A Hermeneutic of Imagination: unlocking scripture's full potential (2025)
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"This book argues that imagination should play a vital role in reading the Bible because it transforms the study of Scripture into a vibrant source of intellectual stimulation, emotional connection, and spiritual growth
Jewish Foundations of the New Testament: addressing the roots of antisemitism (2025)
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"This book provides a much-needed series of interpretations of thirty key passages in the New Testament that have played a crucial role in Jewish-Christian relations"
Archaeology and the World of Jesus: a visual guide (2025)
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"In this beautifully designed volume, a leading New Testament scholar explores the archaeology of particular sites, their relevance for studying the ministry of Jesus, and their connection to specific Gospel texts"--
The Lord Bless You : Numbers 6 for the life of the church
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The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible for the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman. The Priestly Blessing in Numbers 6, "The Lord bless you," is one of the most familiar and widely used liturgical texts in Christianity. Although often recited, it is not usually a subject of in-depth study. This volume provides a detailed, engagingly written exposition of the Priestly Blessing as well as a broader exploration of blessing in the Old Testament and the life of faith.
Excavating Women : the archaeology of leaders in early Christianity (2025)
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"Excavating Women investigates the leadership of women in Christian churches in the first six centuries CE through a study of archaeological remains. Carina Prestes surveys the role of women in Greco-Roman society and examines funerary remains of the first Christian centuries to understand the role of women in Christian communities"-
Trans Biblical : new approaches to interpretation and embodiment in scripture (2025)
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Trans Biblical provides some of the most exciting new scholarly work in trans biblical interpretation to help us better understand our Bibles, our bodies, and one another in a fraught and fractious world. Trans Biblical: New Approaches to Interpretation and Embodiment in Scriptureoffers a collection of wide-ranging essays exploring key issues animating trans biblical interpretation from a variety of angles and emphases. Contributors, who themselves represent a range of gender identities, answer the question "what makes a biblical reading trans, or a trans reading biblical?" in diverse and exciting ways. They also promote new ways of thinking about gender variation in the ancient world while more sensitively and critically addressing ongoing debates about gender and embodiment. This collection is a helpful entrée into how biblical readers and interpreters can make new, more creative, reflexive, and accountable connections to influential texts and traditions. It represents a historic effort to situate, expand, and elaborate on the current trajectories of trans biblical interpretation. Gender variance is as old as stories about creation, and biblical texts are more variable than we have been trained to see. They disrupt present-day assumptions of a simple and stable gender binary, often deployed against trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. Taking us from Genesis through the Gospels and epistles and into rabbinic and early Christian scriptural engagement, Trans Biblicalsharpens our awareness of what is inthese texts and builds up our capacities for what can be done withour encounter with biblical texts and traditions. In short, the work of the scholars gathered in this one, convenient collection meets an important, even urgent, need by providing a range of entry points and approaches to biblical texts and traditions in a contextually and theoretically nuanced fashion.
Between the Psalms and the Twelve : exploring the nature and shape of composition (2025)
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This book initiates dialogue between recent scholarship on the Psalms and on the Book of the Twelve. While these two biblical corpora are seemingly similar, the scholarship on them has not been brought into fruitful conversation, until now. This volume seeks to demonstrate that insights gained from reading the two sets of biblical texts, even if done separately, can productively inform the reading of both when brought together in conversation. An international team of specialists who have worked extensively with either one or both sets of texts seeks to break fresh ground and shed new light.
Exploring the Financial Parables of Jesus : the economy of grace and the generosity of God (2025)
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Storytelling is a powerful and effective means of communication, a truth Jesus knew and used to great advantage in his parables. Many of the plots in these parables involve financial matters. They teach about God's perspective on money, resources, and their use, but further, they teach profound spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, wherein relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth and possessions. Taken together, the parables examined in this book paint a picture of divine generosity and grace in both the financial and spiritual realms. This in turn challenges readers to reexamine their priorities and how money and possessions can be used for the kingdom. The author brings his expertise in literature and biblical studies to bear in a fresh examination of the nature of parables and their interpretation in general and of a number of Jesus's prominent parables with financial themes, all with an eye toward contemporary application. He does so without scholarly jargon, making this accessible book ideal for both undergraduate courses on the Gospels and for church leaders and groups.
Visions of the Holy: studies in biblical theology and literature (2023)
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This collection of previously published and unpublished essays by Marvin A. Sweeney examines issues in biblical and postbiblical theology. Topics include the canonical understanding of the Tanak, the character of Jewish biblical theology, Asian biblical theology, the understanding of Shabbat, intertextuality in Exodus-Numbers, Samuel, Isaiah, and the Twelve in intertextual perspective, and the democratization of messianism in modern Jewish thought. The volume represents a lifetime of study of the Hebrew Bible in one volume for scholars, students, and clergy interested in theological readings of the Hebrew Bible.
Explorations in the Interpretation of Samuel : intertextuality and reception (2025)
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The volume consists of 21 essays from an international group of scholars. The volume is broken into two parts: Reading Samuel with the Hebrew Bible, and beyond the Hebrew Bible. Each section will offer readings of portions of the Book of Samuel that engage with other texts. The chapters are arranged in the order of the narrative sequence of Samuel to highlight the way reading with other texts can inform a reading of the Book of Samuel.
Acts: an Interpretation Bible Commentary, by Matthew Skinner (2025)
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Encounter Acts as a book that depicts the church as a hospitable and multicultural community on a journey in which it continues to be surprised by the new realities the Holy Spirit makes possible in the post-Easter world. Acts: An Interpretation Bible Commentaryis a lively, readable commentary that offers historical, literary, theological, and pastoral analysis of the Acts of the Apostles. It explores the biblical narrative's potential to inform the theological imagination of ancient audiences and offers insights about how Christian readers and communities might constructively engage Acts today. In this fresh commentary, Matthew L. Skinner opens up both the text and the worlds of its first audience--communities of faith in need of a clear sense of identity and encouragement that the power of God was still with them. The commentary respects the complexity of difficult and significant themes that permeate Acts, such as the friction between Jesus' followers and powerful Roman interests, depictions of opposition led by Jewish antagonists, humorous undertones in violent episodes, and storytelling flourishes, such as incredible coincidences and last-second escapes from danger. This interpretation of Acts written by a scholar and preacher illuminates meaningful connections between the story Acts tells and challenges facing churches today, such as countering antisemitism, embracing inclusivity, articulating the good news in ways that respect the distinctiveness of different cultures, ensuring security for especially vulnerable members of society, living out values that challenge conventional political and economic assumptions, honoring the gifts and dignity of all people, promoting motives for evangelism that reject aspirations of dominance and colonialism, decrying unjust judicial and penal abuses, participating in respectful multifaith dialogue, and trusting God for the church's future even when doing so seems ill-advised. Those who preach, teach, and study the book of Acts will learn to experience it as a work of pastoral theology, a narrative written to encourage believers by reassuring them of God's faithfulness. Emphasizing sound critical exegesis with strong theological sensibilities, the Interpretation Bible Commentary series features innovative interpretive approaches that help readers engage the biblical text as a source for participating in the larger social world. These new volumes, written by an array of new and diverse authors, are designed to meet the needs of clergy, teachers, and students by inviting readers into the lively work of careful biblical interpretation for the purpose of faithful exposition. Through its engagement with Scripture, the Interpretation Bible Commentary series illumines our relationship with God, one another, and creation so that readers are propelled with new understanding and energy for fulfilling God's claims on us in our rapidly changing contexts.
God, Gender, and Family Trauma: how rereading Genesis can be a revelation (2025)
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Most readers of the Hebrew Scriptures will identify Genesis with creation and the garden of Eden, Noah's ark, and the tales of the patriarchs. Biblical scholar and Lutheran minister Cory Driver helps us probe below the surface of such preconceptions, uncovering complex and often traumatic subtexts that help us recover hidden voices. Driver uses trauma-informed scholarship and Jewish midrash to invite readers into new understandings of Genesis. Viewing figures such as Sarah, Joseph, Tamar, and Dinah through this lens sheds valuable light on what the Bible can teach us about gender and family trauma. These ancient stories have vital implications for our own lives in ministry. What does it mean, for example, to see Sarah as both victim and victimizer in a patriarchal system? How does the complicated story of Lot and his daughters illuminate complex dynamics of gender-based sexual trauma? What do our accounts of figures ranging from patriarchs like Jacob to marginalized women like Tamar tell us about agency, abuse, and sense of self? What is really going on with Joseph? Through careful analysis and pastoral attention to the impacts of trauma throughout time and space, Driver helps us understand how ancient stories can inform our contemporary ministry. God sees the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, both in the ancient Near East and in our pews today--and the good news is that God is intimately present. Consequently, in Driver's words, "trauma-informed care is the work of the whole Body of Christ."
A critical and exegetical commentary on the gospel according to John. Volume 1, Introduction and commentary on John 1-6 (2025)
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In this ICC Martin de Boer provides an introduction and commentary on chapters 1-6 of John's Gospel. de Boer sets out to interpret the Gospel in the historical context in which it was written and first read, and to explain it both historically and theologically. Taking his primary bearings from the seminal work of Raymond E. Brown and J.L. Martyn, de Boer applies and advances their approach through each section of his commentary, whilst also engaging with the latest scholarship, alternative viewpoints, and critiques of the Brown/Martyn approach. As such de Boer takes very seriously the view that John's Gospel was written for a particular community, and that the composition of the text as we know it took place over an extended period of time. Examination of the historical realities of this community is a hallmark of this commentary including the notion that, as members of the community, women may have played a role in the Gospel's composition.
Abraham : the first Jew
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The story of Abraham, the first Jew, portrayed as two lives lived by one person, paralleling the contradictions in Judaism throughout its history In this new biography of Abraham, Judaism's foundational figure, Anthony Julius offers an account of the origins of a fundamental struggle within Judaism between skepticism and faith, critique and affirmation, thinking for oneself and thinking under the direction of another. Julius describes Abraham's life as two separate lives, and as a version of the collective life of the Jewish people. Abraham's first life is an early adulthood of questioning the polytheism of his home city of Ur Kasdim until its ruler, Nimrod, condemns him to death and he is rescued, he believes, by a miracle. In his second life, Abraham's focus is no longer on critique but rather on conversion and on his leadership over his growing household, until God's command that he sacrifice his son Isaac. This test, the Akedah (or "Binding"), ends with another miracle, as he believes, but as Julius argues, it is also a catastrophe for Abraham. The Akedah represents for him an unsurpassed horizon--and in Jewish life thereafter. This book focuses on Abraham as leader of the first Jewish project, Judaism, and the unresolvable, insurmountable crisis that the Akedah represents--both in his leadership and in Judaism itself.
You Are My Slaves : a comparative study of the slavery metaphor in early rabbinic and early Christian parables (2025)
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"Some of the slavery parables in the New Testament have been called "texts of terror," as the slaves who are portrayed in them are beaten or even cut in two. Despite - or because - their violence, slavery parables are often used in early Christian and early rabbinic literature to illustrate the unique relationship between God and his people. This study investigates the reasons for and meaning of using the master-slave metaphor in the parables: what does it tell us about early Christian and early rabbinic theology, including possibilities for critique and resistance vis-à-vis the divine, and what does it say about slavery in the ancient world?"-
Miracles and Wonder : the historical mystery of Jesus (2025)
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . From a renowned National Book Award-winning scholar, an extraordinary new account of the life of Jesus that explores the mystery of how a poor young man inspired a religion that reshaped the world. "This a brilliant and necessary book. Sober, wise, respectful, and fearless." -Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "Pagels' story is for believers and non-believers alike." -Tara Westover, author of Educated "The depth of spirituality she uncovers is profound." -The New York Times Book Review Early in her career, Elaine Pagels changed our understanding of the origins of Christianity with her work in The Gnostic Gospels. Now, in the culmination of a decades-long career, she explores the biggest subject of all, Jesus. In Miracles and Wonder she sets out to discover how a poor young Jewish man inspired a religion that shaped the world. The book reads like a historical mystery, with each chapter addressing a fascinating question and answering it based on the gospels Jesus's followers left behind. Why is Jesus said to have had a virgin birth? Why do we say he rose from the dead? Did his miracles really happen and what did they mean? The story Pagels tells is thrilling and tense. Not just does Jesus comes to life but his desperate, hunted followers do as well. We realize that some of the most compelling details of Jesus's life are the explanations his disciples created to paper over inconvenient facts. So Jesus wasn't illegitimate, his mother conceived by God; Jesus's body wasn't humiliatingly left to rot and tossed into a common grave-no, he rose from the dead and was seen whole by his followers; Jesus isn't a failed messiah, his kingdom is a metaphor- he lives in us. These necessary fabrications were the very details and promises that electrified their listeners and helped his followers' numbers grow. In Miracles and Wonder, Pagels does more than solve a historical mystery. She sheds light on Jesus's enduring power to inspire and attract.
Freeing Black Girls : a Black feminist bible on racism and revolutionary mothering
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In Freeing Black Girls, Tamura Lomax offers an insurgent feminist love letter to Black girls, women, mothers, and othermothers. Exploring what it means to mother Black children in the twenty-first century, Lomax shares her journey from her traditionalist Black girlhood to finding the path to revolutionary Black motherhood. Along the way, she shows how all Black people are endangered by white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchal dominance and emphasizes the power of looking and talking back. Lomax insists on Black feminist ways of living that value and nourish whole persons, sketching a radical dream that will allow Black women and girls to survive America while being able to love themselves, others, and collective Black freedom. Ultimately, Lomax declares that Black women and girls are emphatically not defective, second-class, or immanent nurturers; they are sacred and revolutionary beings who deserve to live a life free of predation, patriarchy, misrecognition, misogynoir, and violence.
Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul : a visual guide
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Leading New Testament scholar David deSilva explores the archaeology of particular sites and their relevance for thinking about Paul's missionary activity, his congregations, and his letters.
City of Gods: the New Jerusalem of John's Revelation in Early Christianity
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This is the story of the great and final city of John's Revelation. Plumbing the first three centuries of Christian literature, this careful narrative highlights the early significance of one of the most influential, evocative, and controversial images in Christian scripture. Chronicling how dozens of early writers and movements imagined and applied the New Jerusalem - from Justin and Irenaeus to Origen and Methodius, from the "Montanists" and Tertullian to Victorinus and Lactantius - this study demonstrates how the city, regardless of its myriad and often competing interpretations, always pointed to the highest possible union of God and humanity both now and in the age to come.
Bibles in Popular Cultures
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Supporting the theory that there is no singular 'Bible', and the idea that biblical literacy is demonstrated in a multitude of ways beyond confessional interpretations of biblical texts, the contributors of this volume explore how multiple 'Bibles' coexist simultaneously in popular cultures. By interrogating popular television, music, and film, biblical retellings are identified which variously perpetuate, challenge or subvert biblical narratives and motifs. The topics discussed are gathered around three themes: depictions of sex and gender, troubling representations, and subversions of biblical authority. This volume offers new studies on retellings of biblical texts which seek to interrogate, perpetuate and challenge dominant cultural ideas of who can interpret biblical texts, what forms this might take, and the influence of biblical interpretations in our societies.
The Enspirited Body in 1 Corinthians 15
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The precise nature of the (the enspirited body) remains a mystery. It is possible that Paul derived the expression from a lost source in Alexandrian Judaism - perhaps based on a transformation of the exegesis of the Genesis creation tradition - but it seems most probable that the origin of the concept was his self-described experience of the Risen Lord. does not appear in any text datable prior to 1 Corinthians. However, John Granger Cook shows that 1 Cor 15:35-58 and 2 Cor 5:1-10 do provide some guidelines for understanding Paul's concept of the enspirited body and enable the reader to make useful conclusions about what a ; is and what it is not. The context of "enspirited body" indicates the following result: the claim occasionally seen in modern scholarship that the enspirited body in Paul is entirely non-physical is unwarranted.
Ezekiel Traditions in the Second Temple Period : 4QWords of Ezekiel in its broader context
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This volume offers a fresh perspective on the composition 4Qwords of Ezekiel found at Qumran, and the development and transmission of the textual traditions associated with the prophet Ezekiel during the Second Temple period. As the first comprehensive monograph on this composition, it explores the intricate relationship between WoEzek and the scriptural Book of Ezekiel. The study suggests that WoEzek, through its unique structural frameowork and selected oracles, reflects how Ezekiel's visions were interpreted during the second Temple period. By placing WoEzek within its broader literary and historical context, the analysis challenges traditional views on this composition and highlights the significance of Ezekiel's prophecy in the evolution of apocalyptic literature. This resource is ideal for scholars and graduate students in Biblical Studies and Second Temple literature, especially those interested in the dead Sea Scrolls and Ezekiel's prophetic writings.
Reading the Bible with Its Writers: what they were saying, why they said it, how they said it (2025)
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The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, written by many different people over many hundreds of years. All of its writers lived in an ancient-world context and thought in ancient-world ways. But as Bible readers today, we live and think in the modern world--which is increasingly a postmodern world. Things that were "obvious" to them are not "obvious" to us, and vice versa. For Christians who want to be faithful to the Bible as the Word of God, the time and distance between then and now is a real challenge to navigate. Stephen Burnhope suggests that we won't get it right by collapsing that gap--by just picking the text up and reading it. "The Bible says . . . [insert a verse]" is not enough. We will mishear both what the human authors were saying and what the divine author was saying. Reading the Bible well starts from reading it with its writers--understanding it as they understood it: what they were saying; why they said it; and how they said it. All of which is shaped and framed by the Bible's "big themes" that, once we're aware of them, we see running throughout, from cover-to-cover.
Exploring the Financial Parables of Jesus : the economy of grace and the generosity of God (2025)
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This book offers a fresh examination of Jesus's financial parables with an eye toward contemporary application. Bible and literature scholar Keith Bodner shows how these parables teach us not only about God's perspective on money and resources but also about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, one in which relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth and possessions.
Ezra-Nehemiah. (Wisdom commentary ; v.14.)
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In this volume, Deborah Appler and Terry Ann Smith offer a sustained investigation and feminist critique that move beyond traditional historical and theological interpretations of Ezra-Nehemiah. Their intersectional analysis engages themes of gender, power, economics, and social justice. Tensions between group inclusion and exclusion are evident in Ezra-Nehemiah, and the authors bring attention to the complexities associated with identity formation and boundary-making for a repatriated community. Their volume amplifies often overlooked voices in the text and offers insight into how issues of faith, marginalization, and communal solidarity complicate what it means to "come home." Their collaborative analysis of Ezra-Nehemiah demonstrates how ancient and modern communities grapple with community formation and identity amidst ever-evolving social and cultural challenges.
Grounded Theology in the Hebrew Bible : exploring the cultural context that formed ancient Israel (2025)
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Many books focus on either the cultural contexts of ancient Israel or the theology of the Hebrew Scriptures. This unique and insightful work, coauthored by a biblical scholar with expertise in archaeology and a biblical theologian, bridges the gap between these two disciplines. This book shows readers how the everyday life of ancient Israelites shaped their relationship with God and how understanding their cultural context illuminates the profound connections between their world and their faith. Grounded Theology in the Hebrew Bible explores topics such as households, food, marriage negotiations, covenants, warfare, and more. Each chapter begins by examining archaeological insights into the everyday practices and beliefs of ancient Israelites, shedding light on how these inform the theology that develops throughout Scripture. This approach enhances our understanding of ancient Israel's theologies. For the Bible student, pastor, or serious lay reader, this volume is an invitation to dig deeper into the cultural background and theology of the Hebrew Bible. The book includes suggestions for further reading, images, figures, and discussion questions.
Killing the Messiah: the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth (2025)
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Long ago, on a spring morning in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate passed judgement on a mysterious preacher. Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a cross shortly after and died in agony. The effects of this verdict have reverberated throughout the world and have shaped two millennia of history. Even so, the trial remains shrouded in mystery to this day. The New Testament Gospels are unclear about what charges Pontius Pilate judged. They portray Pilate as embracing Jesus' innocence despite having him killed. We are left with more questions than answers. Why did Pontius Pilate condemn a man he believed innocent? What was Jesus' crime? How should we understand Pilate's role in Jesus' execution? Killing the Messiah addresses these questions and analyzes Pilate's path to crucifying Jesus. It determines why and how Pilate deemed Jesus guilty of criminal behavior and the roles played by various people in ensuring Jesus' crucifixion. It also probes how the personal motivations and social obligations of Pilate and other authorities affected how they assessed Jesus' criminality. To do this, it situates Jesus' trial within the geo-political context of the Roman Middle East. In the decades before Jesus' lifetime, and throughout the centuries that followed, Roman courts determined the outcomes of millions of trials throughout the region. Jesus' trial took place in the same basic legal apparatus as all of these. By approaching the arrest, trial, and sentencing of Jesus from the perspective of Roman and legal history, this book sheds fresh light on the most famous conviction in world history.
Heavenly Space in Hebrews and Its Jewish and Christian Environment : passing through the heavens (2025)
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Stephen Wunrow addresses the pressing question of what the author of Hebrews meant by his descriptions of heaven, arguing that the author intended his references to heavenly space to be interpreted as realistic descriptions of a real place. Wunrow posits that language about heaven is neither metaphor nor a description of a "place" outside the creation, by examining other early Jewish and Christian texts that narrate or describe humans ascending into heaven. Given the nature and the function of heavenly space as described in these texts, Wunrow suggests it is most probable that the authors of the texts intended their descriptions of heavenly space to be understood as realistic. Wunrow thus explores 1 and 2 Enoch, 4 Ezra, 2 and 3 Baruch, the Apocalypse of Abraham, the Testament of Levi, the Testament of Abraham, the Ascension of Isaiah, and Revelation; investigating how other roughly contemporary authors described heavenly space, and considering that the rhetorical aims of most of these authors fail unless their readers understand their descriptions of heavenly space in realistic ways. Turning then to examine Hebrews, Wunrow suggests that while the letter does contain unique features and rhetorical aims, it also fits comfortably with other early Jewish and Christian texts that describe humans ascending into heaven in a realistic manner. He concludes with reflections on how this conclusion helps to clarify other topics in Hebrews, including atonement and eschatology.
Early Judaism and the New Testament : troubling misunderstandings (2025)
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The relationship between Early Judaism and the New Testament is a major issue in biblical studies, one that has impacted Jewish-Christian relations for centuries. This impact has often been negative due to troubling misconceptions of both the New Testament and Jewish writings contemporaneous with it. Misunderstandings have arisen from inaccurate information, religious traditions, and anti-Semitism. Warren Carter and Ariel Feldman address and correct these misconceptions by engaging with the New Testament and major writings from Early Judaism, including the Apocrypha, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as Philo and Josephus. The authors emphasize various interactions among these traditions for the purpose of better interpreting the New Testament and, importantly, avoiding anti-Jewish bias. This is an ideal supplemental textbook for students of the New Testament as well as interested clergy and laity. The text is straightforward and readable, and unlike other books on the topic, it does not assume prior knowledge of Early Judaism or of New Testament engagement with it. Each chapter recognizes troubling misunderstandings that people often have about the interactions between Early Judaism and the New Testament and includes discussion prompts.
Comfort in the Ashes : explorations in the book of Job to support trauma survivors (2025)
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Navigating Trauma in the Church It's time for church leaders and believers to stop offering prettily packaged responses from a safe distance. It's time for us to sit in the ashes with the hurting, our Sunday clothes covered in dirt and grime, our faces lined with tears. Trauma brings people to the ash heap, so that is where the church needs to go. The church should serve as a refuge for people in pain. And yet, we often end up unintentionally causing more hurt to trauma survivors. Theological platitudes and positive thinking aren't simply dismissive to those who suffer, but they inevitably retraumatize the wounded. Does the Bible have anything practical to offer for church leaders as they engage the pain in their congregations? Biblical scholar Michelle Keener shows us that the book of Job provides embodied and practical answers for the church today. In this incredible tool for ministry leaders and trauma survivors alike, Keener offers: deep wisdom at the intersection of trauma theory and the book of Job for Christian communities reflection questions for ministry practitioners and those walking alongside those who have experienced trauma engagement with the idea of a shattered worldview and how to overcome the effects of that experience. Comfort in the Ashes helps leaders navigate their own trauma and gives practical guidance for supporting others whose worlds are falling apart. God meets us in our ashes and our pain. It's time for the church to do the same.
Bridging the Interpretive Abyss : reading the New Testament after the cultural studies turn (2025)
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Luis Menéndez-Antuña demonstrates how a cultural studies approach that centers twenty-first-century queer existence and experiences of suffering illuminates rather than obscures ancient New Testament contexts. Each chapter weaves together a biblical text, different works of art, and a political crisis. This hermeneutical approach bridges the abyss between the past and present, the Global North and the Global South, biblical scholarship, humanities, and social sciences. Readers coming to the New Testament text with political and ethical concerns will find new emancipatory strategies, making this volume essential reading for scholars and students.
Biblical Preaching : the development and delivery of expository messages (2025-4th ed.)
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The Classic Guide to Expository Preaching--Updated for a New Generation This bestselling textbook on biblical preaching is a contemporary classic in the field. It offers students, pastors, and Bible teachers expert guidance in the development and delivery of expository sermons. This new edition provides resources, methods, and advice for new generations of students and pastors. It has been revised and updated throughout by Scott Wenig, professor emeritus of applied theology and Haddon W. Robinson, Chair of Biblical Preaching at Denver Seminary. Wenig adds a step to the preaching method that has been widely accepted and utilized by Robinson's former students. The book also includes a foreword by Torrey Robinson. "[An] outstanding introduction to the task of preparing and presenting biblical sermons. Robinson's 'Big Idea' preaching has shaped the thinking of thousands of expository preachers and been the major influence on many of those who teach preaching in today's classrooms."--Preaching
The Commentary of Abraham Ibn Ezra on the Book of Job
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The book of Job was among the most popular books of study for Jewish scholars in the Middle Ages. With its themes of suffering, providence, and theodicy it attracted much attention despite the difficulty of its language. Abraham ibn Ezra (1089-1164) was born in Muslim Spain, but composed his commentaries while residing in Christian Europe. His commentaries meld what was the most advanced thinking of his day to identify the distinction between biblical genres, to show sensitivity to rhetoric and poetry, to establish a model for defining hapax legomena, and to bring scientific and astrological knowledge to the reading of the Bible. By innovatively composing the commentary in Hebrew, rather than Arabic, he also transmitted the intellectual life of the Jews of the Muslim world North, making it available to new audiences.
Smashing the Tablets : radical retellings of the Hebrew Bible
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Provocative new readings of biblical texts by major contemporary Jewish writers. Lot's daughters rebel against their predatory father, Jacob wrestles an angel in a queer underground nightclub, Job arrives in the form of an avaricious former sorority girl-Smashing the Tablets presents a collection of provocative new readings of biblical texts by major contemporary Jewish writers. Behind this groundbreaking collection is the idea that foundational texts must be read anew or they become tools of conservatism and reaction. To achieve fresh readings, it is often necessary to step outside traditional modes of analysis, whether academic or theological, and to violate the conventions of storytelling and interpretation. By challenging dominant readings and identifying underrepresented characters and moments that have been "written out" of the biblical conversation, the essays, stories, and poems in this collection rupture assumptions, unsettle the reader, and give voice to the voiceless. The Bible in this collection is bent, recontextualized, queered, inverted, and smashed to pieces. Smashing the Tablets is one of the most significant Jewish literary collections in decades, a groundbreaking must-read for Jews and others interested not only in the Bible but also in identity, faith, and power.
Greek and Roman Philosophy : a survey for students of the New Testament
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Enjoy a fascinating exploration of the Greek philosophical tradition from its inception in the Classical period until the final stages of its evolution.Greek and Roman Philosophycovers: The first part of Late Antiquity Pre-Socratics Classical philosophers Major schools of the Hellenistic period (the Stoics, Epicureans, Academics) Rise of Roman philosophy Developments and revivals in the post-Hellenistic period Emergence of Christianity as a philosophy While making Greek and Roman philosophy its central feature, the book's underlying interest is the relevance of these traditions to the early Christian movement, especially the New Testament.For although Christianity is rooted in and ineradicably linked with Judaism, its shoots quickly extended outward into the Greco-Roman world where it was able to flower and propagate only by competing with the intellectual traditions of the Greek-speaking world, above all, the philosophical traditions. A knowledge of these traditions, therefore, is an essential complement to the study of Second Temple Judaism for serious students of the New Testament and early Christianity. It is the purpose of this book to offer such an introduction.
The Binding of Isaac in Art of Late Antiquity : Judeo-Christian themes of sacrifice, salvation and liturgy
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From the third through the sixth centuries, the binding of Isaac saw a flourish of representation in Christian, Byzantine and Jewish art. These images engaged the viewer in a religious experience that highlighted sacrifice, salvation and liturgy, and reflected an increased visual richness of sacrificial and liturgical concepts. In contrast to earlier scholarship on the sacrifice of Isaac that offered general descriptions of the period and digressions on isolated images, this book presents the interpretation of specific works depicting the binding of Isaac by his father Abraham across time, examining the iconography, style, social context and purpose of the sacrifice in the artworks.
Enjoy the latest articles by Luther Sem's own Faculty, from Word & World, recent issues, accessed via Luther Library's subscription to ATLA -Religion Database. For example, this recent online issue focused on the "Care of Creation" (Spring 2025: 45.2), with articles by Granquist, Padgett, and others. For the most recent W&W articles (Summer 2025: 45.3), but full-text not yet available in ATLA, see this link, featuring articles by Lois Malcolm, Mark Granquist, and Guillermo Hansen.
Also found in the ATLA Database: Journal of Biblical Literature and Lutheran Quarterly: New Full-text Articles in ATLA from Lutheran Quarterly or Journal of Biblical Literature
More articles from Themelios, Christian Century, and European Journal of Theology
Finally, here's a sampling of several full-text Bible-related journal articles from a recent ATLA search. Articles are from some of the following: Jewish Bible Quarterly , Concordia Theological Quarterly , Old Testament Essays, Journal of Theological Interpretation , The Christian Century , Journal of Latin American Theology: ATLA full-text articles--a sampling
Here's a partial list of the additional biblical studies journals that are also indexed with 'full-text' access in ATLA Religion: Bible Journals in ATLA
Biblical Studies Database: Annual collections of scholarly bible and biblical related publications from Bloomsbury Publishing. Biblical Studies Database: including Five 2025 Ebooks
Most recent Bible-focused journals in print at Luther Sem Library (see this link:). Current Bible Journals at Luther Library
