THE FOURTEEN EPISTLES OF PAUL consist of a translation of all fourteen epistles of Paul with in-depth footnotes, arranged in their likely chronological order, with brief introductions and analyses. Among these epistles are the earliest extant Christian documents. They provide an insight into the beliefs and controversies of early Christianity. As part of the canon of the New Testament, they are foundational texts for both Christian theology and ethics.
Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James
Bestselling authors of The Last Week and The First Christmas, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan join once again to present a new understanding of early Christianity—this time to reveal a radical Paul who has been suppressed by the church. Paul is second only to Jesus as the most important person in the birth of Christianity, and yet he continues to be controversial, even among Christians. How could the letters of Paul be used both to inspire radical grace and to endorse systems of oppression—condoning slavery, subordinating women, condemning homosexual behavior? Borg and Crossan use the best of biblical and historical scholarship to explain the reasons for Paul's mixed reputation and reveal to us what scholars have known for decades: that the later letters of Paul were created by the early church to dilute Paul's egalitarian message and transform him into something more "acceptable." They argue there are actually "Three Pauls" in the New Testament: "The Radical Paul" (of the seven genuine letters), "The Conservative Paul" (of the three disputed epistles), and "The Reactionary Paul" (of the three inauthentic letters). By closely examining this progression of Paul's letters—from the authentic to the inauthentic—the authors show how the apostle was slowly but steadily "deradicalized" to fit Roman social norms in regards to slavery, patriarchy, and patronage. In truth, Paul was an appealing apostle of Jesus whose vision of life "in Christ"—one of his favored phrases—is remarkably faithful to the message of Jesus himself.
This careful, sometimes innovative, mid-level commentary touches on an astonishingly wide swath of important, sensitive issues - theological and pastoral - that have urgent resonances in twenty-first-century life. This thorough commentary presents a coherent reading of 1 Corinthians, taking full account of its Old Testament and Jewish roots and demonstrating Paula's primary concern for the unity and purity of the church and the glory of God. Those who preach and teach 1 Corinthians will be grateful to Ciampa and Rosner for years to come and scholars will be challenged to see this letter with fresh eyes.
Have you ever wondered what the Apostle Paul might have said about some vital topic not mentioned in his letters? Have you wished he had clarified his views on this or that? Suppose someone discovered a cache of "new" Pauline epistles-how exciting it would be! Join New Testament scholar Robert M. Price as he presents a new collection of fourteen hitherto-unknown letters of Paul, plus a visionary apocalypse. Scholars will discover here an imaginative new approach to doing Pauline theology, and all readers will feel a thrill as they re-experience the charm of their first encounter with the now too-familiar Pauline texts of the canon.
In this fascinating book David Trobisch looks at the Pauline letters of the New Testament by examining the oldest manuscripts of the letters of Paul. Then he describes characteristic features of the Pauline letters and interprets them in the light of documented editorial practices by comparing them to other published letter collections of the time (Cicero, Plinius etc). He comes to the conclusion that the New Testament collection of Pauline letters is best understood if one assumes that the Apostle Paul himself prepared some of them for publication (Romans, I & II Corinthians and Galatians). It is written in accessible language for anyone interested in New Testament scholarship. With footnotes, tables, and illustrations.
