David Rhoads

A Reordering of Power

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Waetjen offers us an illuminating reading of Mark's Gospel that was forged out of his own experience in the Third World. Working from a fresh translation that lays bare the Markan style, Waetjen traces the stark conflict between the new ordering of power announced by Jesus and the tenacious domination of the ruling elite in Israel's agrarian society. This innovative application of the sociology of millennialism to the phenomenon of Mark's narrative world is loaded with insights that will be of interest to readers at every level.”

A Smaller God

Theology

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

After Heresy

Theology

“Vitor Westhelle is emerging as one of the premier critics of our time. In this important volume, he unmasks the colonial beast and brings startling clarity to postcolonial movements. With fresh angles of vision, his incisive analysis ranges over many languages, cultures, genres, and conditions. This is a brilliant study that will command attention from many quarters, not least from theologians.”

Biblical Humor and Performance

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

Bringing the Word to Life

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The book many of us teachers have been waiting for! This dynamic little volume succeeds in overcoming the eclipse of biblical orality and captures an imaginative rethinking of the New Testament writings as performance. . . . Informative for scholars. Essential for teachers and students. Foundational for preachers and worship leaders.”

Brushing Up English to Learn Greek

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Wow! What a great resource from a master teacher who knows how to explain unfamiliar concepts, relate them to what the student already knows, and gives examples, exercises, and charts to make them crystal clear--all of it organized so that it does not overwhelm. Every English-speaking student of Greek should have a copy of this handy little guide to help make sense, step by step, of the New Testament in its original language.”

Christian Origins and Cultural Anthropology

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“"A significant contribution to biblical studies. It appeals to scholars, teachers, and students. An excellent tool for biblical interpreters.”

Companions on the Journey

Bible Studies & Devotionals

“I love this study. It makes use of reflections and exercises that deepen our relationship with God and create community among participants—companionship on our journey. I especially appreciate the thoughtful choice of Scripture readings, the insightful comments about them, and the generative questions relating the passages to our lives. I highly recommend this resource as a way for small groups to engage key aspects of their spiritual life such as prayer, generosity, and discipleship.”

Delivering from Memory

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Based on a wealth of information from ancient sources, William Shiell paints a fascinating picture of the early church as a predominantly oral culture--performers, audiences, and rhetorical impact. He argues persuasively that oral teaching from memory shaped the social identity and practices of early Christian communities. This book will transform your image of the early church and stimulate fresh possibilities for the church today. I commend this study to preachers, teachers, students, and scholars as a solid introduction to the oral ethos of early Christianity.”

Frontier Man

Fiction

“Bonnie Flessen has penned a fascinating and engaging story. A trio of unlikely compatriots, fleeing from family and evading Roman troops, journey across Asia Minor as nascent followers of Jesus wanting to meet the Apostle Paul. They travel through rough country and encounter many dangers, escaping in part by a kind of underground network of followers of Jesus. Along the way they use troubadour plays to express their radical understanding of a crucified messiah. Frontier Man is good historical fiction that will be of interest to any who study the New Testament period.”

Looking at Life through a Biblical Lens

Preaching & Worship

“Tannehill offers us a profound and inspiring series of sermons for our personal transformation. He has proven himself to be a brilliant New Testament scholar. Now Tannehill has shown himself to be an excellent preacher, placing Scripture passages and contemporary life in dialogues that address critical issues of our time. These reflections have the potential to heal, free, affirm, and change our minds. Not flinching from hard passages or difficult issues, Tannehill draws us into the biblical world and then invites us to experience our world in a new way. We are left with the vision of a universe founded on grace.”

Luke's Jesus in the Roman Empire and the Emperor in the Gospel of Luke

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Pyung Soo Seo has opened a fresh approach to the interface between Luke and the Roman Empire. He argues that Luke does not reject the emperor or the Empire as such. Rather, Luke implicitly and indirectly critiques the failures of the emperor in his moral and Imperial authority by depicting Jesus as a superior and more effective authority figure. In contrast to the emperor, Jesus brings morality to tax collectors by repentance and forgiveness, demonstrates pure benefaction by service to the people rather than as a quest for honor, and acts as savior by bringing peace through love of enemies rather than through violent conquest. This careful study will be of interest to students of Luke as well as to all those who are exploring the role of the Roman Empire among early Christians.”

Meanings

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Do not miss this thought-provoking collection from one of the church's outstanding biblical scholars.”

Musing with Confucius and Paul

Theology

“"With his expertise in Paul and Confucius, K.-K. Yeo has produced a brilliant inter-textual study of Galatians and the Analects. By putting these two works in dialogue with each other, he illuminates each in fresh ways by mutual interpretation, enhancement, and correction. Through autobiographical reflection, he combines the complementary strengths of both writings to forge a creative and innovative Chinese-Christian theology. The result is a profoundly liberating vision of communal life in which unity does not compromise difference as a blessing. Yeo models for all of us the truly cross-cultural nature of all interpretation. Scholars, pastors, students, and general readers will find this volume to be a fascinating and worthwhile study.”

One Thing I Know

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The underlying question of this illuminating study is, 'How does it work?' If John's goal is to lead people to trust in Jesus and the experience of eternal life in the present, how does the narrative actually accomplish that goal? Britt Leslie sets out to answer that question through an analysis of the story of the healing of the man born blind in John 9. He does it by applying one method after another to lay bare the meaning and rhetoric of the passage until he reveals the overall impact designed to lead the audience of a performance of John to faith in Jesus and the spiritual experience of Jesus as the light of the world. Written with clarity and cogency, this study of John is a must-read book for students, teachers, and scholars alike.”

Performing Habakkuk

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This pioneering work illustrates the use of performance criticism to present a holistic understanding of the composition and implied rhetorical impact of Habbakuk. In addition to a helpful review of secular and biblical performance studies, Mathews develops a step-by-step procedure to explore the sounds, emotions, characters, images, and audience of Habbakuk . . . In so doing, she brings considerable insight to the artistry and meaning of this prophetic composition.”

Prophets as Performers

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“What more appropriate application of performance criticism than to bring it to bear on the proclamations of Hebrew prophets! Following her groundbreaking work on Habakkuk, Jeanette Mathews has stepped up to analyze other prophetic performances. Her narrative analyses and performative reflections on Elijah, Ezekiel, and Jonah, including her stimulating translations, illuminate these writings as active speech. Recommended for students and scholars interested in accessing insights into the Hebrew Bible through performance criticism.”

Reading the Gospel of Mark as a Novel

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this short, readable volume, Van Oyen helpfully makes accessible for general readers the substance of much recent scholarly work on the Gospel of Mark as a narrative. In so doing, Van Oyen not only explains how to read Mark as a 'novel,' he also guides his readers through the mysteries and the paradoxes, the power and the passion of this amazing story--showing that it leads every reader to make choices and take actions to follow in Jesus's footsteps.”

Scripture, Cultures, and Criticism

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“These outstanding essays demonstrate the sprawling impact of the pioneering work of Robert Jewett. Scholars from around the globe honor Jewett by deepening his contributions and extending the relevance of his insights to diverse social locations. Readers who knew him will revel in this tribute to the man and his scholarship. Younger scholars will discover one of the giants on whose shoulders they stand. Devour and savor.”

The Christology of Mark's Gospel

“This important work represents a major methodological advance in the study of the Gospels.... The result is a significant reassessment of Mark's Christology and a stunning, new interpretation of the secrecy motif.”