James M. Neumann proposes that there is far more at work in Mark's portrayal of Jesus as Son of God, and what it means for Mark to depict him as such, than past scholarship has recognized. He argues that Mark presents Jesus's life from beginning to end as the actualization of Psalm 2: a coronation hymn describing the Davidic king as God's “son,” which was interpreted messianically in early Judaism and christologically in early Christianity. Rather than a simple title, the designation of Jesus as God's “Son” in Mark contains and encapsulates an entire story of its own. Beginning with an analysis of why this most important identity of Jesus in the Gospel has been under-studied, Neumann retraces the interpretive traditions surrounding Psalm 2 in early Judaism and Christianity alike. Pointing to Mark's first introduction of Jesus as God's Son into the narrative via an allusion to Ps 2:7 and portraying his baptism as a royal anointing, he demonstrates how Jesus begins to realize the implications of his anointment through his disestablishment of Satan's kingdom. Focusing on the repetition of the allusion to Ps 2:7 at Jesus's transfiguration and exploring how the Parable of the Vineyard uniquely encapsulates the Gospel as a whole, Neumann traces the use of the psalm throughout the Markan passion narrative, contending that, in Mark's vision, the hope envisaged by the psalm has been realized: the Son begins to inherit (the worship of) the nations. He concludes that Mark paradoxically portrays the accomplishment of the Messiah's victory through Jesus's crucifixion.

From beginning to end, the Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of God. In this comprehensive introduction to Matthew, David Bauer presents a holistic inductive approach with a literary, theological, and canonical focus. Exploring issues of genre, interpretive methods, authorship, audience, and literary structure, he also guides readers through interpretation and emerging theological themes.

This book is dealing with subjects that are seldom discussed but are needed for the church to grow in number. Discipleship is important, but first we must lead the person to Christ with the right message. That message is found in the book of Acts. The essence of the Gospel was and is today in three parts: One is the person of Christ found in the four Gospels. Two is the death of Christ again found in the four Gospels. And thirdly is the resurrection of Christ. Number three being the most neglected part of the Gospel presentation. If we follow the messages by Paul and Peter in the book of Acts, we will see that all three elements are included. We discuss how Satan has tricked and fooled us by his slick presentation as concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We teach how one person can lead many to Christ before we stand at the judgement seat of Christ. This book will change you!

Salvation is simple in nature, wonderful in scope, and dynamic in application. The firm foundation of our redemption is based on bedrock truths which frame the content of the gospel of God. In this two-volume set of The Gospel of God Watchman Nee presents the content of God’s salvation, including man’s sin; God’s love, grace, and mercy; the nature of grace; the function of the law and God’s righteousness; the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit; eternal security; and God’s dealing with the believer’s sins. These messages are comprehensive, ranging from man’s sinful condition before salvation to his destiny in the coming age. Christian growth depends upon a dynamically operative faith, and an essential ingredient for growing in Christ is a clear understanding of the truth which supports this faith. Spoken in 1937 in Shanghai, China, these messages effectively demonstrate Watchman Nee’s burden to help all believers in the truth of God’s salvation.

A theological study on the Gospel of John that is strongly determined by contemporary biblical scholarship.

Peter is a fascinating character in all four canonical gospels, not only as a literary figure in each of the gospels respectively, but also when looked at from an intertextual perspective. This book examines how Peter is rewritten for each of the gospels, positing that the different portrayals of this crucial figure reflect not only the theological priorities of each gospel author, but also their attitude towards their predecessors. Rewriting Peter as an Intertextual Character in the Canonical Gospels is the first critical study of the canonical gospels which is based on Markan priority, Luke’s use of Mark and Matthew, and John’s use of all three synoptic gospels. Through a selection of close readings, Damgaard both provides a new critical portrait of Peter and proposes a new theory of source and redaction in the gospels. In the last thirty years there has been an increasing appreciation of the gospels’ literary design and of the gospel writers as authors and innovators rather than merely compilers and transmitters. However, literary critics have tended to read each gospel individually as if they were written for isolated communities. This book reconsiders the relationship between the gospels, arguing that the works were composed for a general audience and that the writers were bold and creative interpreters of the tradition they inherited from earlier gospel sources. Damgaard’s view that the gospel authors were familiar with the work of their predecessors, and that the divergences between their narratives were deliberate, sheds new light on their intentions and has a tremendous impact on our understanding of the gospels.