Usually identified with the Christian sect of Hyper-dispensationalism-which recognizes a clear distinction between the Church and Israel and claims that the Church began with the ministry of the Apostle Paul-E.W. Bullinger focuses here on Paul's epistles to the churches, defending them as God's unique revelation and expounding on the great truth of the Mystery, or Body of Christ. This passionate attempt to "bring back vital truths to their proper place" is a must-read for Bible scholars and believers alike. British clergyman ETHELBERT WILLIAM BULLINGER (1837-1913) was one of the most respected Bible scholars of the 19th century. He is author of numerous works including Commentary on Revelation, Great Cloud of Witnesses, and How to Enjoy the Bible.

Respected New Testament scholar Karen Jobes explores the cultural and theological background of Hebrews and the general epistles (James through Jude) in this rich commentary. Writing from an evangelical perspective, Jobes addresses issues of historical relevance as well as how these ancient books connect with Christian faith and practice today. Letters to the Church includes:-Historical background for each book focusing on authorship, genre, date, and content-An exploration of the major themes in each book and detailed commentary on key passages-Boxes with chapter goals, outlines, challenges, and significant verses-Sidebars addressing difficult passages or ideas-Maps, photographs, charts, and definitions-Questions for discussion, reflection, and testing-A comparison of the teachings about Christ in each of the lettersPastors, professors, students, and laypeople interested in deeper biblical study will find this an invaluable resource that offers well-researched commentary in an accessible, spiritually meaningful form.

Paul's influence on the history of Christian life and theology is as profound as it is pervasive. A brief survey of almost twenty centuries of Christian thought and practice will confirm the enduring importance of Paul for the life of the church in the Roman and Protestant traditions of the West as well as the Orthodox traditions of the East. Even as Christianity, at the dawn of its third millennium, has become increasingly global and traditions have come to develop and intersect in new and complex ways, Paul's place in the story of Christianity remains deeply rooted in the church's theology, worship, and pastoral life. In both past and present, Paul's influence on the Christian church can hardly be overestimated. Among the many intriguing issues generated by the historical Paul, his New Testament letters, and early church history is the question, what happened to Paul after Paul? Whether we think in terms of the reception of Paul's theology, or the ongoing legacy of Paul, or early Christian reinterpretation of his letters, the questions persist: what did the early church do with Paul's memory? How did it reshape his theology? And what role did his letters come to play in the life of the church? The focus of the present discussion is in the early decades and centuries of Christianity, a time when the memory and legacy of Paul came to serve varied and often competing interests in the emerging church. It was a time when Paul's reputation and importance to the church were being reinforced and when his epistles were gaining the authority that would ensure their place in the sacred library of Christianity. It was also the time when the Jesus movement forged itself into Christianity, a process in which Paul played a pivotal role and eventually also became an object of revision and transformation himself. What is virtually indisputable in this process is that Paul, during his lifetime and after, played a critical role in making Christianity what it was to become.

After a lengthy period during which scholars paid relatively little attention to the Pastoral Epistles, a spate of studies has suddenly appeared in print. However, except for a small number of commentaries, critical scholars have by and large neglected evangelical scholarship on these letters. To fill in this gap, this volume offers a collection of important essays written by evangelicals on 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. The book aims to inform readers of the history of scholarship on these letters and examine thoroughly Paul’s theology in the Pastoral Epistles. Contributors include several scholars who have done previous advanced work on these letters: I. Howard Marshall (University of Aberdeen, Scotland; Recent Study in the Pastoral Epistles), Andreas Köstenberger (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary[SEBTS]; Hermeneutical and Exegetical Challenges), Terry L. Wilder (B&H Publishing Group; Authorship), F. Alan Tomlinson (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary [MBTS]; Purpose/Stewardship), Greg Couser (Cedarville University; Doctrine of God), Daniel L. Akin (SEBTS; Christology), Ray van Neste (Union University; Cohesion and Structure of the PE), B. Paul Wolfe (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Use of Scripture), Ben Merkle (SEBTS; Ecclesiology), George Wieland (Carey Baptist College, New Zealand; Soteriology), Thor Madsen (MBTS; Ethics), and Chiao Ek Ho (East Asia School of Theology, Singapore; Missiology).

The 4th edition of this widely used guide to reading and interpreting the New Testament This revised edition of Gundry's survey of the New Testament goes beyond providing background information and technical introductory material and leads students to read the New Testament itself. Whenever possible general questions of introduction and background are tied to assigned readings covering the entire New Testament. In addition, comments on these readings help students with interpretation and follow the flow of thought from one passage to another. Features include: * New design with four-color format and more photos and improved maps * Chapters begin with list, of study goals and end with summary, overview and of people, places, terms to remember, and review questions * Outlines, section headings, subheadings, and bolded items make it easy to follow structure of discussion * Phonetic pronunciations for unfamiliar names and terms * Breakouts with illustrative quotes from ancient, nonbiblical literature * Discussion questions on the contemporary relevance of the New Testament * Updated bibliographies * Conservative evangelical theological perspective also notes other positions and literature

Pastors and leaders of the classical church--such as Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley--interpreted the Bible theologically, believing Scripture as a whole witnessed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Modern interpreters of the Bible questioned this premise. But in recent decades, a critical mass of theologians and biblical scholars has begun to reassert the priority of a theological reading of Scripture. The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible enlists leading theologians to read and interpret Scripture for the twenty-first century, just as the church fathers, the Reformers, and other orthodox Christians did for their times and places. This addition to the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible offers a new interpretation of the theology and the narrative context of 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Jude. Risto Saarinen makes three unique claims: 1) the Pastoral Epistles need to be understood in terms of character formation and diagnostic language, 2) the treatment of gifts and giving is a prominent feature of the epistles, and 3) a theological exegesis of these books results in a new view regarding the nature of doctrine. This commentary, like each in the series, is designed to serve the church--through aid in preaching, teaching, study groups, and so forth--and demonstrate the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible.

This book introduces the Epistles and discusses the different interpretive approaches which have been used to gain a clearer understanding of them. An introductory chapter defines the Epistles and describes the history of their canonization, following chapters are devoted to each of the texts with each chapter including: 1) historical-cultural background; 2) the social-scientific context; 3) social-rhetorical purposes; 4) narrative discourse; 5) postcolonial and 6) feminist insights; and finally 7) theological perspectives. At the end of each chapter there are suggestions for further reading and a list of reflection questions. Several chapters include a section or two considering a particular interpretive issue especially relevant to the particular text. After taking up each text, Lockett considers again whether the Epistles are a unified whole or to be heard as individual voices. Here the book interacts with some of the ideas of Rob Wall and David Nienhuis regarding the various thematic/theological connections running through the texts. A final chapter takes up the relationship between the Pauline Epistles and the Catholic Epistles within the New Testament.