[+]Enlarge Image

Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology

ISBN: 9780814650783
Author(s): Thomas P. Rausch Publisher: Liturgical Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Who is Jesus? This is the fundamental question for christology. The earliest Christians used various titles, most of them drawn from the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures, to express their faith in Jesus. They called him prophet, teacher, Messiah, Son of David, Son of Man, Lord, Son of God, Word of God, and occasionally even God. In Who Is Jesus? Thomas Rausch SJ, focuses on the New Testament's rich variety of christologies.

Who Is Jesus? covers the three quests for the historical Jesus, the methods for retrieving the historical Jesus, the Jewish background, the Jesus movement, his preaching and ministry, death and resurrection, the various New Testament christologies, and the development of christological doctrine from the New Testament period to the Council of Chalcedon.

Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, PhD,

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, PhD is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in ecclesiology, ecumenism, and the theology of the priesthood, he has published eight books including the award-winning Catholicism at the Dawn of the Third Millennium, The College Student's Introduction to Theology, and Reconciling Faith and Reason: Apologists, Evangelists, and Theologians in a Divided Church, published by Liturgical Press.

REVIEWS:
"Rausch has written a wonderfully clear, faithful, and reliable christology in the light of contemporary Scripture studies and the early tradition of the Church. Particularly helpful is his approach to the saving work of Christ in the light of other recent christological studies. I recommend this volume to college and seminary professors as an excellent textbook that will guide their students through the complexities of Western Catholic reflection on the mystery of Jesus Christ." ...Brian O. McDermott SJ, Georgetown University

"If you are looking for a concise and clear introduction to Christology, look no further." ...America

"In this lucidly written book, Thomas Rausch ... offers an introduction to the discipline of Christology that surveys the best of recent Jesus research, engages with Evangelical theology, and proposes a contemporary soteriology ... Rausch's book will serve as an excellent textbook for upper-level undergraduate courses in Christology." ...Catholic Books Review

"Seeks to take seriously both the work of historical-critical scholarship and the faith and life of the church." ...New Testament Abstracts

Who is Jesus:
Thomas P Rausch: AU$42.70

[+]Enlarge Image

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: Vol 1. Roots of the Problem and the Person

Hardback ISBN: 9780300140187
Author(s): John P Meier Publisher: Yale University Press (Anchor Bible Reference Series)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In this definitive book on the real, historical Jesus, one of our foremost biblical scholars meticulously sifts the evidence of 2,000 years to portray neither a rural magician nor a figure of obvious power, but a marginal Jew. Originally published in 1992, this edition of Volume 1 was released in 2007.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John P. Meier is William K. Warren Chair Professor of Theology (New Testament), Theology Department, University of Notre Dame, Indiana

REVIEWS:
"This study inaugurates a new series [The Anchor Bible Reference Series] that seeks to examine various topics (e.g., anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, theology) as they relate to the Bible. The series is intended for the general reader as well as for scholars. Here, Meier (New Testament studies, Catholic Univ. of America) adopts a two-tier approach: he delineates up-to-date research on the Jesus of history with discussions geared toward well-read general readers, and in his extensive notes he discusses technical matters of interest to doctoral students and scholars. Meier explains issues of method, definitions and sources, and then turns to the birth, years of development, and cultural background of Jesus. He distinguishes between 'what I know about Jesus by research and what I hold by faith.' His study is a necessary purchase for academic libraries." ...Cynthia Widmer, Library Journal

"Meier (Religion/Catholic Univ. of America), a Catholic priest, offers a vigorously honest, skeptical, and scholarly attempt to discover the historical Jesus. The author poses an intriguing hypothetical: 'suppose that a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, and an agnostic...hammered out a consensus document on who Jesus of Nazareth was.' Meier tries to create such a 'consensus document' by examining the fundamental facts of Jesus' life (while excluding those aspects of Jesus' biography that are premised on tenets of Christian belief, like the Resurrection). In this, the first volume of a two-part work, Meier carefully conducts an exegesis of the 'Roots of the Problem' (the New Testament texts, which are not primarily historical works; the apocryphal gospels; and the fleeting references in the works of Josephus, Tacitus, and other pagan and Jewish writers that constitute the entire historical record of Jesus), and an analysis of the 'Roots of the Person' (in which Meier brings hermeneutic tools to bear on the birth, development, and early years of Jesus). Meier points out Jesus' historical 'marginality'—his peripheral involvement in the society, history, and culture of his age—that ironically underscores the central position he has occupied in Western culture in the centuries since he died. Rife with scholarly terminology, and thus slow going for the nonspecialist—but, still, a superb examination of a fascinating historical problem." ...Kirkus Reviews

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol I by John P Meir: AU$110.15

[+]Enlarge Image

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: Vol 2. Mentor, Message and Miracles

Hardback ISBN: 9780300140330
Author(s): John P Meier Publisher: Yale University Press (Anchor Bible Reference Series)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This book is the second volume in John Meier's masterful four-part exploration of the life of Jesus. In it he continues his quest for the answer to the greatest puzzle of modern religious scholarship: Who was Jesus? To answer this Meier imagines the following scenario: "Suppose that a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, and an agnostic were locked up in the bowels of the Harvard Divinity School library ... and not allowed to emerge until they had hammered out a consensus document on who Jesus of Nazareth was and what he intended...". A Marginal Jew is what Meier thinks that document would reveal. Volume one concluded with Jesus approaching adulthood. Now, in this volume, Meier focuses on the Jesus of our memory and the development of his ministry. To begin, Meier identifies Jesus's mentor, the one person who had the greatest single influence on him, John the Baptist. All of the Baptist's fiery talk about the end of time had a powerful effect on the young Jesus and the formulation of his key symbol of the coming of the "kingdom of God". And, finally, we are given a full investigation of one of the most striking manifestations of Jesus's message: Jesus's practice of exorcisms, hearings, and other miracles. In all, Meier brings to life the story of a man, Jesus, who by his life and teaching gradually made himself marginal even to the marginal society that was first century Palestine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John P. Meier is William K. Warren Chair Professor of Theology (New Testament), Theology Department, University of Notre Dame, Indiana

REVIEWS:
"This second volume of Meier's magisterial attempt to create a 'consensus document' about the historical Jesus on which scholars of all faiths could agree makes some tantalizing assertions about Jesus' public ministry. Meier (New Testament Studies/Catholic Univ.) divides this successor to Volume One (subtitled The Roots of the Problem and the Person, 1991) into three parts: an examination of the pervasive effect on Jesus of the life and career of John the Baptist, whom Meier calls Jesus' 'mentor'; an analysis of the centrality to Jesus' message of the concept of the 'kingdom of God'; and an extended discussion of the historicity of Gospel accounts of Jesus' miracles, healings, and exorcisms. Meier uses John the Baptist's career as his starting point, asserting that Jesus not only accepted baptism from the charismatic preacher at the outset of his public ministry, but he also adopted John's themes of the imminent judgment of sinners and the need for reform and repentance as integral parts of his own message. Unlike John, however, Jesus emphasized the coming of the kingdom of God, which he represented as both an approaching eschatological event and, in a mystical way, as being present in the actions, beliefs, and fellowship of the community of believers: 'The kingdom of God is in your midst' (Luke 17:21). Meier argues that Jesus' preaching of the heavenly kingdom was most manifest in his miraculous works, which Meier inventories in painstaking detail, dividing them into exorcisms, healings, raising of the dead, and 'nature' miracles, such as walking on water and cursing the fruitless fig tree and causing it to wither. The author concludes that the power of Jesus' message arose from his actual historical fame as a miracle worker as well as from his moral teachings. Scholarly, carefully reasoned, and lucidly written, Meier's portrait of Jesus as a fiery, wonder-working prophet rather than the gentle teacher of Christian tradition may continue the controversy (with believers and nonbelievers alike) initiated in Volume One." ...Kirkus Reviews

"This second volume of Meier's proposed trilogy follows Jesus from young adulthood into the early days of his ministry as an itinerant evangelist and wonder-worker in rural, first-century Palestine. Using historical and literary criticism, Meier reveals a Jesus who, after his encounter with the apocalyptic activities of John the Baptist, develops his own message about a coming kingdom of God and then reveals it through a variety of miracles from healings to exorcisms. The Jesus of Nazareth who emerges from this study is neither the cosmic Christ of Matthew Fox nor the sanitized Savior of the New Age. He's an eschatological preacher and miracle worker. Meier's brilliant scholarship sparkles on every page of this book. Indeed, because of its narrative power and its deep insight, Meier's trilogy is likely to become the standard against which other lives of Jesus are to be measured." ...Publishers Weekly

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol II by John P Meir: AU$110.15

[+]Enlarge Image

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: Vol 3. Companions and Competitors

Hardback ISBN: 9780300140323
Author(s): John P Meier Publisher: Yale University Press (Anchor Bible Reference Series)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

No man is an island, not even Jesus, as John Meier writes in Companions and Competitors, the third installment of his four-part series, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. The first volume, an overview of Jesus' background, chronology, and early years, was followed by a second that analyzed Jesus' most important messages and deeds. Here, Meier explains his conviction that "No human being is adequately understood if he or she is considered in isolation from other human beings." He leads readers through the concentric circles of companions (including the followers who became his disciples and apostles) and competitors (such as Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Samaritans) that shaped Jesus' life in first-century Palestine. Meier, a priest and New Testament scholar at Notre Dame, writes in the engaging, methodical style of an astringently avuncular professor: chapters are carefully outlined, with straightforward headings such as "Points of Comparison and Contrast", "Caveats on Comparisons", and "The Sheer Oddness of Jesus". His findings, particularly his explanation of "the essentially Jewish nature" of Jesus' relationships, are a valuable addition to the field of Historical Jesus scholarship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John P. Meier is William K. Warren Chair Professor of Theology (New Testament), Theology Department, University of Notre Dame, Indiana

REVIEWS:
"Meier, a Roman Catholic priest and professor of New Testament at University of Notre Dame, as well as president of the Catholic Biblical Association and general editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, here provides the third of a projected four-volume scholarly investigation of the historical Jesus and the context in which he taught and died. The current volume continues the rigorous historian's approach of the preceding volumes, which investigated Jesus' background and early years and the statements and deeds of his public ministry. In this volume, Meier focuses on those around Jesus: the crowds, the disciples, the 12, his Jewish competitors, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, the Samaritans, the Scribes, the Herodians, and the Zealots. This volume concludes with an integrative chapter focusing on how Jesus' Elijah-like prophetic ministry and the identity he created for his movement set him apart from those around him. Meier also prepares for his final volume, which will focus on Jesus' enigmatic teaching on the law, his riddle-speech in parable and self-definition, and his enigmatic death. Meier's scholarship is detailed and thorough, supported by substantive footnotes that allow the text to read easily. Both a reference volume and a book for leisurely reading, this is essential for academic, theological, and large public libraries." ...Carolyn M. Craft, Library Journal

"Meier is a persistent critic of John Dominic Crossan, Burton Mack, Robert Funk, and others associated with the Jesus Seminar—scholars he criticizes for not taking the Jewishness of Jesus seriously; for example, he scores Crossan's attention to the issue as 'political correctness.' Despite the dismissive tone, his argument is important; and he puts forth substantial material here to enable readers to make their own judgments about the relative importance of Hebrew and Hellenistic influences on Jesus. Meier summarizes the first two volumes of A Marginal Jew and forecasts the next while meticulously documenting his understanding of the relations between the historical Jesus, his historical companions, and his historical competitors—Pharisees, Sadduccees, Essenes, and others. He reads the companions in concentric circles, moving from the crowds that followed Jesus to the inner circle of disciples. It is possible to be skeptical of Meier's multiple attestations, for there is virtually no material outside the Christian community from which to draw information about Jesus, and still benefit from his close readings of available texts. If it seems puzzling that Meier should take four volumes and more than 2,000 pages to make a case he says is obvious to anyone who approaches the issues and materials with common sense, be assured that the only thing common about Meier's project is fascination with the character of Jesus. Those who share that will find this dense, academic work worth their effort." ...Booklist

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol III by John P Meir: AU$99.95

[+]Enlarge Image

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: Vol 4. Law and Love

Hardback ISBN: 9780300140965
Author(s): John P Meier Publisher: Yale University Press (Anchor Bible Reference Series)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

John Meier's previous volumes in the acclaimed series A Marginal Jew are founded upon the notion that while solid historical information about Jesus is quite limited, people of different faiths can nevertheless arrive at a consensus on fundamental historical facts of his life. In this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the series, Meier approaches a fresh topic—the teachings of the historical Jesus concerning Mosaic Law and morality—with the same rigor, thoroughness, accuracy, and insightfulness on display in his earlier works.

After correcting misconceptions about Mosaic Law in Jesus' time, this volume addresses the teachings of Jesus on major legal topics like divorce, oaths, the Sabbath, purity rules, and the various love commandments in the Gospels. What emerges from Meier's research is a profile of a complicated first-century Palestinian Jew who, far from seeking to abolish the Law, was deeply engaged in debates about its observance. Only by embracing this portrait of the historical Jesus grappling with questions of the Torah do we avoid the common mistake of constructing Christian moral theology under the guise of studying "Jesus and the Law", the author concludes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John P. Meier is William K. Warren Chair Professor of Theology (New Testament), Theology Department, University of Notre Dame, Indiana

REVIEWS:
"In this fourth volume—Law and Love...—on the Jewish Law and Jesus' love commands, Meier argues that Jesus' approach to the Torah seems to have been neither total rejection of the Law, nor a dialectic that embraces yet in effect rejects the Law, nor a total affirmation of the Law that simply involved legitimate (though debatable) interpretations of individual practices. ... in dealing with the very complex topics that come under his subtitle Law and Love, Meier shows himself to be a sober historian who carefully sifts through the relevant texts, constructs forceful arguments and comes to solid and measured conclusions. Rather than setting out with a thesis to be proved, he allows his conclusions to emerge from rigorous scrutiny of the evidence." ...Daniel J. Harrington, America

"The quest for the historical Jesus has engaged the attention of students of the New Testament intermittently for two centuries, and intensely for the past sixty years. No scholar has pursued the quest more assiduously, or more painstakingly, than John P. Meier. ... [His] positions are argued with a wealth of learning, and occasional wit." ...Bede Heather, Australasian Catholic Record

"Monumental ... staggering erudition and thoroughness." ...Commonweal

"John Meier is the most distinguished Roman Catholic biographer of Jesus." ...Harold Bloom

A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol IV by John P Meir: AU$99.95

[+]Enlarge Image

Jesus: A Gospel Portrait

ISBN: 9780809133383
Author(s): Donald Senior Publisher: Paulist Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A truly relevant and insightful volume, Jesus: A Gospel Portrait satisfies our longing for a closer understanding of Jesus, while it unlocks the fresh and amazing beauty of the gospels that remain powerful to this day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Donald Senior CP is President of Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic graduate school of ministry in the United States, where he is also a member of the faculty as Professor of New Testament. Fr Senior holds a Licentiate in theology (S.T.L.) from the University of Louvain, Belgium and a Doctorate in New Testament Studies (S.T.D.) from the University of Louvain. He has pursued further graduate studies at Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, Ohio and at Harvard University. He is past President of the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. In 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed him as a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and was reappointed in 2006 and 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI. He has been active in interreligious dialogue, particularly with the Jewish and Muslim communities.

Jesus: A Gospel Portrait
by Donald Senior: AU$24.65

[+]Enlarge Image

Jesus: A Portrait

Paperback ISBN: 9780232527193
Author(s): Gerald O'Collins SJ Publisher: Darton, Longman & Todd

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

An informed, inspirational portrayal of the one who launched the path followed by billions over the course of two millennia.

"Much of what one sees or reads about Jesus is deliberately sensationalist or evasive. Producers and writers raise issues of merely historical interest, highlight trivial matters, or allege that 'cover-ups' have hidden the 'real truth' for many centuries. They will do anything but face the challenge in the ultimate religious drama created by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth." ...Gerald O'Collins SJ

In this much-needed book, Father Gerald O'Collins brings together a lifetime of discipleship, prayer, and scholarship. The reader finds each of these attributes of a beloved theologian richly on display in twelve chapters with titles such as "God's Kingdom in Person", "Jesus the Healer", "The Story-Teller", "The Teacher", "Facing Death", and "The Abiding Presence". In a work filled with wisdom and insight, the reader gains new perspective on such perennial treasures as the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer.

O'Collins writes with a heart that knows the struggle of his contemporaries to find an anchor in a tumultuous world. And he knows that the call of Jesus is not to a life lived apart from that tumult. Instead, the portrait he draws is of one who gives us the courage to be in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gerald O'Collins, an Australian Jesuit and author of many books, including Jesus Our Redeemer (2007) and Catholicism: The Story of Catholic Christianity (2003), was professor of systematic theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. Now retired, and living in Britain, Father O'Collins is in constant demand for retreats, lectures, and articles.

REVIEWS:
"Gerald O'Collins is one of those rare Christian theologians who can combine deep scholarship with accessible language and personal experience." ...Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury

"A Portrait of Jesus that is both accessible and the fruit of profound scholarship. O'Collins's touch is sure. Jesus: A Portrait is a delight to read." ...Timothy Radcliffe OP

Jesus: A Portrait
by Gerald O'Collins SJ: AU$35.10

[+]Enlarge Image

The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is

Hardback ISBN: 9780830822003
Author(s): N.T. Wright Publisher: InterVarsity Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

An informed, inspirational portrayal of the one who launched the path followed by billions over the course of two millennia.

Today a renewed and vigorous scholarly quest for the historical Jesus is underway. In the midst of well publicized and controversial books on Jesus, N. T. Wright's lectures and writings have been widely recognized for providing a fresh, provocative and historically credible portrait.

Out of his own commitment to both historical scholarship and Christian ministry, Wright challenges us to roll up our sleeves and take seriously the study of the historical Jesus. He writes, "Many Christians have been, frankly, sloppy in their thinking and talking about Jesus, and hence, sadly, in their praying and in their practice of discipleship. We cannot assume that by saying the word Jesus, still less the word Christ, we are automatically in touch with the real Jesus who walked and talked in first-century Palestine. ... Only by hard, historical work can we move toward a fuller comprehension of what the Gospels themselves were trying to say."

The Challenge of Jesus poses a double-edged challenge: to grow in our understanding of the historical Jesus within the Palestinian world of the first century, and to follow Jesus more faithfully into the postmodern world of the twenty-first century.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
N. T. Wright is bishop of Durham and was formerly canon theologian of Westminster Abbey and dean of Lichfield Cathedral. He taught New Testament studies for twenty years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities. Wright's full-scale works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God are part of a projected six-volume series titled Christian Origins and the Question of God. Among his many other published works are Surprised by Hope and Simply Christian.

REVIEWS:
"This superb addition to Wright's oeuvre will prove fruitful reading for neophytes as well as for those already familiar with his approach." ...Publishers Weekly

"Wright has produced a work of frankly evangelical faith with strong historical integrity, because both are necessary for serious study, uncomfortable as that may be. . . . A refreshing and inspiring read for those who take both conservative faith and historical scholarship seriously. Recommended for academic and public libraries." ...Library Journal

The Challenge of Jesus:
by N.T. Wright: AU$24.65

[+]Enlarge Image

Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the New Testament

ISBN: 9781587432026
Author(s): Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld Publisher: Brazos Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Who is the real Jesus, and why does he matter?

In Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the New Testament, respected New Testament scholar Thomas Yoder Neufeld offers an accessible and thorough introduction to the life of Jesus. Yoder Neufeld starts with the Jesus revealed in the Gospels, covering his birth, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection. He builds on this account by assessing recent scholarly and popular studies, including the argument that the historical Jesus is revealed in the Gnostic gospels and other noncanonical texts. The result is a useful guide into the morass of current scholarship.

In a true teaching spirit, the author provides a comprehensive approach without overwhelming the introductory reader or student. He clearly explains the nuances of complex issues without oversimplification. Recovering Jesus is thus an invaluable text for undergraduate and seminary students, as well as a helpful resource in nonacademic settings for both believers and nonbelievers. In the end, readers will come to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and why he matters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thomas Yoder Neufeld (ThD, Harvard Divinity School) is associate professor of religious studies (New Testament) and peace and conflict studies at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. He is also director of graduate theological studies at Conrad Grebel.

REVIEWS:
"Respected scholar, masterful teacher, man of faith—Tom Yoder Neufeld has combined these qualities to produce a solid, eminently readable, and informative study of the New Testament witness for the man, Jesus, and for the early development of christological reflection in the second century. Using the analogy of archaeology, Yoder Neufeld examines carefully the different layers of New Testament evidence, giving particular emphasis to the historical context of the world of the first century and then following the biographical framework of Jesus's life from birth to death and resurrection. He puts at the center, as well it should be, Jesus's proclamation of the kingdom of God, and in successive chapters he treats 'Announcing the Kingdom,' 'Teaching the Kingdom,' 'Enacting the Kingdom,' and 'Living the Kingdom.' His is a sensitive and nuanced handling of such difficult issues as the virgin birth and the challenges of understanding well the meaning of resurrection. As every good teacher does, he provides an abundant use of analogies and explanatory examples. Never have I read a more skillful presentation of the organic growth of New Testament Christology from low to high, with fine treatment of the origin and function of the various titles applied to Jesus in the New Testament and beyond. The text is unencumbered by laborious footnotes, while clearly reflective of the diverse, ongoing scholarly dialogue of which this book is part. Each chapter concludes with a summary box of 'Key Terms and Concepts' and suggestions for further reading. This is a superb text—one I will surely use with seminary students to their certain profit and delight." ...Barbara E. Bowe, Catholic Theological Union

"Thomas Yoder Neufeld has written the right book for students and laity who find themselves baffled by the quirky Jesuses produced in recent years by popular writers, pseudo-scholars, and academics who love to push the envelope. Recovering Jesus is just what the doctor ordered. Buy this book, read it, and then share it with a friend." ...Craig A. Evans, author of Jesus and His Contemporaries

"[Yoder Neufeld's] subject is complex, but he succeeds nicely in simplifying terms and explaining difficult ideas in understandable language. Describing himself as both a 'believer and a scholar,' Neufeld finds the real Jesus in both history and theology. Readers at all levels will enjoy this fine volume." ...Publishers Weekly

"As a textbook for a course on Jesus of the New Testament, this book is well-suited to the task. . . . The language and style are lucid and the concepts easy to grasp. Entry-level students would find this book inviting. . . . A sprinkling of diagrams and charts make for good pedagogical complement, together with a short selection of books 'for further reading' and a highlighted box of 'key terms and concepts' at the end of each chapter. . . . I have no doubt this book will find a welcome place in entry-level college courses on Jesus in which biblical faith makes him 'real.'" ...V. George Shillington, Review of Biblical Literature

Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the NT
by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld: AU$41.75

[+]Enlarge Image

Church : Living Communion (Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives series)

ISBN: 9780814659939
Author(s): Paul Lakeland Publisher: Liturgical Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Drawing on the wisdom and teaching experience of highly respected theologians, the Engaging Theology series builds a firm foundation for graduate study and other ministry formation programs. Each of the six volumes — Scripture, Jesus, God, Discipleship, Anthropology, and Church — is concerned with retrieving, carefully evaluating, and constructively interpreting the Christian tradition. Comprehensive in scope and accessibly written, these volumes, used together or independently, will stimulate rich theological reflection and discussion. More important, the series will create and sustain the passion of the next generation of theologians and church leaders.

Paul Lakeland's recent award-winning books on the place of the laity in the contemporary Roman Catholic Church have prepared him well to take on this "ecclesiology from below." While paying close attention to the classical "marks of the Church," Lakeland's focus is on what we can learn about the nature of the Church as living communion by examining the values and practices of ordinary believers. Following the advice of Bernard Lonergan, Lakeland adopts a resolutely inductive approach to ecclesial reflection. He explores ten questions that the Church must address, both those that affect the internal workings of the faith community and those that have to do with its relationships to other groups, religious and secular. Finally, he offers a constructive proposal for a contextual ecclesiology of the U.S. Catholic Church that utilizes the images of hospice, pilgrim, immigrant, and pioneer.

Paul Lakeland is the Aloysius P. Kelley S.J. Professor of Catholic Studies, and director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University. He is active in the American Academy of Religion, the Catholic Theological Society of America, and the Workgroup for Constructive Theology. His two most recent writings, both winners of Catholic Press Association awards, are The Liberation of the Laity: In Search of an Accountable Church and Catholicism at the Crossroads: How the Laity Can Save the Church.

REVIEWS
"Paul Lakeland's brilliant account of ecclesiology may well come to be recognized as the first truly twenty-first-century analysis of the Church. His study addresses the events and insights of the last decade and then transposes into a new key historical-critical readings of the New Testament, themes from Vatican II, ecumenical consensus statements, Lonergan's methodology, and postmodern concerns. In an engaging, refreshing style, he also faces up to the Church's failings in hard-hitting language, marked by stark realism. Finally, he gently poses ten challenges to the Church, which he deems eternal." ...Michael A. Fahey, SJ, Professor, Boston College

"This is a teaching moment in the Church and this is a teachable book on the Church. In this eminently readable book, Paul Lakeland offers his readers only what they need to know to think and talk intelligently about the identity and mission of the Church. With honesty, he describes the challenges facing the Church that perplex and polarize in a way suitable for debate in the classroom and in reading groups. He invites his readers to develop an inductive approach to ecclesiology, and in the process he promotes the cultivation of practical wisdom that can help communities respond to these challenges with genuine hope." ...Bradford Hinze, Professor of Theology, Fordham University

"Paul Lakeland's Church: Living Communion seizes the moment of a church on the brink of change and points the direction forward. He defines the church realistically through its marks, and leads us through the serious internal and external challenges to its authentic witness. Attentive to the laity, he then builds a practical strategy for moving beyond survival to revival. All this in limpid accessible prose: brilliance in simplicity. This authoritative book will appeal to everyone who has a stake in the Catholic Church in North America today." ...Roger Haight, SJ, Scholar in Residence, Union Theological Seminary

[+]Enlarge Image Look inside!

God : Three Who Are One (Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives series)

ISBN: 9780814659908
Author(s): Joseph Bracken SJ Publisher: Liturgical Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Drawing on the wisdom and teaching experience of highly respected theologians, the Engaging Theology series builds a firm foundation for graduate study and other ministry formation programs. Each of the six volumes — Scripture, Jesus, God, Discipleship, Anthropology, and Church — is concerned with retrieving, carefully evaluating, and constructively interpreting the Christian tradition. Comprehensive in scope and accessibly written, these volumes, used together or independently, will stimulate rich theological reflection and discussion. More important, the series will create and sustain the passion of the next generation of theologians and church leaders.

The word God, said Martin Buber decades ago, "is the most heavy-laden of all human words. None has become so soiled, so mutilated." Twenty-first-century discourse and action often perpetuate that lack of reverence. In this volume Joseph Bracken shows us a better way.

• He begins with Christianity's roots in Judaism and the inherent struggle to explain the reality of three persons in God who is one.
• He allows readers to engage in the lively and fruitful trinitarian debates of the early church and discover how the classical doctrine of the Trinity has shaped the church through the centuries.
• He offers a solid theological treatment of the history of the doctrine of God and its relevance for Christians today—for dialogue between Christian men and women, between Christianity and other religions, and between religion and science.

Systematic theology at its best, God: Three Who Are One helps us find unexpected unity and consensus in a world full of troubling differences. Along the way, Bracken urges us to "pray as well as think" and to let rational reflection lead to praise and worship, thereby giving the doctrine of the Trinity its due reverence and care.

Joseph Bracken SJ, is Professor Emeritus of Theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has published ten books and more than 90 articles in academic journals in the general area of philosophical theology/philosophy of religion. His most recent books include The One in the Many: A Contemporary Reconstruction of the God-World Relationship (Eerdmans, 2001) and Christianity and Process Thought: Spirituality for a Changing World (Templeton Foundation Press, 2006).

REVIEWS
"This book is clearly the work of a master. In accessible prose and with probing questions, Bracken introduces his reader to a wide range of issues surrounding the doctrine of God. With resources that span from science to spirituality, interpersonal experience and classic texts of the theological tradition, as well as major contemporary movements in philosophy and theology, this short book seems to cover it all! Bracken offers a comprehensive treatment of a classic theme with innovations relevant to our 21st century context." ...Jeannine Hill Fletcher, Associate Professor of Theology, Fordham University

"Bracken appears to have done the impossible. First, he has written a remarkably clear and accessible text that will be widely used as an introduction to the history of Trinitarian theology and its contemporary applications. At the same time, he offers a bold new proposal for thinking the triune nature of God in dialogue with science, philosophy, theology, world religions, and contemporary culture. . . . Perhaps the best one-volume presentation of constructive Trinitarian theology in print today." ...Philip Clayton, Author of The Problem of God in Modern Thought and Adventures in the Spirit

"A masterful retrieval of the traditional teaching on the trinitarian mystery and a compelling introduction to its relevance today." ...Barbara A. Finan, Professor of Religion and Humanities, Ohio Dominican University

[+]Enlarge Image Look inside!

Jesus : Word Made Flesh (Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives series)

ISBN: 9780814659915
Author(s): Gerard S. Sloyan STD PhD Publisher: Liturgical Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Drawing on the wisdom and teaching experience of highly respected theologians, the Engaging Theology series builds a firm foundation for graduate study and other ministry formation programs. Each of the six volumes — Scripture, Jesus, God, Discipleship, Anthropology, and Church — is concerned with retrieving, carefully evaluating, and constructively interpreting the Christian tradition. Comprehensive in scope and accessibly written, these volumes, used together or independently, will stimulate rich theological reflection and discussion. More important, the series will create and sustain the passion of the next generation of theologians and church leaders.

"This book means to explore who Jesus was, is, and is to come, and by what series of events this man of Jewish history came to be viewed by millions as a man of God-like powers in their present lives and their hoped for future." Rich in familiarity with Jesus' Jewish world, Gerard Sloyan helps us discover a Jesus thoroughly situated in his own time and place. Grounded in the New Testament gospels, Sloyan's study leads us to an already interpreted Jesus, distinctly portrayed by each evangelist. Going outside the New Testament, Sloyan takes us into the theological questions and developments that culminated in the affirmations of the councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. This impressive, clearly written work challenges readers to see both the historical Jesus who preached the in-breaking of God's reign and the post-resurrection Jesus whom Christians named Lord and Savior.

REVIEWS
Gerard S. Sloyan STD PhD, is professor emeritus of religion at Temple University and currently visiting professor at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He has written extensively on Jesus, including The Crucifixion of Jesus (Fortress Press, 1995) and Why Jesus Died (Fortress Press, 2004).

"[A]n extraordinary accomplishment. . . . to study Jesus: Word Made Flesh is to receive the wisdom of a 'Church Father' and hence to enter further into the mystery of Christ." ...Worship

"[T]his is a responsible book, written by a responsible scholar, using his responsibility to serve both the church and the academy." ...The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"Sloyan's approach, walking through various portions of the Scriptures with an eye to who Jesus is in each, yields valuable insights on almost every page." ...Libraries Alive "The book is written in an engaging, confident style and serves the purpose of this series well." ...The Bible Today

"[A] deftly written examination, and a top pick for Christian studies collections." ...Midwest Book Review

"Gerard Sloyan writes out of his vast knowledge of the biblical worlds and texts, and of the church's traditions and councils that offered the first interpretations of the significance of Jesus. Insightful and clearly written, Sloyan wrestles with these diverse presentations to offer a careful, accessible, and rich analysis." ...Warren Carter, PhD, Professor of New Testament, Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas

"Fr. Sloyan here explores the story of the true Jesus of history—the Jesus whose influence redirected the course of history. His usual precise and accurate prose shows his easy command of the historic sources and of two centuries and more of debate about their interpretation. Jesus exemplifies how a man of faith can use historical work and how a historian can show his faith in his work. For someone smart enough to be perplexed by the differences in the gospels and the offerings of the 'Historical-Jesus of the Month' club, here is the book to study and contemplate." ...Terrence W. Tilley, President-elect, Catholic Theological Society of America, Professor of Theology and Chair of the Department, Fordham University, Bronx, New York

"Gerard S. Sloyan is one of those rare scholars who can claim an expertise in both Bible and theology that enables him to bridge the gap between exegesis and systematic theology. In this volume, he first explains how the writers of the New Testament understood the person of Jesus. Then he considers how some of the most significant figures of the Apostolic and Patristic periods dealt with the theological issues raised by the Biblical material. Compact and elegantly written, this volume will be of special interest to those who seek a comprehensive portrait of Jesus." ...Frank J. Matera, The Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

[+]Enlarge Image Look inside!

Scripture : History and Interpretation (Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives series)

ISBN: 9780814659953
Author(s): Dianne Bergant, CSA Publisher: Liturgical Press

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Drawing on the wisdom and teaching experience of highly respected theologians, the Engaging Theology series builds a firm foundation for graduate study and other ministry formation programs. Each of the six volumes — Scripture, Jesus, God, Discipleship, Anthropology, and Church — is concerned with retrieving, carefully evaluating, and constructively interpreting the Christian tradition. Comprehensive in scope and accessibly written, these volumes, used together or independently, will stimulate rich theological reflection and discussion. More important, the series will create and sustain the passion of the next generation of theologians and church leaders.

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." What Saint Jerome said centuries ago is surely still true today—any serious theological study must be grounded in Scripture. While there are plenty of biblical scholars today, few authors are able to introduce Scripture to students the way Dianne Bergant does. Bergant invites readers to genuinely engage Scripture, to enter the world of the text and explore some of the age-old questions that arise in every generation:

• What does it mean to say that the Word of God is both divine and human?
• Why is biblical history so important to the study of Scripture and theology?
• Why are there different literary forms in the Bible?
• Why the competing voices and apparent contradictions?

In language that is clear and compelling, Bergant explores the answers to these and other questions. She surveys the world of the Bible and biblical scholarship in an introduction that is sure to spark enthusiasm and further interest. This volume in the Engaging Theology series instills solid knowledge of Scripture and, thereby, knowledge of Christ, demonstrating that "the Bible is an inexhaustible source of challenge and delight, of inspiration and guidance, and a testimony to ultimate meaning and value."

Dianne Bergant CSA, is professor of biblical studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She is a member and past president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America and is an active member of the Chicago Catholic/Jewish Scholars Dialogue. She has published numerous works in the area of biblical scholarship, including Lamentations in the Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries (Abingdon Press); Song of Songs in the Berit Olam series, Collegeville Concise Glossary of Biblical Terms, and Israel's Story (Part One and Two), all published by Liturgical Press.

REVIEWS
"The publishers of this new series of studies from Collegeville, which they hope will create and sustain the passion of a new generation of theologians and church leaders, are indeed to be congratulated. Bergant's contribution should be a very useful source indeed." ...Review of Biblical Literature

"[T]his helpful volume . . . addresses fundamental questions about the nature of the Bible, the Catholic conviction that it is 'God's Word in human words,' the history of Israel, of Jesus and the early community from which it emerges, the various types of literature in the Bible, and the various methods and issues in sound interpretation of the Scriptures." The Bible Today

"In this introduction to the Bible, Dianne Bergant provides a refreshing and accessible account of what the Bible is, the history of the Bible's composition and reception, the history it reflects, its central themes, and the manifold ways it is legitimately read from author-centered, text-centered, or reader-centered perspectives. While written in a Catholic ethos, readers across the ecumenical spectrum will profit deeply from the wisdom embodied on every page." Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

[+]Enlarge Image

Meeting St Luke Today: Understanding the Man, His Mission and His Message

ISBN: 9780829429169
Author(s): Daniel J Harrington SJ Publisher: Loyola Books

BOOK DESCRIPTION
The theological and literary beauty of the Gospel of Luke comes to life in Meeting St. Luke Today, written by preeminent biblical scholar Daniel J. Harrington.

What truly sets this book apart is the way in which Harrington effectively bridges the gap between modern biblical scholarship and Christian spirituality. In addition to a brief but complete narrative analysis of the Gospel of Luke and essential background information on the Evangelist himself, this book includes suggestions for ways we might "pray" Luke's Gospel and live out its transforming message in our daily lives.

Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, is professor of New Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry in Cambridge, MA. He has been general editor of New Testament Abstracts since 1972 and is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America.

[+]Enlarge Image

Meeting St Paul Today: Understanding the Man, His Mission and His Message

ISBN: 9780829427349
Author(s): Daniel J Harrington SJ Publisher: Loyola Books

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Teachings based on the letters of St. Paul permeate just about everything Christians believe and practice, but many of us know very little about this great apostle of the Church. In Meeting St. Paul Today, pre-eminent scholar Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, brings the letters of Paul and the apostle himself to life.

Harrington, writing with great respect for St. Paul and his ministry, covers three main topics in this helpful and highly readable book for any discerning Christian. First, he describes what Paul was really like, from his days as a Pharisee to his arduous years as a missionary. Second, he helps readers interpret the letters of Paul through literary, historical, and theological lenses. Finally, he thoughtfully surveys the specific purpose, major points, and other compelling particulars of each of the letters of Paul.

Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, is professor of New Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry in Cambridge, MA. He has been general editor of New Testament Abstracts since 1972 and is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America.

[+]Enlarge Image AU Edition

Jesus for the Non Religious

Paperback (AU Edition) ISBN: 9780732284954
Author(s): John Shelby Spong Publisher: HarperCollins (AU)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Writing from his prison cell in Nazi Germany in 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian, sketched a vision of what he called 'religionless Christianity'. In this book, John Shelby Spong puts flesh onto the bare bones of Bonhoeffer's radical thought. Spong questions the historicity of the ideas that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that he had twelve disciples, and that the miracle stories were meant to be descriptions of supernatural events. He also speaks directly to those contemporary critics of Christianity who call God a 'delusion' and who write letters to a 'Christian nation' and describe how Christianity has become evil and destructive. Spong invites his readers to look at Jesus through the lens of both the Jewish scriptures and the liturgical life of the first-century synagogue, dismissing the dispute about Jesus' nature that consumed the church's leadership for the first 500 years of Christian history as irrelevant. Traditional Christians who still cling to dated concepts of the past will not be comfortable with this book; however, skeptics of the twenty-first century will not be quite so certain that dismissing Jesus is the correct pathway to walk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John Shelby Spong was the Episcopal bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000. As a leading spokesperson for an open, scholarly, and progressive Christianity, Bishop Spong has taught at Harvard and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also lectured at universities, conference centers, and churches in North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. His books include: A New Christianity for a New World, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Resurrection: Myth or Reality?, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and his autobiography, Here I Stand. Author's website.

REVIEW:
"Fasten your seat belts! Spong takes us for a wild and daring ride with Jesus, stripping him of all the myths we've grown up with and then offering a more approachable, more believable Jesus as the key to a new life and new humanity. It is the boldest book I've ever read, but also the most hopeful." ...Bill Press, former co-host of CNN's Crossfire with Pat Buchanan
 

[+]Enlarge Image Audio Book

Jesus for the Non Religious AUDIOBOOK

Audio Book ISBN: 9780061230745
Author(s): John Shelby Spong Publisher: HarperAudio

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Writing from his prison cell in Nazi Germany in 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian, sketched a vision of what he called 'religionless Christianity'. In this book, John Shelby Spong puts flesh onto the bare bones of Bonhoeffer's radical thought. Spong questions the historicity of the ideas that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that he had twelve disciples, and that the miracle stories were meant to be descriptions of supernatural events. He also speaks directly to those contemporary critics of Christianity who call God a 'delusion' and who write letters to a 'Christian nation' and describe how Christianity has become evil and destructive. Spong invites his readers to look at Jesus through the lens of both the Jewish scriptures and the liturgical life of the first-century synagogue, dismissing the dispute about Jesus' nature that consumed the church's leadership for the first 500 years of Christian history as irrelevant. Traditional Christians who still cling to dated concepts of the past will not be comfortable with this book; however, skeptics of the twenty-first century will not be quite so certain that dismissing Jesus is the correct pathway to walk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John Shelby Spong was the Episcopal bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000. As a leading spokesperson for an open, scholarly, and progressive Christianity, Bishop Spong has taught at Harvard and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also lectured at universities, conference centers, and churches in North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. His books include: A New Christianity for a New World, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Resurrection: Myth or Reality?, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and his autobiography, Here I Stand. Author's website.

REVIEW:
"Fasten your seat belts! Spong takes us for a wild and daring ride with Jesus, stripping him of all the myths we've grown up with and then offering a more approachable, more believable Jesus as the key to a new life and new humanity. It is the boldest book I've ever read, but also the most hopeful." ...Bill Press, former co-host of CNN's Crossfire with Pat Buchanan

Read by Alan Sklar.
Preface, prologue, and epilogue read by the Author.