What is the meaning of the Holy Spirit's activity in Luke-Acts, and what are its implications for today? Roger Stronstad offers a cogent and thought-provoking study of Luke as a charismatic theologian whose understanding of the Spirit was shaped wholly by his understanding of Jesus and the nature of the early church. Stronstad locates Luke's pneumatology in the historical background of Judaism and views Luke as an independent theologian who makes a unique contribution to the pneumatology of the New Testament. This work challenges traditional Protestants to reexamine the impact of Pentecost and explores the Spirit's role in equipping God's people for the unfinished task of mission. The second edition has been revised and updated throughout and includes a new foreword by Mark Allan Powell.

"I am quite frankly excited at the appearance of Roger Stronstad's book The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke. Until now people have had to recognize Pentecostalism as a powerful force in the areas of spirituality, church growth, and world mission, but they have not felt it had much to offer for biblical, theological, and intellectual foundations. But this is fast changing, and with the appearance of this book we may be seeing the first motions of a wave of intellectually convincing Pentecostal theology which will sweep in upon us in the next decades."--From the foreword by Clark H. Pinnock In recent years, considerable scholarly discussion has occurred regarding the meaning of the Holy Spirit's activity in Luke-Acts. The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke represents a new and fresh approach to this important issue. At the crux of the controversy is the interpretation of the phrases "baptism in the Holy Spirit" and "filled with the Spirit" as used in Luke-Acts. Roger Stronstad argues that, in an effort to harmonize Lukan and Pauline theology of the Holy Spirit, Luke's charismatic emphases have been improperly forced into a mold. Stronstad offers a cogent and thought-provoking study of Luke as a charismatic theologian, whose understanding of the Spirit shaped wholly his understanding of Jesus and of the nature of the early church. Writing in the spirit of the finest of biblical scholarship, Stronstad challenges, indeed forces, traditional Protestants to reexamine and reconsider the impact of Pentecost.

Since the publication of D. F. Strauss's The Life of Jesus Critically Examined in 1835. New Testament scholarship has devoted an extraordinary amount of energy to the pursuit of the problem of the historical Jesus. In this classic study, originally published in the third edition of the German encyclopedia Religion in Geschicte and Gegenwart. Hanz Conzelmann delineates with brevity and clarity the main outlines of this area of New Testament research and states his own position over against divergent points of view. Norman Perrin, in his Rediscovering the Teachings of Jesus, acknowledged the great importance of this essay and stated that it "demands both translation into English and presentation in a form more readily accessible than that of an article within the pages of a multi-volume learned encyclopedia." Dr. J. Raymond Lord has provided the translation. Dr. John Reumann has adapted the format of the book to the needs of an English-speaking audience and has provided a bibliography that emphasizes the most important and most recent additions to the literature on this subject. -Publisher

Of many possible approaches to the study of the Third Gospel, this author has opted for a thematic approach, realizing that certain aspects of Lucan theology will thereby be highlighted at the expense of others. The examination of many distinct themes, despite their frequent overlapping, favours an appreciation of Lucan theology which is more analytic than synthetic. Notwithstanding the analytic emphasis of the thematic approach, the unity of Lucan theology will inevitably appear, inasmuch as all these themes are ultimately intelligible only as variations on the overriding Lucan theme of salvation in Christ. An intelligent reading of the Gospel presupposes an awareness of the individual writer's themes. These themes intersect and illuminate each other. Several themes often occur in the same periscope. The themes of one Gospel will often be found in the others; however, the perspective of the individual writer will inevitably color their treatment. None of the themes treated in this study has been selected on the assumption that it is exclusively Lucan. This study does not aim at an exhaustive treatment of the themes selected. Such treatment might easily require a book for each theme. An attempt has been made to sketch a sufficiently large number of themes from the third Gospel which as an ensemble might lead to an awareness of their subtle orchestration in the hands of the writer whose theological perspective unidies into a meaningful work of art, intelligence and grace.

Mission of the Messiah is a compelling new study of the Gospel of Luke that presents the messianic mission of Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. This book is a must for anyone whose heart is burning to know and love Christ more profoundly.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

"The perfect Christmas gift for anyone interested in the historical background behind the birth of Jesus of Nazareth." — Robert J. Hutchinson, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible, The Dawn of Christianity, and Searching for Jesus. "Utterly refreshing and encouraging." — Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Martin Luther "The best book I know about the Magi." — Sir Colin John Humphreys, Ph.D., author of The Mystery of the Last Supper Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod. In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world. The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment—confirmed by computer models—that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king. The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel.

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

For centuries Christians have had the concept of the priesthood of all believers firmly engrained in their minds. The prophethood of all believers, on the other hand, is, so Stronstad believes, the main focus of Spirit-baptism in Luke-Acts. A landmark study in Lukan pneumatology, this book is aimed at a mixed readership ranging from the scholar to the informed layperson. The role of the Spirit in Luke is clearly portrayed in terms of vocational empowerment. Traditionally, Lukan pneumatology has been viewed through Pauline or Johannine spectacles, but by interpreting Luke independently of the other Gospels and the epistles, Stronstad has cogently argued for the historical and contemporary relevance of Spirit-baptism. He challenges the reader to develop a new appreciation of Luke's theology of the Holy Spirit, and, in fact, to consider the role of the prophethood of all believers for today's world.