Essays on Krister Stendahl’s contributions in various arenas: institutional formation, both of university and of church; interreligious dialogue and relations; biblical and historical research.

Recovering the strangeness of scripture for the life of the church-- These essays reveal the consistency and integrity of a master exegete, New Testament theologian, and churchman. Stendahl brings to the biblical text a constant concern to discover what was meant by a particular biblical passage, as free as possible of the doctrinal or cultural preoccupations of intervening centuries, but also to reflect on what the text means to us today, ever alert to the ways scripture has fueled anti-semitism, the subordination of women, and other forms of prejudice and injury. The combination of respect shown here for the diversity of meanings in scripture and the urgency of reflecting--critically and faithfully--on our contemporary responsibilities in light of scripture is irresistible. The collection is a testament to the wide range of Stendahl's interests and the depth of his perception. "The hard eyes Stendahl turns upon scripture also have a glint in them, sometimes reminding his audience of a vision yet larger than scripture, to which scripture is intended to point. . . ." --Frederick H. Borsch, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia "Our answers to [the issues with which Stendahl deals] will not always be the same as his. Yet our own convictions will be clarified even more than they will be challenged by the thoughts of this giant among New Testament scholars." --John Howard Rhys, School of Theology at Sewanee "There can only be admiration for the candor with which [Stendahl] pokes holes in the pompous balloons of pious zealotism. His minimalism pushes toward the acceptance of finiteness and creatureliness--yes, even for theologians!" --Robin Scroggs, Chicago Theological Seminary "Do not miss this thought-provoking collection form one of the church's outstanding biblical scholars." --David Rhoads, Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago Krister Stendahl was Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emeritus and former Dean at Harvard Divinity School, and Bishop Emeritus of Stockholm. Among his many writings is Paul among Jews and Gentiles (Fortress Press, 1976) and Final Account (Fortress Press, 1995).

Paul and the Gentile Problem provides a new explanation for the apostle Paul's statements about the Jewish law in his letters to the Romans and Galatians. Paul's arguments against circumcision and the law in Romans 2 and his reading of Genesis 15-21 in Galatians 4:21-31 belong within a stream of Jewish thinking which rejected the possibility that gentiles could undergo circumcision and adopt the Jewish law, thereby becoming Jews. Paul opposes this solution to the gentile problem because he thinks it misunderstands how essentially hopeless the gentile situation remains outside of Christ. The second part of the book moves from Paul's arguments against a gospel that requires gentiles to undergo circumcision and adoption of the Jewish law to his own positive account, based on his reading of the Abraham Narrative, of the way in which Israel's God relates to gentiles. Having received the Spirit (pneuma) of Christ, gentiles are incorporated into Christ, who is the singular seed of Abraham, and, therefore, become materially related to Abraham. But this solution raises a question: Why is it so important for Paul that gentiles become seed of Abraham? The argument of this book is that Paul believes that God had made certain promises to Abraham that only those who are his seed could enjoy and that these promises can be summarized as being empowered to live a moral life, inheriting the cosmos, and having the hope of an indestructible life.

The Jewish Gospel of John is not, by any standard, another book on Jesus of Nazareth written from a Jewish perspective. It is an invitation to the reader to put aside their traditional understanding of the Gospel of John and to replace it with another one more faithful to the original text perspective. The Jesus that will emerge will provoke to rethink most of what you knew about this gospel. The book is a well-rounded verse-by-verse illustrated rethinking of the fourth gospel. Here is the catch: instead of reading it, as if it was written for 21 century Gentile Christians, the book interprets it as if it was written for the first-century peoples of ancient Israel. The book proves what Krister Stendahl stated long time ago: "Our vision is often more abstracted by what we think we know than by our lack of knowledge." Other than challenging the long-held interpretations of well-known stories, the author with the skill of an experienced tour guide, takes us to a seat within those who most probably heard this gospel read in the late first century. Such exploration of variety of important contexts allows us to recover for our generation the true riches of this marvelous Judean gospel. "A genuine apologetic is one that is true to the texts and the history, akin to the speeches of a defense attorney with integrity. Using the best of contemporary scholarship in first-century Judaic history and contributing much of his own, Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg has demonstrated that the Gospel of John is not an anti-Jewish, but a thoroughly Jewish book." Daniel Boyarin, Hermann P. and Sophia Taubman Professor of Talmudic Culture, University of California, Berkeley "Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg places the text of John's Gospel in its authentic context by examining the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, rabbinic literature, and suggesting innovative explanations for the nomenclature, 'the Jews.' His fresh analysis is sure to stir meaningful debate. His creative approach will make an enduring contribution to the discipline of New Testament studies." Brad Young, Professor of Biblical Literature in Judeao-Christian Studies, Oral Roberts University "For some time, research on the Gospels has suffered from stagnation, and there is a feeling that there is not much new that one can say. In light of this, Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg's new commentary on the Gospel of John, with its original outlook on the identity of the original audience and the issues at stake, is extremely refreshing." Ishay Rosen-Zvi, Head of the Talmud and Late Antiquity Department, Tel-Aviv University.

Through an exhaustive analysis of Paul's letters to the Galatians and the Roman, illuminating answers are given to the key questions about the teachings of Paul.

Paul's letter to the Romans, says Nanos, is an example of Jewish correspondence, addressing believers in Jesus who are steeped in Jewish ways-whether of Jewish or gentile origin. Arguing against those who think Paul was an apostate from Judaism, Nanos maintains Paul's continuity with his Jewish heritage. Several key arguments here are: Those addressed in Paul's letter were still an integral part of the Roman synagogue communities. The "weak" are non- Christian Jews, while the "strong" included both Jewish and gentile converts to belief in Jesus. Paul as a practicing devout Jew insists on the rules of behavior for "the righteous gentiles." Christian subordination to authorities (Romans 13:1-7) is intended to enforce submission to leaders of the synagogues, not Roman government officials. Paul behaves in a way to confirm the very Jewish portrait of him in Acts: going first to the synagogues.

In this book, Eung Chun Park reconstructs a focused and coherent narrative of the last two decades of the life of Paul as it revolved around the Gentile mission. The result is a detailed and thorough analysis of the Pauline letters that demonstrates how Paul's theology changed over the course of his life as a consequence of his struggle to defend the gospel against the attacks from people who advocated a different kind of gospel. This book traces the development of the two gospels (one that advocated freedom from circumcision and one that advocated observance of circumcision) as they encountered such landmark events as the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, the Antioch incident, the Galatian incident, the Corinthian incident, and Paul's last visit to Jerusalem.

Pamela Eisenbaum, an expert on early Christianity, reveals the true nature of the historical Paul in Paul Was Not a Christian. She explores the idea of Paul not as the founder of a new Christian religion, but as a devout Jew who believed Jesus was the Christ who would unite Jews and Gentiles and fulfill God’s universal plan for humanity. Eisenbaum’s work in Paul Was Not a Christian will have a profound impact on the way many Christians approach evangelism and how to better follow Jesus’s—and Paul’s—teachings on how to live faithfully today.