The Gospel According to Gamaliel


Book Description

Gamaliel, the sensitive, spiritually-minded grandson of the great Hillel and teacher of Saul, was a leading and influential figure in the days of Jesus. Many were the students who flocked to listen to his words of wisdom, to learn of tolerance, of common sense, and of the love of one God. It is of such a man that Gerald Heard writes--a man who was a thousand years ahead of his age. Woven around historically accurate facts, the story is written as Gamaliel's journal about Jesus and the early Christian movement. First by hearsay, then through friends, and finally by encounter with Jesus of Nazareth himself, Gamaliel learned of this vitalizing, dynamic teaching of love as a way of life. With the account of Peter and Paul's meeting in Jerusalem the author concludes this unique presentation, which gives new insight into the life and teachings of Jesus and a clear delineation of Gamaliel, a heretofore shadowy personality of the first century era.




The Gospel According to Gamaliel


Book Description

Gamaliel, the sensitive, spiritually-minded grandson of the great Hillel and teacher of Saul, was a leading and influential figure in the days of Jesus. Many were the students who flocked to listen to his words of wisdom, to learn of tolerance, of common sense, and of the love of one God. It is of such a man that Gerald Heard writes--a man who was a thousand years ahead of his age. Woven around historically accurate facts, the story is written as Gamaliel's journal about Jesus and the early Christian movement. First by hearsay, then through friends, and finally by encounter with Jesus of Nazareth himself, Gamaliel learned of this vitalizing, dynamic teaching of love as a way of life. With the account of Peter and Paul's meeting in Jerusalem the author concludes this unique presentation, which gives new insight into the life and teachings of Jesus and a clear delineation of Gamaliel, a heretofore shadowy personality of the first century era.




A Scholarly Edition of the Gamaliel (Valencia: Juan Jofre, 1525)


Book Description

A Scholarly Edition of the Gamaliel (Valencia: Juan Jofre, 1525) is a modernized edition of a late medieval devotional that formed part of the narrative tradition of La Vengeance de Nostre-Seigneur, which gained popularity from the twelfth century. The 1525 compendium Gamaliel is comprised of seven loosely related texts, including the Passion of Christ, the Destruction of Jerusalem, the biographies of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, and the Slaughter of the Innocents. The Gamaliel was reproduced in over a dozen Spanish and Catalan printed editions in the first half of the sixteenth century until it was banned by the Spanish Inquisition beginning in 1558, likely due to its anonymous authorship and apocryphal content.




A Jewish Novel about Jesus


Book Description

This fast-paced novel sheds new light on the story of Jesus and his times. You will meet: · JESUS, who was born, lived and died as a Jew; who drew on his Jewish tradition; who taught the love of man and God; and who saw himself as the Messiah. · JUDAS, who believed in Jesus from start to finish; who became trapped in a political power-play; and who still believed desperately that he was helping Jesus bring the New Heaven and the New Earth into being. · BARABBAS, head of the Zealots, who believed in violence against Rome. · MARY MAGDALENE, a prostitute, who offered Judas her kind of love, while he offered her a different kind of love. · CAIAPHAS, the High Priest, who was under total control of Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator. · RABBI GAMALIEL, head of the Sanhedrin, who would not deliver Jesus, or any innocent Jew, to death. · PONTIUS PILATE, who saw Jesus as a threat to Rome, and schemed his death. Rolf Gompertz, an observant, practicing Jew, who fled Nazi Germany with his parents, says: "I wanted to create understanding between Jews and Christians, so we may live together, side by side, respectful of one another, in dignity and peace."




The Gospel on the Margins


Book Description

Despite virtually unanimous patristic association of the Gospel of Mark with the apostle Peter, the Gospel was mostly neglected by those same writers. Michael J. Kok surveys the second-century reception of Mark, from Papias of Hierapolis to Clement of Alexandria, and finds that the patristic writers were hesitant to embrace Mark because they perceived it to be too easily adapted to rival Christian factions. Kok describes the story of Marks Petrine origins as a second-century move to assert ownership of the Gospel on the part of the emerging Orthodox Church.




Paul and His Letters


Book Description

Except for Christ himself, no figure has been more influential in the history of Christianity than the apostle Paul. And yet his remarkable life remains shrouded in mystery. In this probing new book, John B. Polhill scrapes away the myths about this great man and uncovers the truth of his life and thought. Using Acts, the Pauline epistles, and reliable traditions from non-canonical sources, Polhill weaves together the remarkable story of Paul's transformation from persecutor to persecuted, producing a dynamic account of his entire ministry. By placing each of Paul's letters in its proper historical context, Polhill brings new light to these foundation stones of the Christian faith. He follows Paul from his early years in Tarsus and Jerusalem to his imprisonment and eventual martyrdom, painting a detailed, comprehensive portrait of Paul that will serve as an indispensable resource for students, teachers, and pastors alike.




Training for the Life of the Spirit


Book Description

Introducing new reprints by Gerald Heard: The Creed of Christ The Code of Christ Training for the Life of the Spirit Prayers and Meditations There was a period in my early thirties when these four small books by Gerald Heard served almost as my bible. I read and reread them, and invariably found them to be uplifting and inspiring. - Professor Huston Smith Gerald Heard was an inspiring voice for the life of the spirit. Wipf & Stock is to be commended that Heard's remarkable work is being made available to a new generation of spiritual seekers. - Dr. William H. Forthman Required reading for those walking the spiritual path, Gerald Heard's Training for the Life of the Spirit methodically outlines the entire course of the aspirant's journey. Heard provides a time-tested roadmap for the wayfarer: There is a purpose in evolution - to evolve consciously, to evolve consciousness. That evolution is achieved only by the skilled, conscious training of our spirits. The aspirant works to subdue their ego: For in so far as we are emptied of self, so far are we freed from accident. Our habit patterns, our moodsÉour natures can be reconditioned, re-freed. We will be inwardly reunited, our fissured selves re-fused. Training for the Life of the Spirit contains Gerald Heard's essential observation: Our whole life must become intentional and purposive, instead of a series of irrelevant events, adventures, and accidents, happy or unhappy.




The Speeches of Outsiders in Acts


Book Description

How does Luke's portrait of the outsider help in exploring the theology and historiography of Acts? Previous studies of the author and his work have concentrated on the speeches given by insiders - members of the early Christian church - but until now the speeches of the outsiders have been marginalised by scholars in the field. Osvaldo Padilla takes an intriguing approach by concentrating on the direct speech of such figures, arguing that the portrayal of outsiders to a religious movement should not be neglected when considering the author's viewpoint. By exploring the place of outsiders in Old Testament and Second Temple literature, then offering comparisons with the depictions found in Acts, Padilla provides an insightful take on the subject that will prove invaluable to scholars and students of biblical and early Christian studies.




Jesus Is Risen


Book Description

Originally confined to a small circle of believers centered in Jerusalem, Christianity's stunning transformation into the world's most popular faith is one of history's greatest, most miraculous stories. In Jesus Is Risen, #1 national bestselling author David Limbaugh provides a riveting account of the birth of Christianity. Using the Book of Acts and six New Testament epistles as his guide, Limbaugh takes readers on an exhilarating journey through the sorrow and suffering, as well as the joys and triumphs, of the apostles and other key figures as Christianity bursts through the borders of Judea following the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Limbaugh particularly focuses on the crucial role that the Apostle Paul played in these historic events. Facing incredible adversities, from arrests to shipwrecks to violent mobs and murder plots, Paul overcomes countless obstacles as he travels far and wide to spread the Gospel. In Jesus Is Risen you will discover: • How the apostles themselves disproved modern arguments that early Christians did not believe in Jesus’ divinity. • The true story behind the first conversion to Christianity by a Gentile. • The many underhanded ways Christianity’s opponents tried in vain to stifle the Church in its infancy. • Paul’s most effective techniques and arguments for bringing converts to Christ. Throughout these pages, Limbaugh’s passion for the Bible is unmistakable and infectious. Replete with deep insights into the actions, arguments, and challenges of the world’s first Christian communities, Jesus Is Risen is a faith-affirming book for Christians at all stages of their faith walk.




The Pleasures of God


Book Description

The author of Desiring God reveals the biblical evidence to help us see and savor what the pleasures of God show us about Him. Includes a study guide for individual and small-group use. Isn’t it true—we really don’t know someone until we understand what makes that person happy? And so it is with God! What does bring delight to the happiest Being in the universe? John Piper writes, that it’s only when we know what makes God glad that we’ll know the greatness of His glory. Therefore, we must comprehend “the pleasures of God.” Unlike so much of what is written today, this is not a book about us. It is about the One we were made for—God Himself. In this theological masterpiece—chosen by World Magazine as one of the 20th Century’s top 100 books, John Piper reveals the biblical evidence to help us see and savor what the pleasures of God show us about Him. Then we will be able to drink deeply—and satisfyingly—from the only well that offers living water. What followers of Jesus need now, more than anything else, is to know and love—behold and embrace—the great, glorious, sovereign, happy God of the Bible. “This is a unique and precious book that everybody should read more than once.” —J.I. PACKER, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia