Theology Books

Book SynopsisHere one of the leading authorities on the Puritans, J. I. Packer introduces us to their rich theology and deep spirituality. Packer gives us profiles of John Flavel, Thomas Boston, John Bunyan, Matthew Henry, Henry Scougal, John Owen and Stephen Charnock and two closer portraits of William Perkins and Richard Baxter. The writings of the Puritans continue to profoundly reward readers and here J. I. Packer brings them alive in an inspiring way to encourage a new generation to experience their delights.Trade Review"Like many, I first met the Puritans through the writings of Dr Packer and thus owe him a debt of gratitude. In this volume he has once again excelled: here are thoughtful introductions to some key Puritan thinkers and their works, along with a Puritan manifesto for today's pastors. This is vintage Packer. In an age of trendy fluff, here is solid food for the church and for the soul." -- Carl R. Trueman (Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies, Grove City College, Pennsylvania)"With characteristic ease of style, clarity of thought, and theological insight, Dr Packer introduces us to the life and thought of seven of the all-time masters of what one of them called 'the life of God in the soul of man.' Puritan Guides to Glory is a treat for anyone with healthy spiritual taste buds." -- Sinclair B. Ferguson (Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi)"When I've been asked to recommend a book on the Puritans, J. I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness typically came first to mind. With the release of Puritan Portraits, a fresh and spiritually invigorating survey of several key Puritan pastors and theologians, I can now point to a second volume that is must reading. "Puritan Christianity," says Packer, "was serious business." So, too, must ours be, and there is simply no better tour guide for exploring Puritan faith and spirituality than J. I. Packer. Highly recommended!" -- Sam Storms (Lead Pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)J.I. Packer has a skill unparalleled in today's church: he brings the Puritans back to life and makes them sing, as the biographical expositions in this book attest. Indeed, Jim Packer is a Puritan of the most winsome, persuasive, and catholic sort. When young ministers ask me what they should study to strengthen their spiritual life, I often say, 'Read the Puritans with Packer!' That is good counsel for all Christians. -- Timothy George (Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama)"The best way to meet great men is through a personal introduction by someone who knows them well. That's precisely what J. I. Packer does in this book, introducing us to several Puritan-minded men of the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. But this is more than biography. As Packer does so well, in this book the Puritans become mirrors in which we see heavenly truths about the gospel, evangelism, spiritual growth, and suffering. I thank God for the gathering of this previously scattered material into one volume, and anticipate that it will bless many." -- Joel R. Beeke (Chancellor, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan)"Over the years, J. I. Packer has convinced many of us that, if we would be more than spiritual pygmies, we need to spend time with the Puritans. Now, in this elegant and engaging book, he has given us the most accessible and inspiring way in to them. Thank you, Dr Packer, thank you!" -- Michael Reeves (President and Professor of Theology, Union School of Theology, Bridgend, Wales)

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Book SynopsisDid you know that the blood of Christ is mentioned more times in the New Testament than the cross or even the death of Christ? But what is the significance of this fact? What does it tell us about the sacrifice of Christ and how does this emphasis on his blood help us in understanding the finished work of Christ on the cross? Alan Stibbs dispels any misconceptions that people may have about Jesus’ blood and its work by examining the Old and New Testament. The author gives us the Biblical understanding of the meaning of the blood which equates to the purposeful and effective laying down of a life. We will find that indeed His Blood Works!Trade Review"On the one hand, Stibbs' essay is a theological jewel, with its close and lucid reading of biblical material. On the other hand, it is a pastoral masterpiece, because the reader loves Christ more at the end of it. I think that would greatly please Alan Stibbs, and it is why this 'old' essay is so worth reading." -- Michael Ovey ((1958-2017) Principal, Oak Hill Theological College, London)"Alan Stibbs has an irresistible argument here, and it is one that is essential for Christian assurance. Where this message rings out, be sure to see pastoral comfort, be sure to hear cries of 'Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" -- Michael Reeves (President and Professor of Theology, Union School of Theology, Bridgend, Wales)"The Meaning of the Word "Blood" in Scripture' was and is a very necessary corrective after Westcott had deceived the whole world." -- Dick Lucas (Formerly Rector of St Helen's Bishopsgate, London)"Solid gold!...you will deepen your appreciation of God's grace and your salvation, both focussed in the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ." -- John Woodhouse (Retired Principal and Lecturer in Doctrine and Old Testament, Moore College, Sydney, Australia)

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Book Synopsis***A SUNDAY TIMES AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR AND INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER***The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved) asks, how do you move forward with a life you didn't choose?Hailed by Glennon Doyle as 'the Christian Joan Didion', Kate Bowler used to accept the modern idea that life is an endless horizon of possibilities, a series of choices which if made correctly, would lead us to a place just out of our reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. But then at thirty-five she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, and now she has to ask one of the most fundamental questions of all: How do we create meaning in our lives when the life we hoped for is put on hold indefinitely?In No Cure for Being Human, Kate searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of our modern 'best life now' advice industry, which offers us exhausting positivity, trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn and out-perform our humanness. With dry wit and unflinching honesty she grapples with her cancer diagnosis, her ambition and her faith and searches for some kind of peace with her limitations in a culture that says that anything is possible.Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate's irreverent, hard-won observations in No Cure For Being Human chart a bold path towards learning new ways to live.Trade ReviewA clear-eyed, beautifully written account of coming to terms with that fact that "so often the experiences that define us are the ones we didn't pick" * The Sunday Times *'Dry, witty and compassionate; a balm for the prickly soul' * The Independent *A breathtaking, utterly beautiful memoir about what it means to be human. No Cure for Being Human reminds us of all the horrors and beauty of this precious life. Kate Bowler is an incredible writer with something important to tell us. I'll be pressing this book into the hands of everyone I know, and I'll be hugging my kids so hard tonight too. * Christie Watson, bestselling author of The Language of Kindness and The Courage to Care *I began reading No Cure for Being Human after dinner one evening and didn't move until I finished the last gorgeous page. As I finally put this masterpiece down, I thought: Kate Bowler is the only one we can trust to tell us the truth. Bowler is a prophet and her new offering is another true gift to the world. This book will open minds and warm hearts. * Glennon Doyle, bestselling author of Untamed *If you want your life changed and your heart expanded - and to laugh - read this amazing, amazing book. * Julia Samuel, bestselling author of Grief Works and This Too Shall Pass *

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Book SynopsisThe key to the book is a set of interviews with people who fall broadly into the Christian Atheist category; some are more agnostic and less sceptical than others, but what they have in common is the rejection of traditional belief in God, counterbalanced by an admiration for the aesthetic genius of Christianity (leading to a sense of deeper value), the Christian moral compass, and in some cases the community aspect of Christian life. As one of his interviewees points out, you can?t have Christian atheism without mainstream, traditional Christianity, so Brian Mountford sets their comments within a broader discussion of the issues: God, aesthetics, orthodoxy, doubt and belief, ethics and communal values. His purpose is threefold: to validate and affirm the Christian atheist position within the broad spectrum of Christianity to say to the Church, you ignore this phenomenon at your peril to show that the distinction between atheist and religious adherent is rarely black and white, and that the ground between the two is a fertile source of meaning and valueTrade ReviewIn this fascinating and thoughtful book, Brian Mountford explores the borderland where Christians and atheists gaze at each other with expressions ranging from the hostile and scornful to the friendly and sympathetic. In some ways it is the most interesting place in contemporary religion. Mountford has an extensive knowledge of this borderland, and in the interviews and reflections in this book he explores it in the company of some eloquent and thoughtful contemporaries. (Philip Pullman, author and self-confessed Christian Atheist)

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Book SynopsisWhat is the average person to make of the book of Revelation, with its vivid imagery and its apocalyptic visions? Richard Bewes steers his readers through the minefields of controversy and bizarre interpretations. He picks out the great themes and landmarks that are the message of Christ to every generation of believers.Trade Review'Richard Bewes has done it again. 'Brilliant' is the word. Here is the best introduction I know to the book of Revelation; profound, yet simple and understandable. I recommend it for every young Christian, in fact for every Christian Bible reader.' -- Vijay Menon'Richard Bewes has captured the central theme of John's Revelation...Written in graceful prose, this little book will make Revelation's central lines of thought leap to life and relevance. It deserves wide circulation.' -- Don Carson (Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois)'For us all, it is a good alternative to the many pre-millennialist books that have been published in recent years. I warmly commend it.' -- Sam Torrens, 'The Rutherford Journal of Church and Ministry''If the Bible is the book for today's church (and it is), then the Book of Revelation should be the book for today's Church (and it is)....Richard Bewes sweeps us through it with a touch that makes even the back streets seem important and yet keeps the strategic parts in perspective' -- Michael Baughen (Retired Bishop of Chester, Cheshire)"Richard Bewes, rector of All Souls, London, is a good preacher. His sermons, biblically based, are relevantly illustrated from our contemporary situations and church history. All Richard's skills are displayed in the 18 chapters of this book. There is much spiritual food in these pages for diligent bible students as an articulate pastor expounds what John experienced one Sunday on lonely, hilly Patmos.""A highly imaginative look into the only book in the Holy Bible with a blessing attached to anyone who even reads it! Richard's descriptions give a view on Revelation that can only be likened to a biblical projection on the screen of your mind." -- John R Green, Broadcasting Manager, UCB TV'Richard Bewes provides a breath of fresh air...very readable' -- Fiona Castle (Well known author and speaker)

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Book SynopsisSir John Templeton challenges the reader to apply the same energy that has been devoted to scientific inquiry to the pursuit of spiritual information. The world is at a state of unprecedented technical expertise, but why has our knowledge and faith in our own spirituality stalled and become obsolete in recent times?Possibilities for Over One Hundredfold More Spiritual Information seeks to address this question. It points out that our spiritual knowledge would also have the capacity to increase dramatically if we were to open our minds to the endless possibilities that await us in terms of our spiritual lives. These include altruistic love for all people, new knowledge of the Divine, and a greater sense of our place in the universe. In order for us as human beings to take advantage of all of the spiritual gifts that we have been given, we need to be open and receptive to our individual spiritual natures, and to open ourselves to the limitless spiritual possibilities available to us.The book acknowledges the ancient scriptures and thinkers who have guided us for centuries. Vastly expanded research and the use of scientific method would only enhance our understanding of the wisdom contained within these wise teachings. The benefits of extending our spiritual knowledge might, in fact, exceed the benefits we have realized thus far from scientific and medical advances.Possibilities seeks to reawaken our desire for spiritual knowledge pushed aside so long ago in our quest for scientific knowledge. When these fields work together, the world will reap greater rewards that we can ever imagine.Table of ContentsPreface / viiCHAPTER ONE An Introduction for Humble Researchers / 3CHAPTER TWO Humble About What? / 13CHAPTER THREE What Benefits from Humility? / 28CHAPTER FOUR Creation Through Change / 40CHAPTER FIVE When Is a Blossoming Time of Humanity? / 51CHAPTER SIX The Vast Unseen / 63CHAPTER SEVEN Progressing Concepts of the Mystery of Time / 89CHAPTER EIGHT Possibilities for Spiritual Progress? / 100CHAPTER NINE Love, Humility and Free Competition Accelerate Discoveries / 118CHAPTER TEN Can Earth Serve as a School? / 130CHAPTER ELEVEN Creative Thinking for Increasing Discoveries / 139CHAPTER TWELVE Infinite Intellect: Some Questions for Fruitful Research / 148CHAPTER THIRTEEN What Are Laws of Spiritual Growth? / 153Notes / 169APPENDIXES

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Book SynopsisIn "Christianity on Trial," Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett do not shrink from confronting the tragedies that have been perpetrated throughout the ages in the name of Christianity. But they argue that the current indulgence of anti-Christian rhetoric in our culture not only involves bad taste, but tunnel vision and willful historical illiteracy as well. Carroll and Shiflett dispassionately consider the indictment of Christianity--specifically that it has justified racism and misogyny, encouraged ignorance, and promoted the despoliation of the environment and even justified genocide. Then, in a narrative whose intellectual elegance and verve calls up comparisons to "How the Irish Saved Civilization," they answer these charges, showing how in fact the Christian tradition has not only injected morality into our political order, but softened brutal practices and confining superstitions, created the foundation for intellectual inquiry, and created the compassionate! impulse. "Christianity on Trial" challenges readers of all beliefs--even those with a belief in disbelief itself--to question the anti-religious bigotry that thrives in our intellectual world and to reevaluate the role of Christianity not only as a source of consolation but of enlightenment and human liberation as well.

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Book SynopsisHermann Beckh’s masterful study of Mark’s Gospel offers much more than scholarly argument. It is the work of a true visionary who allows his readers to discover the meaning of the Earth and of humanity for themselves. Beckh was in the forefront of entirely new research and recovery of the Gospel, writing more for the future than for his own time. It is not uncommon for biblical scholars to view St. Mark’s Gospel as little more than an assemblage of fragmentary sources and a copy of uncertain, early memories. The Gospel is said to have little historical veracity, harmony or guiding structure. Beckh’s contemporary, the German writer Arthur Drews, even argued that the text was nothing more than a simplistic solar myth, wherein another Sun-hero pursued his way around the Greco-Roman constellations. Mark’s Gospel: The Cosmic Rhythm is a response to such twentieth-century materialistic thinking. He was asked to write the book in the 1920s by the leaders of The Christian Community, who sought to rescue the desecrated Gospel from its opponents. Inspired by Rudolf Steiner and a vast knowledge of ancient languages – Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali and Avestan along with Hebrew, Greek and Latin – the Rev. Professor Hermann Beckh perceived how the Gospel reflects God’s Everlasting Covenant, and meticulously expressed its aesthetic unity, the consonance of its parts and its consequent radiant clarity. His far-reaching understanding of sacred texts in the original languages, always associated with the disciplined meditation he had attained from anthroposophy, led to unprecedented insight. This new edition of his classic study has been revised and redesigned.

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Book SynopsisThe City of God against the Pagans is a central text in the Western intellectual tradition. Made up of twenty-two lengthy books, Augustine wrote his masterpiece over a thirteen-year period during which the Western Roman Empire began to unravel. The first ten books are a critique of pagan religion and philosophy, while books eleven to twenty-two treat the relationship between the City of God and the Earthly City. Throughout Augustine conveys his mature vision of what it means for a Christian to live in a world with evil. Its arguments and ideas have provoked debate for nearly 1600 years, and remains a central text in the disciplines of theology, historiography, and political theory.Table of ContentsWays In to the Text Who was Augustine of Hippo? What does City of God Say? Why does City of God Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited

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Book SynopsisIn his Galatians commentary of 1535, Martin Luther insists that "our theology" relies on the proper distinction of two kinds of righteousness: Alien and Proper. In relation to our Creator, we freely receive our "alien" righteousness from Christ who has obtained it for us through his death and resurrection. In relation to humanity and God's created order, we practice a "proper" righteousness by actively fulfilling God's commands that set down the form and pattern for good human living.The Alien and the Proper “helps us to appropriate Luther's theology as our theology as well.”— Mark Mattes, Lutheran Bible Institute Chair of Theology, Grand View UniversityLuther posited that this distinction was the key to understanding our humanity. His regular use of this anthropological principle, particularly when applied to justification by faith, the nature of sin, and the proper practice of God's gift of humanity, demonstrates its centrality and importance.In The Alien and the Proper, five authors examine the historical development of Luther's Twofold Righteousness and propose ways in which it can continue to serve Christians today. Through these essays you will learn about Luther's radical divergence from medieval theological formulations, and you will discover what it means to be human.Essays by: David A. Lumpp Charles P. Arand William W. Schumacher Joel Biermann Timothy Saleska Robert Kolb (editor)Trade ReviewThis book probes the beating theological heart of Luther's evangelical theology." - Michael J. Chan, Ph.D., Concordia College

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Book SynopsisIn Resisting Occupation, international scholars discuss the radical denial of human flourishing caused by the occupation of mind, body, spirit, and land. They explore how religious perspectives can be, and often are, constructed by occupiers to justify their actions, perpetuate exploitation, and domesticate indigenous landholders. In the name of Christianization and civilization, which has proven to be a global phenomenon beyond time and space, a consistent domestication process is established. The colonized are taught to want, to yearn for, and to embrace their occupation, seeing themselves through the eyes of their colonizers. Writing from different spots around the globe, the scholars of this book demonstrate how occupation, a synonym for empire, is manifested within their social context and reveal unity in their struggle for liberation. Recognizing that where there is oppression, there is resistance, the contributors turn to religion. While questioning the logic, rationale, theology, and epistemology of the empire’s religion, they nonetheless seek the liberative response of resistance – at times using the very religion of the occupiers.Table of ContentsPart One: Occupying Minds 1.Toward an Ethics para Joder: Decolonizing Minds by Transgressing Academic BordersMiguel A. De La Torre2.“Imagined Occupation” and the Occupation of the National Imaginary: Scottish Stories in the Face of Brexit BritainJohn McNeil Scott3.City Gate and Homeland Imagination: The Theology of Image in Post-Modern TaiwanSu-Chi Lin4.Toward a Cross-border Imagination: Another World Is Possible!Junghyung Kim5.The Occupation of the Theological Mind: The End of InnocenceMitri Raheb Part Two: Occupying Bodies 6.The Construction of Religious Hybrid Identities Resulting from Colonial OccupationWanda Deifelt7.The Boys in the MirrorLuciano Kovacs Part Three: Occupying Spirit 8.The Devil that Occupies US: Social Sin and Sacred Silence in a Trumped EraStacey Floyd-Thomas9.The Motherly Spirit: A Geotheological Power of Life in PapuaToar Hutagalung10.Resistance and Reconciliation through the ArtsVolker Küster11.Beauty in the Rubble? Genuine Encounter, Self-Transformation, and Transnational Community in Activism for PalestineMarthie Momberg Part Four: Occupying Land 12.Occupation in North America: States, Rule of Law, Language, and IndiansTink Tinker13.From Empire to Independent Composite Successor States: Postcolonial Political Theology in MelanesiaRichard Davis14.Palestine, Zionism, and Global Struggle: A Jewish American’s JourneyMark Braverman15.The Re-Reading of the Exodus Narrative: An African PerspectiveSindiso Jele

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Roger Whittall argues that Luther’s teaching on the common priesthood (the “priesthood of believers”) was a persistent element of Luther’s ecclesiology and closely related to his understanding of the church as the communion of saints. Whittall’s focus is the common priesthood’s activity in the Christian community, moving beyond its contested relationship to the church’s ordained ministry, or the views that limit its appearance to Luther’s early polemical writings. Rather, the common priesthood stands alongside the public ministry. They are equal partners in the church’s mandate to receive and speak God’s word, to respond in prayer, praise, and joyful service of God’s world and all its people. This wide-ranging investigation features later material not often considered in relation to the common priesthood. For Luther “priesthood” was a biblical expression of Christian spiritual life, worship, and service, forming both the personal faith of individual Christians and the corporate nature of the Christian community. Whittall also examines Luther’s use of key biblical texts to link church and priesthood through the themes of unity and community, equality, and participation. Understood in this way, this priesthood still speaks powerfully to the identity and mission of the church today.Trade ReviewWhittall brings a perceptive analytical review of the current scholarly debate and a careful contextual assessment of Luther’s own utterances on the complex of ideas involved in the calling of the baptized as priests who bring the gospel to others. Whittall’s careful chronological tracing of the development of Luther’s views of this calling of the baptized and the church’s public ministry in several literary genres not only illuminates the historical witness of the reformer but also provides resources for encouraging all Christians to take seriously both the role of the shepherds of Christ’s people and believers’ responsibility to witness to Christ in daily life. -- Robert Kolb, professor emeritus, Concordia Seminary, St. LouisTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Church and Priesthood in Luther’s First LecturesChapter 2: Luther’s Early Ecclesiology, Its Substance and FormChapter 3: Luther’s Early Teaching on The Common Priesthood, to 1525Chapter 4: The Biblical Data for The Common PriesthoodChapter 5: Luther’s Ecclesiology and the Challenge of Reform, from 1524Chapter 6: The Response to Rome: Next InstalmentChapter 7: The Common Priesthood in Luther’s Old Testament Writings, 1524–46Chapter 8: The Common Priesthood in Luther’s New Testament Preaching, 1522–46Conclusions: Martin Luther’s Common Priesthood: Its Boundaries and Horizons

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Book SynopsisThis paperback edition contains selected articles from the original clothbound editions of Contemporary Approaches to The Study of Religion. Vol I: The Humanities. Vol II: The Social Sciences. (Religion and Reason, 27/28).

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Book SynopsisSøren Kierkegaard argued that the most essential truths come to light by asking "How…?" This innovative collection of essays by leading scholars focuses on this questioning "How?", asking how we should relate to ourselves, to others, and to God; how we should be in the world; how we can become human. The result is a searching, original colloquium on what it means to be Kierkegaardian in the 21st century.The adjective "Kierkegaardian" names many possibilities: ways of philosophizing, choosing, loving, looking, listening, reading, writing, teaching, making art, praying, going to church – or not going to church. "How" gestures to subjectivity, one of Kierkegaard’s most fundamental philosophical categories, while "What" signals an objectifying line of thought. The authors of these essays suggest that the crucial Kierkegaardian question is not what we are and ought to do, but how we can remain true to the finitude, passivity, and ambiguity of human existence.While this Kierkegaardian "how" is often acknowledged by scholars, it is rarely thematized directly. Attending to it elicits new kinds of argument and reflection. Kierkegaardian Essays proposes a fresh approach to Kierkegaard, and is essential reading for experts and students alike.

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Book SynopsisThe academic disciplines of Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology were long closely linked to one another. However, in the modern period they became gradually separated which led to increasing subject specialization, but also to a lamentable lacuna within the various branches of Divinity. As the lack of dialogue between Biblical Studies and the various theological disciplines increased, a minority-group of scholars in the past few decades reacted and sought to re-establish the time-honoured bonds between the disciplines. The present volume is part of this intellectual response, with contributions from scholars of various professional and denominational backgrounds. Together, the book's 25 chapters seek to reinvigorate the crucial cross-disciplinary dialogue, involving biblical, narrative, historical, systematic-theological and philosophic-theological perspectives. The book opens the horizon to contemporary research, and fills a lamentable research gap with a number of fresh contributions from scholars in the respective sub-disciplines

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Book SynopsisDer Gott des Alten Testaments trat erst im Zuge einer langen Entwicklung in ein Verhältnis zu den Toten, so daß in spätalttestamentlicher Zeit die Hoffnung auf ein Leben nach dem Tod entstehen konnte. Einen wichtigen Schritt auf diesem Weg stellen die Individualpsalmen dar (Klage- und Danklieder des einzelnen, Psalm 16; 49 und 73). Kathrin Liess untersucht das Lebens- und Todesverständnis dieser Psalmen und ihren Beitrag zur Ausbildung einer Lebenshoffnung über den Tod hinaus, wie sie sich in spätalttestamentlicher Zeit in den Auferstehungstexten findet. Im Zentrum der Untersuchung stehen die Exegese und die theologiegeschichtliche Einordnung von Psalm 16. Mit seinem Vertrauen auf eine bleibende Lebensgemeinschaft mit Gott und eine lebenslange Bewahrung vor dem Tod steht dieser Psalm an der Nahtstelle zwischen den Klage- und Dankpsalmen des einzelnen (Rettung aus dem "Tod mitten im Leben") und dem Weisheitspsalm 73 (Gottesgemeinschaft über den Tod hinaus). Die Untersuchung dieser Psalmen versteht sich als biblisch-theologischer Beitrag zur Erforschung der langen Vorgeschichte der neutestamentlichen Auferstehungshoffnung.

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Book SynopsisDieser Band versammelt sechzehn Beiträge in- und ausländischer Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler, die im Jahre 2003 an einem internationalen Forschungssymposium an der Universität Osnabrück teilgenommen haben. Die einzelnen Studien zur alt- und neutestamentlichen Überlieferung bzw. zur antikjüdischen und frühchristlichen Literatur fokussieren ganz unterschiedliche Aspekte des Lernens: Neben Ausführungen zur Lernpraxis, für die das Auswendiglernen eine bedeutende Rolle spielt, kommt dem personalen und sozialen Aspekt von Lernprozessen große Bedeutung zu. Lernen geschieht durch einen Lehrer; im gemeinsamen Lernen wiederum bindet sich der Einzelne in die Traditionsgemeinschaft ein. Schließlich wird auch auf die theologisch-kultische Dimension des Lernens verwiesen, da Lernen als Möglichkeit der Gottesbegegnung beschrieben werden und die Belehrung als ein Akt göttlichen Gnadenerweises verstanden werden kann. Durch die Zusammenstellung der einzelnen Studien ergeben sich interessante Perspektiven für die Traditionsgeschichte jüdischer und christlicher Lernkonzeptionen.

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Book SynopsisIn den für die Entwicklung der evangelischen Kirchen entscheidenden Jahren nach Luthers Tod nahm Johannes Brenz (1499-1570) eine Schlüsselposition ein. Matthias A. Deuschle geht erstmals der Frage nach, welche Theologie Brenz in jenen Jahren vertrat und welche Motive sein Denken und Handeln prägten. Als Hauptquelle dient das umfangreichste dogmatische Werk des schwäbischen Reformators: Die Apologie der Confessio Virtembergica. Sie verteidigt die reformatorische Lehre gegen Angriffe des Dillinger Professors und ehemaligen Beichtvaters Karls V. Pedro de Soto (1495/1500-1563). Die Analyse der bisher nie eingehend untersuchten Schrift nach Entstehung, Inhalt und den auf sie bezogenen Auseinandersetzungen zeigt, daß das Brenzsche Denken auch noch zu jener Zeit, als andernorts die innerevangelischen Streitigkeiten im Vordergrund standen, hauptsächlich von der Auseinandersetzung mit Rom bestimmt war. Es zeigt sich, daß Brenz den Widerspruch gegen die römische Lehre zunehmend auf die Frage nach den - von ihm so genannten - Prinzipien des christlichen Glaubens konzentriert und so erste Schritte auf dem Weg zu einer evangelischen Prinzipienlehre geht. In diesem Zusammenhang erhalten die Schriftlehre, die Ekklesiologie und die Rechtfertigungslehre eine grundlegende Funktion. Ihre Entfaltung steht infolgedessen im Zentrum der Darstellung. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung werden sowohl in die Entwicklung des Brenzschen Denkens als auch in den größeren theologie- und kirchengeschichtlichen Kontext eingeordnet.Das Buch wurde mit dem Johannes-Brenz-Preis 2006 des Vereines für württembergische Kirchengeschichte ausgezeichnet.

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Book SynopsisUlrike Treusch fragt anhand von Person und Werk Bernhards von Waging († 1472) nach der monastischen Theologie im 15. Jahrhundert. Bernhard von Waging aus dem Kloster Tegernsee war einer der bekanntesten Vertreter der benediktinischen Reformbewegung von Melk. Er wirkte nicht nur als praktischer Reformer, sondern vor allem als Autor theologischer Reformschriften. Auch seine Korrespondenz mit Nikolaus von Kues und Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl zeigt sein Anliegen einer Kloster- und Kirchenreform. Die Autorin untersucht Bernhards theologische Schriften in ihrem zeitgenössischen Kontext und in der Rezeption scholastischer wie monastischer Theologie. Sie legt mit dieser Arbeit die erste Monographie zu Bernhard von Waging vor und bietet aus der Untersuchung auch unedierter lateinischer Schriften eine neue Perspektive auf die Reformdiskussion des 15. Jahrhunderts und die spätmittelalterliche monastische Theologie.

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Book SynopsisCharacters in the Gospel of John quote and re-quote each other frequently, almost excessively, yet their quotations are rarely literal. These characters (including Jesus and the narrator) make changes - some minor, some major - even when they re-quote important sayings of Jesus. Jeffrey M. Tripp examines this often overlooked feature of the Fourth Gospel in the contexts of first century pedagogy and literature, as well as early Christian tradition and practices. Attending to John's direct internal quotations reveals a text at play with its christological and eschatological language, teasing out the fullest extent of its meaning. The Gospel of John emerges as a theological narrative anchored in yet unbound by the ideas of the wider early Christian movement.

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Book SynopsisThe series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems– both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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