The first three major patriarchs, Adam, Noah, and Abraham, herald the first three millennia of creation in a progressive revelation of the Trinity that represents a kind of main chorus in the song of our salvation. The accounts of their offspring form a refrain echoing the main chorus of the fundamental Messianic bloodline just as the song we sing in this life is an echoing of the harmony in heaven. This song of salvation is ultimately heard not only in the lives of individuals but also the natural history of the world. The manifest rhythms move us inexorably to the end times of our original creation in a vital convergence of prophecy and history that represents quite literally a folding up of all time and space in the one Body of Christ.
Renowned biblical sleuth and scholar Richard Elliot Friedman reveals the first work of prose literature in the world-a 3000-year-old epic hidden within the books of the Hebrew Bible. Written by a single, masterful author but obscured by ancient editors and lost for millennia, this brilliant epic of love, deception, war, and redemption is a compelling account of humankind's complex relationship with God. Friedman boldly restores this prose masterpiece-the very heart of the Bible-to the extraordinary form in which it was originally written.
Imagine that you could really understand the Bible...that you could read, analyze, and discuss the book of Genesis not as a compositional mystery, a cultural relic, or a linguistic puzzle palace, or even as religious doctrine, but as a philosophical classic, precisely in the same way that a truth-seeking reader would study Plato or Nietzsche. Imagine that you could be led in your study by one of America's preeminent intellectuals and that he would help you to an understanding of the book that is deeper than you'd ever dreamed possible, that he would reveal line by line, verse by verse the incredible riches of this illuminating text -- one of the very few that actually deserve to be called seminal. Imagine that you could get, from Genesis, the beginning of wisdom. The Beginning of Wisdom is a hugely learned book that, like Genesis itself, falls naturally into two sections. The first shows how the universal history described in the first eleven chapters of Genesis, from creation to the tower of Babel, conveys, in the words of Leon Kass, "a coherent anthropology" -- a general teaching about human nature -- that "rivals anything produced by the great philosophers." Serving also as a mirror for the reader's self-discovery, these stories offer profound insights into the problematic character of human reason, speech, freedom, sexual desire, the love of the beautiful, pride, shame, anger, guilt, and death. Something as seemingly innocuous as the monotonous recounting of the ten generations from Adam to Noah yields a powerful lesson in the way in which humanity encounters its own mortality. In the story of the tower of Babel are deep understandings of the ambiguous power of speech, reason, and the arts; the hazards of unity and aloneness; the meaning of the city and its quest for self-sufficiency; and man's desire for fame, immortality, and apotheosis -- and the disasters these necessarily cause. Against this background of human failure, Part Two of The Beginning of Wisdom explores the struggles to launch a new human way, informed by the special Abrahamic covenant with the divine, that might address the problems and avoid the disasters of humankind's natural propensities. Close, eloquent, and brilliant readings of the lives and educations of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons reveal eternal wisdom about marriage, parenting, brotherhood, education, justice, political and moral leadership, and of course the ultimate question: How to live a good life? Connecting the two "parts" is the book's overarching philosophical and pedagogical structure: how understanding the dangers and accepting the limits of human powers can open the door to a superior way of life, not only for a solitary man of virtue but for an entire community -- a life devoted to righteousness and holiness. This extraordinary book finally shows Genesis as a coherent whole, beginning with the creation of the natural world and ending with the creation of a nation that hearkens to the awe-inspiring summons to godliness. A unique and ambitious commentary, a remarkably readable literary exegesis and philosophical companion, The Beginning of Wisdom is one of the most important books in decades on perhaps the most important -- and surely the most frequently read -- book of all time.
The Chronology of the Old Testamenthas one goal to accomplish: to demonstrate "that every chronological statement contained in the Sacred Writ is consistent with all other chronological statements contained therein." Author Floyd Nolen Jones carefully and thoroughly investigates that chronological and mathematical facts of the Old Testament, proving them to be accurate and reliable. This biblically sound, scholarly, and easy-to-understand book will enlighten and astound its readers with solutions and alternatives to many questions Bible scholars have had over the centuries. Features: Scriptural solutions to many biblical mathematical controversies Sir Robert Anderson's calculation error corrected The 483-year prophecy of Daniel 9:25 explained A scriptural formula which biblically synchronizes the kingdoms of Judah and Israel 48 charts, graphs, and diagrams included in text Fully indexed with complete bibliography Supports and updates James Ussher's Annals of the World With reliable explanatory text, detailed charts, and diagrams, this book provides a systematic framework of the chronology of the Bible from Genesis through the life of Christ. No Bible scholar should be without this indispensable reference tool.
The beginning chapters of Genesis come alive with characters, places, and events almost totally unknown outside of the Bible itself except when illuminated by the fascinating history of the ancient Near East. Did a man we call Adam actually exist? Was someone known to us as Noah warned of a cataclysmic flood and instructed to build an ark? Could the Tower of Babel incident actually have happened? The reader will gain a new appreciation for the historical integrity of Genesis 2-11, and marvel at the evidence that the persons, places, and events depicted, though long misunderstood, could be real.
There are many opinions and subsequent interpretations on the Book of Genesis. What did the author of Genesis intend and how can we possibly know, or is the important thing only what the Bible “means to you”? In this book, Dr. Jason Lisle answers questions such as: What are the most common mistakes people make in trying to understand Genesis?What are the necessary rules of biblical interpretation, and what is the proper role of science in understanding the Bible?How does one identify the various types of biblical literature, and how do the rules of interpretation handle each type – poetic, prophetic, historical, etc.? Is there one correct interpretation of the Bible, or are there many? Discover why alternative positions are rationally impossible. Unlock a powerful understanding of God’s Word and equip yourself with a reasoned defense against those who distort the Word of God.
Published in 1928, this is the ancient scripture, 3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book Of Enoch. Edited and translated with commentary and notes by Hugo Odeberg.
This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.
What is spirituality? For some, it means nothing more than vague self-improvement pulled from the latest best-selling self-help book. For others, it refers to some generic religious practice. Shedding life-giving light on what often remains ill-defined and unclear, this book sets forth a vision of biblical spirituality—“a renewed sense of the momentousness of being alive in God’s world as God’s people are led by God’s Spirit through God’s Word unto godly, Christlike character.” With careful exegetical work and theological reflection, the contributors—pastors and scholars such as Christopher W. Morgan, Paul R. House, Nathan A. Finn, and Gregg R. Allison—address spirituality from the perspective of the Bible, exploring topics such as the Trinity, divine sovereignty and human responsibility, the “already” and “not yet,” and the church. This book also addresses practical questions about spirituality related to the workplace, disciplines of the body, and more.
