Penned by Allison Sledge, The Quintessential Jesus of Nazareth is a penetrating, intellectually profound masterpiece of the Highest Order. Ms. Sledge is a premier scholar of gnosticism, comparative religion, Biblical nomenclature, symbolism, onomastics, metaphysics, kaballah, mysticism and spiritual initiation. Her book transports the reader beyond space and time - into the mind, heart, spirit and soul of The Master Jesus, on every conceivable level which is not generally known to the masses. Many of the Holy Scriptures chapters and verses will be viewed from a different perspective; as was once perceived with the universal eyes with which Jesus viewed the world, rather than what many of the modern clergy promulgate and attempt to teach the majority of unenlightened souls. This book is designed to enlighten each reader to depths they might not have ever imagined Never before has a writer dared to be so bold as to interpret the Natal Birth Chart of Jesus Christ, a Piscean, born on March 19th, 07 BC, while elevating and re-creating awareness, understanding and insight to completely new heights of all inclusive universal comprehension. This Authors book was written in a stream of consciousness with God, emanating from her deep connection with Jesus of Nazareth. Intertwining her personal observations within the subject matter, Allison Sledge methodically includes the works of Edgar Cayce, The Keys of Enoch, The Aquarian Gospel and Egyptology. She engages her familiarity with science, mathematics, planetary energies, and Biblical personalities. Her work highlights the thread of unity, which connects the Old Testament with the New Testament in symbolic patterns, from Genesis to Revelations. Her goal is to be inclusive rather than exclusive, thus incorporating differing thoughts and opinions into the ultimate reality that We Are All One, despite our conflicting beliefs; just as Jesus taught. Contemplating the reality and purpose of human existence surely must lead us to wonder how we, as human beings created in the image of God, do not truly know God as Jesus. There is a disconnection. Even more profound is the fact that Jesus, The Christ, died a horrendous death by execution in order to instill in each one of us His everlasting message: That we love one another as we love ourselves... Sadly, the state of the world today reflects the exact opposite of His hopes and wishes. The Book, now in your hands, was given to you to know the Real Jesus of Nazareth, inside and out, like you have never, ever known before. Enjoy it, and God Bless You.

This illustrated edition of the bold, momentous book written by Pope Benedict XVI is beautifully adorned with reproductions of classic works by a veritable pantheon of classic painters—from Tiepolo to Chagall. Begun before his election to the papacy, the book contains masterfully cogent and accessible essays on the life of Jesus, including his baptism, his temptation in the desert, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s Prayer, the disciples, the parables, the principal images of John’s Gospel, Peter’s confession and Jesus’s Transfiguration, and Jesus’s two self-descriptions, "Son of Man" and "Son." Pope Benedict XVI responds to the revisionist historical literature that makes Jesus a man of his time and place, and he discusses recent archaeological, historical, anthropological, and sociological research. As sensitive as it is erudite and brilliant, this edition is lavishly illustrated with handsome reproductions of classical depictions of Jesus by a roster of eminent artists, including Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Veronese, Bellini, Kandinsky, Gauguin, Matisse, and many others.

Models and Methods for Youth and Young Adult Ministry is a rare book on young adult and youth ministry in that it weaves sound theology and solid pastoral practice. It invites pastoral practitioners, scholars in the field, and university-ministry students to envision various models and methods for doing youth and young adult ministry in a collaborative and ecumenical way. Through rich, concrete examples and strategies, the reader will grasp the significance of each model and the various methods to integrate and implement these robust approaches. The result is this book will empower readers toward a more meaningful understanding of youth and young adult ministry, which will in turn engage the young church of Christ.

From Cecil B. DeMille's production of King of Kings in 1927, to Mel Gibson's recent The Passion of the Christ, films that discuss the meaning of Jesus have provoked interest, discussion, and reevaluation on a large scale. Hollywood films that deal with this subject have consistently managed to augment their inherent power by commenting simultaneously on political and cultural matters, and drawing from alternative cultural and mythological sources. The Greatest Story Ever Told, for instance, uses a landscape similar to that of the American West, while The Last Temptation of Christ deals with themes related to modern American notions of sexuality and sin. This timely examination considers the life of Jesus as it has been portrayed in such films as King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus of Nazareth, The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Passion of the Christ, as well as the more allusive and implicit use of Christ-related themes in Spartacus, Shane, and The Matrix. It looks at the diverse content and often-surprising impact of these and other films, and reveals how these depictions have helped determine, and been determined by, particularly American notions of who Jesus was, how he lived and died, and what he means for both our religious and secular cultures. Through an objective consideration of these movies, the emergent religious culture of mainstream American film becomes apparent as a central element in Hollywood movies—and in American popular culture at large.

This work is a compilation of research designed to assist students researching the Bible and passing a program at a University in biblical studies. It covers a myriad of topics focusing primarily on the biblical text and contains deeper exposition on texts and themes commonly researched in an undergraduate, Graduate Christian studies, and Masters in Divinity programs that focus on the Bible. This text is divided by the Old and New Testament and further subdivided based on traditional category of the Bible.

Bird argues that Jesus was attempting to achieve and enact the restoration of Israel, and in continuity with other strands of Jewish belief, Jesus conceived of the restoration of Israel as resulting in the salvation of the gentiles. Jesus' mission was Israel-centric, but he espoused a view of restoration that was indebted to certain strands of Israel's sacred traditions where the gentiles are implicit beneficiaries of Israel's salvation. Since this restoration was already being partially realized in Jesus' ministry, it was becoming possible for gentiles to begin sharing in Israel's salvation in the present. Additionally, Jesus understood himself and his followers to be the new temple and the vanguard of the restored Israel who would appropriate for themselves the role of Israel and the temple in being a light to the nations. Thus, a gentile mission has its germinal roots in the aims and intentions of Jesus and was developed in a transformed situation by adherents of the early Christian movement.

This commentary uniquely combines a verse-by-verse exposition of the Hebrew text of selected Psalms with a history of their interpretation in the Church from the time of the apostles to the present. / Bruce K. Waltke begins the collaboration by first skillfully establishing the meaning of the chosen psalms through careful exegesis in which each text is interpreted in light of its historical backgrounds, its literary form, and the poet’s rhetoric. James M. Houston then exposits each text’s relevance in conjunction with the Church’s interpretation of it throughout her history. To further the accuracy of this interpretation, he commissioned fresh translations of numerous Latin and Middle English texts. / The authors’ purpose in creating this volume was not merely to produce a masterful commentary. Rather, they wished to aid in enriching the daily life of the contemporary Christian and to deepen the church’s community. Waltke and Houston here bring together the two voices of the Holy Spirit — heard infallibly in Scripture and edifyingly in the Church’s response — in a rare and illuminating combination.

Who is your Jesus? This textbook introduction gives an enjoyable and challenging look at how we encounter Jesus in Scripture and our culture—from the New Testament to the gnostic gospels, historical Jesus studies, Islam, Mormonism, Hollywood and Americana. Follow the path to seeing Jesus truly and notice the difference it makes for faith and life.

The remarkable, moving and exciting autobiography of an African child through wealth, poverty, civil war to Show business Stardom. An inspiration for all those with faith.

Zadokite Propaganda in the Late Second Temple Period is a monumental epoch-breaking work of scholarship in ancient history and Jewish studies. This book examines centuries of scholarship on ancient Jewish group identity and official Jewish religion in the most tumultuous period of Jewish history, namely the beginnings of the Maccabean era. Popularly known as the time period that gave the Jewish world the most famous Jewish celebration period, Hanukkah, the Maccabean Revolt was far more than a rebellion against Syrian domination. The period represented an important turning point in Jewish history, as village priests without any significant heritage or repute successfully overthrew and expelled Zadokite priests from the Jerusalem Temple and the city of Jerusalem itself. The Zadokites had been the legitimate and dominant priests of the Jerusalem Temple since the days of King Solomon, who built the First Jerusalem Temple. The physical and political displacement of Zadokite priests from their places of power, authority, and wealth produced historically significant literate communities, such as the Qumran community, and an abundance of literature, such as commentaries, creative poetry, and apocalyptic works. These writings all lamented the Zadokite displacement and prophesied a New Age, when all would be restored to the way it should be. Thus, Zadokites engaged in propaganda warfare of epic proportions with all their erudition and political savvy, creating a model for effective propaganda warfare. The Zadokite propaganda was so effective that it set the tone for the language and theme of the New Testament.