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An exciting development of recent years in the study of early Judaism and Christianity has been the growing recognition of the importance of the extra-biblical traditions for understanding these religious movements--apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Nag Hammadi Gnostic texts.One major source for surviving works and traditions, however, has been largely ignored. This is the wealth of later Jewish and Christian (and to some extent Islamic) texts, citations, and traditions relating to biblical figures. One reason for the relative neglect of this material is that it is difficult to access, requiring a range of knowledge extending beyond the biblical traditions, through patristics, and into medieval studies.This book is designed to provide access to some of these complex traditions and to do it in such a way as to present the reader both with specialized insights and also with a work of general reference value. An international array of outstanding scholars treat the evolution of the biographical traditions of some fourteen biblical figures during the second temple, late antique, and medieval periods: Adam and Eve (Gary A. Anderson), Seth (John D. Turner), Enosh (Steven D. Fraade), Enoch (Philip S. Alexander), Noah (Devorah Dimant), Abraham (George W. E. Nickelsburg), Melchizedek (Birger A. Pearson), Levi (Marinus de Jonge and Johannes Tromp), Joseph (Harm W. Hollander), Baruch (J. Edward Wright), Ezekiel (Benjamin G. Wright, Aviva Schussman), Ezra and Nehemiah (Theodore A. Bergren). The figures were selected on the grounds of the richness and interest of the traditions connected with them and their importance in the thought worlds of early Judaism and Christianity. Michael E. Stone is Gail Levin de Nur Professor of Religion and Professor of Armenian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and co-author of Faith and Piety in Early Judaism: Texts and Documents, also published by Trinity Press. Theodore Bergren is Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Richmond (Virginia).1999 Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Award for the category Best Book Relating to the Old Testament

In the past, Old Testament scholars have characterized Hebrew religious practices of the postexilic period as a time of priestly legalism. Viewed in this way, the developments of this period paled in light of the First Temple period. However, as the essays in this collection demonstrate, the postexilic period was actually an age in which "it all came together," an age of robust religious vitality that gave birth to Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. The contributors to Passion, Vitality, and Foment focus on the range of religious advances in this time period, from the Sabbath and the synagogue to the vitality of feminine spirituality, wisdom traditions, and apocalyptic visions, all of which demonstrate the richness of Second Temple Judaism. Lamontte M. Luker is Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina.Contributors: Niels-Erik A. Andreasen, Andrews University; Jon Berquist, Chalice Press; Toni Craven, Brite Divinity School, TCU; Kathe Pfisterer Darr, Boston University School of Theology; John C. Endres, S.J., Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley; Walter Harrelson, Vanderbilt Divinity School; Leo G. Perdue, Brite Divinity School, TCU; Paul L. Redditt, Georgetown College; Will Soll, Sanford-Brown College and Eden/Webster Library of Webster University and Eden Seminary; and Marti J. Steussy, Christian Theological Seminary

These seminal essays by two leading New Testament scholars of our day focus on the interface between Judaism and Christianity in the New Testament.Professor Hengel writes in a broad and incisive manner on "Early Christianity as a Jewish-Messianic Universalist Movement." He argues that Christianity grew entirely out of Jewish soil and that pagan influences in the New Testament were mediated through Hellenistic Judaism. With an increasing number of Jewish scholars, he therefore contends that the New Testament must be considered an important source for our knowledge of ancient Judaism. In a final portion of his essay, he comments in some detail on "the final separation" of Christianity and Judaism.Professor Barrett''s "Paul: Councils and Controversies" addresses a more specific topic, though one with wide-ranging implications. His focus is the council described in Galatians 2 and Acts 15. What is the gospel of Jesus Christ for Jews and what is it for the Gentiles of the Pauline mission? Barrett explores the historical circumstances and the theological issues at stake. He traces the weakness of the initial compromise agreement between Paul and Peter to take the gospel to the uncircumcision and the circumcision respectively, as well as the significance of the later compromise decree of the council that made minimal demands upon the Gentiles. The inadequacy of both approaches is found in their failure to refer to the center or core of the gospel, that is, to Jesus Christ.A brief concluding chapter draws together some of the essays'' themes, by summarizing responses to them by Fuller Seminary''s New Testament department and proposing prospects for future discussion. An annotated bibliography is also included.Donald A. Hagner is George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary.

What really drives the technologies that dominate our modern world? Ruth Conway here brings under scrutiny: the deceptive dreams of development, the masculine "voice and structure" of so much technology, the obsession with control that obliterates both recognition of human fallibility and sensitivity to the needs of "the other," the inadequacies of technologies that fail to take account of the "wholeness" of life and what might constitute "justice" (right relationships) within the human community and with nature, and the impact of information and communication technologies on our ways of relating to one another.Conway sets forth key biblical insights that test our prevalent guiding motives and that suggest changes in the priorities and ways of working that would flow from faith in the God whose purposes of love have been revealed in Jesus Christ. She highlights technologies that empower rather than control, that support local communities, that respect nature''s life-sustaining processes, that bring "externalities" and the experience of marginalized people into consideration, and that address needs rather than creating wants.Ruth Conway is a founding member of the VALIDATE (Values in Design and Technology Education) network, initially associated with the British Council of Churches and now linked with professional associations of technology educators. Through articles and workshops she has explored the beliefs and commitments that lie behind the value judgments made in the development of any specific technology. With her husband Martin, she has been much involved in the life and work of the World Council of Churches.

In the present volume, Walter P. Weaver tells the fascinating story of Jesus research during the first half of the twentieth century. Written in a clear and engaging style, Weaver''s story chronicles not only the progress of Jesus research but also the cultural drifts and sociological phenomena that relate to the varying pictures of Jesus that scholarship has produced.The story begins at the turn of the century with Albert Schweitzer and the publication of The Quest of the Historical Jesus. Making its way through two world wars, during which Jesus scholarship was mesmerized by national peril and driven to a period of pause, the story ends with the remarkable discovery in the 1940s of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi documents-- discoveries that would stir the world of biblical scholarship for years to come. Throughout this period, Weaver points out, a struggle went on for the Jewish soul of Jesus. The period was also characterized by many attempts to popularize the results of Jesus research and to present Jesus as a public icon.Walter P. Weaver is Emeritus Professor of Religion at Florida Southern College and former Chair of the Humanities Division and Department of Religion and Philosophy, and Pendergrass Professor of Religion. He is co-editor of the Faith and Scholarship Colloquies series published by Trinity Press.

This comprehensive guide to the history of recording industries combines the technical history of the recording process and the industry that gre up to support it, with the history of the musical, vocal, and spoken repertoire that developed in parallel with recording. Updated and revised from teh critically acclaimed Finnish edition, it is the only generic history of recording currently available in English and of immense value to all students of cultural history.

Although now an Anglican priest and head of one of the prestigious colleges in Cambridge University, John Polkinghorne has spent most of his adult life working as a theoretical physicist. He is therefore uniquely qualified to set forth the relationship between science and religion in a way that takes the two disciplines seriously. Professor Polkinghorne argues that the habits of thought that are natural to the scientist are the same habits of thought that can be followed in the search for a wider and deeper kind of truth about the world. He calls this "bottom-up" thinking, that is, starting not with general principles but with the particularity of experience, and asking what is sufficient to explain the phenomena and give an understanding of what is going on. Serious Talk begins with the search for an acceptable meeting point for science and religion. Following this are examinations of specific theological issues approached in the spirit of such a meeting point: creation, the role of chance, God's engagement with time, the anticipation of a destiny awaiting humanity beyond death, and the end of the universe.

Although Henry Louis Gates examined the ways in which African slave language formed the metaphors for African American poetry and fiction in The Signifying Monkey, there have been no studies of the theological and ethical significance of the salutations of black Americans until now. In Dark Salutations, Riggins Earl examines black American''s ethnocentric verbalized salutary expressions-"brotherman" and "sistergirl," for example-that dominate their ritualistic moments of social encounter. The noticeable religious content of some of these salutations drives us to examine blacks'' understandings of God and brother/sisterhood challenges: Is God a respecter of persons? Or, have black people understood God to be "faithfully for them and with them" politically and spiritually? Have black people understood themselves to be "trustfully for and with" each other spiritually and politically? Have black people understood themselves to be "trustfully for and with" even the whites who oppressed them? Earl argues that these salutary expressions show how blacks have lived with the burdensome challenge of having to prove their sisterly and brotherly capacities, and with the insatiable desire to be treated as equal siblings in the family of God..

Screening Scripture offers a unique new perspective on religion and film. The book proposes that there is no natural connection between scripture and film-even for those movies that seem to have an obvious relationship to religious text. It is only the viewer that makes this connection. From this perspective, Screening Scripture opens up new possibilities for viewing these movies and reading these texts with each other.The contributors to this volume serve as creative viewers who make these connections for some of today''s most popular and provocative films. The scriptures discussed include not only the Bible, but apocryphal, heretical, and non-Western scriptures. In the hands of these writers, the films provide fresh insights into the scriptures. Contributors to this volume:George Aichele (Adrian College) on PleasantvilleRoland Boer (Monash University) on Total RecallRalph Brabban (Chowan College) on Midnight CowboyFred Burnett (Anderson University) on Lethal WeaponCarl Dyke (Methodist College) on The Life of BrianJulie Kelso (University of Queensland) on David and BathshebaNeal McCrillis (Columbus State University) on The Giant BehemothTina Pippin (Agnes Scott College) on DraculaJennifer Rohrer-Walsh (Methodist College) on The Prince of EgyptMark Roncace (Emory University) on Sling BladeErin Runions (Barnard College) on Boys Don''t CryJeffrey Staley (Seattle University) on Patch AdamsRichard Walsh (Methodist College) on End of DaysGeorge Aichele is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan and is the author of The Control of Biblical Meaning.Richard Walsh is Professor of Religion, co-director of the Honors Program, and Assistant Academic Dean at Methodist College, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is the author of Mapping the Myths of Biblical Interpretation.

In the latest volume in the Emory Studies in Early Christianity series, the contributors seek a better understanding of how various biblical authors present their arguments, support their claims, and attempt to persuade their readers.A century ago the rhetorical analysis of texts focused on the study of rhetorical figures in texts (elocutio). In the mid-twentieth century, scholars such as James Muilenburg, Hans Dieter Betz, and Wilhelm Wuellner introduced biblical scholars to the illustrious tradition of rhetorical study. These scholars tended to focus on the arrangement of the texts themselves (dispositio).During the last ten years, however, interpreters have increasingly studied the rhetorical argumentation in texts. The authors in this volume examine rhetorical argumentation in the Hebrew Bible, the Gospels, the Pauline letters, and the Book of Revelation, offering striking new readings of these materials.Contributors include: J. David Hester (Amador), Center for Rhetoric and Hermeneutics; R. Dean Anderson, Valkenburg, The Netherlands; Harold W. Attridge, Yale Divinity School; L. Gregory Bloomquist, St. Paul University, Ottawa; Michael R. Cosby, Messiah College; Rodney K. Duke, Appalachian State University; Frans H. van Eemeren, University of Amsterdam; Anders Eriksson, Lund University; Alan J. Hauser, Appalachian State University; Roy R. Jeal, William and Catherine Booth College; Manfred Kraus, Eberhard-Karls-Universit+ñt, T++bingen; John W. Marshall, University of Toronto; Roland Meynet, Pontificia Universit+á Gregoriana; Thomas H. Olbricht, Emeritus, Pepperdine University; Carol Poster, Florida State University; Rollin A. Ramsaran, Emmanuel School of Religion; Vernon K. Robbins, Emory University and University of Stellenbosch; Russell B. Sisson, Union College; Jerry L. Sumney, Lexington Theological Seminary; C. Jan Swearingen, Texas A & M; Lauri Thur+¬n, Univeristy of Joensuu; Johan S. Vos, Vrije Universiteit; and Duane F. Watson, Malone College.

What sort of king was Jesus? What is the meaning of Jesus'' description of himself in Matthew''s Gospel as the meek king?Jesus the Meek King is an exploration of a specific virtue in Paul, Matthew, the Hellenistic world, and English literature from Tyndale to the present. Modern readers are likely to understand the meek as Jesus'' attempt to commend and exemplify submissive or humble behavior. The meek may even be seen unfavorably as those likely to submit tamely to oppression or injury.Ancient readers of Greek texts, however, understood the term more broadly as a trait of rulers whereby exercise of disciplined compassion overcomes anger. Meekness is also a dispositional virtue in the literature of the first century describing new Jewish and Christian groups and enhancing community life.Most recent books about Jesus focus on history and biography. This book eschews historical questions for culturally specific understandings of humility and meekness. The result is a full and contextual understanding of Jesus the meek king.Deirdre J. Good is Professor of New Testament at General Theological Seminary, New York.

What Would Jesus Do? is a popular phrase in Christian circles, but answers to that question might be more on-target if we spent more time exploring, as Scott Spencer has, What Did Jesus Do?Spencer examines both the Synoptics and the Gospel of John as he tries to catch a wide-angled vision of Jesus'' behavior in the gospels. Rather than focus on sayings or pronouncements as an authoritative code of conduct, he studies Jesus'' deeds or actions as keys to his identity and vocation. While not ignoring Jesus'' teaching, this study is more interested in discovering how Jesus personally lived up to his own moral instruction -- his personal conduct. Chapters are devoted to Jesus'' actions with respect to his family, his friends, his body, his possessions, his work, his reputation, and the environment. Spencer suggests paths -- and pitfalls -- for relating Jesus'' personal conduct to individual behavior, how we might move from what Jesus did in the New Testament to what we should do today.F. Scott Spencer is Professor of New Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia and is the author of The Portrait of Philip in Acts: A Study of Roles and Relations and Acts. He is the Chair of the New Testament section for the Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion.

Porter Taylor, known for his wonderful preaching, always has something unusual and thoughtful to say. "Forgive us our weeds as we forgive the weediness of others," he writes in one sermon on the parable of the wheat and the weeds. In another he reflects on why the book of Ecclesiastes shouldn't be read by anyone who isn't at least 35. "At their best," Taylor writes, "sermons are about things that matter." To Dream as God Dreams is about those things that matter: finding our home in a storm, the roots and wings we need as people of faith, contagious love, and more. These sermons about the importance of community, the need for conversion, and the power of hopefulness make wonderful devotional reading, and are an inspirational source for others who preach. Porter Taylor has served a variety of parishes, and has a Ph.D. in literature and theology from Emory University. He is the bishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina.