McCane offers here a dazzling examination of funerary practices in early Roman Palestine.

Create memorable services that help worshipers experience the profound sadness of the crucifixion as well as the marvelous joy of the risen Christ with this diverse collection of ready-to-use dramatic material. With ample selections for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, there's something special here for congregations of any size or worship style. Copying privileges are included for all segments. Included are: - A Travesty Of Justice: In The Shadow Of The Cross (Kathy Martz), a series of six meditations in which an unusual assortment of "eyewitnesses" -- the thorn, robe, nail, spear, shroud, and stone -- tell about their extraordinary encounters with Jesus. - Live From Jerusalem (John O. Eby), a short Palm Sunday play that helps audiences envision what it would have been like to be on the scene of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. - Maundy Thursday Testimonies (David H. Covington), a brief set of dramatic readings depicting the Passion events and their meaning from the viewpoint of four characters: Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Judas, and Peter. - God On Trial, Or...' (John O. Eby), a courtroom drama for Good Friday that portrays Jesus' trial before Pilate -- with the novel twist of Beelzebub as the prosecutor, questioning several witnesses who level accusations against Jesus. - Sons Of Thunder (Carol Secord), a brief Good Friday sketch in which James and John struggle to come to grips with the stark reality of the crucifixion. - The Animals Learn The Meaning Of Easter (Will Rabert), a charming and humorous children's play with speaking parts for a narrator and 14 young people (each representing a different animal). - M.I.H. -- Missing In Heaven (Frank Ramirez), an imaginative and engaging verse play in readers' theater format. - Tongues Of Fire (Kenneth Carlson), a four-voice choral reading especially appropriate for Pentecost, which can also be used any time during the Easter season.

The Gospel of Matthew stands out as a favorite biblical text among patristic commentators, including Origen, Hilary of Poitiers, Jerome, Theodore of Heraclea, Cyril of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Augustine, and more. In this ACCS volume, the rich abundance of patristic comment provides a feast of ancient interpretation of the First Gospel.

The author of the critically-acclaimed Binding the Strong Man exposes the social and spiritual "stones" that impede us in our development and growth as Christians. "In every age", writes Myers, "disciples despair that the story has ended, only to discover that the stone 'has been rolled away, ' reopening the possibility - and imperative - of following the Way of Jesus". As a sequel to Binding the Strong Man, Who Will Roll Away the Stone? brings Myers' study of the gospel of Mark full circle. The first book provided a compelling reading of Mark's gospel as a manual of radical discipleship in the ancient Roman empire. Who Will Roll Away the Stone? picks up and extends the gospel's challenge specifically to those living in the contemporary imperial context. Each chapter opens with classic questions from within the gospel itself. Beginning with Peter's denial of Jesus, Who Will Roll Away the Stone? shows how and why first-world Christians - politically free, socially mobile, and resource-rich - seem typically unable or unwilling to struggle for social change. Myers uses three of the most troubling and problematic of recent events - the Los Angeles riots, the Gulf War, the Columbus quincentennial - to demonstrate how the subtle complexities of a culture of technological wizardy, information overload, and short-term memory can be recognized as blocking the first step on the journey of discipleship. Myers then turns to the second stage of discipleship which is conversion, literally a call to change direction both as individuals and as a society. He continues with a "deconstruction" of the modus vivendi of U.S. culture, using experiments in other ways of living, including social relocation andnonviolent politics. He then moves into the third stage of the call to discipleship, to reconstruct the church and the world through positive action: building solidarity with one another and with the poor, accepting and celebrating diversity and its gifts, and reclaiming the discourse of the reign of God from those who use it to defend the status quo.

English journalist Frank Morison had a tremendous drive to learn of Christ. The strangeness of the Resurrection story had captured his attention, and, influenced by skeptic thinkers at the turn of the century, he set out to prove that the story of Christ’s Resurrection was only a myth. His probings, however, led him to discover the validity of the biblical record in a moving, personal way. Who Moved the Stone? is considered by many to be a classic apologetic on the subject of the Resurrection. Morison includes a vivid and poignant account of Christ’s betrayal, trial, and death as a backdrop to his retelling of the climactic Resurrection itself.—Print Ed. Reviews: “It is not only a study on the Resurrection account as the title seems to suggest, but it retells the whole passion of Jesus Christ. Because the author does not concern himself with textual criticism, he is able to impress on the reader a consistent picture of the events of Passion and Resurrection. For this reason the book will perform a helpful service to everyone who wants a reconstruction of those events.”—Augustana Book News “A well-arranged summary of events relating to the resurrection of Christ and the pros and cons in the debate over their acceptance with emphasis on the latter.”—Watchman Examiner “The story Mr. Morison has told of the betrayal and the trial of Christ is fascinating in its lucid, its almost incontrovertible, appeal to the reason. For me, he made those scenes live with a poignancy and vividness that I have found in no other account, not even in the various attempts that have been made to present the same facts in the guise of a novel.”—J. D. Beresford

Rock & roll has been around for almost 50 years, and since 1967 Rolling Stone has been following the circus, reporting with wit and insight on its antics. Now Rolling Stone and Chronicle Books join forces to deliver the first five decades of rock & roll as it's never been read before. The Decades of Rock & Roll delves into Rolling Stone's vast archive and pulls out the most interesting, insightful, and seminal essays and interviews written in the history of music journalism. Full of the funnystories and vivid details that bring history to life, the pieces are organized decade by decade along with newly written retrospectives from crack writers like Rob Sheffield and Anthony DeCurtis. Stars like Little Richard, Bob Dylan, and Robert Plant are revealed in incredible interviews. Paul McCartney gives his top ten songs of the '60s as does Moby for the '90s. Black-and-white photos capture Otis Redding on his knees, screaming into the microphone, or Donna Summer wreathed in '70s glitz. From R&B to punk rock to rap to grunge, The Decades of Rock & Roll gives fans of all ages the lowdown on the way it was, and the way it is today