When and where was the Acts of John composed, by whom, for whom, and why? Using his vibrant Scholars Version translation, Pervo introduces the text of the Acts of John, identifies its sources, investigates early witnesses, and illuminates the motivations of its author. Includes the text, notes, and cross-references. The Early Christian Apocrypha series features fresh new translations of major apocryphal texts that survive from the early period of the Christian church. These non-canonical writings are crucial for determining the complex history of Christian origins. Each translation is accompanied by cross-references, notes, commentary. An extensive introduction also sets out the challenge of recovering and reconstructing the original text.

The author of Acts unwittingly committed a near-perfect crime: He told his story so well that all rival accounts vanished with but the faintest of traces. And thus future generations were left with no documents that recount the history of the early Christian tradition; because Acts is not history. According to Richard Pervo, 'Acts is a beautiful house that readers may happily admire, but it is not a home in which the historian can responsibly live.' Luke did not even aspire to write history but rather told his story to defend the gentile communities of his day as the legitimate heirs of Israelite religion. In The Mystery of Acts, Pervo explores the problem of history in Acts by asking, and answering, the fundamental questions: Who wrote Acts? Where was Acts written? When was Acts written? Why was Acts written? How was Acts written? The result is a veritable tour-de-force that enlighten, entertains, and brings Acts to life.

The Acts of the Apostles joins the Gospel of Luke with the ministry of Paul. Renowned New Testament scholar Richard I. Pervo shows how this masterful storyteller worked his magic, drawing on first-century literary techniques of narration and characterization. Luke's literary skills did not prevent scribes from re-writing his masterwork, however, the textual tradition of Acts is among the most intriguing of the documents of the New Testament, and is a focus here.

Elegantly written, Pervo's commentary provides a compelling interpretation of Acts in the context of Hellenistic literature and the emerging Christian movement, Readers will rediscover the profit with delight that was the ideal of ancient story-tellers.

This is the most complete translation of the Acts of Paul in English, together with a detailed commentary. The orientation is primarily literary, with detailed attention to the history of composition and revision. Unlike many studies, this commentary does not focus upon the story of Thecla.

This is the most complete translation of the Acts of Paul in English, together with a detailed commentary. The orientation is primarily literary, with detailed attention to the history of composition and revision. Unlike many studies, this commentary does not focus upon the story of Thecla.

This first-ever gathering of the Pastoral Epistles and Polycarp to the Philippians under a single cover moves beyond debates about Pauline authorship to address second-century themes, such as combining the traditional Roman Household Code with the emerging Church Order, the corrosive effects of greed, and the price worth paying for unity. Includes the Greek texts, Pervo's dynamic English translations, introductions, notes and index.

Richard I. Pervo provides the most complete translation of the pseudepigraphic Acts of Paul in English, together with a detailed commentary. The research perspective of this work is primarily literary, with detailed attention to the history of composition and revision. The author encourages a fresh look at this section of the 'Apocraphal Acts' through the lens of the Pauline legacy and in the context of ancient popular narrative.

The influence of the apostle Paul in early Christianity goes far beyond the reach of the seven genuine letters he wrote to early assemblies. Paul was reveredand fiercely opposedin an even larger number of letters penned in his name, and in narratives told about him and against him, that were included in our New Testament and, far more often, treasured and circulated outside it. Richard Pervo provides an illuminating and comprehensive survey of the legacy of Paul and the various ways he was remembered, honored, and vilified in the early churches. Numerous charts and maps introduce the student to the family of Pauline and anti-Pauline Christianities.