New in the Acclaimed Paideia Commentary Series Two respected senior New Testament scholars examine cultural context and theological meaning in Philippians and Philemon in this addition to the well-received Paideia series. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs, showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits, and making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary.

The Academy of Parish Clergy’s 2018 Top Five Reference Books for Parish Ministry Paul's letter to Philemon carries a strong message of breaking down social barriers and establishing new realities of conduct and fellowship. It is also a disturbing text that has been used to justify slavery. Though brief, Philemon requires close scrutiny. In this commentary Scot McKnight offers careful textual analysis of Philemon and brings the practice of modern slavery into conversation with the ancient text. Too often, McKnight says, studies of this short letter gloss over the issue of slavery—an issue that must be recognized and dealt with if Christians are to read Philemon faithfully. Pastors and scholars will find in this volume the insight they need to preach and teach this controversial book in meaningful new ways.

Written by scholars with extensive experience teaching in colleges and universities, the Exploring the Bible series has for decades equipped students to study Scripture for themselves. Filled with classroom-friendly features, this second volume, now it its third edition, provides an accessible introduction for anyone studying the Letters and Revelation.

A leading biblical scholar offers grounding in the interpretation of Acts that draws heavily on ancient backgrounds and attends to the theological nature of the texts.

This publication deals with a biblical theology of prayer based on the New Testament. It forms the second of a two-volume publication on a biblical theology of prayer, dealing with the concept of prayer in the Old and New Testament, respectively. This New Testament volume begins with an introduction on prayer and worship in early Jewish tradition, followed by eleven chapters dealing with New Testament corpora. It concludes with a final chapter synthesising the findings of the respective investigations of the Old and New Testament corpora to provide a summative theological perspective of the development of the concept of prayer through scripture. Prayer forms a major and continuous theme throughout the biblical text. Prayer was an integral part of the religious existence of God’s people in both the Old and New Testament. It underwent its greatest developments during, after and as a result of the Exile and was deepened and transformed in the New Testament. In both the Old and the New Testament, God is the sole ‘addressee’ of his people’s prayer. This conviction continued into the New Testament, but was broadened with Trinitarian elements of worship, adoration and intercession. A biblical theological investigation is chosen as methodology. Since all the biblical books form part of one canonical text, the assumption is that the various theologies about prayer being displayed in these books can be synthesised into a developing meta-theology about prayer. As the Old and New Testament form part of the canonical text, the results about prayer in the Old Testament can be brought into play with the results about prayer in the New Testament. This eventually leads toward an overarching biblical theology of prayer.

In many Christian traditions, humility is often thought to play a central role in the moral and spiritual life. In this study of the moral virtue of humility, Michael W. Austin applies the methods of analytic philosophy to the field of moral theology in order analyze this virtue and its connections to human flourishing. The book is therefore best characterized as a work in analytic moral theology, and has two primary aims. First, it articulates and defends a particular Christian conception of the virtue of humility. It offers a Christological account of this trait, one that is grounded in the gospel accounts of the life of Christ as well as other key New Testament passages. The view of humility it offers and defends is biblically grounded, theologically informed, and philosophically sound. Second, the volume describes ways in which humility is constitutive of and conducive to human flourishing, Christianly understood. It argues that humility is rational, benefits its possessor, and contributes to its possessor being good qua human. Austin also examines several issues in applied virtue ethics. He considers some of the ways in which humility is relevant to several of the classic spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, fasting, solitude, silence, and service. He considers humility's relevance to issues related to religious pluralism and tolerance. Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of the relevance of humility for family life and how it can function as a virtue in the context of sport.

Paul's letter to Philemon is one of the writings that seem likely as a common Hellenistic letter of the time. In the letter to Philemon, we find basic concepts of the author’s theology on the issues of the slavery and human relationships. What made Philemon a special letter is an appealing, refined and sophisticated (rhetorical) style. Another feature of Philemon is its originality and more remarkable is Paul's appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. Paul writes as a 'prisoner of Christ' but shows few details regarding the situation of his imprisonment. Paul distinguishes Philemon's love and faith because he sees them as indissoluble. Thus, Philemon is a revealing text because it is the one New Testament letter that deals with a case of slavery.

Available in the EU from Excelsis at: https://www.xl6.com/articles/9781783688227-central-and-eastern-european-bible-commentary The Central and Eastern European Bible Commentary is a groundbreaking, multi-year work and the first full-Bible commentary to come out of Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of this resource is to provide a contemporary, contextually relevant, church-based commentary written exclusively by biblical scholars from the region. Rooted in scholarship, while also written in clear and accessible language, this commentary will appeal to Christians everywhere. This resource will help pastors, preachers, teachers and lay leaders to interpret and apply biblical truths in the rapidly-changing contexts of their lives and faith communities. Features: Central and Eastern European contextual theological applications of biblical teaching Over 100 articles addressing issues pertaining to our life as Christians in the twenty-first century Clear, accessible language which will appeal to Christians everywhere

Despite having enjoyed almost universal assent by scholars up till now, Chris Hansen swims into practically uncharted waters to show that one of the most overlooked and inconspicuous New Testament writings may, in fact, be a forgery. In the first English language book to ever cover the subject of Philemon’s authenticity, Hansen provides a detailed historiographical overview of the problem, and raises challenging questions regarding the literary contents, themes, style, and intertextual relationships in Philemon. Hansen’s research and surprising conclusions will certainly be of interest to those unfamiliar with Philemon’s questionable history.

A succinct and accessible text for teaching students how to interpret the New Testament This new textbook effectively introduces students to the art and craft of biblical interpretation. New Testament scholars Sherri Brown and Francis Moloney begin by orienting students to the world of the Bible, exploring contemporary methods for interpreting the biblical literature, and showing how the Old Testament is foundational to the formation of the New Testament. The book proceeds to lead readers through the books of the New Testament by genre: * The Narratives: Gospels and Acts * Paul and His Letters * Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles * Apocalyptic Literature and the Book of Revelation Unlike book-by-book introductory textbooks that tend to overshadow the primary biblical text with lots of detailed information, Brown and Moloney’s Interpreting the New Testament actually facilitates the study of the New Testament itself. Their concluding chapter reflects on the challenge of the New Testament to our present world.