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Reading the Epistles of James, Peter, John & Jude as Scripture: The Shaping and Shape of a Canonical Collection
by Robert W. Wall David NienhuisThrough a detailed examination of the historical shaping and final canonical shape of seven oft-neglected New Testament letters, Reading the Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude as Scripture introduces readers to the historical, literary, and theological integrity of this indispensable apostolic witness.While most scholars today interpret biblical texts in terms of their individual historical points of composition, David Nienhuis and Robert Wall argue that a theological approach to this part of Scripture is better served by attending to these texts' historical point of canonization -- those key moments in the ancient church's life when apostolic writings were grouped together to maximize the Spirit's communication of the apostolic rule of faith to believers everywhere.Reading the Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude as Scripture is the only treatment of the Catholic Epistles that approaches these seven letters as an intentionally designed and theologically coherent canonical collection.
Reading the Good Book Well: A Guide to Biblical Interpretation
by Jerry Camery-HoggattThe state of teaching biblical interpretation in colleges and seminaries is generally a mess, and many conventional approaches can be alarming for religious students. The sources of this difficulty are wide ranging, but a quick summary would include at least the following: jargon that is unnecessarily technical; competing and contradictory methodologies; and a failure on the part of Biblical scholarship to demonstrate the direct relevance of its methods to the pastoral life of the Church. As a consequence, biblical scholarship is often opaque at best and distressing at worst to the student and beginning theologian. And because pastors and lay people are trained within this cobweb of methods, they are often functionally unable to draw clear conclusions from most teaching resources. Jerry Camery-Hoggatt addresses this problem with several solutions: a return to a conscious affirmation of authorial intention as the beginning place for interpretation; a careful examination of the actual workings of communication; a concept of text to include the assumptions and cultural knowledge upon which the text depends for meaningful communication; an examination of the various academic disciplines with an eye toward correlating their conclusions with the necessary activities of reading; and easily accessible language that makes sense to the beginning student and the lay reader alike. Here is a single, accessible volume that explains the basic vocabulary and logic of biblical interpretation, shows how the various methodologies can be fitted together into a seamless interpretive model for exegesis, and then reflects carefully on the implications of that method for the various issues of reading, teaching, reflection, and preaching.Through common and practical examples Jerry Camery-Hoggatt teaches students a way of reading the Bible that replicates the activities the biblical authors expected their readers would perform, and he uses a model that is applicable across linguistic boundaries, genres, and various cultural contexts; that is, throughout the human experience of language there exists a common set of mental activities that can be identified and studied, and these are fundamental to reading and interpreting the Bible.The prose style is conversational, non-technical, and is intended to be inviting to the beginning student, and refreshing for advanced students and teachers.
Reading the Gospels with Karl Barth
by Daniel L. MiglioreOver the course of his multivolume Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth not only cites thousands of Scripture texts but also offers extensive exegetical discussion of numerous passages. In this book twelve leading theologians and biblical scholars examine Barth's exegesis of particular passages in the Gospels. How does Barth's practice of theological exegesis play out in his reading of the Gospels? What are the fundamental features of Barth's interpretation of Gospel texts, and to what extent do they enliven theology, biblical studies, and ethics today? Reading the Gospels with Karl Barth explores answers to such questions and offers fresh stimulus for further study and discussion.CONTRIBUTORS Richard Bauckham Kendall Cox Beverly Roberts Gaventa Eric Gregory Willie James Jennings Paul Dafydd Jones Bruce L. McCormack Daniel L. Migliore Jürgen Moltmann Paul T. Nimmo Fleming Rutledge Shannon Nicole Smythe
Reading the Hebrew Bible with Animal Studies
by Ken StoneAnimal studies may be a recent academic development, but our fascination with animals is nothing new. Surviving cave paintings are of animal forms, and closer to us, as Ken Stone points out, animals populate biblical literature from beginning to end. This book explores the significance of animal studies for the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. The field has had relatively little impact on biblical interpretation to date, but combined with biblical scholarship, it sheds useful light on animals, animal symbolism, and the relations among animals, humans, and God—not only for those who study biblical literature and its ancient context, but for contemporary readers concerned with environmental, social, and animal ethics. Without the presence of domesticated and wild animals, neither biblical traditions nor the religions that make use of the Bible would exist in their current forms. Although parts of the Bible draw a clear line between humans and animals, other passages complicate that line in multiple ways and challenge our assumptions about the roles animals play therein. Engaging influential thinkers, including Jacques Derrida, Donna Haraway, and other experts in animal and ecological studies, Reading the Hebrew Bible with Animal Studies shows how prehumanist texts reveal unexpectedly relevant dynamics and themes for our posthumanist age.
Reading the Hindu and Christian Classics: Why and How Deep Learning Still Matters (Richard Lectures)
by Francis X. ClooneyWe live in an era of unprecedented growth in knowledge. Never before has there been so great an availability of and access to information in both print and online. Yet as opportunities to educate ourselves have greatly increased, our time for reading has significantly diminished. And when we do read, we rarely have the patience to read in the slow, sustained fashion that great books require if we are to be truly transformed by them. In Reading the Hindu and Christian Classics, renowned Harvard Divinity School professor Francis Clooney argues that our increasing inability to read in a concerted manner is particularly notable in the realm of religion, where the proliferation of information detracts from the learning of practices that require slow and patient reading. Although awareness of the world’s many religions is at an all-time high, deep knowledge of the various traditions has suffered. Clooney challenges this trend by considering six classic Hindu and Christian texts dealing with ritual and law, catechesis and doctrine, and devotion and religious participation, showing how, in distinctive ways, such texts instruct, teach truth, and draw willing readers to participate in the realities they are learning. Through readings of these seminal scriptural and theological texts, he reveals the rewards of a more spiritually transformative mode of reading—and how individuals and communities can achieve it.
Reading the Leaves: An Intuitive Guide to the Ancient Art and Modern Magic of Tea Leaf Divination
by Sandra Mariah Wright Leanne MarramaAn illustrated guide to tapping into your intuition through the simple act of sitting down to a cup of tea.Whether you're wondering about career, finances, love, or health, Salem witches Sandra Mariah Wright and Leanne Marrama are here to help build your intuitive skills and transform your life. Reading the Leaves shows you how to: • brew a cup of tea for divination purposes • interpret more than 200 time-tested symbols that are most likely to show up, such as hearts and anchors, and what their size, location, and relationship to other shapes mean • set an intention • create a regular tea ritual • keep a tea leaf reading journal • do a reading for family and friends • make their favorite tea time recipes • respond when a "bad" symbol shows upYou already possess the tools, and with Sandra and Leanne's guidance, the true journey of self-discovery can begin. You don't have to be a witch to find your inner magic.
Reading the Mahāvamsa: The Literary Aims of a Theravada Buddhist History (South Asia Across the Disciplines)
by Kristin ScheibleVamsa is a dynamic genre of Buddhist history filled with otherworldly characters and the exploits of real-life heroes. These narratives collapse the temporal distance between Buddha and the reader, building an emotionally resonant connection with an outsized religious figure and a longed-for past. The fifth-century Pali text Mahavamsa is a particularly effective example, using metaphor and other rhetorical devices to ethically transform readers, to stimulate and then to calm them. Reading the Mahavamsa advocates a new, literary approach to this text by revealing its embedded reading advice (to experience samvega and pasada) and affective work of metaphors (the Buddha's dharma as light) and salient characters (nagas). Kristin Scheible argues that the Mahavamsa requires a particular kind of reading. In the text's proem, special instructions draw readers to the metaphor of light and the nagas, or salient snake-beings, of the first chapter. Nagas are both model worshippers and unworthy hoarders of Buddha's relics. As nonhuman agents, they challenge political and historicist readings of the text. Scheible sees these slippery characters and the narrative's potent and playful metaphors as techniques for refocusing the reader's attention on the text's emotional aims. Her work explains the Mahavamsa's central motivational role in contemporary Sri Lankan Buddhist and nationalist circles. It also speaks broadly to strategies of reading religious texts and to the internal and external cues that give such works lives beyond the page.
Reading the Muslim Mind
by Hassan HathoutOnce in a while a book comes along that can reshape the thinking of the world. One person at a time. Reading the Muslim Mind is such a book. Dr. Hassan Hathout starts out from a simple observation a lifetime of biculturalism (the Egyptian-born physician initially resided in Britain and has lived in the U.S. for more than a decade) leads him to note that Islam is widely known in the West for what it is not.<P> This encyclopedic personality (doctor of medicine, thinker, speaker, poet) sets out to guide the reader on a comprehensive tour through Islam. For this voyage, he supplies a keen and lucid anatomy of the Islamic life. He also provides, with incisive clarity, the inner guidebook; he uncovers the tracing of the mind at work behind the practice, the spirit behind the letter, the rationale and the Ultimate Reason, God.<P> For non-Muslims and those who follow what Dr. Hathout aptly calls the Judeo-Christian-Islamic world tradition at large, the trip proves illuminating and thought-provoking. For Muslims, it will re-anchor their faith and offer vital and timely answers to up-to-the-minute dilemmas of life in the new millennium.<P> Reading the Muslim Mind addresses key issues of our time, from the Islamic perspective. Dr. Hathout, in this wise, warm and inspiring work, is speaking to the audience of humankind in the Age of Selfishness, Microtheism, and Godlessness. In his clarion call of hope, the author maintains that when a minimum critical mass turns to understanding and cooperation, real change is possible.<P> To be known for what one really is, is nothing less than a basic human right, Dr. Hathout notes. Here, then, is Islam as it really is, and the world as it really can be.
Reading the New Testament
by Pheme PerkinsA complete revision of the first edition, includes additional chapters on individual books of the New Testament; information from archaeology and social history that has come to light in the past decade.
Reading the New Testament (New Testament Readings)
by John CourtReading the New Testament is the lead volume to the successful New Testament Readings Series. It analyzes the many ways in which the New Testament can be read and interpreted.Rather than prescribing one 'correct' way of reading, this study offers an overview of and introduction to the most influential theories of recent scholarship, discussing the background against which such theories are developed. It shows the advantages of combining methods of reading, thus stimulating an interaction between various approaches, illustrated by the individual volumes in the series.This is an important addition to New Testament literature, offering the student of religion a comprehensive overview of the methods and approaches used by scholars in the field.
Reading the New Testament for the First Time
by Ronald J. AllenThe purpose of this book is to introduce the New Testament to those who have never read it. Ronald Allen offers a truly elementary guide to the New Testament's world, its story, and its message. Reading the New Testament for the First Time walks readers through the New Testament, covering key topics like these: how to find one's way around the New Testamenthow and when the New Testament was writtenimportant characters like Jesus, Paul, and the twelve disciplesbig ideas found in the New Testament such as love, righteousness, and the realm of Godhow to apply the New Testament to our lives todayand much more!
Reading the New Testament: An Introduction (Third Revised Edition)
by Pheme Perkins Frank SabbatéAn introduction to the writings of the New Testament, written by a prominent scholar who is able to communicate the main ideas and results with a clear and simple style. This third edition, although leaving intact the structure of the book, has been rewritten extensively, updating the information and adding the results of new biblical approaches and research. Includes new maps and illustrations.
Reading the New Testament: Contemporary Approaches
by James G. CrossleyReading the New Testament offers an exciting and contemporary approach to New Testament Studies, which have changed dramatically in the past thirty years. James Crossley combines an introduction to traditional methods of source, form and social-scientific criticism with postcolonial, gender and political frameworks. He discusses reception-history, covering areas such as popular culture, party politics, historical theology and the politics of contemporary scholarship. He discusses Paul and Christian origins in continental philosophy, as well as offering a more traditional analysis of Paul’s theology and the quest for the historical Jesus. A selection of readings from contemporary scholarship is provided in the final chapter of the book. Reading the New Testament has been carefully designed to help students think critically and in wide-ranging ways about the texts of the New Testament and will prove a valuable resource for everyone engaged in serious study of the Bible.
Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes (Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes)
by Evan MofficRabbi Evan Moffic has a passion for sharing Judaism and its traditions with Christian audiences.In Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes, Rabbi Moffic explores the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, and highlights points of interest to Christians. He describes the role of the Torah in Jewish worship and practice and explores the key themes of each book guided by the wisdom of Jewish interpreters through the centuries. Join Rabbi Moffic in this study of the Torah and find rich new insights into the biblical story. Discover how the Torah can be a source of wisdom, truth, and transformation in your life.Also available are a DVD and Leader Guide to facilitate a six-week study.
Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes Leader Guide (Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes)
by Evan MofficRabbi Evan Moffic has a passion for sharing Judaism and its traditions with Christian audiences.In Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes, Rabbi Moffic explores the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, and highlights points of interest to Christians. He describes the role of the Torah in Jewish worship and practice and explores the key themes of each book guided by the wisdom of Jewish interpreters through the centuries. Join Rabbi Moffic in this study of the Torah and find rich new insights into the biblical story. Discover how the Torah can be a source of wisdom, truth, and transformation in your life.Also available are a book and DVD to facilitate a six-week study.
Reading the Old Testament: Method in Biblical Study (Revised and Enlarged)
by John BartonFirmly founded in the best scholarship, John Barton's Reading the Old Testament helps students to understand both the established methods of biblical study and the newer emerging trends.
Reading the Parables
by Richard LischerParables make up one-third of Jesus' speech in the New Testament. In this volume, Richard Lischer provides an expert guide to these parables and proposes an important distinction between reading and interpreting the parables. Emphasizing the importance of reading the parables versus interpreting them, Lischer asserts that reading offers a kind of breathing space to explore historical, literary, theological, and socio-political dimensions of the parables and their various meanings, whereas interpreting implies an expert and critical position that must be defended. In this volume, Lischer lays out four theories for reading parables: 1) parables obscure truth; 2) parables teach many truths; 3) parables teach one truth; and 4) parables undermine the truth. Ultimately, he concludes that biblical parables undermine dominant myths called "the truth" to shine light on the Truth that is Jesus, God's presence with us.
Reading the Psalms Theologically (Studies in Scripture and Biblical Theology)
by Andrew J. Schmutzer David M. Howard Jr.The Psalms as Christian Scripture. Reading the Psalms Theologically presents rich biblical-theological studies on the Psalter. Reading the Psalter as a Unified Book: Recent Trends (David M. Howard and Michael K. Snearly) The Macrostructural Design and Logic of the Psalter: An Unfurling of the Davidic Covenant (Peter C. W. Ho) David's Biblical Theology and Typology in the Psalms: Authorial Intent and Patterns of the Seed of Promise (James M. Hamilton) A Story in the Psalms? Narrative Structure at the "Seams" of the Psalter's Five Books (David "Gunner" Gunderson) Does the Book of Psalms Present a Divine Messiah? (Seth D. Postell) The Suffering Servant in Book V of the Psalter (Jill Firth) Excavating the "Fossil Record" of a Metaphor: The Use of the Verb nasa' as "to forgive" in the Psalter (C. Hassell Bullock) The Art of Lament in Lamentations (May Young) The Psalms of Lament and the Theology of the Cross (Rolf A. Jacobson) "In Sheol, who can give you praise?" Death in the Psalms (Philip S. Johnston) Psalm 32: More Accurately a Declarative Praise than Penitential Psalm (Daniel J. Estes) Theology of the Nations in the Book of Psalms (Ryan J. Cook) Psalm 87 and the Promise of Inclusion (Jamie A. Grant) YHWH Among the Gods: The Trial for Justice in Psalm 82 (Andrew J. Schmutzer) Reclaiming Divine Sovereignty in the Anthropocene: Psalms 93–100 and the Convergence of Theology and Ecology (J. Clinton McCann) A Theology of Glory: Divine Sanctum and Service in the Psalter (Jerome Skinner) Perceptions of Divine Presence in the Levitical Psalms of Book 2: The Paradox of Distance and Proximity (J. Nathan Clayton) Psalm 110, Jesus, and Melchizedek (David C. Mitchell) The essays interpret the Psalms as a carefully-composed book. Each study focuses on a biblical or theological topic, drawing insights from past interpreters and current scholarship.
Reading the Psalms as Scripture
by James M. Hamilton Jr. Matthew DamicoThe psalms cultivate a life of prayer grounded in Scripture. In Reading the Psalms as Scripture, James M. Hamilton Jr. and Matthew Damico guide the reader to delight in the spiritual artistry of the psalms. Psalms is a carefully arranged book saturated in Scripture. The psalmists drew from imagery and themes from earlier Scripture, which are then developed by later Scripture and fulfilled in Christ. The book of psalms advances God's grand story of redemption, and it gives us words to pray by drawing us into this story. When we meditate on the promises and patterns in the psalms, we can read, pray, and sing them with faithfulness.
Reading the Qur'an in the Twenty-First Century: A Contextualist Approach
by Abdullah SaeedReading the Qur’an in the Twenty-First Century considers the development of Qur’anic interpretation and highlights modern debates around new approaches to interpretation. It explores how Muslims from various theological, legal, socio-political and philosophical backgrounds think about the meaning and relevance of the Qur’an, and how their ideas apply in the contemporary world. The book: reflects on one of the most dominant approaches to interpretation in the pre-modern period, textualism, and the reaction to that in Muslim feminist readings of the Qur’an today. covers issues such as identifying the hierarchical nature of Qur’anic values, the criteria for the use of hadith in interpretation, fluidity of meaning and ways of ensuring a degree of stability in interpretation. examines key Qur'anic passages and compares pre-modern and modern interpretations to show the evolving nature of interpretation. Examples discussed include: the authority of men over women, the death of Jesus, shura and democracy, and riba and interest. Abdullah Saeed provides a practical guide for interpretation and presents the principal ideas of a contextualist approach, which situates the original message of the Qur’an in its wider social, political, cultural, economic and intellectual context. He advocates a more flexible method of interpretation that gives due recognition to earlier interpretations of the Qur’an while also being aware of changing conditions and the need to approach the Qur’an afresh today.
Reading the Qur'an in the Twenty-First Century: A Contextualist Approach
by Abdullah SaeedReading the Qur’an in the Twenty-First Century considers the development of Qur’anic interpretation and highlights modern debates around new approaches to interpretation. It explores how Muslims from various theological, legal, socio-political and philosophical backgrounds think about the meaning and relevance of the Qur’an, and how their ideas apply in the contemporary world. The book: reflects on one of the most dominant approaches to interpretation in the pre-modern period, textualism, and the reaction to that in Muslim feminist readings of the Qur’an today covers issues such as identifying the hierarchical nature of Qur’anic values, the criteria for the use of hadith in interpretation, fluidity of meaning and ways of ensuring a degree of stability in interpretation examines key Qur'anic passages and compares pre-modern and modern interpretations to show the evolving nature of interpretation. Examples discussed include: the authority of men over women, the death of Jesus, shura and democracy, and riba and interest Abdullah Saeed provides a practical guide for interpretation and presents the principal ideas of a contextualist approach, which situates the original message of the Qur’an in its wider social, political, cultural, economic and intellectual context. He advocates a more flexible method of interpretation that gives due recognition to earlier interpretations of the Qur’an while also being aware of changing conditions and the need to approach the Qur’an afresh today.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Reading the Sacred Scriptures: From Oral Tradition to Written Documents and their Reception
by Fiachra Long Siobhán Dowling LongReading the Sacred Scriptures: From Oral Tradition to Written Documents and their Reception examines how the scriptures came to be written and how their authority has been constructed and reinforced over time. Highlighting the measures taken to safeguard the stability of oral accounts, this book demonstrates the care of religious communities to maintain with reverence their assembled parchments and scrolls. Written by leading experts in their fields, this collection chronicles the development of the scriptures from oral tradition to written documents and their reception. It features notable essays on the scriptures of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, Daoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Shinto, and Baha'i. This book will fascinate anyone interested in the belief systems of the featured religions. It offers an ideal starting point from which undergraduate and postgraduate religious studies students, teachers and lecturers can explore religious traditions from their historical beginnings.
Reading the Sermon on the Mount with John Stott: 8 Weeks for Individuals or Groups (Reading the Bible with John Stott)
by Douglas Connelly John StottThe Message of the Sermon on the Mount
Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News
by Jeffrey Bilbro"Reading the morning newspaper is the realist's morning prayer."—G. W. F. Hegel Whenever we reach for our phones or scan a newspaper to get "caught up," we are being not merely informed but also formed. News consumption can shape our sense of belonging, how we judge the value of our lives, and even how our brains function. Christians mustn't let the news replace prayer as Hegel envisioned, but neither should we simply discard the daily feed. We need a better understanding of what the news is for and how to read it well. Jeffrey Bilbro invites readers to take a step back and gain some theological and historical perspective on the nature and very purpose of news. In Reading the Times he reflects on how we pay attention, how we discern the nature of time and history, and how we form communities through what we read and discuss. Drawing on writers from Thoreau and Dante to Merton and Berry, along with activist-journalists such as Frederick Douglass and Dorothy Day, Bilbro offers an alternative vision of the rhythms of life, one in which we understand our times in light of what is timeless. Throughout, he suggests practices to counteract common maladies tied to media consumption in order to cultivate healthier ways of reading and being. When the news sets itself up as the light of the world, it usurps the role of the living Word. But when it helps us attend together to the work of Christ—down through history and within our daily contexts—it can play a vital part in enabling us to love our neighbors. Reading the Times is a refreshing and humane call to put the news in its place.
Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories
by Tikva Frymer-KenskyReading the Women of the Bible takes up two of the most significant intellectual and religious issues of our day: the experiences of women in a patriarchal society and the relevance of the Bible to modern life.