This work seeks to demonstrate that Gregory's spirituality forms and is formed by his theology and especially his understanding of the person and work of Christ. His spirituality is that of a contemplative looking for Christ and finding him in the pain of this world. Gregory's theological emphases of the experience of pain and eschatology found in his Moralia in Iob find their connection in his Christology. In contemplative union with Christ the pain of this life will make sense and in the last judgment the great mystery of the divine purpose will be revealed.

What made Pope Gregory I “great”? If the Middle Ages had no difficulty recognizing Gregory as one of its most authoritative points of reference, modern readers have not always found this question as easy to answer. As with any great figure, however, there are two sides to Gregory – the historical and the universal. The contributors to this handbook look at Gregory’s “greatness” from both of these angles: what made Gregory stand out among his contemporaries; and what is unique about Gregory’s contribution through his many written works to the development of human thought and described human experience. Contributors include: Jane Baun, Philip Booth, Matthew Dal Santo, Scott DeGregorio, George E. Demacopoulos, Bernard Green, Ann Kuzdale, Stephen Lake, Andrew Louth, Constant J. Mews, John Moorhead, Barbara Müller, Bronwen Neil, Richard M. Pollard, Claire Renkin, Cristina Ricci, and Carole Straw.

This book examines how early Christians cultivated affective compassion as a virtue in a Roman world that valued emotional tranquillity.

A Legacy of Preaching, Two-Volume Set--Apostles to the Present Day explores the history and development of preaching through a biographical and theological examination of its most important preachers. Instead of teaching the history of preaching from the perspective of movements and eras, each contributor tells the story of a particular preacher in history, allowing these preachers from the past to come alive and instruct us through their lives, theologies, and methods of preaching. Each chapter introduces readers to a key figure in the history of preaching, followed by an analysis of the theological views that shaped their preaching, their methodology of sermon preparation and delivery, and an appraisal of the significant contributions they have made to the history of preaching. This diverse collection of familiar and lesser-known individuals provides a detailed and fascinating look at what it has meant to communicate the gospel over the past two thousand years. By looking at how the gospel has been communicated over time and across different cultures, pastors, scholars, and homiletics students can enrich their own understanding and practice of preaching for application today. Volume One covers the period from the apostles to the Puritans and profiles thirty preachers including: Origen of Alexandria by Stephen O. Presley John Chrysostom by Paul A. Hartog Augustine of Hippo by Edward L. Smither Gregory the Great by W. Brian Shelton Bernard of Clairvaux by Elizabeth Hoare Francis of Assisi by Timothy D. Holder Saint Bonaventure by G. R. Evans Meister Eckhart by Daniel Farca? John Huss by Mark A. Howell Martin Luther by Robert Kolb John Calvin by Anthony N. S. Lane Jonathan Edwards by Gerald R. McDermott John Wesley by Michael Pasquarello III George Whitefield by Bill Curtis and Timothy McKnight and many more Volume Two covers the period from the Enlightenment to the present day and profiles thirty-one preachers including: Catherine Booth by Roger J. Green Charles Haddon Spurgeon by Thomas J. Nettles Henry Ward Beecher by Michael Duduit John Albert Broadus by Hershael W. York D. L. Moody by Gregg L. Quiggle Billy Sunday by Kristopher K. Barnett Karl Barth by William H. Willimon Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Keith W. Clements D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Carl Trueman John Stott by Greg R. Scharf Harry Emerson Fosdick by Dwayne Milioni Aimee Semple McPherson by Aaron Friesen Gardner C. Taylor by Alfonza W. Fulwood and Robert Smith Jr. Billy Graham by John N. Akers Martin Luther King Jr. by Alfonza W. Fulwood, Dennis R. McDonald, and Anil Sook Deo J. I. Packer by Leland Ryken and Benjamin Hernández and many more

the Handbooks of the Bible and Its Reception (HBR) provide comprehensive introductions to individual topics in biblical reception history. They address a wide range of academic fields and interdisciplinary matters, including reception of the Bible in various contexts and historical periods; in diverse geographic areas; in particular cultural, social, and political contexts; and in relation to important biblical themes, topics, and figures.

A Legacy of Preaching, Volume One--Apostles to the Revivalists explores the history and development of preaching through a biographical and theological examination of its most important preachers. Instead of teaching the history of preaching from the perspective of movements and eras, each contributor tells the story of a particular preacher in history, allowing the preachers from the past to come alive and instruct us through their lives, theologies, and methods of preaching. Each chapter introduces readers to a key figure in the history of preaching, followed by an analysis of the theological views that shaped their preaching, their methodology of sermon preparation and delivery, and an appraisal of the significant contributions they have made to the history of preaching. This diverse collection of familiar and lesser-known individuals provides a detailed and fascinating look at what it has meant to communicate the gospel over the past two thousand years. By looking at how the gospel has been communicated over time and across different cultures, pastors, scholars, and homiletics students can enrich their own understanding and practice of preaching for application today. Volume One covers the period from the apostles to the revivalists and profiles thirty preachers including: Paul by Eric Rowe Peter by David R. Beck Melito of Sardis by Paul A. Hartog Origen of Alexandria by Stephen O. Presley Ephrem the Syrian by Jonathan J. Armstrong Basil of Caesarea by Jonathan Morgan John Chrysostom by Paul A. Hartog Augustine of Hippo by Edward L. Smither Gregory the Great by W. Brian Shelton Bernard of Clairvaux by Elizabeth Hoare Francis of Assisi by Timothy D. Holder Saint Bonaventure by G. R. Evans Meister Eckhart by Daniel Farca? Johannes Tauler by Byard Bennett John Huss by Mark A. Howell Girolamo Savonarola by W. Brian Shelton Martin Luther by Robert Kolb Ulrich Zwingli by Kevin L. King Balthasar Hubmaier by Corneliu C. Simu? William Tyndale by Scott A. Wenig John Calvin by Anthony N. S. Lane William Perkins by Dwayne Milioni Richard Baxter by Simon Vibert John Owen by Henry M. Knapp John Bunyan by Larry Steven McDonald Matthew Henry by William C. Watson and W. Ross Hastings François Fénelon by Martin I. Klauber Jonathan Edwards by Gerald R. McDermott John Wesley by Michael Pasquarello III George Whitefield by Bill Curtis and Timothy McKnight Volume Two, available separately, covers the period from the Enlightenment to the present day and profiles thirty-one preachers including Charles Haddon Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Karl Barth, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Stott, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, and more.

An exhaustive guide to every significant Christian theologian who lived from the first century to 1308, the year in which John Duns Scotus died. The dictionary encompasses the Catholic, Orthodox, Nestorian and Monophysite traditions, including information not previously available in English. Thoroughly indexed, the dictionary incorporates common variants of names and concepts which will help and direct the reader. The main criterion for inclusion has been contribution to the development of Christian theology. Sub-criteria by which that is measured include, above all, originality and influence on later figures. With over 290 entries, the dictionary provides a handy summary of theologiansi lives and writings together with recent scholarship,as well as an up-to-date, definitive bibliography listing primary texts, translations and secondary literature in the major western European languages. Useful for all levels of academia; no other text matches the depth of the dictionaryis bibliographies. The unprecedented thoroughness of Hill's compilation provides an essential resource for studies at all levels on such a large and varied range of Church thinkers.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation—the author’s own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes—the author’s notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting—a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment—verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation—brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography—occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

The Apocalypse or Book of Revelation is one of the most frequently discussed books of the biblical canon and arguably one of the most difficult to interpret. This volume contains three texts as examples of late ancient Christian interpretation of its intriguing visions. It also includes a comprehensive introduction to each text by its respective translator. Brief Explanations of the Apocalypse by Cassiodorus (c. 580), translated by Francis X. Gumerlock from Latin and published in English for the first time in this volume, served as an introduction to the Book of Revelation for Cassiodorus’s students at the Vivarium, a monastery in southern Italy. Cassiodorus divided the Apocalypse into 33 sections, corresponding to the age of Jesus at his Passion, and expressed his belief that John’s visions were revelations of the end of the world, including the Second Coming of Christ for judgment, the defeat of the Antichrist, the general resurrection, and the arrival of the heavenly Kingdom. Testimonies of Gregory the Great on the Apocalypse, translated from Latin by Mark DelCogliano and also published here for the first time in English, is a collection of 55 excerpts on the Apocalypse from the writings of St. Gregory the Great (d. 604) compiled by an anonymous author. Drawn mainly from Gregory’s Moralia, but also from his Book on Pastoral Care and homilies, the excerpts, which are arranged from Revelation 1.4 to 22.17, illustrate Gregory’s grammatical exegesis of the Apocalypse, his interpretation of various figures in the Apocalypse, and his attempt to reconcile certain passages in the Apocalypse with seemingly contradictory texts from other parts of Scripture. The anonymous Greek Scholia on the Apocalypse contains 39 exegetical notes on chapters 1-14 of the Apocalypse, which reveal influences of Origen and Didymus the Blind, among others. The notes provide “spiritual” interpretations of the various passages and give attention to the interpretation of certain words that appear in the Book of Revelation. This new translation from the Greek by T. C. Schmidt utilizes all the Greek editions. Furthermore, its introductory matter contains updates on the Scholia from the latest scholarship and compares each scholion with interpretations found in various patristic authors, mainly of Alexandrian heritage.

"Hester shows that the spirituality of Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540-604) is that of a contemplative looking for Christ and finding him in the pain of this world. The coming judge who punishes is also the God who saves and he does so often through the very pain of human existence. Gregory's Christ is always the suffering servant and always the just judge of the final reckoning; dealing out both mercy and justice throughout the course of salvation history. In this contemplative union with Christ the pain of this life will make sense and in the last judgment the great mystery of the divine purpose will be revealed."--BOOK JACKET.