Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.

Presents the original teachings of Jesus written by his contemporaries and early followers

Sixteen chapters by leading New Testament scholars examine various aspects of the Sayings of Jesus, both canonical and non-canonical, in this volume presented to Prof. Tjitze Baarda. Acknowledging the contributions of this distinguished scholar, the contributors explore specific passages from the Gospels, and other sources (such as Q, the Didache, the Gospel of Thomas, and patristic citations of Jesus' words). Contributors include: J. Neville Birdsall, Sebastian P. Brock, Joel Delobel, J. Keith Elliott, Eldon Jay Epp, Jan Helderman, Pieter W. van der Horst, Henk Jan de Jonge, Marinus de Jonge, Helmut Koester, Andreas Lindemann, Gerard Mussies, William L. Petersen, James M. Robinson, Wolfgang Schenk, Johan S. Vos.

This book brings together a collection of chapter length treatments on the most significant of the non-canonical gospels. A particular strength of the volume is that it draws upon the research of leading experts in the field and clearly and concisely communicates the most hotly contested issues surrounding each text. While a key function of each chapter is to make the current academic debates accessible to a wider audience, these treatments are not simply overviews or survey articles. They also present fresh perspectives on a number of points, and critically assess the most recent trends in scholarship. As such, they will provide an ideal entry point for advanced undergraduate courses and taught Masters programmes. The structure of the book is divided up in an easily useable format. There is an introduction which underscores the significance of the non-canonical texts both for the original readers and for contemporary audiences. This chapter by Keith Elliott also traces important moments in the reception of a number of these texts both in art and literature. Next follows the main sequence of chapters dealing with individual texts. Texts such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, and the Gospel of Mary are treated first due to the impact they have had to varying degrees on Historical Jesus research. Other texts are grouped in various subgroups: the two infancy gospels follow each other, and the more fragmentary texts are also closely linked in the arrangement. The book presents one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date discussions of a range of texts that continue to be of interest to scholars and wider readers. The discussions should clarify a number of popular misconceptions and allow for a more informed debate. The scholars who contribute to this collection represent an eclectic range of views and theological outlooks. No attempt has been made to impose a prescribed perspective. Rather, the leading experts have been consulted to produce fresh and stimulating treatments. The book will include contributions from Andrew Gregory (Oxford), Christopher Tuckett (Cambridge), April DeConick (Rice), and Simon Gathercole (Aberdeen), among others.

Taking the English text from the International Q Project's authoritative "The Critical Edition of Q", this compact volume presents the Sayings Gospel Q for the first time in an accessible format. It includes citations of the Matthew and Luke passages and topical headings. Perfect for use in congregations and classrooms alike.

Presented here are two volumes of apocryphal writings reflecting the life and time of the Old and New Testaments. Stories told by contemporary fiction writers of historical Bible times in fascinating and beautiful style.

This new anthology of gospel literature contains texts that are not part of the New Testament but are of great importance for the study of Christian origins. Some of these apocryphal gospels are from the Nag Hammadi library, made available only recently. The sixteen texts constitue what remains of the non-canonical gospels form the first and second centuries. They transmit saying of Jesus and relate stories about Jesus.

"A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

"By a curious stroke of good fortune our second excavations at Oxyrhynchus were, like the first, signalized by the discovery of a fragment of a collection of Sayings of Jesus."

This work presents in English translation the largest collection ever assembled of the sayings and stories of Jesus in Arabic Islamic literature. In doing so, it traces a tradition of love and reverence for Jesus that has characterized Islamic thought for more than a thousand years. An invaluable resource for the history of religions, the collection documents how one culture, that of Islam, assimilated the towering religious figure of another, that of Christianity. As such, it is a work of great significance for the understanding of both, and of profound implications for modern-day intersectarian relations and ecumenical dialogue. Tarif Khalidi’s introduction and commentaries place the sayings and stories in their historical context, showing how and why this “gospel” arose and the function it served within Muslim devotion. The Jesus that emerges here is a compelling figure of deep and life-giving spirituality. The sayings and stories, some 300 in number and arranged in chronological order, show us how the image of this Jesus evolved throughout a millennium of Islamic history.