Böcker utgivna av William B Eerdmans Publishing Co

Handel's oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt -- and also misunderstanding.This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel's majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence.Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah's unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel's music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text.For anyone seeking to appreciate Handel's Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read.(Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People is the newest volume in the flourishing Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series, edited by John D. Witvliet.)

Emmauel Katongole is a Catholic priest from Uganda, born in 1960, who lived through the reign of Idi Amin and has seen the postcolonial struggles of his home country and its sub-Saharan neighbors -- Rwanda, the Congo, Zimbabwe, Liberia, and others -- up close and personal.Looking at this region, ravaged by war, corruption, terror, genocide, and disease, Katongole wonders at length what difference Christianity makes -- or could make -- in numerous African nation-states. The Sacrifice of Africa argues that in the face of Africa's social, political, and economic turmoil, a new future truly is possible, and displays how such a new future, inspired by Christian faith, looks.

The Dance between God and Humanity brings together thirty-one articles written by Bruce Waltke, reformed evangelical professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, on fascinating topics in biblical theology including:Studying the Psalms devotionallyThe text and canon of the Old TestamentPreaching ProverbsBiblical authorityDoing theology for the people of GodEvangelical spiritualityOld Testament texts about human reproductionReflections on retirementThe role of women in the BibleAnd much more!

This book clearly shows how Karl Barth still remains a vital dialogue partner for contemporary theology. Hans Mikkelsen sets out to demonstrate the ways in which Barth reinterprets traditional Christianity. In this spirit of dialogue, Mikkelsen reads Barth in conjunction with several other thinkers and theologians, including Schleiermacher, Hegel, Brunner, Buber, Pannenberg, Gerard, and Frei.Reconciled Humanity is a refreshing treatment of Barth, full of complex, intricate, and highly nuanced arguments. Mikkelsen here establishes a connection between tradition and modernity in systematic theology, concerning himself not only with what Barth said, but also with how one can -- and should -- use Barth's thought in a constructive way today.

Alan Jacobs is fond of the essay because it lets a writer do something that more formal pieces of writing cannot: follow the "vagaries of the mind," let the writing follow its own path, encountering surprises and fresh insights along the way. In this new collection, Jacobs offers essays for companionable wayfaring. To be a Christian, he says, is to be a wayfarer, to move hopefully towards a cherished goal. These essays are a wayfarer's notes, a record of ideas and experiences encountered on the pilgrim path. Gathered here are pieces serious and comic, eloquent and interesting. Jacobs muses on the usefulness and dangers of blogging, the art of dictionary making, the world of Harry Potter, and an appreciation of trees. He also includes several book reviews, including a wickedly witty poem. With Wayfaring, Jacobs continues his tradition of exploring Christian theology and experience by way of the essay, bringing serious musings within reach of us all.

With The Republic of Grace Charles Mathewes aims to supply a primer of politics and the public square to help Christians in these dark times find hope in public life. He asks such questions as How should our Christian convictions lead us to see the world differently than those who do not share them? What are the categories that believers should use to act on the challenges of the world?Mathewes uses theological virtues best loved by Augustine -- faith, hope, and love -- to provide an analogical mirror for Christian citizenship in a post-9/11 American world. He examines not how religion has shaped our politics but rather how politics has shaped and mis-shaped our religious life and how we can begin to correct that shape.The Republic of Grace will help reignite and inform a fierce commitment to the common good of our society, caring concern for the least and most vulnerable, and the use of each person's gifts, power, and wealth as a force for good and justice in the world. In short, this book will enable readers to realize the sacramental possibilities of political life.

Resonant Witness gathers together a wide, harmonious chorus of voices from across the musical and theological spectrum to show that music and theology can each learn much from the other -- and that the majesty and power of both are profoundly amplified when they do. With essays touching on J. S. Bach, Hildegard of Bingen, Martin Luther, Karl Barth, Olivier Messiaen, jazz improvisation, South African freedom songs, and more, this volume encourages musicians and theologians to pursue a more fruitful and sustained engagement with one another. Contributors: Jeremy S. BegbieBruce Ellis BensonAlastair BorthwickDaniel K. L. ChuaNancy van DeusenMargot FasslerSteven R. GuthrieCarol HarrisonTrevor HartC. Michael HawnJoyce IrwinJohn Paul ItoAnthony MontiDavid J. R. S. MoseleyMichael O'ConnorCatherine PickstockRichard J. PlantingaRobert ShollNancy van DeusenJohn D. Witvliet

In this new, completely rewritten edition of his major 1986 book, Francis Watson extends, updates, and clarifies his response to E.áP. Sanders's view of Paul, in order to point the way beyond the polarization of "new" and "old" perspectives on the apostle. The Paul who comes to light in these pages is agent and thinker, apostle and theologian. He is a highly contextual figure, yet his account of Christian identity continues to shape the church's life to this day. He is the founder of mainly Gentile, Christ-believing communities, separated from the synagogue; and yet he can see this distinctive existence as an authentic response to Jewish scripture and tradition, as fulfilled in Christ. He is a many-sided figure, transcending all our attempts to categorize him or to co-opt him for our own favored causes.

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my community."-- Matthew 16:18, author's translationGiven that Peter fades from view halfway through the book of Acts and that he left no gospel account in his name, it is tempting for many biblical scholars to dismiss him as a vague figure in Christian history and downplay his influence in the early church.Martin Hengel rejects this underestimation of the apostle and argues that Peter was in fact the Rock, central to the development of both the Jewish and the Gentile Christian communities. Hengel clearly shows how each of the four gospels specifically highlights Peter's foundational role. He considers what Peter's message must have been as an eyewitness of Christ, reflects on Peter's theology, and draws attention to Peter's work as an organizer and mission strategist. Hengel also examines the contributions of married apostles -- like Peter -- and their family communities to the rapid and enduring spread of the Christian message.

Translated by Boris Jakim "There are two worlds for the Christian and two lives in them: one of these lives belongs to this world of sorrow and suffering, while the other is lived in a hidden manner in the Kingdom of God, in the joyful city of heaven. All of the events, both of the Gospel and of the Church, which are celebrated at different times of the Church Year are not only remembered but are also accomplished in us, insofar as our souls touch this heavenly world. These events become for us a higher reality, a source of unceasing celebration, of perfect joy." -- Sergius Bulgakov (from preface) This distinctive book contains spiritual orations and edifying discourses rooted in the Orthodox tradition. In Churchly Joy Sergius Bulgakov takes readers through the joyous mysteries of the church year as reflected in the Orthodox Church''s major feasts, including celebrations of the Annunciation, the Birth of Christ, the Epiphany, the Transfiguration, the Triumphal Entry, Easter, and more. Churchly Joy reflects Bulgakov''s transcendent vision for the church and will provide spiritual growth and edification for all Christians.

"More than any other book, the Bible offers an amazing collection of fascinating characters ranging from the holiest of the holy to some of the most depraved scoundrels imaginable. Many are mentioned only in passing, yet history and archaeology can often fill in the blanks and flesh them out as exciting human beings. For this reason we have in many cases been able to tell much more about them than the Bible alone reveals."-- Richard R. Losch (from the preface)A comprehensive gathering of persons found in the Bible, including the Apocrypha, All the People in the Bible really delivers on its title: literally all of the Bible's characters appear in this fascinating reference work. From the first article on Aaron to the final entry on Zophar, Richard Losch details each person in a lively narrative style.The bulk of the book consists of Losch's A-Z articles covering the familiar and the not-so-familiar figures in Scripture. Names of people who are found only in genealogies or who had no significant effect on history are included solely in the alphabetical listing starting on page 452. That listing, "All the People in the Bible and Apocrypha," includes pronunciations, brief identifications, and biblical references. Persons covered in greater detail in the main part of the book are identified in bold print.Losch's intriguing look at all the people in the Bible is anything but a dry reference work. This is a book to dip into and enjoy over and over.

From the prolific, profound pen of David Bentley Hart comes this collection of essays, reviews, and columns published in popular journals and newspapers over the past few years, comprising observations on culture, religion, and society at large. In the Aftermath fully displays the virtuosic prose that readers have come to expect from Hart. "Here I want -- at least in part -- to entertain. This is not to say that the pieces gathered here are not serious in their arguments; quite the contrary. . . . I mean only that, in these articles, I have given my natural inclinations towards satire and towards wantonly profligate turns of phrase far freer rein than academic writing permits. . . . I have, at any rate, attempted to include only pieces that strike me as having some intrinsic interest, both in form and in content." -- from the introduction