In The Gospel of Mark Fathers Donahue and Harrington use an approach that can be expressed by two terms currently used in literary criticism: intratextuality and intertextuality. This intratextual and intertextual reading of Mark's Gospel helps us to appreciate the literary character, its setting in life, and its distinctive approaches to the Old Testament, Jesus, and early Christian theology. "Intratextuality" means we read Mark as Mark and by Mark. Such a reading expresses interest in the final form of the Gospel (not its source or literary history) and in its words and images, literary devices, literary forms, structures, characterization, and plot. Reading Mark by Mark gives particular attention to the distinctive vocabulary and themes that run throughout the Gospel and serve to hold it together as a unified literary production. "Intertextuality" comprises the relation between texts and a textual tradition, and also referring to contextual materials not usually classified as texts (e.g., archaeological data). "Intertextuality" is used to note the links of the text of Mark's Gospel to other texts (especially the Old Testament) and to the life of the Markan community and of the Christian community today.

Whether or not Jesus was involved with the Zealot movement of armed resistance to Rome is the provocative question this collection attempts to answer. Twenty-six articles concentrate on four areas: methodology, the historical situation, New Testament exegesis, and the trials of Jesus before the Sanhedrin and Pilate.

All of Scripture testifies to the person of Jesus, yet the Gospels offer a face-to-face encounter. This newly revised third edition of Jesus and the Gospels prepares readers for an in-depth exploration of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Esteemed New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg considers the Gospels’ historical context while examining fresh scholarship, critical methods, and contemporary applications for today. Along with updated introductions, maps, and diagrams, Blomberg’s linguistic, historical, and theological approach delivers a deep investigation into the Gospels for professors, students, and pastors alike.

A fresh, impartial presentation of timeless theological questions that Christians have found puzzling, accompanied by equally differing and valid explanations for them. +

This study analyzes an oral performance of the entire Gospel of Mark, with emphasis on involvement with characters and events, the emotional effects of such involvement, and how these processes maintain or shape the identity of those who hear the Gospel. Insights from cognitive poetics and psychonarratology are employed to illuminate the complex, cognitive processes that take place when audience members experience an oral performance of the Gospel. Consequently, this study expands previous research on the Gospel of Mark which was conducted on the basis of narrative criticism, orality criticism, and performance criticism by including cognitive aspects. Cognitive poetics and psychonarratology have to my knowledge not been extensively employed to illuminate an oral performance of the Gospel of Mark previously. This investigation provides: (1) An original, coherent theoretical and methodological framework; (2) An analysis of mechanisms which promote involvement with characters and events in the Markan narrative; (3) An examination of the prospective emotional effects of such involvement; (4) Reflections on the potential of these mechanisms with regard to identity maintenance or formation through cultural memory; (5) A cognitive poetic commentary on the entire Gospel of Mark.

Not long ago, those who wrote about the “end-time” were preachers—the more fundamentalist, the more extreme by some standards. “The end is coming soon,” they said, and cartoons were rampant with guys carrying placards captioned by “The End is Near!” From the time of Christ, whose noncritical predictions included such inspiration for the placards, the religious prophets could not resist emphasis on such topics. Today things are different. The “scientists” and “politicians” make the predictions. “Twelve More Years” is what we hear from the latter. But they don’t attack with religious terms. They speak of time in the context of “climate change” and “global warming.” They do not agree on how to interpret the evidence, but the religionists also had trouble with agreement. Strange interpretations of biblical texts have now gone the way of so-called science. Various elucidations carry one thing in common: none gain consensus. Some arguments enter discussions by censuring those who disagree with them. Their opponents are not allowed to speak. They must remain silent. They are called nasty names, and unfair methods are used to punish them. They try to stop the incongruous from speaking at all. Living in the “end-time” demonstrates the conflict between good and evil.

Overview coming soon

The Renaissance New Testament is a monumental 18-volume work more than fifty years in the making. Randolph O. Yeager has realized here a lifelong dream, and created one of the most important biblical works of the twentieth century. It offers: The King James Version verse by verse The Yeager translation Exhaustive Greek/English concordance Lexicographical analysis Each Greek word in order of occurrence Grammatical identification The Greek text verse by verse The literal meaning A harmony of the Gospels Commentary Each volume contains approximately 600 pages, with the complete set totaling more than 10,000 pages. A true Renaissance man, Dr. Yeager holds a Ph.D. in American history, took his seminary training at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago, and is a former university professor. He has twelve years of experience as an evangelist and has spoken at Bible conferences in forty-five states. In 1988 the Laymen's National Bible Committee honored Yeager with a Citation of Appreciation for outstanding service to the Bible cause. Publishers Weekly featured an article on Yeager and the completion of The Renaissance New Testament in its 1985 Spring Religious Books issue.

"The recent sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church raised new questions about the abilities of a celibate priesthood to deal realistically with matters of sexuality. Critics and journalists who have examined these scandals have called for an end to mandatory celibacy for priests." "In this overview, Phipps points out that "mandatory celibacy is relatively new-fangled, having appeared during the last half of the church's existence. The innovation was imposed in the feudal and crusading era, a dark period for the Church."" "In order to provide this survey, Phipps probes ancient religious texts and church history and uses studies that provide factual assessments of the general individual and cultural consequences of celibacy. He avoids anecdotal evidence about celibacy and offers a balanced exploration by allowing celibate advocates and church representatives to speak in their own voices about these matters."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

More than two thousand years ago, all Israel awaited the glorious and imminent arrival of the Christ. Why, then, did His appearance create a division among both the leadership and the people of Israel? How does the Old Testament story of Elijah and the prophecy of his return relate to this division? Author Joshua Caleb delivers a challenging and multidimensional account of the relationship between the returning prophet Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, and the true theological reason the advent of the Christ divided into a First and Second Coming. (joshuacaleb1@verizon.net)