Endorsements: "Art West is in hot water in more ways than one in his latest adventure. After bathing in the famous thermal springs at Pamukkale, Turkey, the intrepid Bible scholar and archaeologist is invited to join an excavation at nearby Hierapolis. A papyrus related to Papias, the noted second-century bishop, has been discovered. However, demons unleashed by a cursed papyrus found in a menorah by Art's friend, the antiquities dealer named Khalil, are poised to attack. A visit to the Plutonium proves to be a real gas for Art, who must now discover the diabolical forces seeking to kill him. Papias and the Mysterious Menorah is a worthy sequel in the Art West series." -Mark Wilson Asia Minor Research Center Izmir, Turkey "Each of Ben and Ann Witherington's archaeological thrillers is more enthralling than the last. They deftly interweave the puzzles of the past with the complexities of the Middle East today." -Richard Bauckham Emeritus Professor of New Testament St. Andrews University, Scotland "Ever the pedagogues, Ben and Ann faithfully serve as highly informed, engaging, and deeply sensitive stewards of their narrative. Papias truly offers something for everyone." -Brad Johnson Instructor in Biblical Languages Asbury Theological Seminary Author Biography: Ben Witherington III is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University, and the author of over thirty-five books, including New York Times Best Seller The Brother of Jesus. Ann Witherington is Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at Asbury College. Ben and Ann have been married for over thirty years and have two adult children, Christy and David.

Art West has done it again. This time, he finds himself in hot water in Corinth, while excavating at a Roman villa with his fiancee, Marissa Okur, as they chart a sometimes bumpy course towards marriage. Art runs into a modern-day prophetess, survives an earthquake, and has to overcome annoying Greek authorities who stand in his way of making more discoveries of relevance to the study of the New Testament. Meanwhile his friend Kahlil el Said and his daughter who live in Jerusalem make a terrible discovery about her former husband the terrorist, with potentially dangerous and devastating consequences. The worlds of archaeology and the Bible converge once more with both heat and light shed on the origins of Christianity in this fourth installment in the series of seven Art West adventures.

In Ephesian Miracle things begin on an ominous note. Two Christian priests are murdered in Istanbul shortly before Art and his fiancee Marissa are to be married in the Chora Church in that cosmopolitan city. On top of that, it appears the bones of Mary the mother of Jesus have been found in Ephesus! Art and Marissa's honeymoon plans go awry when suddenly Marissa is missing and a ransom note is found by Art under the door of his hotel room in Kushadasi. It will take a miracle, an Ephesian miracle, to save her life. Fascinating archaeological discoveries, a romantic mid-life wedding and honeymoon, kidnapping and the martyring of Christians dot the landscape of this sixth thriller in the Art West series.

A new and transforming approach to the Book of Revelation. Margaret Barker bases her study on a fresh reading of the primary sources. As an Old Testament scholar, she can read Revelation as Hebrew prophecy - ancient temple oracles which inspired Jesus and his own prophecies, and influenced the whole Jerusalem Church. Jerusalem was waiting for their Great High Priest to return and complete the Atonement at the end of the Tenth Jubilee. This expectation fuelled the revolt against Rome. Josephus, who deserted to Rome, was the false prophet. John, who escaped to Patmos, compiled Revelation as a record of the first generation. In the future, he taught, the Lord would return to his people in the Eucharist.This work illuminates the formative years of Christianity, in the social, religious and political situation of mid-first-century Palestine, in a quite remarkable way. It will have profound implications for the understanding of Christian origins and the development of Christian liturgy.

The New Testament in Antiquity is a textbook for college and seminary students penned by three evangelical scholars with over fifty years of combined experience in the classroom. Their challenge was to build a text that would be engaging, academically robust, richly illustrated, and relevant to the modern student. This book strikes a balance between being accessible to all students and challenging them to explore the depths of the New Testament within its cultural worlds. The New Testament in Antiquity carefully develops how Jewish and Hellenistic cultures formed the essential environment in which the New Testament authors wrote their books and letters. It argues that knowing the land, history, and culture of this world brings remarkable new insights into how we read the New Testament itself. Numerous sidebars provide windows into the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman worlds and integrate this material directly with the interpretation of the literature of the New Testament. This is an ideal introductory text for classroom use, with ample discussion questions and bibliographies.

The thesis of this book is that every New Testament writing stands within a story, even if it does not tell stories. The approach allows readers to view the documents as vital elements in the lives of real persons. The book maintains its focus on bringing the writings alive and shows how critical study enhances understanding of their meanings. Its prime goal is teaching students to read these writings for themselves, bridging the chasms of language, history, and culture that separate them from us. The latest methods of research are utilized in this quest, but the focus always remains on the New Testament documents.

"Art West is in hot water in more ways than one in his latest adventure. After bathing in the famous thermal springs at Pamukkale, Turkey, the intrepid Bible scholar and archaeologist is invited to join an excavation at nearby Hierapolis. A papyrus related to Papias, the noted second-century bishop, has been discovered. However, demons unleashed by a cursed papyrus found in a menorah by Art's friend, the antiquities dealer named Khalil, are poised to attack. A visit to the Plutonium proves to be a real gas for Art, who must now discover the diabolical forces seeking to kill him. Papias and the Mysterious Menorah is a worthy sequel in the Art West series." --Mark Wilson Asia Minor Research Center Izmir, Turkey "Each of Ben and Ann Witherington's archaeological thrillers is more enthralling than the last. They deftly interweave the puzzles of the past with the complexities of the Middle East today." --Richard Bauckham Emeritus Professor of New Testament St. Andrews University, Scotland "Ever the pedagogues, Ben and Ann faithfully serve as highly informed, engaging, and deeply sensitive stewards of their narrative. Papias truly offers something for everyone." --Brad Johnson Instructor in Biblical Languages Asbury Theological Seminary