This book thoroughly examines Matthew's gospel. It discusses appropriate methods for interpretation and considers in detail the gospel's origin, purpose, and social setting. Graham Stanton claims that Matthew wrote the Gospel following a period of prolonged bitter disputes with fellow Jews. With considerable literary, catechetical, and pastoral skill the evangelist composed a gospel for a new people (both Jews and Gentiles) in a cluster of Christian communities. Dividing his book into three sections, Stanton discusses redaction critical, literary critical, and social scientific approaches to the interpretation of Matthew; he confirms that Matthew's Gospel was shaped by the "parting of the ways" with Judaism; and he includes two essays on the Sermon on the Mount and one on Matthew's use of the Old Testament.

With characteristic insight, Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-jones here offers a detailed and comprehensive exposition of one of the best known but most frequently misunderstood passages of scripture - the Sermon on the Mount/ The Sermon on the Mount, says Lloyd-Jones, is not a code of ethics or morals; it is a description of what Christians are meant to be. With his eye always on both Scripture and life, he explains and applied Christ's teaching for Christians struggling to live like Christ. Originally delivered as sermons, the sixty studies in this devotional classic provide a fine example of clear, consecutive expository preaching from one of the greatest preachers of our time.

The Sermon on the Mount contains many comparisons. In this book, the functions of these comparisons are studied by the methodology called comparative characterization. Characterization is the way a character is characterized in a narrative. Comparative characterization is the characterization of a character using comparisons. In comparative characterization, another character is used as a foil to bring out a characteristic trait of a concerned character. Jesus characterized the ideal disciple in the Sermon on the Mount with many descriptions and imperatives. To characterize the ideal disciple Jesus used many comparisons and highlighted the characteristic features that embody the ideal disciple. The many comparisons used in the Sermon on the Mount are identified in this study through comparative characterization. In addition, the teleological purpose of the comparisons, which is to play as foil to the characterization of the ideal disciple, is identified and highlighted. Thus, this study identifies Jesus' characterization of the ideal disciple and his complex portrayal of the ideal disciple with the many uses of comparisons in the descriptions and imperatives of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

In contrast to many studies of New Testament ethics, which treat the New Testament in general and Paul in particular, this book focuses on the person of Jesus himself. Richard Burridge maintains that imitating Jesus means following both his words -- which are very demanding ethical teachings -- and his deeds and example of being inclusive and accepting of everyone. Burridge carefully and systematically traces that combination of rigorous ethical instruction and inclusive community through the letters of Paul and the four Gospels, treating specific ethical issues pertaining to each part of Scripture. The book culminates with a chapter on apartheid as an ethical challenge to reading the New Testament; using South Africa as a contemporary case study enables Burridge to highlight and further apply his previous discussion and conclusions.

The Sermon on the Mount continues to attract persons of different backgrounds and traditions. There is general agreement that the Sermon offers a compendium of the teachings of Jesus, and that it is one of the most lofty and powerful expressions of the essence of the moral life. But when one turns to questions about the Sermon's meaning and relevance, there is no unanimity of opinion. A cluster of problems has divided interpreters from the first centuries of the Christian era to the present. Kissinger's readable yet scholarly guide to the literature of the Sermon on the Mount reflects some of the many attempts which have been made to wrestle with those problems. Part I traces in 35 sections the history of interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount from the patristic period to the twentieth century. An extensive partially-annotated bibliography on the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes is presented in Part II. The bibliography was developed from the collection of the late Harold Row. The author added materials from the Library of Congress and other outstanding collections to provide the first full-scale bibliography of the Sermon on the Mount which has indeed proved to be authoritative. Since the book was first published in its cloth edition in 1975, it has been widely consulted as a resource for Sermon on the Mount research and study. A general index of topics, a biblical references index, and an appendix listing "Sermon on the Mount" in 61 languages completes the work.

An Annotated Guide to Biblical Resources for Ministry evaluates over 2,000 books that were chosen because of their usefulness for the theological interpretation of the Bible within the context of the faith of the church, significance in the history of interpretation, and representation of evangelical scholarship. This is one of those rare bibliographic guides that every student of religion, seminarian, and minister will want to have on his or her bookshelf. The focus of this guide is on biblical studies. It contains entries on 2,200 books written by 1,300 scholars. Annotations describe and evaluate books that are highly recommended. Virtually every topic in biblical studies is noted: commentaries on each book of the Bible; biblical histories, theologies, and ethics; books on the canon, archaeology, early Judaism, and interpretive methods; and technical books such as grammars, concordances, Bible dictionaries, and atlases. The great strength of this guide is not only that it provides the reader with a wealth of information but also that the format it follows is eminently reader-friendly. The Guide is invaluable for assisting the student, seminarian, or minister in building a personal library. I highly recommend it! " Jack Dean Kingsbury, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia

This publication updates Bruce Metzger's monumental Index to the present. In addition to all the periodicals indexed by Metzger (where these are still active), this volume updates the list with a number of newer periodicals which had not yet begun publication when Metzger compiled his work. Metzger's original citations (10.000+) are complemented by an additional 4.800+ new references, using the same basic arrangement employed by Metzger.

Life of Jesus Research offers students and scholars annotated bibliographies for all of the major areas of critical scholarship in the historical Jesus, providing complete bibliographical information, annotations, and brief introductions to the various subjects. The work is an indispensable tool for research in this important field of study.

Wouldn’t you like to know today the standard by which you will be judged in eternity tomorrow? That is exactly what Jesus does in the greatest sermon ever told, The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven,” (Mt 5:20). This “opener” provides the basis for His sermon which spans three chapters in Matthew. In it, Jesus provides for us a comparison between two kingdoms: the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of self. In His sermon, Jesus gives us all insight into what a true Christian looks like, acts like, sounds like, and even thinks like. The Pharisees were known for their strict adherence to the law and their traditions. Jesus makes it clear to them and to us in this sermon, that adherence to the law will not count for eternity. Only by clothing oneself in Christ’s righteousness can one hope for eternal life. The world and even the Church at times, attempts to redefine a Christian in a way that “cheapens” Christianity to make it more palatable and pleasing to the un-believer. Pastor and Martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this “cheap grace.” But the true Christian will not be measured by the world’s or even the church’s standards. Each and every person will stand before a righteous Judge, and be made to give an account for his or her life according to God’s Word. This book is a line-by-line explanation of Christ’s expectations for every person who professes to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. In essence, it is a manual to help us all to understand what it means to be a Christian.