This is the first complete English translation of Luke's Demonstration to Theophilus (the books of Luke and Acts) as found in Codex Bezae. Codex Bezae is a bilingual 4th century Greek-Latin manuscript. In the past it has been viewed as a marginal manuscript witness. However, the pioneering work of Jenny Read-Heimerdinger and Josep Rius-Camps (The Message of Acts in Codex Bezae 4 vols, published by T&T Clark) has brought the variant readings in this fascinating document to the fore. Their work reveals that, far from being a late revision, Codex Bezae can be seen as one of the oldest versions of Luke's work in existence. This book presents the two texts unified in one volume, as Luke intended them, for the first time in any published edition. After an introduction explaining the importance of the Bezan text, as well as providing obeservations about its variances from other manuscripts a meticulous and continuous Greek transcript is presented together with the English translation on facing pages. This will prove an indespensible reference tool for scholars of Luke-Acts.

This volume is the first complete English translation of the Codex Bezae version of Luke and Acts.

Jenny Read-Heimerdinger examines the language of Luke-Acts, exploring aspects of Luke's use of Greek that traditional approaches have not generally accounted for previously. Drawing on contemporary developments in linguistics - broadly referred to as 'discourse analysis' - Read-Heimerdinger emphasises that paying close attention to the context of language is vital to understanding the reasons behind an author's choices. Read-Heimerdinger applies the tools of discourse analysis to several features of Luke's Greek - such as variation in word order, the use of the article and fine distinctions between synonyms - in order to demonstrate how principles that govern their use subsequently affect exegesis. In addition, she makes suggestions to account for manuscript variation, which in turn have an impact on the editorial choices of Nestle-Aland's Greek New Testament.

Jenny Read-Heimerdinger explores the characters of Luke-Acts in order to situate them in the Jewish world to which they belong. Through a close reading of the Greek text, she argues that Luke emerges as a person thoroughly steeped in a Jewish view of Scripture, familiar with a range of associated oral traditions; and that taking account of the Jewish features allows new insights into the way that the author situates events and characters firmly within the history of Israel, before the Church was a separate institution or religion. Read-Heimerdinger proposes that such a view of his work implies an addressee capable of understanding what he received and that one eminently qualified candidate is Theophilus, the high priest in Jerusalem 37-41 and brother-in-law of Caiaphas. The Jewish perspective of Luke's two volumes is more visible in forms of the text not used for modern translations, notably that of Codex Bezae and the early versions, which are rejected by the editors of the Greek New Testament on which translations are based. Read-Heimerdinger draws on the analysis of the variants of the Greek text analysed in her previous Luke in his Own Words (2022), in a manner more accessible to readers unfamiliar with Greek. The variant readings make use of a sophisticated knowledge of Jewish exegetical techniques that would generally be discarded by later generations of Christians but which are increasingly being recognized by NT scholars, in line with Jewish historical studies of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. Seeing the characters of Luke-Acts through Theophilus' eyes brings exciting insights and a fresh understanding of the author's message.

This book focuses on the authority and status of the author of Luke-Acts. What authority did he have to write a Gospel, to interpret the Jewish Scriptures and traditions of Israel, to interpret the Jesus traditions, and to update the narrative with a second volume with its interpretation of Paul and the other apostles who appear in the Acts narrative? Rick Strelan constructs the author as a Jewish Priest, examining such issues as writing and orality, authority and tradition, and the status and role of priests. The analysis is set within the context of scholarly opinion about the author, the intended audience and other related issues.

The essays in this volume, offered to Dr. Jenny Read-Heimerdinger on the occasion of her 70th birthday, cover subjects in New Testament textual criticism that are central to her research. In particular, the volume contains text critical studies of the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the early testimony of New Testament Greek and Coptic manuscripts, scribal tendencies in the first centuries, and linguistic approaches to textual criticism.

The T & T Clark Social Identity Commentary on the New Testament is a one-of-a-kind comprehensive Bible resource that highlights the way the NT seeks to form the social identity of the members of the earliest Christ-movement. By drawing on the interpretive resources of social-scientific theories-especially those related to the formation of identity-interpreters generate new questions that open fruitful identity-related avenues into the text. It provides helpful introductions to each NT book that focus on various social dimensions of the text as well as a commentary structure that illuminates the text as a work of social influence. The commentary offers methodologically informed discussions of difficult and disputed passages and highlights cultural contexts in theoretically informed ways-drawing on resources from social anthropology, historical sociology, or social identity theory. The innovative but careful scholarship of these writers, most of whom have published monographs on some aspect of social identity within the New Testament, brings to the fore often overlooked social and communal aspects inherent in the NT discourse. The net result is a more concrete articulation of some of the every-day lived experiences of members of the Christ-movement within the Roman Empire, while also offering further insight into the relationship between existing and new identities that produced diverse expressions of the Christ-movement during the first century. The SICNT shows that identity-formation is at the heart of the NT and it offers insights for leaders of faith communities addressing these issues in contemporary contexts.

Hyper-spiritual approaches to finding God's will don't work. It's time to try something new: Give up. Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through. Too often, he writes, God's people tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships, worrying that they haven't found God's perfect will for their lives. Or-even worse-they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting...waiting...waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction. But God doesn't need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He's already revealed his plan for our lives: to love him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like. No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just do something.

The Gospel of Luke is an orderly historical account, but it is far from ordinary. In the longest Gospel, Luke places great stress on the unique lordship of Jesus and God's plan to bring salvation into this world. Throughout, Luke stresses that Jesus' message reaches the forgotten people groups of this world, particularly the poor and women, showing us that the gospel is truly intended for all peoples. In Luke Verse by Verse, Grant Osborne leads readers through this systematic account of Jesus' life. He shows us why Luke may be called "the theologian of prayer" and unpacks the far--reaching power of the gospel then and now. With Osborne as guide, readers will learn what this Gospel, which introduces the Suffering Servant who has become the Risen Lord of all and reigns by his Spirit, can teach us today. The Osborne New Testament Commentaries, by respected professor and author Grant R. Osborne, are for people seeking a straightforward explanation of the text in its context, avoiding either oversimplification or technical complexity. Osborne brings out the riches of the New Testament, making each book accessible for pastors and all who consider themselves students of Scripture.

This book includes background material on the four Gospels of Luke, John and the Book of Acts. In addition, it gives an outline, analysis and commentary on the two Gospels. It also summarizes the life of Christ, and tackles such issues as the "synoptic" problem. Several special topics are explained, for example, demons, marriage and divorce, Judas, hell, Josephus and Jesus, miracles, and the Trinity.