What sort of king was Jesus? What is the meaning of Jesus' description of himself in Matthew's Gospel as "the meek king"? Jesus the Meek King is an exploration of a specific virtue in Paul, Matthew, the Hellenistic world, and English literature from Tyndale to the present. Modern readers are likely to understand the "meek" as Jesus' attempt to commend and exemplify submissive or humble behavior. "The meek" may even be seen unfavorably as those likely to submit tamely to oppression or injury. Ancient readers of Greek texts, however, understood the term more broadly as a trait of rulers whereby exercise of disciplined compassion overcomes anger. Meekness is also a dispositional virtue in the literature of the first century describing new Jewish and Christian groups and enhancing community life. Most recent books about Jesus focus on history and biography. This book eschews historical questions for culturally specific understandings of humility and meekness. The result is a full and contextual understanding of Jesus the meek king. Deirdre J. Good is Professor of New Testament at General Theological Seminary, New York.

Most recent books about Jesus focus on history and biography. This book, however, focuses on culturally specific understandings of humility and meekness. Jesus the Meek King is a study of kingship in Matthew's Gospel that, unlike similar studies embedded within various commentaries on this Gospel, links meekness and kingship, placing both within the context of the Hellenistic world. In addition, it explores the specific virtue of "meekness" in Paul and in English literature from Tyndale to the present. Modern readers probably understand Jesus' use of the term "meek" to commend and exemplify submissive or humble behavior. "The meek" may even be seen unfavorably as those likely to submit tamely to oppression of injury. This provocative volume, however, proposes that Jesus as the meek king is better and more accurately understood as exercising the virtue of "disciplined calmness".

“Both the knowledge of a scholar and the imagination of a poet are brought to bear upon Jesus as child, boy, and man. . . . A bold speculative adventure” (Harold Brighouse, Manchester Guardian). In Robert Graves’s unique retelling, Jesus is very much a mortal and the grandson of King Herod the Great. When his father runs afoul of the king’s temper and is executed, Jesus is raised in the house of Joseph the Carpenter. The kingdom he is heir to, in this version of the story, is very much a terrestrial one: the Kingdom of Judah. Graves tells of Jesus’s rise as a philosopher, scriptural scholar, and charismatic speaker in sharp detail, as well as his arrest and downfall as a victim of pitiless Roman politics. Bringing together his unparalleled narrative skill and in-depth expertise in historical scholarship, renowned classicist and historical novelist Robert Graves brings the story of Jesus Christ to life in a strikingly unorthodox way, making this one of the most hotly contested novels Graves ever wrote—and possibly one of the most controversial ever written. It provides a fascinating new twist to a well-known story, one that fans of this historical period are sure to love. “This is not reading for the easily shocked; it definitely presents Jesus as a sage and a [poet], if not divine. It moves, as does all Mr. Graves’ writing, at a brilliant fast pace, and with a tremendous style.” —Kirkus Reviews

One would think that peace, a term that occurs as many as one hundred times in the New Testament, would enjoy a prominent place in theology and ethics textbooks. Yet it is surprisingly absent. Willard Swartley's Covenant of Peace remedies this deficiency, restoring to New Testament theology and ethics the peace that many works have missed. In this comprehensive yet accessible book Swartley explicates virtually all of the New Testament, relating peace -- and the associated emphases of love for enemies and reconciliation -- to core theological themes such as salvation, christology, and the reign of God. No other work in English makes such a contribution. Swartley concludes by considering specific practices that lead to peacemaking and their place in our contemporary world. Retrieving a historically neglected element in the Christian message, Covenant of Peace confronts readers anew with the compelling New Testament witness to peace.

Wherever you work, in whatever capacity, the Scriptures have something to say about it. Theology of work Bible commentary is an in-depth Bible study tool put together by a group of biblical scholars, pastors, and workplace Christians to help you discover what the New Testament says about work. --Provided by publisher.

The priesthood of all believers is a pillar undergirding Protestant ecclesiology. Yet the doctrine has often been used to serve diverse agendas. This book examines the doctrine's canonical, catholic, and contextual dimensions. It first identifies the priesthood of all believers as a canonical doctrine based upon the royal priesthood of Christ and closely related to the believer's eschatological temple-service and offering of spiritual sacrifices (chapters 1-3). It secondly describes its catholic development by examining three paradigmatic shifts, shifts especially associated with Christendom (chapters 4-6) and a suppression of the doctrine's missional component. Finally, the book argues that a Christian doctrine of the priesthood of all believers should be developed with a Christocentric-Trinitarian understanding of the missio Dei. This suggests there are especially appropriate ways for the royal priesthood to relate to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. A canonically and catholically informed priesthood of all believers leads contextually to particular ecclesial practices. These seven practices are 1) Baptism as public ordination to the royal priesthood; 2) Prayer; 3) Lectio Divina; 4) Ministry; 5) Church Discipline; 6) Proclamation; and 7) the Lord's Supper as the renewal of the royal priesthood.

For readers of the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin's speech is a treasure trove of inspiration, wisdom, eloquence, and spiritual insight. King Benjamin's Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom" is the most substantial collection of studies ever to focus exclusively on this landmark address. The contributors examine this speech in the multifaceted contexts in which it was delivered: as a classic speech of a departing leader near the time of his death, as the focus of an annual festival season mandated anciently under the law of Moses, as part of a covenant renewal ceremony delivered within the sacred precinct of the Nephite temple in Zarahemla, and as preparation for the coronation of a new king. Historical and linguistic tools and information are employed in these essays to help the reader to better grasp the speech's historical setting, its doctrinal implications, its literary qualities, its influence then and now, and its overall brilliance.