Most existing series of New Testament commentaries approach the texts in one of two ways: either they provide a verse-by-verse and topic-by-topic commentary, or they concentrate on the theology of the book in question. The aim of this series is different.
The most important advance in biblical criticism in recent years has been the development, based on work done by theorists of literature, of new ways of reading biblical texts - feminist approaches, narratology, deconstruction, reception theory - as well as the refinement of older approaches such as reader-response theory. The books in this series undertake to demonstrate both the range and the profundity of such new approaches to the books of the New Testament. Each volume concentrates on a single book of the New Testament, and applies one or more modern approaches to demonstrate the results that can be achieved.
The books illuminate the texts in new ways, and introduce the student to practical examples of the modern approaches to Biblical study. They are important reading for all students of the New Testament, theologians and ministers of religion.
By Canon Martin Kitchen, Martin Kitchen
September 22, 1994
This study approaches the Epistle to the Ephesians in a radically different way from traditional commentaries. Rather than analysing each individual verse, Martin Kitchen examines the complete text within the framework of contemporary biblical criticism. He acknowledges the debt which biblical ...
By Philip F. Esler
July 02, 1998
Paul's letter to the Galatians, sometimes known as the Magna Carta of Christian liberty, is central to the understanding of the relation of Paul and the Law and is packed with crucial historical, social and theological material.Philip F. Esler provides a detailed and accessible interpretation of ...
By Rev A J P Garrow, A.J.P. Garrow
March 20, 1997
Revelation claims to tell the story of 'what must soon take place', and yet, despite centuries of scholarly research, the order and content of this story has remained one of the greatest mysteries of all time.Arguing that Revelation was designed to be heard in six separate instalments, A.J.P. ...
By Richard Valantasis
September 01, 1997
This volume offers the first full commentary on the Gospel of Thomas, a work which has previously been accessible only to theologians and scholars. Valantasis provides fresh translations of the Coptic and Greek text, with an illuminating commentary, examining the text line by line. He includes a ...
By John Court
April 03, 1997
Reading 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 ...
By Jonathan Knight
April 30, 1998
Luke's Gospel provides a comprehensive and schematic reading of Luke's Gospel, one of the most important books detailing the life and works of Christ, in six main parts. Knight introduces the Gospel and the narrative theory on which the Gospel rests. He offers a detailed, chapter-by-chapter ...
By John Painter
April 24, 1997
Mark's 'biography' of Jesus is the earliest of the four gospels, and influenced them all. The distinctive feature of this biography is the quality of 'good news', which presupposes a world dominated by the forces of evil.John Painter shows how the rhetorical and dramatic shaping of the book ...
By Revd Dr Mark W G Stibbe, Mark W.G. Stibbe
September 29, 1994
John's Gospel is an innovative study which shows how the current plurality of literary methodologies can be used effectively to illuminate the text of the fourth gospel. Dr Stibbe, the well-respected author of three previous volumes on St John, uses the methods of structuralism, deconstructionism ...
By Maarten J.J. Menken
September 01, 1994
In this lucid expose the second letter to the Thessalonians is approached from a historical perspective. The letter is read as part of a process of communication between its sender and the original addressees, making it accessible to the modern reader.2 Thessalonians includes a translation of the ...
By Richard Bauckham
April 22, 1999
Richard Bauckham explores the historical and literary contexts of the Epistle of James, discussing the significance of James as the brother of Jesus and leader of the early Jerusalem church. He gives special attention to the aphorisms which encapsulate James' wisdom, and to the way that James' ...