooper provides an overview of the greatest theologian of the early church: Augustine of Hippo. Augustine has had a towering influence in the history of Christianity and his Confessions has long been regarded as one of Christianity's classic texts. Cooper introduces the life and thought of Augustine through discussing the Confessions and shows how many of Augustine's human struggles are still with us today. He also examines the theological views of Augustin...
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 o...
What was the family like for the first Christians? Informed by archaeological work and illustrated by figures, this work is a remarkable window into the past, one that both informs and illuminates our current condition.The Family, Culture, and Religion series offers informed and responsible analyses of the state of the American family from a religious perspective and provides practical assistance for the family's revitalization.
The historic teachings of four major Christian traditions--Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Reformation and Union Churches, and Evangelical and Free churches--are set forth here in a comparative framework. Following a brief historical introduction of each tradition, Ted Campbell provides an extensive overview of the tradition's beliefs on religious authority, God and Christ, human nature and salvation, and church, ministry, and the sacraments. He concludes by considering whether...
A monumental work in scope and content, Aloys Grillmeier's Chirst in the Christian Tradition offers students and scholars a comprehensive exposition of Western writing on the history of doctrine. Volume Two covers the Council of Chalcedon (451) to Gregory the Great (590-604), with Part Four focusing on the Church of Alexandria.
