Understanding the Gospels


Book Description

The last two hundred years show the emergence of an enormous growth industry in the field of Biblical analysis, particularly on the evidence presented in the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. But most often the exhaustive analysis brought to bear on the Gospels is dominated by a biased point-of-view against their authenticity. Authors who have taken the position of “liberal” criticism claim that the Gospels do not show the true Jesus, but one who has been idealized and mythologized by his followers. Written by faculty from the University of Navarre, this book takes the approach of a careful study of the texts and their surrounding circumstances to show that the Gospels are both a reflection of the Apostles’ preaching about Jesus as well as trustworthy historical testimonies to his life and work.




Understanding the Gospels


Book Description

Understanding the Gospelsfirst introduces the Gospels generally and then prepares readers to communicate their message to a modern audience. Each of the fourteen contributors is a seminary professor and expert on the topic covered. This book focuses on preaching and application, and answers pointed questions to help students and pastors understand the major theological themes of each gospel and avoid common interpretive mistakes. Anyone serving in a teaching or preaching capacity will find this book helpful for accurate proclamation and powerful application of the Gospels.




Why are There Differences in the Gospels?


Book Description

Why are there differences in the stories of the Gospels? Licona turns to Greek classicist Plutarch for an answer, assessing differences that appeared when Plutarch told the same story more than once in his Lives. He suggests the differences in the Gospels often resulted from their authors employing the same compositional devices used by Plutarch.




Behind the Gospels


Book Description

New Testament scholars often talk about oral tradition as a means by which material about Jesus reached the Gospels writers. Despite the recent interest in oral tradition, scholarly advances have not penetrated the mainstream of academic Gospels scholarship, let alone the wider public. Behind the Gospels fills this gap, offering a general theoretical discussion of oral tradition and the formation of ancient texts and providing a critical survey of the field.




The Bible's Four Gospels


Book Description

"I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people" (Luke 2:10). The word gospel means good news--and who couldnt use some good news these days? The first four books of the New Testament, called the Gospels, contain the very best news ever heard: the message of how you can have eternal life. Features: Introduction by Ray Comfort Why Christianity? Common Questions About the Christian Faith Principles for Growth Understanding the Biblical Gospel With commentary adapted from The Evidence Study Bible (a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award), this pocket-sized edition is designed to carry in your pocket or purse to give to an unsaved person. In addition to the eyewitness accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth--the greatest Person who ever lived--skeptics can find answers to commonly asked questions such as: How do you know God exists? Who made God? Why do bad things happen? How do you know the Bible is true? How could a loving God create Hell, and more. With a thorough gospel presentation and suggestions for Christian growth, this publication will help readers to understand why the gospel is indeed the very best news ever and how to grow in their new faith.




The Life of Jesus Christ


Book Description

How often have you heard the Gospel at Sunday Mass and wondered, "What happens next?" Often, our only experience of the Gospels is of those isolated segments taken out of context, like unassembled pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, rather than the story of our Savior's life. The Life of Jesus Christ: Understanding the Story of the Gospels aims to change that experience. Author Russell Shaw weaves together the events of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John's narratives in chronological order to capture a true and rounded picture of Jesus’ life. The Life of Jesus Christ is the scriptural companion you've been searching for. Together, the four Gospels reveal Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, as a man of complexity and depth — compassionate but stern, who knew how to laugh and how to cry, a charismatic leader uninterested in worldly power, a subtle thinker who drew sublime messages from ordinary life. With Shaw guiding you, you'll truly get to know the Son of God in a new way. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Russell Shaw is an author and journalist who has written more than twenty books. For eighteen years, he was secretary for public affairs for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference. He later oversaw media relations for the Knights of Columbus for ten years.




Handbook on Acts and Paul's Letters (Handbooks on the New Testament)


Book Description

Leading biblical scholar Thomas Schreiner provides an easy-to-navigate resource for studying and understanding the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Letters. This accessibly written volume summarizes the content of each major section of the biblical text to help readers quickly grasp the sense of particular passages. This is the first volume in the Handbooks on the New Testament series, which is modeled after Baker Academic's successful Old Testament handbook series. Series volumes are neither introductions nor commentaries, as they focus primarily on the content of the biblical books without getting bogged down in historical-critical questions or detailed verse-by-verse exegesis. The series will contain three volumes that span the entirety of the New Testament, with future volumes covering the Gospels and Hebrews through Revelation. Written with classroom utility and pastoral application in mind, these books will appeal to students, pastors, and laypeople alike.




Reading the Bible for a Change, Second Edition


Book Description

Which Bible passages are for Christians today and which relate only to ancient readers? Can I simply pick and choose for myself the verses I think best fit my situation? Who gets to decide? Is there a different meaning for each individual reader? What am I supposed to know to read the Bible well? Ray Lubeck has devoted his life to helping others discern for themselves God's truth in the Scriptures and to showing them how it relates to their everyday lives. Reading the Bible for a Change will guide you in how to: -Read each biblical passage in light of its literary style and larger context -Ask and explore the most fruitful questions for understanding the meaning of a passage -Avoid common interpretive mistakes -Hear God, the divine Author, speak through the Bible's human authors -Identify the life-changing truths of Scripture that apply to life today -Move beyond merely reading the Bible to being shaped by and following it Having taught for over three decades at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as in many ministry contexts, Ray values the importance of holding the interest of students of the Bible. This book is written in an accessible and engaging style, using illustrations, charts, stories, and relevant examples to help the reader grasp key concepts. The second edition has been extensively revised in light of recent scholarly developments and years of use within the classroom, incorporating substantial amounts of updates and new material. Reading the Bible for a Change will equip you with the tools to discover for yourself the life-changing truths revealed in God's word. If you begin practicing these steps, you will embark on a lifetime journey of Scripture reading that will enable you to see for yourself how captivating and transforming it is when we read the Bible on its own terms rather than on ours.




Reading the Gospels Wisely


Book Description

This textbook on how to read the Gospels well can stand on its own as a guide to reading this New Testament genre as Scripture. It is also ideally suited to serve as a supplemental text to more conventional textbooks that discuss each Gospel systematically. Most textbooks tend to introduce students to historical-critical concerns but may be less adequate for showing how the Gospel narratives, read as Scripture within the canonical framework of the entire New Testament and the whole Bible, yield material for theological reflection and moral edification. Pennington neither dismisses nor duplicates the results of current historical-critical work on the Gospels as historical sources. Rather, he offers critically aware and hermeneutically intelligent instruction in reading the Gospels in order to hear their witness to Christ in a way that supports Christian application and proclamation.




The Gospel According to Matthew


Book Description

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.