LITMIR.BIZ

"There are many aspects to this task of rabbinic training, but four closely related questions rise to the surface as requiring primary attention. The first is a question of description: What ought to be the functions performed by a messianic Jewish rabbi? The second is a question of legitimacy: What similarities exist between the functions performed by messianic Jewish rabbis and rabbis in the wider Jewish context such that the rabbinate in both contexts may legitimately be seen to be variations on the same theme, and the messianic Jewish rabbinate therefore legitimately a rabbinate? The third is a question of differentiation: How and why are the functions performed by a messianic Jewish rabbi contextually particularistic and therefore different from those performed byChristian clergy? In other words, how is a messianic rabbi more than just a Protestant Pastor with switched labels? The fourth is a question of biblicity: Is there biblical justification or precedent for the proposed paradigm of the rabbi as a surrogate priest? Each of these questions emerges from messianic Judaism's interaction with different but overlapping audiences. The question of description is addressed primarily to the messianic Jewish context. The question of legitimacy is addressed primarily to the wider Jewish world. The question of differentiation is addressed primarily to the church world. The question of biblicity is addressed both to the messianic Jewish context and the church world. And in all cases, looking over our shoulder is the general public." –from the Prologue

Подробнее

In 2017 Christians around the world will mark the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. In the midst of many appeals for reformation today, a growing number of theologians, scholars, and activists around the world believe Reformation celebrations in 2017 and beyond need to focus now on the urgent need for an Eco-Reformation. The rise of industrial, fossil fuel-driven capitalism and the explosive growth in human population endanger the fundamental planetary life-support systems on which life as we know it has evolved. The collective impact of human production, consumption, and reproduction is undermining the ecological systems that support human life on Earth. If human beings do not reform their relationship with God's creation, unspeakable suffering will befall many–especially the weakest and most vulnerable among all species. The conviction at the heart of this collection of essays is that a gospel call for ecological justice belongs at the heart of the five hundredth anniversary observance of the Reformation in 2017 and as a–if not the–central dimension of Christian conversion, faith, and practice into the foreseeable future. Like Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, this volume brings together critical biblical, pastoral, theological, historical, and ethical perspectives that constructively advance the vision of a socially and ecologically flourishing Earth.

Подробнее

A biographical study on the Theology of W. W. Bryden.

Подробнее

The nature of Jewish-Christian relations at the end of the first century has been a subject of serious study and considerable debate. The time between 70 and 150 CE is held to be a volatile time in that Jewish-Christian relations were quickly, although not uniformly, deteriorating. This is a time referred to as the «partings of the ways,» when the church was emerging as a religion apart from Judaism. Although it has often been neglected in this study, of particular interest is the Apocalypse of John, since it was written in this dark and turbulent time in Jewish-Christian relations. John, who is a Jewish Christian, is writing to what are likely predominantly Gentile churches. At first, he appears to deny the very name «Jew» to his ethnic kin while accusing them of belonging to Satan (2:9; 3:9). Nevertheless, he does not abandon his own Jewish background and theology. He makes broad use of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish cultic imagery while maintaining a Christian understanding that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. What is of particular interest is how he adopts and adapts this imagery and language and applies it to the church. It is John's mix of Jewish imagery with a Christian message that may provide some insight into his perspective on the relationship between these two increasingly polarized sects. What exactly this perspective is constitutes the subject of the present discussion.

Подробнее

In this third of a three-volume work, the author traces the interpretation of the book of Job from the Authorized Version of the Bible (King James Version) through philosophers of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. He also covers Job in the literature of the Romantics, Blake, Melville, and Dostoyevsky. As appendices, he treats Job in Geography (Uz), Job and Zoology (Behemoth and Leviathan), and Job in Film.
Volume 1: Job in the Ancient World Volume 2: Job in the Medieval World Volume 3: Job in the Modern World

Подробнее

In this second of a three-volume work, Vicchio addresses the Job traditions as interpreted in the period of the Middle Ages–in Jewish, Christian and Islamic sources. From the Vulgate to the Qur'an, from Maimonides to Calvin, Vicchio addresses the complexities of the «reception history» of intriguing work. Two appendices address how Job has been treated throughout history in literature, in drama, and in medicine.
Volume 1: Job in the Ancient World Volume 2: Job in the Medieval World Volume 3: Job in the Modern World

Подробнее

"We offer this collection as a token of our affection and admiration of our friend and colleague James Weldon Thompson. . . . His studies of the letter to the Hebrews and of Paul in their intellectual contexts (especially Middle Platonism) have contributed significantly to the ongoing quest for placing the New Testament in its socio-intellectual setting. Although his publications in this area date back more than thirty years, his best work is occurring now, and we may anticipate path-breaking contributions ahead. His more recent work on preaching and pastoral care in Paul both situate the Apostle in his own world and, just as importantly, offer correctives of some contemporary ministerial practices and invitations for improvements. Since 1993 Thompson has served as the editor of Restoration Quarterly, a significant venue for research in biblical studies, church history (especially of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement), and contemporary theology. His more popular works make available to a lay audience thoughtful, well-informed, and spiritually rewarding interpretations of much of the New Testament. "His achievements, however, do not end at the printing press. For more than thirty years, he has taught ministers and others at the Institute for Christian Studies (now Austin Graduate School of Theology) and Abilene Christian University. Students of the past and the present speak of him as a prepared, stimulating, and creative teacher unafraid of experimentation for a new generation of learners. At both institutions he also served as an administrator, first as President of ICS and then as Associate Dean of ACU's Graduate School of Theology. His colleagues respect his ability to enlist them for work as needed and otherwise to get out of their way, certainly a too rare set of skills in university administrators!" –from the Preface

Подробнее

Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research
VOLUME TWO FALL 2010
The Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research (JBPR) is a new international peer-reviewed academic serial dedicated to narratively and rhetorically minded exegesis of biblical and related texts. Potential topics include theological and pneumatological interpretation, the role of spiritual experience with authorial, canonical, and contemporary contexts, and the contextual activity of Ruach Yahweh, Ruach Elohim, and various identifications of the Holy Spirit. JBPR hopes to stimulate new thematic and narrative-critical exploration and discovery in both traditional and under-explored areas of research.
CONTENTS:
Editor's Overview of Volume 2
A. KAY FOUNTAIN
Canonical Messages in the Book of Esther
EMERSON B. POWERY
The Spirit and Political Dissent: Revisiting Mark 13:11
LYLE STORY
Zechariah's Two Sons of Oil: Zechariah 4
STEPHEN KERRY
An Exegetical Analysis of Galatians 3:1-5, with Particular Reference to Pneumatological Themes That Relate to the Onset and Continuation of Christian Identity, with Respect to Law and Gospel
LEE ROY MARTIN
"Where are all his wonders?": The Exodus Motif in the Book of Judges
Review of Scott Ellington, Risking Truth: Reshaping the World through Prayers of Lament (Walter Brueggemann)
Review of Dale B. Martin, Pedagogy of the Bible: An Analysis and Proposal (Adrian Hinkle)
Review of James Robinson, Word and Spirit in Ezekiel (Wonsuk Ma)
Review of J. Gordon McConville, God and Earthly Power: An Old Testament Political Theology, Genesis-Kings (Helene Dallaire)
Review of Rebecca Skaggs and Priscilla C. Benham, Revelation (Robby Waddell)

Подробнее

The most outstanding theological thinker of the twentieth century is proving to be the most pivotal theological figure of the twenty-first century as well. It is no wonder some have referred to Karl Barth as a «Father» of the Church. Karl Barth, widely acknowledged as the most influential theologian of the modern era, continues to provoke and inspire Christian theological reflection in a distinct and enduring way. His work has occasioned appreciation, critique, and rejection, but however one responds to Barth, one must reckon with him in pursuing the theological task.
This volume draws together scholars whose essays exhibit work «after Barth» in engaging the doctrine of the Trinity and its related themes. Barth's thought, as evidenced amongst his most expert commentators, allows for a variety of interpretations, the details of which are being hammered out on the pages of academic journals and volumes such as this one. It is this variety of responses to and interpretations of Barth's theology that gives such vibrancy to the essays in this volume by seasoned Barth scholars and voices new to the conversation.
Contributors include: Ivor J. Davidson, Bruce L. McCormack, John C. McDowell, Paul D. Molnar, Murray A. Rae, and a Foreword by John B. Webster.

Подробнее

Motivated by a desire for meaningful work and a life of adventure, women college graduates in North America and Western Europe became student secretaries for the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). In their role as student secretaries, women worked to create student movements where none had existed, to support fledgling movements, and to embed themselves in movements that already existed. Women thus played an important role in the first decades of the WSCF, when the organization was involved with affiliating national Christian student groups across the globe.
Women secretaries extended to students around the world the fellowship and hospitality they had discovered during their times in higher education. The simple fellowship led to creative programs of self-help, refugee relief, and small-group work that formed the basis for outreach in the post-World War I era.
As the Federation adapted to a changing student culture, the movement itself became more ecumenical and focused on social issues. The resilience of the Federation can be attributed in large measure to the work of women secretaries in the field who created networks and friendships that persisted during peace and war. The presence of student organizations, such as the WSCF and others, on university campuses today can be traced to the work of women secretaries in the early decades of the WSCF. This book explores some of their stories.

Подробнее