The Cambridge Companion To The New Testament

This Companion introduces the New Testament in its historical context, as well as critical approaches, for a non-specialist audience. It provides an up-to-date 'snapshot' of scholarship, with essays by leading scholars who presume no prior knowledge on the reader's part yet go into greater detail than a typical introductory textbook.

This volume features an impressive array of leading biblical scholars and presents an illuminating and lively cross-section of this traditional field of study. Treating core topics and changing methodologies within twenty-three comprehensive chapters, this Companion provides an outstanding introduction to the historical origins and literary character of the canonical literature.

Authoritative chapters chart new developments of gospels interpretation in four main areas: background, content, interpretation and impact.

Examines the varied, enormously sophisticated contents of the Bible and sees how certain Western authors were inspired by them.

An introduction covering historical, theological and ethical aspects of the gospels through the ages.

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, Second Edition focuses on the ever-changing social and cultural contexts in which the biblical authors and their original readers lived. The authors of the first edition were chosen for their internationally recognized expertise in their respective fields: the history and literature of Israel; postbiblical Judaism; biblical archaeology; and the origins and early literature of Christianity. In this second edition, all of their chapters have been updated and thoroughly revised, with a view towards better investigating the social histories embedded in the biblical texts and incorporating the most recent archaeological discoveries from the Ancient Near East and Hellenistic worlds.

This Companion offers an integrated introduction to the study of Jesus.

This guide to the state of biblical studies features 20 chapters written by scholars from North America and Britain, and represents both traditional and contemporary points of view.

Assessment of the apostle Paul and a fresh appreciation of his continuing significance today.

Twenty essays providing an authoritative introduction to Christian ethics, addressing issues such as war, social justice, ecology, sexuality and medicine.

A cutting edge introduction to a collection of early Christian writings that stem from a forgotten era in Christian history.

Traces the development of allegory in the European and American tradition from antiquity to the modern era. The essays explore allegory as a literary practice in poetry and fiction, as a technique of interpreting sacred and philosophical texts, and as an important element of modern literary theory.

The apostle Paul has been justifiably described as the first and greatest Christian theologian. His letters were among the earliest documents to be included in the New Testament and, as such, they shaped Christian thinking from the beginning. As a missionary, theologian and pastor Paul's own wrestling with theological and ethical questions of his day is paradigmatic for Christian theology, not least for Christianity's own identity and continuing relationship with Judaism. The Cambridge Companion to St Paul provides an important assessment of this apostle and a fresh appreciation of his continuing significance today. With eighteen chapters written by a team of leading international specialists on Paul, the Companion provides a sympathetic and critical overview of the apostle, covering his life and work, his letters and his theology. The volume will provide an invaluable starting point and helpful cross check for subsequent studies.

Sample Text

Balances historical and contemporary concerns in an engaging and informative way, drawing connections between ancient and contemporary ethical problems.

Orthodox Christian theology is often presented as the direct inheritor of the doctrine and tradition of the early Church. But continuity with the past is only part of the truth; it would be false to conclude that the eastern section of the Christian Church is in any way static. Orthodoxy, building on its patristic foundations, has blossomed in the modern period. This volume focuses on the way Orthodox theological tradition is understood and lived today. It explores the Orthodox understanding of what theology is: an expression of the Church's life of prayer, both corporate and personal, from which it can never be separated. Besides discussing aspects of doctrine, the book portrays the main figures, themes and developments that have shaped Orthodox thought. There is particular focus on the Russian and Greek traditions, as well as the dynamic but less well-known Antiochian tradition and the Orthodox presence in the West.

As the major writer and thinker of the Anglo-Saxon period, the Venerable Bede is a key figure in the study of the literature and thought of this time. This Companion, written by an international team of specialists, is a key introductory guide to Bede, his writings, and his world. The first part of the volume focuses on Bede's cultural and intellectual milieu, covering his life, the secular-political contexts of his day, the foundations of the Latin learning he inherited and sought to perpetuate, the ecclesiastical and monastic setting of early Northumbria, and the foundation of his home institution, Wearmouth-Jarrow. The book then considers Bede's writing in detail, treating his educational, exegetical and historical works. Concluding with a detailed assessment of Bede's influence and reception from the time of his death up to the modern age, the Companion enables the reader to view Bede's writings within a wider cultural context.

Apocalytic literature has addressed human concerns for over two millennia. This volume surveys the source texts, their reception, and relevance.