Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative rejects Jesus' suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is--a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.

The Complete Gospels is the first publication ever to collect the canonical gospels and their extracanonical counterpoints under one cover. The selected extracanonical gospels date from the first and second centuries, are independent of the canonical gospels, and significantly contribute to our understanding of the developments in the Jesus tradition leading up to and surrounding the New Testament gospels. Two additional texts, the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of the Savior, and a new text of Q are found in this fourth edition. Each gospel begins with an introduction that sets the text in its ancient and historical contexts and discusses the overall structure and central themes. Cross references point out the numerous parallel passages, intratextual indicators, and thematic parallels so the reader can see how the individual passages of a gospel fit into the rich tapestry of Jewish and early Christian texts. Notes explain important translation issues, supply necessary background information, offer guidance to difficult passages, and honestly indicate problems in the text or in our understanding of them. This volume is the premier publication of the Scholars Version translation of the gospels a fresh translation from the original languages into living American English that is entirely free of ecclesiastical control. The Scholars Version intentionally drops the pretense that academics have all the answers. It strives to avoid both talking down, and over the heads of readers. The goal is to make these fascinating texts intelligible and inviting to all who want to study them.

An essential resource for the analytical study of the gospels, The Complete Gospel Parallels goes beyond the standard parallels. This book gives those who study the gospels in English a one-volume compendium of synopses not only for the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but also for the Gospels of Thomas and Peter, as well as for a few gospel fragments (the Egerton Gospel, Gospel Oxyrhynchus 1224, as well as the Jewish-Christian Gospels of the Hebrews and the Nazoreans). The Complete Gospel Parallels also includes a synopsis for the reconstructed Q Gospel, which enables the reader both to discern how the text of Q can be derived and how Q was adopted and adapted by Matthew and Luke. The Complete Gospel Parallels features the fresh and vibrant Scholars Version translation, which has been thoroughly revised and fine-tuned to facilitate the precise comparison of parallel passages, using consistent English for the same Greek and different English where the originals vary. The Complete Gospel Parallels lucid translation, its easy-to-use format, and its broad range of gospel materials will enhance and deepen the serious reader s appreciation of early Christian tradition and literature.

The earliest version of the New Testament, now in English for the first time
History preserves the name of the person responsible for the first New Testament, the circumstances surrounding his work, and even the date he decided to build a textual foundation for his fledgling Christian community. So why do so few people know about him? Jason BeDuhn introduces Marcion, reconstructs his text, and explores his impact on the study of Luke-Acts, the two-source theory, and the Q hypothesis.

The voice of Jesus has for centuries been obscured and his vision skewed even by well-intended gospel writers, who transmitted his words to serve their own concerns. The Gospel of Jesus frees Jesus' voice from the accretions of time and lets his challenging wisdom stand out as never before. This single composite gospel, created out of the sayings and reports that were deemed probably historical by the Jesus Seminar, is an essential resource for anyone seeking to detect the words of Jesus as they were heard by his earliest listeners.

This second edition includes a new preface and introduction, updated and reorganized translation and notes, and expanded appendices and indices, all in a redesigned, user-friendly format.

Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative rejects Jesus' suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is--a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.

There were four different portraits of Paul in the early church: the non-authoritarian Paul of the great Letters, the authoritarian, misogynist Paul of the Pastoral Epistles, the frenetic missionary who single-handedly introduced Christianity to the Mediterranean world, and the proto- Gnostic Paul of Marcion and the Gnostic commentaries on Paul s letters. Which is the real Paul? The Christian church opted for the Pastoral Epistles, and so read Paul letters through that lens. But that image has become so problematic in the modern world that many contemporary readers are either put off by Paul or simply ignore him. But was Paul really such a frightful figure? In providing a fresh reading of Paul s authentic letters, the SV translators have attempted to liberate his words from those of Augustine, and later Martin Luther, who used Paul to cover their own guilty consciences. This Augustinian-Lutheran tradition of interpreting Paul s discourses about justification by faith as a way of dealing with their own sense of moral failure, for instance, represents but one way of translating Paul s letters. The Greek of Paul s writings can be understood rather differently so that Paul s message is not about personal guilt, but about the trustworthiness of God, and Jesus courageous faith in God as a role model for others. This is how Paul s letters are translated in this book. Here readers will encounter a very different view of Paul and his message.

The earliest version of the New Testament, now in English for the first time
History preserves the name of the person responsible for the first New Testament, the circumstances surrounding his work, and even the date he decided to build a textual fou

In this book the author sets his interpretation of the key parables of Jesus in the context of other things Jesus said and did. The result is a startling and provocative picture of the historical figure and the challenge he presents to contemporary life.

This introductory text takes a secular approach to New Testament study. The book begins with a discussion of the differences between analytical and traditional church approaches. It maintains that students can learn to work with both and not feel that they must sacrifice one for the other. Davies does not presuppose students' knowledge of biblical text or points of view, and he carefully explains topics such as how New Testament authors selected, edited and embellished sources to address concerns raised by their various communities. His clear and concise style enables students time to read both the book and the biblical text in depth.

The Complete Gospels is the first publication ever to collect the canonical gospels and their extracanonical counterpoints under one cover. The selected extracanonical gospels date from the first and second centuries, are independent of the canonical g

Since the earliest days of the movies more than a century ago, moviemakers have been intrigued by the greatest story ever told. They have tried, with varying degrees of success, to capture the life of Jesus on film. In Jesus at the Movies Barnes Tatum has created a fascinating and exhaustively-researched viewer's guide to the movies about Jesus. Tatum guides the reader film-by-film from Sidney Olcott's silent classic From the Manger to the Cross through Denis Arcand's award-winning Jesus of Montreal to the future of Jesus movies. With his experience as author, biblical scholar, and teacher on religion and film, he presents this unique look at Jesus films in all dimensions: as cinematic art, as literature, as biblical history and as theology.

Originally published in three volumes in 1973, Robert Funk s classic 'Beginning-Intermediate Grammar of Hellenistic Greek' utilizes the insights of modern linguistics in its presentation of the basic features of ancient Greek grammar. Since modern linguistics aims to be descriptive, rather than prescriptive, Funk s Grammar highlights the breadand-butter features of New Testament Greek, rather than how it deviates from classical Greek.

Five major apocryphal Acts survive from the early period of the Christian church, the so-called Acts of Andrew, of Paul, Peter, John, and Thomas. In the canonical New Testament, the apostle Andrew, brother of Peter is mentioned only a dozen times. In The Acts of Andrew, his post-resurrection mission and heroic martyrdom are closely detailed in a series of acts or episodes. This study edition of The Acts of Andrew presents a fresh, new translation of the text with cross-references, notes, and commentary. An extensive introduction also sets out the challenge of recovering and reconstructing the original text.

Did the historical Jesus preach that God was about to bring an end to human history and impose the divine kingdom on the earth and all its peoples? Four eminent New Testament scholars -Dale Allison, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and Stephen Patterson- come together under the direction of Robert J. Miller to debate this, the single most important question about the historical Jesus. Borg, Crossan, and Patterson argue that Jesus taught that God's kingdom was already here, not that it was coming in the near future. Dale Allison defends the widely-held view that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet. Everyone's cards are on the table in this candid exchange. The disagreements are sharp and the debate is both pointed and respectful. This book is an eloquent exploration of a pressing issue that strongly affects how we understand the historical Jesus and Christian life today.

From myth to parable, Crossan identifies five types of stories. Among these types it is parable that subverts the world and undercuts the safe shelter we build. Using literary theory, philosophy, theology and biblical studies, he demonstrates the subversive power of the parable.

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.