The parable of the good Samaritan is well-known, yet scholarship has not plumbed the depths of its meaning within its first-century Palestinian context. For the majority of Christian history, the parable has suffered either from extreme allegorical treatments or from unimaginative readings limiting the parable to a single-point example story of virtue. A creative reading employing social and historical methods generates a refreshing telling of the story, within Jesus’s context, whereby each variable, from the Samaritan to the priest and even the innkeeper, takes on representative forms, not only indicative of widespread concerns from Jesus’s audience, but also becoming symbols of the eschatological age when the new temple supplants the old.
By this book, I tried to find answers to the questions which don't appear directly in the Gospels. In fact, erothetics is the way of finding the question from the given answer. We have the Gospels, where the writers presented to us what Jesus did. But what if there where some questions, which were common for that time, and un-common for our time-reality? Then was the sermons, when I was astonished by the ministers which proclaimed that Jesus began story-telling, because He didn't knew what to say to the listeners. Or worse even, some ministers 'corrected' Jesus' parables, by this distorting the whole truth. This is why I alone, searched some answers, and by this, I provide You what I did found.
This publication engages a broad set of narratives, themes, and motifs in Luke-Acts, many of which are treated with social-scientific criticism employing various social, political, historical, and economic paradigms to generate fresh and robust readings of ancient texts. Moreover, most essays contained in this book offer remarkably unique engagements, providing students and scholars the opportunity to further expand the material to make vibrant contributions to their own research projects. With thirteen diverse chapters, this book offers anyone interested in Lukan scholarship a vibrant introduction to various lesser explored elements within Luke’s writings.
Leaders lead people, administer and manage resources to their benefits but are not to lord over them. Men are ordained to lead their families from creation. Leaders are responsible and accountable as God’s representatives for good works in families, organizations and nations. Dr. Ufot examines the qualities of true leaders. He explains that circumstantial dynamics in leadership requires adaptability in type, style, and form for sustainability. This implies that true leaders must go through a process of making, apprenticeship, and training to qualify to lead. This is how they learn to fight, solve problems and succeed. True leaders are predestined, called, ordained, equipped, and empowered to lead and fulfill their calling. Leading, however, is not a time to experiment but to execute a God-given vision. God’s grace is sufficient in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to apply leadership tools in all situations. All you have to do is look to the Bible and study leaders that succeeded or failed, and why. This book reveals the why, who, and how of true leadership—and the skills to make leaders to triumph. It is a must read to those seeking to allow God to lead through them.
Hedrick contends that parables do not teach moral and religious lessons; they are not, in whole or part, theological figures for the church. Rather, parables are realistic narrative fictions that like all effective fiction literature are designed to draw readers into story worlds where they make discoveries about themselves by finding their ideas challenged and subverted--or affirmed. The parables have endings but not final resolutions, because the endings raise new complications for careful readers, which require further resolution. The narrative contexts and interpretations supplied by the evangelists constitute an attempt by the early church to bring the secular narratives of Jesus under the control of the church's later religious perspectives. Each narrative represents a fragment of Jesus's secular vision of reality. Finding himself outside the mainstream of parables scholarship, both ecclesiastical and critical, Hedrick explored a literary approach to the parables in a series of essays that, among other things, set out the basic rationale for a literary approach to the parables of Jesus. These early essays form the central section of the book. They are published here in edited form along with unpublished critiques of a thoroughgoing literary approach and his response.
Jesus' parables can't simply be interpreted, they must be experienced. In the gospels, Jesus used parables to teach transformative lessons and convey deep spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. But he often used them to confront and challenge his audience as well, forcing them to open or close their hearts to the kingdom. Jesus understood the power of stories, but there are some things lost in translation when we try to interpret those same stories thousands of years removed from their original context. The unexpected twists and surprises in the parables might be missed by a modern audience because they're unfamiliar with the underlying points of reference. In Surprised by the Parables, Michelle Lee Barnewall explores the ancient context these parables drew from. These stories of grace reveal many of the mysteries central to God's character, and understanding the ancient world behind them will help us see the parables from a new perspective.
Purity, worship, obedience, and hope: 1 & 2 Chronicles called the early Hebrew people to faithful practice of these things, and they issue the same call to readers today. As August H. Konkel writes in the 30th commentary in the Believers Church Bible Commentary series, the Chronicler provided a unifying vision of the community’s rich traditions in an era of despondency and apathy. Exile had robbed the people of Israel of their wealth, and their return to the land of Judah had created resentment with the surrounding peoples. Struggling to maintain their faith amid intense social pressures, the Hebrew people needed to look to their past for lessons for the present. As two of the most overlooked books in the Christian canon, 1 & 2 Chronicles are exemplary resources for those who seek to be the people of God today. 1 & 2 Chronicles is the thirtieth volume in The Believers Church Bible Commentary Series. Accessible to lay readers, useful in preaching and pastoral care, helpful for Bible study groups and Sunday school teachers, and academically sound, the commentary foregrounds an Anabaptist reading of Scripture. Relying on a unique format that includes sections on The Text in Biblical Context and The Text in the Life of the Church, the commentary series is a cooperative project of Brethren in Christ Church, Brethren Church, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Brethren Church, Mennonite Church Canada, and Mennonite Church USA. Published for all who seek more fully to understand the original message of Scripture and its meaning for today, the series is based on the conviction that God is still speaking to all who will listen, and that the Holy Spirit makes the Word a living and authoritative guide for all who want to know and do God's will.
Since Origen and Chrysostom, John's Gospel has been valued as the most spiritual among the New Testament writings. Although Origen recognizes the Stoic character of John's statement that "God is pneuma" (4:24), an examination of the gospel in light of Stoic physics has not yet been carried out. Combining her insight into Stoic physics and ancient physiology, the author situates her thesis in the major discussions of modern Johannine scholarship- e.g. the role of the Baptist and the function of the Johannine signs- and demonstrates new solutions to well-known problems. The Stoic study of the Fourth Gospel reveals a coherent narrative tied together by the spirit. The problem with which John's Gospel wrestles is not the identity of Jesus, but the transition from the Son of God to the next generation of divinely begotten children: how did it come about? A reading carried out from a Stoic perspective points to the translation of the risen body of Jesus into spirit as the decisive event. The provision of the spirit is a precondition of the divine generation of believers. Both events are explained by Stoic theory which allows of a transformation of fleshly elements into pneuma and of multiple fatherhood. In fact, in his Commentary on John, Origen described Jesus' ascension as an event of anastoixei sis, which is the Stoic term for the transformation of heavily elements into lighter and pneumatic ones.
Whether it's leaving home, having children, losing a parent, or retiring, we spend much of our lives passing through transitions -- and it is often very stressful to cope with changing circumstances, as we feel lost, confused, and depressed, sometimes even wondering "Where is God in all of this?" But if we think of biblical journey stories (such as the Prodigal Son or Jonah's journey to Nineveh) as accounts of life transitions, we can begin to understand the profound spirituality of our own transitions -- no matter how "godawful" the experiences may seem. This enlightening book demonstrates how the hand of God, yes even "Godawful," is at work in our everyday lives. Each chapter includes helpful exercises and discussion questions, making it an ideal individual or group study resource. Andre Papineau writes about identity and authenticity with penetrating clarity. He grounds the religious search and the human equation in our passion to be truthful. The truth will make us free. This book shows us how that is accomplished. The sources used, the stories told, even the discussion questions are compelling. Anthony T. Padovano Distinguished Professor of American Literature & Religious Studies Ramapo College Andre Papineau brings to this book his deep familiarity with the scriptures, his knowledge of psychology, and his common sense honed in a lifetime of experience. With deep wisdom and perceptive insight, he helps us understand better both important biblical passages and the transitions that occur in all our lives. All pilgrim Christians can learn much from this book. Charles E. Curran Elizabeth Scurlock Professor of Human Values Southern Methodist University Andre Papineau is the maestro of the liminal, emcee in the cabaret called Transition, which is always open and whose customers are always edgy, confused, and desperate to get out. It isn't simplistic psychobabble pabulum he offers here, but hard, good advice, the kind grownups need in order to advance to the next grade. Each of these chapters is a meditation on the strange and intermittently glorious thing called being alive. Russell Shorto Author of Gospel Truth Once again, Father Papineau has gifted us with a unique blend of theology, psychology, and biblical savvy. He reminds the reader that life is a process and, as such, is a succession of transitions reflected in innumerable personal and collective stories. Using this as a central template, he takes the reader deep into the exegetical and imaginative core of several critical biblical events. This is a book of inclusive theology in understandable and relevant story form. Frederick R. Gustafson Editor of The Moonlit Path: Reflections on the Dark Feminine Andre Papineau is a Salvatorian priest and associate professor of pastoral studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Franklin, Wisconsin. A frequent lecturer on life stages and the co-founder of the C. G. Jung Center in Milwaukee, Father Papineau is the author of ten previous books, including Lightly Goes The Good News (CSS), and is a member of The Abraham Group (www.abrahamgroup.com). He holds degrees in theology and drama from Catholic University and the University of Notre Dame.
