A fresh, modern translation of key works of the apostolic fathers.
The Apostolic Fathers wrote what has become some of the most important literature in the early church-letters and epistolary documents, homilies and theological tracts, documents on church order, and apocalyptic literature. In fact, some texts came close to inclusion in the New Testament canon. These translations by Rick Brannan are perfect for use by students, scholars, and everyday Christians interested in these treasures of the early church.
Lexham Classics are beautifully typeset new editions of classic works. Each book has been carefully transcribed or translated from the original texts, ensuring an accurate representation of the writing as the author intended it to be read.
This volume includes:
A fascinating insight into the rival religious communities of the early Christian church.
These apocryphal texts open a window to understanding the rival religious communities which coexisted with the early church. Written after the ministry of Christ and the apostles, these collections of writings contain stories about Jesus that were never part of the canonical Gospels, but nevertheless offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of the early church. These translations by Rick Brannan are perfect for use by students, scholars, and everyday Christians interested in early Christian apocrypha. Lexham Classics are beautifully typeset new editions of classic works. Each book has been carefully transcribed or translated from the original texts, ensuring an accurate representation of the writing as the author intended it to be read. This volume includes:The First Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (1AAJn) originated somewhere between the fifth and eighth centuries. Its vocabulary is very similar to the New Testament and has several similarities with the canonical book of Revelation. As it consists largely a dialogue between the apostle John and the glorified Jesus, it provides clarification and further revelation of the eschaton.
Because the Greek vocabulary of 1AAJn is similar to the Greek New Testament, it can provide the student of New Testament Greek reading experience outside of the New Testament with familiar vocabulary. Each word that occurs 30 times or less in the Greek New Testament is footnoted in this edition and given lexical information, part of speech information, and a contextual gloss.
This volume also includes:
The Acts of Pilate (Acta Pilati) and the Descent of Christ to Hades (Dec. Hades) are Christian Apocrypha. They are not canonical, but they do provide the traditional understanding of what happened at the trial of Jesus and what happened during his death and resurrection.
Because the Greek vocabulary of the Acts of Pilate and the Descent of Christ to Hades is similar to the Greek New Testament, it can provide the student of New Testament Greek reading experience outside of the New Testament with familiar vocabulary. Each word that occurs 20 times or less in the Greek New Testament is footnoted in this edition and given lexical information, part of speech information, and a contextual gloss.
This volume also includes:
To responsibly exegete the text of First Timothy, one must become familiar with the vocabulary. But examination of word meanings involves more than simply looking up words in a lexicon and choosing a gloss that seems appropriate.
Rick Brannan evaluates the vocabulary of the First Timothy in light of the New Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), the Apostolic Fathers, the works of Philo, the works of Josephus, the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, and other material. Many commentaries and other works of exegesis mention material from these sources to provide background information or examples of word usage, duly noting references to such works in footnotes or endnotes. Brannan's work, however, provides full quotations (in translation) of the relevant references. Instead of relegating these citations to footnotes that are seldom if ever looked up, the cited text itself is reproduced for the reader to evaluate.
Rick Brannan has produced a robust and rigorous exegetical introduction to First Timothy. This book is a great guide to the nuances of the Greek text that interpreters need to grapple with as they attempt to interpret this letter. Whether it is women saved through childbirth or how you will save both yourself and your hearers, Brannan shows you what you need to know as you wrestle with First Timothy. - Dr. Michael F. Bird (PhD University of Queensland) is Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia.
Rick Brannan's methodology for these word studies in First Timothy opens new semantic vistas because he takes into account the usage of the Greek words in contemporary Koine works like the Pseudepigrapha and Josephus. Furthermore, he illustrates the effective use of these lexemes in the Apostolic Fathers as well. He is careful not to be guilty of anachronism in the latter practice but simply illustrates how the word was understood in Christian literature written soon after the Pastorals. In some ways, this is a ground-breaking approach that deserves serious consideration by other commentators on the sacred text. - Dr. William Varner is Professor of Bible and Greek at The Master's College.
To responsibly exegete the text of Second Timothy, one must become familiar with the vocabulary. But examination of word meanings involves more than simply looking up words in a lexicon and choosing a gloss that seems appropriate.
Rick Brannan evaluates the vocabulary of the Second Timothy in light of the New Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), the Apostolic Fathers, the works of Philo, the works of Josephus, the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, and other material. Many commentaries and other works of exegesis mention material from these sources to provide background information or examples of word usage, duly noting references to such works in footnotes or endnotes. Brannan's work, however, provides full quotations (in translation) of the relevant references. Instead of relegating these citations to footnotes that are seldom if ever looked up, the cited text itself is reproduced for the reader to evaluate.
Praise for the First Timothy volume:
Rick Brannan has produced a robust and rigorous exegetical introduction to First Timothy. This book is a great guide to the nuances of the Greek text that interpreters need to grapple with as they attempt to interpret this letter. Whether it is wome
This look at the grammar and syntax of Second Timothy uses a unique combination of a block outline of the Greek text with an English interlinear to expose the letter's structure. Discussion uses traditional grammatical and syntactic terminology as well as newer terminology from the realm of discourse grammar to support the reader in exegesis and teaching of Second Timothy.
This is a fascinating study as Brannan comments on grammatical and syntactical relationships throughout 2 Timothy with comments on the implications for flow of thought and meaning. I am not aware of anything quite like this available anywhere else. This will be a great resource for anyone working through the Greek text of 2 Timothy. - Ray Van Neste, Professor of Biblical Studies, Director of the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, Union University
Move beyond your word studies into a world that recognizes how words relate to each other in larger units. If you have enough Greek to begin, Rick Brannan will take you to the next step of discovering how Paul communicates to us not just by the lexemes but by the Logos, the message that imparts life. - William Varner, Professor of Bible and Greek, The Master's College