The Bridge to the New Testament


Book Description

The time between the historical end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament was approximately 420 years. Bible-study classes rarely cover this "forgotten" time, yet understanding this history is critical to our comprehension and appreciation of the New Testament. Furthermore, it was the inter-testament period that gave birth to who we are today--our politics, laws, science, mathematics, institutions, and even the values and philosophies we hold dear. Western civilization undoubtedly would be different today if not for the Jews, Greeks, and Romans and their contributions to society. What happened "between the testaments," before the birth of Jesus, and what is the back-story of his world? Who was Herod the Great, and what influence did he have during this time? What events gave birth to the sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Which empires and rulers controlled Judea during this period? Answers to these questions and more are in The Bridge to the New Testament. Discover the following topics in-depth: - Old Testament Survey - Alexander the Great and His Successors - The Roman Republic and Its Notable Leaders - The Greek, Ptolemaic, and Seleucid Empires - The Maccabean and Hasmonean Dynasties - The Prefects, Procurators, Kings, Governors, and Legates of Judea - Herod the Great and the Herodian Dynasty - Jewish and Roman Calendars & Timekeeping - Science and Engineering of the Period - The Roman Empire, Its Military, and Its Emperors - The Three Jewish Temples and Temple Mounts - Apocryphal and Religious Writings of the Period - The Money of the Inter-Testament and New Testament - The Sects, Politics, and Institutions of the Jews - Jewish High Priests - The Genealogies of Jesus - The Roman Conquest of Jerusalem and Masada - Life in Ancient Times - The Spread of the Gospel by the Apostles Have you examined the front cover carefully? If you look closely, you will see we have added eight words to the picture--a few institutions, people, sects, and nations that helped build the bridge to the New Testament. Where to find these hidden words, answer books, PowerPoint slides, a detailed history of the period, book excerpts, ancient money calculators, and much more are available on TheBridgeToTheNewTestament.com.




Getting the Old Testament


Book Description

As readers of texts written in antiquity we frequently find ourselves in the position of one who overhears a conversation without the benefit of its context. The likelihood of humorous (or tragic) misunderstanding is palpable. In Getting the Old Testament: What It Meant to Them, What It Means for Us, Steve Bridge examines a number of important texts and genres found in the Old Testament. By bringing what is known of their original historical and literary context to light, he clearly demonstrates how important it is to know the cultural background of those to whom a text was originally addressed. Bridge helps us as modern readers to grasp the intended significance of these ancient texts. Using modern illustrations from Bart Simpson to fortune cookies, and discussing texts from Genesis to Jonah to Ecclesiastes, Bridge succeeds in making difficult texts come alive for the reader as applying practically to modern life. Each chapter begins with a story, event, or illustration that draws the reader into the point which Bridge wishes to make with regard to the clearest understanding of a particular text or given group of texts. The most poignant of these illustrations is found at the beginning of his chapter on the book of Job, in which he starts with the story of Lou Gehrig and the disease that took his life, ALS (known more commonly as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and which ends with his own father's death from ALS. An annotated list of suggested readings as well as subject and scripture indexes make this a practical book for college classes.




The Bridge to Eternal Life


Book Description

This book seeks, in an Australian context, to provide assurance to the reader about eternal life. To achieve this, the book investigates the evidence for eternal life from the Bible and contrasts such evidence with nonbiblical sources. Attention is given to how the Bible authenticates eternal life and how ones profession of faith brings assurance of eternal life. Then systematically, the truth of eternal life is revealed by examining the Old Testament, the Intertestamental period, the New Testament, and the problematic subject of the intermediate state. In the final two chapters, the book critically evaluates nonbiblical views about eternal life and concludes with a chapter titled 'Soul-Searching Insights' to fuel the inquisitive mind.




New King James - The Bridge Bible


Book Description

Is The New King James Bible Just An Updated King James? It promised to be a 5th edition of the KJV, preserving "the originally intended meaning of every verse." Did publishers and translators keep their promise? Author David Daniels shows us in this book that the classical language (including the "thees" and "thous") is not all that was changed. In fact, this Bible is not a King James at all! Some of the "updates" actually change doctrines! “I’M NOT SAYING WHAT COULD HAPPEN. I’M SHOWING YOU WHAT DID HAPPEN.” – DAVID W DANIELS It cannot be a true King James, if salvation is changed from a finished work to an unfinished process (1 Corinthians 1:18). How can you know you are saved? Or in Matthew 7:14 where it says, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life…"? God did not make the way "difficult". Salvation is as close as our mouth and our heart! These tiny changes, as well as others like it, have made a big difference, moving people from faith to doubt in God and His words. But there’s more. The publishers of the New King James said, themselves, that their goal was to provide a “transitional bridge” to a modern Bible (and they sell plenty of them). As people get used to seeing words changed in their Bible, they soon will accept a Bible that changes even more! Eventually, you have a Bible with wording vague enough, in many key areas, that all the world’s religions will be able to “fit” their doctrines into it. This is actually part of the larger plan for everyone to accept one world Bible for the Antichrist’s coming one world religion. How do we counter this? By teaching our children how to read the clear words of the King James, we can bring faith and not doubt to the next generation. In fact, as you will see in this book, if previous generations had done this, the New King James would never have been made.




The Sacred Bridge


Book Description

Of all the writings held sacred by the world's religions, only the Bible presents a message linked to geography. This is not just the location of religious centers but the experience of a people in its land, a people that has insisted on its God-given right to self-identity throughout the ages and in defiance of all forces that sought to deny it. All Jews and Christians who profess to find the source of their faith in these Scriptures look to the experiences of that people depicted in the Bible as examples and role models for their search after the Divine will and for their moral conduct among men. The religious experiences of that ancient people took place in relation to a geographical setting, generally a small postage stamp on the face of the globe, a patch of terrain in the southern part of the eastern Mediterranean littoral. The Bible is replete with geographical information, not as a guidebook for travelers or a textbook on geography, but often almost incidental to the message. Yet without the geography, that message is often obscured or vitiated for the uninformed reader. The present atlas seeks to introduce the reader to the geographical elements that can help to make real the social, historical and spiritual experience of the People of the Book. - Publisher.




The Jewish Annotated New Testament


Book Description

Although major New Testament figures--Jesus and Paul, Peter and James, Jesus' mother Mary and Mary Magdalene--were Jews, living in a culture steeped in Jewish history, beliefs, and practices, there has never been an edition of the New Testament that addresses its Jewish background and the culture from which it grew--until now. In The Jewish Annotated New Testament, eminent experts under the general editorship of Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler put these writings back into the context of their original authors and audiences. And they explain how these writings have affected the relations of Jews and Christians over the past two thousand years. An international team of scholars introduces and annotates the Gospels, Acts, Letters, and Revelation from Jewish perspectives, in the New Revised Standard Version translation. They show how Jewish practices and writings, particularly the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, influenced the New Testament writers. From this perspective, readers gain new insight into the New Testament's meaning and significance. In addition, thirty essays on historical and religious topics--Divine Beings, Jesus in Jewish thought, Parables and Midrash, Mysticism, Jewish Family Life, Messianic Movements, Dead Sea Scrolls, questions of the New Testament and anti-Judaism, and others--bring the Jewish context of the New Testament to the fore, enabling all readers to see these writings both in their original contexts and in the history of interpretation. For readers unfamiliar with Christian language and customs, there are explanations of such matters as the Eucharist, the significance of baptism, and "original sin." For non-Jewish readers interested in the Jewish roots of Christianity and for Jewish readers who want a New Testament that neither proselytizes for Christianity nor denigrates Judaism, The Jewish Annotated New Testament is an essential volume that places these writings in a context that will enlighten students, professionals, and general readers.




Bridge between the Testaments


Book Description

Pittsburgh Theological Monograph Series General Editor - Dikran Y. Hadidian




Jesus and Virtue Ethics


Book Description

Jesuits Daniel Harrington and James Keenan have successfully team-taught the content of this landmark study to the delight of students for years. In this book they take the fruits of their own experiences as theologians, writers, teachers, mentors, and friends to propose virtue ethics as a bridge between the fields of New Testament Studies and Moral Theology. Answering the call of the Second Vatican Council for moral theology to "draw more fully on the teaching of Holy Scripture," the authors examine the virtues that both flow from Scripture and provide a lens by which to interpret Scripture. By remaining true to both the New Testament's emphasis on the human response to God's gracious activity in Jesus Christ and to the ethical needs and desires of Christians in the twenty-first century, the authors address key topics such as discipleship, the Sermon on the Mount, love, sin, politics, justice, sexuality, marriage, divorce, bioethics, and ecology. Covering the entire sweep of ethical teaching from its foundations in Scripture and especially in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection to its goal or "end" with the full coming of God's kingdom, the authors invite readers more deeply into an appreciation of the central biblical themes and how, based on the themes, Catholic Christian moral theology bears on general ethical issues in culture. Complete with reflection questions and suggestions for further reading, this book is essential reading for professors, students, pastors, preachers, and interested Catholics.




Intelligent Design


Book Description

In this book William A. Dembski brilliantly argues that intelligent design provides a crucial link between science and theology. This is a pivotal work from a thinker whom Phillip Johnson calls "one of the most important of the `design' theorists."




Beyond the Bible


Book Description

A seasoned interpreter presents a "principled approach," showing how the Bible, though written long ago, can speak authoritatively on contemporary ethical, doctrinal, and practical issues.