Written by leading scholars, the CEB Study Bible helps readers understand the biblical texts within the larger historical and literary framework of the Bible through book introductions, thousands of notes, more than 300 articles, and full-color images throughout, revealing cultural contexts and exploring relevant background information--while always seeking to inspire. Sometimes we need a little help to understand ancient meanings and to line up the rich layers of history and revelation. The CEB Study Bible is a readable, reliable, and relevant invitation to grow in God. The CEB Study Bible is for encouragement and challenge, for guidance and reflection, for study and prayer: The reliable, readable, and relevant Common English Bible translation in a single-column setting Detailed book introductions, outlines, and notes from the finest biblical studies professors Full-color throughout, including more than 200 illustrations, photographs, maps, and charts Hundreds of thousands of cross references More than 300 indexed sidebar and general articles 21 full-color maps designed by National Geographic and fully indexed Several hundred leading biblical scholars were involved with the Common English Bible translation and as contributors to The CEB Study Bible. The Editorial Board includes Joel. B. Green (Fuller Theological Seminary), Seung Ai Yang (Chicago Theological Seminary), Mark J. Boda (McMaster Divinity College), Mignon R. Jacobs (Fuller Theological Seminary), Matthew R. Schlimm (University of Dubuque), and Marti J. Steussy (Christian Theological Seminary).

In this new authoritative volume of the New Testament Library series, Joel B. Green presents the writer of James as a sort of practical theologian, directly addressing the lived experiences of Jewish Christ followers beset by Roman social conventions and sensibilities contrary to the divine command to love God and love neighbor.

The book of James is nothing if not pragmatic. Its core arguments rest on urging its audience to take concrete action to develop faithful life patterns in a world that is often set against those who seek to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. Joel B. Green shows how the practical wisdom of James can continue to speak prophetically to a range of issues that plague our contemporary experience--the entrenched and growing gap between the wealthy and impoverished foremost among them. But readers who might be tempted to formulate a simple to-do list from James's precepts are encouraged instead to enter into the world of the text as fully and as humanly as possible by asking questions like: How would the letter's first audience (and then how might we) hear, and internalize, the writer's words about perfection, moral purity, humans made in God's likeness, and prayer for the sick and disabled? How might their lives (and then how might ours) be shaped by James's central concern with the double love of love of God and love of neighbor?

James: A Commentary examines the Letter of James from a variety of angles--its social and cultural contexts, its relationship to Israel's Scriptures and to the teaching of Jesus, the development of its message, and its significance theologically. As with other volumes in the New Testament Library series, this commentary strives to come to terms with the literary and historical aspects of James: its arguments, its appeals, its perspectives; its interpretation of Jesus' message and Israel's Scriptures; its grasp of contemporary Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. But it most deeply aims to show how James points readers toward envisaging the world as God does and acting accordingly--personally and communally.

The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary; Susan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology, Emory University; and Emerson B. Powery, Messiah University.

This volume addresses the most important issues related to the study of New Testament writings. Two respected senior scholars have brought together a team of distinguished specialists to introduce the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman backgrounds necessary for understanding the New Testament and the early church. Contributors include renowned scholars such as Lynn H. Cohick, David A. deSilva, James D. G. Dunn, and Ben Witherington III. The book includes seventy-five photographs, fifteen maps, numerous tables and charts, illustrations, and bibliographies. All students of the New Testament will value this reliable, up-to-date, comprehensive textbook and reference volume on the New Testament world.

This highly original commentary, part of the New International Commentary, is unique for the way it combines concerns with first-century culture in the Roman world with understanding the text of Luke as a wholistic, historical narrative.

ECPA Christian Book Award Winner
Readers' Choice Award Winner
Biblical Foundations Award Winner
Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference

The second edition of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels is a thoroughly reconstructed and revised version of the critically acclaimed 1992 first edition. Since that groundbreaking volume was published, a wave of Jesus and Gospel scholarship has crested and broken on the shores of a new century.

Jesus has been proposed as sage, shaman, revolutionary, marginal Jew, Mediterranean peasant or a prophet of Israel's restoration. The non-canonical Gospels have been touted, examined and reassessed. There are revised understandings of historiography, orality, form criticism, empire and more. The second edition of the DJG amply weighs and assess the gains and shortcomings of this new scholarship.

Here is a self-contained reference library of information and perspective essential to exploring Jesus and the Gospels. This volume bridges the gap between scholars and those pastors, teachers, students and interested readers who want thorough treatments of key topics in an accessible and summary format. Articles cover each Gospel, major themes in the Gospels, key episodes in the life of Jesus, significant background topics, as well as issues and methods of interpretation.

Among other benefits, it allows multiple opportunities for each of the Gospels to be weighed and heard in its own voice. Bibliographies are full and up to date, putting readers in touch with the best work in the field. All of this allows the articles to serve as launching pads for further research.

When the first edition of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels was published, it was immediately recognized as an innovative reference work. By taking a particular corpus of biblical books and exploring it with in-depth articles written by specialists in the field, it refashioned a staple reference genre. This dictionary model has now been applied to each segment of the biblical canon in successive volumes.

Those who have enjoyed and benefitted from the wealth in the first edition will find the second edition an equally indispensable companion to study and research. Over ninety percent of the articles have been completely rewritten, and the rest thoroughly revised and updated. Here is the doorway into a reliable and comprehensive summary and appraisal of the last twenty years of Jesus scholarship. A new generation of scholars has opened the way to make this a Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels for the twenty-first century.

Reference volumes in the IVP Bible Dictionary Series provide in-depth treatment of biblical and theological topics in an accessible, encyclopedia format, including cross-sectional themes, methods of interpretation, significant historical or cultural background, and each Old and New Testament book as a whole.

Designed to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary.

For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day.

This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture.

This set contains Year C, volumes 1, 2, and 3.

Designed to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary.

For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day.

This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture.

Designed to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary.

For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day.

This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture.

A distinguished group of scholars here introduces and illustrates the array of strategies and methods used in New Testament study today. Standard approaches -- text criticism, historical methods, etc. -- appear side by side with newer approaches -- narrative criticism, Latino-Latina hermeneutics, theological interpretation of the New Testament, and more. First published in 1995, Hearing the New Testament is now revised and updated, including rewritten chapters, new chapters, and new suggestions for further reading.

Contributors:

• Efrain Agosto
• Loveday C. A. Alexander
• James L. Bailey
• Stephen C. Barton
• Richard Bauckham
• C. Clifton Black
• Holly J. Carey
• Bart D. Ehrman
• Stephen E. Fowl
• Joel B. Green
• Richard B. Hays
• Mark Allan Powell
• Emerson B. Powery
• F. Scott Spencer
• Max Turner
• Kevin J. Vanhoozer
• Robert W. Wall

We read the Bible and interpret Scripture in order to live in grace-filled relation to God's divine purpose.When we approach the Bible as Scripture author, Joel Green, takes seriously the faith statement that the Bible is our Book; these scriptures are our Scripture. We are not reading someone else's mail--as though reading the Bible had to do foremost with recovering an ancient meaning intended for someone else and then translating its principles for use in our own lives. When we recall that we are the people of God to whom the Bible is addressed as Scripture, we realize that the fundamental transformation is not the transformation of an ancient message into a contemporary meaning, bur rather the transformation of our lives by means of God's Word. This means that reading the Bible as Scripture has less to do with what tools we bring to the task, however important these may be, and more to do with our own dispositions as we come to our engagement with Scripture. We come not so much to retrieve facts or to gain information, but to be formed and ultimately, transformed. Scripture does not present us with texts to be mastered but with a Word, God's Word, intent on mastering us, on shaping our lives.

Even though the letter of 1áPeter has sometimes been overshadowed by Paul's many New Testament letters, it is nonetheless distinctive for the clarity with which it presents the Christian message. In this volume Joel Green offers a clear paragraph-by-paragraph analysis of 1áPeter and, even more, unpacks the letter's theology in ways that go beyond the typical modern commentary.

Following Green's paragraph-by-paragraph commentary is an extended discussion of the theological horizons of 1 Peter. Throughout his study Green brings the message of 1 Peter into conversation with Christian theologians -- ancient and contemporary -- so that the challenge of this letter for Christian faithfulness can be heard more clearly today.

Lead an abundant life, grow as a faithful disciple, and find new avenues to serve. By studying The Wesley Study Bible, readers will share God's grace and find the good gifts God has for them. As God transforms them through study, they will be inspired to transform the world. Contributors from across the Wesleyan family join together to help others experience God in fresh ways. The Wesley Study Bible highlights the depth of John Wesley's perspectives on scripture and features accessibly written notes and articles contributed by pastors, theologians, and Bible scholars. Easy-to-understand explanations of core terms encompass the following themes: eternal life, forgiveness, grace, heaven, holiness, justice, and mission. This new Hardcover binding is wrapped in a classic tweed-like fabric with a soft-touch imitation leather spine. It makes a beautiful gift. This CEB edition includes: Revised page design for easier study. Holiness of Heart & Life articles provide relevant lessons for today's Christians. Wesleyan Core Term notes provide a context and history of the theology of the Wesleyan faith. Common English Bible translation makes this popular study Bible appealing to both clergy and laity. Concordance to CEB.

This convenient text utilizes material from the well-received Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics to introduce students to the use of the New Testament for moral formation. This handy and affordable book-by-book survey of the New Testament contains key articles written by leading scholars and targeted to the needs of the classroom. It will serve as an excellent supplementary text in New Testament courses. The stellar list of contributors includes Robert Brawley, Bruce Chilton, Charles Cosgrove, David deSilva, Victor Paul Furnish, and Glen Harold Stassen.

A six-week Bible study for small groups using the Wesley Study Bible. Here is Jim Moore at his best, telling the heart-warming stories as he teaches us about the Bible. In this 6-session, Dr. Moore uses key Scriptures that distinctively shape us as United Methodists. There are two sessions from the Old Testament and four sessions from the New Testament. Each session also lifts up and uses core terms and life application topics taken from the Wesley Study Bible to help you grow as a faithful follower of Jesus as you practice your faith in everyday life.

The theology of John Wesley has proven exceedingly influential in the religious and spiritual lives of Wesley's followers and his critics. However, Wesley did not leave behind a written doctrine on scripture. This collection presents an array of diverse approaches to understanding John Wesley's charge to read and interpret the Bible as scripture. Contributors move beyond the work of Wesley himself to discuss how Wesleyan communities have worked to address the difficult scriptural--and theological--conundrums of their time and place.

With contributions from William J. Abraham, Justo L. González, Joel B. Green, Elaine A. Heath, Randy L. Maddox, Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, Jason E. Vickers, Laceye Warner, David F. Watson, Kenneth J. Collins, Robert W. Wall, Reginald Broadnax, Meesaeng Lee Choi, Hunn Choi, Douglas M. Koskela, D. Brent Laytham, Steven J. Koskie, and Michael Pasquarello III, Wesley, Wesleyans, and Reading Bible as Scripture ultimately attempts to underscore what it means to stand in the Wesleyan stream and bring about holiness through--and within--daily occurrences.

Jesus has always invited and challenged his disciples to follow him in the way of redemptive suffering, the way of the cross. This, according to Joel Green, is the very heart of Mark's gospel. It is also the heart of discipleship today. In six engaging chapters, Green shows how Mark unfolds the drama of Jesus's mission to suffer for others; how this mission was not initially understood by the first disciples, and how all this can transform our own understanding of the call to follow. Each chapter deepens our sense of the integrity of Mark and challenges us to follow Jesus in our own practice of discipleship and experience with suffering today. The Way of the Cross is for individuals and groups who are serious about Bible study and about the relevance of such study to their lives. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions for reflection and discussion.

Why A Search for the Soul? Many Christians assume that it is biblically faithful and theologically noncontroversial to speak of humans having a soul. Yet a wide range of biblical scholars are questioning whether we have correctly understood what the Bible means when it speaks of the soul. And contemporary neuroscience is laying more and more questions at the doorstep of the church, asking whether our human sense of self is intelligible on the basis of soul. But for thoughtful Christians, following science on this point looks like caving in to reductionism, while denying science gives off the door of obscurantism. In Search of the Soul provides a rare opportunity to listen in as four Christian philosophers set forth their best arguments for their distinct views and then respond to each other. While each of these views calls for careful framing and patient exposition, they are labeled as follows: - SUBSTANCE DUALISM (Stewart Goetz) - EMERGENT DUALISM (William Hasker) - NONREDUCTIVE PHYSICALISM (Nancey Murphy) - CONSTITUTION VIEW OF PERSONS (Kevin Corcoran) The editor introduces the debate by laying out the critical issues at stake, and wraps it up by considering the implications for the Christian life, particularly hospitality and forgiveness. This is a book of timely interest to philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and pastors. Whatever conclusions readers may draw, they will find here an instructive and engaging discussion of a controversy that will not go away any time soon.

Proclamation of the crucified Messiah is always close at hand when one attempts even the most cursory articulation of the Christian faith. Viewed simultaneously as scandal and eschatological turning-point the cross of Christ is the cornerstone of Christian faith and praxis. This is not to say that the crucifixion of Jesus has at all times and all places been subjected to a single interpretation by Christian believers. Already in the dawning years of the Christian movement Jesus' disciples understood his death in numerous ways, utilizing a variety of images. This study takes as its primary points of departure the prominence of the cross-event for Christians and the variety of it interpretations. Here we seek a partial answer to the question how earliest Christianity understood the death of Jesus. Originally, this study took the form of a 1985 University of Aberdeen dissertation.

Are humans composed of a material body and an immaterial soul? This view is commonly held by Christians, yet it has been undermined by recent developments in neuroscience. Exploring what Scripture and theology teach about issues such as being in the divine image, the importance of community, sin, free will, salvation, and the afterlife, Joel Green argues that a dualistic view of the human person is inconsistent with both science and Scripture. This wide-ranging discussion is sure to provoke much thought and debate.

Bestselling books have explored the relationship between body, mind, and soul. Now Joel Green provides us with a biblical perspective on these issues.