Bruce W. Longenecker

Behold, Your House Is Left to You

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The Lukan Gospel links the good news of Jesus Christ to the deity of the Jews. But that deity's temple had been destroyed by Roman forces. How could good news be linked to the deity whose reputation was in tatters? Peter Rice deftly examines the narrative strategies employed in the Lukan Gospel to address a theological conundrum at the forefront of Christian proclamation in the Roman world. This is a fine, nuanced, and welcome study.”

Country Ham

Fiction

“As engrossing as To Kill a Mockingbird and as atmospheric as Of Mice and Men, this beautifully written novel recounts an engaging story whose characters take on a life of their own, while embedding themselves in ours.”

Early Christ Groups and Greco-Roman Associations

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Since the late 1990s, Richard Ascough has been a leader in the burgeoning study of early Christ groups in the context of Greco-Roman associations. At last, many of his notable contributions have been assembled within this book. These stimulating independent essays flow almost as chapters of a single monograph. Ascough fruitfully positions the practices of Christ groups in relation to other urban groups of the Roman world. This is a powerful and captivating presentation.”

Empire, Economics, and the New Testament

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The essays contained in this book (especially those in its first two sections) flow from Peter’s main wheelhouse—listening for the way New Testament texts might have set off various resonances for people variously embedded within the world dominated by Roman structures of value. Whether he is setting out space-distribution modeling, or engaging in socioeconomic modeling, or exploring attitudes toward the Roman Empire, Peter doggedly earths the reading of theological texts in the historical realities of the ancient world. Few are as attuned to matters of Roman social history and cultural conventions as Peter Oakes. In this regard, Peter is one of the best representatives of contemporary New Testament scholarship—as testified to by the essays collected within this volume.”

Faithfulness and the Purpose of Hebrews

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Marohl's welcome study represents an accomplished application of social identity theory to the text of Hebrews. His methodological attentiveness is mature and responsible, resulting in an articulate analysis that recognises the faithfulness of Jesus to be the theological centre that informs the socio-religious program advocated by the author of Hebrews.”

God of Sense and Traditions of Non-Sense

Theology

“In God of Sense and Traditions of Non-Sense, Sigve Tonstad displays a masterful and nuanced command of theological complexities with regard to the thorny matrix of evil, suffering, and God. Probing key resources of the Judeo-Christian tradition for their import in a post-Holocaust situation, Tonstad articulates fresh perspectives deriving from his unique expertise in the medical, theological, and biblical disciplines. This beautifully-written book is a welcome contribution to Christian theological discourse on a burning issue.”

Honoring the Son

Theology

“Honoring the Son captures his basic insights, revealing the motors that drove early Jesus-devotion as it drew on Jewish theological resources and infiltrated the Roman world. Easy to read but full of substance, this little book is the pocket Hurtado that will benefit readers of all kinds.”

Neither Jew nor Greek

History & Biography

“Calling this substantial book his 'farewell to the large undertakings of my writing career,' James Dunn compellingly engages developments in Christian identity from the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE into the late second century. Neither Jew nor Greek is awe-inspiring in scope and majestic in execution. Like a peerless master taking his craft to new heights, Dunn accomplishes his task with the clarity of thought and expression that has been a hallmark of his long-standing career. This is both sweet vintage and astute valediction.”

Paul the Storyteller

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In Paul the Storyteller, Christoph Heilig demonstrates his characteristic care in probing issues that are both significant and disputed within scholarship. Proposing a fresh narratological approach to the question of whether Paul can be considered a storyteller, Heilig points a way forward in an area of study that has been at something of a standstill. This book might well be the start of the second quest for the narratological Paul.”

Paul's Non-Violent Gospel

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In Paul's Non-Violent Gospel, Jeremy Gabrielson asks new questions regarding Paul's theological commitments and, in the process, discovers new theological resources within Paul's worldview. This important and challenging work deserves wide consideration.”

Perspectives Old and New on Paul

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Since its publication in 1988, Stephen Westerholm's book Israel's Law and the Church's Faith has served as one of the best explorations of Paul's view of justification by faith. That book is now superseded by Perspectives Old and New on Paul. Westerholm here elongates the temporal parameters of his earlier work, reconstructing the views of Paul's most significant interpreters from the distant past to the turn of the twenty-first century. Against the backdrop of his fair and principled survey of scholarship, Westerholm's own examination of Paul's texts is characterized by a depth of analytical and theological perception rarely found in scholarly studies. For those with time to read only one book about Paul's view of justification by faith, this should be the book. And for those with time to read more, this is the book to start with.”

Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Corinthians

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Corinthians, Timothy Brookins presents a forceful case for seeing the divisions described in 1 Corinthians 1–4 as resulting from Stoic commitments by some Corinthian Christ followers. Brookins presents his argument with a refreshing combination of detailed attention to the text, encyclopedic knowledge of scholarship, fresh engagement with Greco-Roman philosophical schools, and a pacey forward movement throughout. This is an important and enlightening contribution.”

Romans

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“With pacey momentum, Susan Eastman’s Romans offers a dynamic interpretation of that powerful text, with a resolute determination to benefit today’s interpreters. Drawing on deep wells of academic experience and pastoral wisdom, Eastman displays theological proficiency at every turn, without a wasted word. For those in the trenches of theological interpretation and pastoral exposition, Eastman’s passionate presentation of Paul’s discourse in Romans will prove to be a welcome, insightful, and stimulating companion.”

The Drama of Ephesians

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Exposing the undergirding narrative of Ephesians, Tim Gombis's The Drama of Ephesians brings the text alive in fresh and stimulating ways. Combining interpretive sagacity and theological acumen, Gombis demonstrates how Ephesians challenges Jesus followers to adopt a new understanding of their place within the drama of God's triumph and of their responsibilities within the world.”

The Quest for the Fictional Jesus

Arts & Literature

“In this bold experiment, Meg Ramey's nimble examination of selected Jesus novels enables her to frame key issues in the reception history of the Jesus story and to approach New Testament texts afresh in light of that framework. If the hermeneutical flow of this study is refreshing, so too are its many contributions. A welcome inquiry into a neglected but important field of research.”