Did Jesus claim to be God? Without question. And he did so repeatedly. That’s why John, a member of the “inner circle” of the disciples, wrote his own account of Jesus’ time on earth. A Forty-Day Study of John’s Gospel answers the question, “Who exactly is Jesus?” and shows how the works and words of Jesus validate his claim that he is God the Son. Other books in this series include A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story, volumes one and two; A Forty-Day Study of the Book of Hebrews; and A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification.

This book examines the various Johannine narratives found in writings in the period from Papias (early second century) to Eusebius (early fourth century). Dean Furlong argues that the first major revision of the Johannine narrative was the identification of John the Evangelist with John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee, at the beginning of the third century. This in turn initiated a process of reinterpretation, as the previously-separate narratives of the two figures were variously spun into new configurations during the third and fourth centuries. This process culminated with Eusebius’s synthesis of the Johannine traditions, which came to form the basis of what is considered the “traditional” Johannine story. Furlong concludes that in the earliest narrative, found in Papias, John the Evangelist was identified, not with the Apostle, but with another disciple of Jesus known as John the Elder.

Two thousand years ago a man walked the earth who claimed to be God. All of this would not even make it into a footnote in world history, except . . . Except for persistent stories of this man’s resurrection from the dead. Christianity hinges on whether this man, Jesus of Nazareth, did in fact come back to life after being dead. Using forensic methods and sources from both within Bible as well as external to the Bible, including from sources hostile to Christianity, this book looks at the evidence that assures us that Jesus truly rose from the dead and is who he claims to be.

Author Jay Still had questions about information in the Bible for which no one seemed to have the answers. He began searching outside sources and offers a plethora of answers in The New Testament Historical Enrichment Book. Still expounds on what is found in the New Testaments and provides historical background to help understand more about the people, events, and history to answer a host of questions: What was Jesus' life like on earth? Outside of the New Testament writers, who else believed Jesus actually lived? Did Jesus have a family? What became of them? Paul proclaimed himself an apostle. Did others recognize him as an apostle? Who recognized his writings as authoritative? What became of the apostles? Did they disband and return to their former lives, or did they continue the work for which Jesus prepared them? The New Testament talks of King Herod before Jesus was born and well after Jesus died. How did he live so long? Why was Pilate, a governor, as powerful as Herod who was a king? Who wrote the New Testament? Why were their writings selected? What other writings were considered? Who did the early church see as the Antichrist? How did the early church see Paradise where Jesus went with the thief on the cross? What became of the nation of Israel? What became of the office of the High Priest? What became of the Temple? Drawing on writings of the early church fathers and historians closest to the time Jesus lived, The New Testament Historical Enrichment Book helps add to the knowledge base and provide a historical perspective of what is known about the New Testaments, its people, and its happenings.

The Purpose of this two volume series is to make easily available selections from lectures transcribed and published in four volumes as Teachings of the Book of Mormon by Hugh W. Nibley, Professor at Brigham Young University. The Editor text scanned all four volumes of the series to about half the original by eliminating those portions the Editor felt not necessary to the verses under discussion. No other changes were made to the original Nibley four volumes. Readers of the Book of Mormon will benefit from Hugh Nibley's extensive historical and linguistic background from a lifetime of study of ancient documents. The Editor has made an effort to provide full scripture references at the beginning of each paragraph which were not available in the original editions by Hugh Nibley. These references will be helpful to students and teachers of the Book of Mormon. The numbers at the beginning of each paragraph refer to the page number of the First Edition of each of the four volumes and will alert the reader to where omissions may be found in the original four volumes. The Editor has expanded most chapter topic summaries as shown in brackets. Proceeds from this book will be donated to Project Sprouts (www.project-sprouts.com) which is operated by Mondoro Company Ltd a company designs and manufactures furniture and home accessories in Asia.