Kirjahaku

Paul's exhortations to the Corinthians reveal many gems of the revelation concerning the Christ, and the realities of the new age into which God has ushered the world. These letters provide precious insights into the character of God, the work of Christ, Paul's understanding concerning the Resurrection, and the appropriate conduct for God's called-out community. God absolutely delights and considers it of great value to restore all of humanity to health, wholeness, and our original state of walking in love, united with God as "one Spirit". The format and the methodology of these two commentaries follow those of our previous commentaries. They are based upon the author's original expanded-translations of the Greek New Testament, and are primarily verse-by-verse comments, while occasionally grouping a few verses together to treat them as a unit of thought. Occasional quotes from other commentaries, or scholars, are cited within the bodies of the texts. A short introduction is given before each of Paul's letters. A short excursus on a specific topic has from time to time been inserted. Throughout the works, quotes of OT (Hebrew Scriptures) passages, as well as of Second Temple Jewish literature, are on offer to provide both historical and contemporary contexts that may enlighten the thinking of Paul, along with the rhetoric of those days and Paul's use of language and figures of speech. Although most of Paul's writings are original to the revelations that he received, we are confident that just as he was aware of the works of Greek poets, he would have been aware of the thinking and manner of OT interpretation such as was used by his contemporary, Philo, of Alexandria. In like manner, we view his theological environment as being a part of the larger Christian movement of his day, and so we have included quotes from other NT passages which, even if those writings were subsequent to the writings of these two letters, would have likely been representative of the ongoing developments in the oral traditions following the years of the ministry, and then the death, of Jesus Christ. Therefore, a bulk of our comments are in the form of quotes from 1st century Christian documents, along with occasional quotes from the period of Second Temple Judaism. Added to the above are explanations of the imports of individual Greek words and their linguistic nuances, along with the author's exegesis and alternate renderings from the translations of the texts. We trust that this work will shed light on these two letters that were written to a specific community and were sent to address specific issues within the 1st century city of Corinth.

This is a commentary on Revelation, an apocalyptic book given for the called-out communities in 1st century AD Asia Minor. It is based upon the author's translation of the Greek text. Its purpose is to reveal light that this expanded translation (with multiple renderings) will shed upon our understanding of what John was telling his listeners. In this work we consider the views of a variety of scholars, but this endeavor is to provide a fresh interpretation of the text. It is intended to reveal both immediate and underlying messages, as we currently perceive them. With an approach to the text in its historical context, a non-literal, metaphorical methodology is followed that allows the Scriptures that the first century author would have drawn upon (the Hebrew Bible, or OT) to supply the meanings of the apocalyptic symbolism. We have turned to the writings of other 1st century authors to inform our understanding of the text. Apocalyptic literature was popular in Second Temple Judaism from around 200 BC to approximately AD 100. About a third of the verses in Revelation reflect passages from the Hebrew Bible. We will present a primarily preterist, or, "already fulfilled," interpretation which views the text as speaking of events that were fulfilled, or inaugurated, in the generation in which John lived. Added to this are comments on what this means to us in our day. We see this book as an apocalyptic Gospel. It is filled with good news. It begins with a vision of the resurrected Christ and an introduction to the entire book. In chapters 2-3, John is given letters for the called-out communities in Asia Minor. Next is a series of visions concerning which, in 1:19, he is told to write of "the things you see, and the things presently existing, as well as which things are progressively about to occur after these things." The structure of the following visions are presented as different symbolic pictures of scenarios that presently existed in God's new creation, and of things that would culminate in the destruction of AD 70 Jerusalem. The relationship between Jerusalem and the Roman Empire is addressed, and then we see a picture of Christ's body as the New, Heavenly Jerusalem. The story echoes Israel's Exodus and later cultus that the NT writers present as pointers to the work of the Messiah. Like the figures and prophecies in the OT, here their counterparts spoke of literal, existing and soon-coming realities of 1st century AD Judea, yet also pointed to the realities of the inaugurated new age of the Messiah. Through this, we can observe inter-relating threads that combine to form a unified tapestry. Examples observed from the OT are the tabernacle/temple, lampstand, throne (the ark), brass laver, and cherubim embroidered into the curtains and on the mercy seat. The temple is the center from which the 7 plagues are sent out. The settings change with chapter 17, and the rest of the visions move from the temple out into the two cities which are the main topics for the remainder of the book (an echo from Heb. 12:22). The temple-associated symbols in the visions correspond to the new creation situation: "temple" represents the corporate body of Christ. One tradition that is challenged in this work is the assumption that there is a reference to a "final" judgment in Revelation. A corollary of that traditional view is that Revelation speaks about "the end of human history," which we reject as being unsupportable from the text. No, instead this book is about the beginning of the New Humanity (1 Cor. 15:45-49). A central focus of the entire book is the new creation which Paul apocalyptically understood to be a present reality (2 Cor. 5:17). Revelation is about The End of the Old covenant, and The Beginning of the New covenant, Good News for all of humanity

This work is comprised of extensive observations on the Gospel of John. Foundational to Christianity, this Gospel is critical to those who sense a call to be a follower of Jesus Christ. As a catalyst for our readers, our purpose is to give attention to the particular details that its author shares, and the nuances and allusions that populate the work. The author's purpose is given in 20:31, "Yet these things have been written to the end that you folks can (would) continue trusting and keep on believing that (or: should progressively be faithful, because) Jesus is the Christ, God's Son, and so that in continually trusting, believing and being loyal, you can continuously hold (would progressively have) Life other MSS: eonian life (or: life from, and in the realm of, the Age; age-lasting life)] within, in the midst of, in union with, and centered in, His Name." This unique genre of ancient literature is all about Jesus Christ: Who He was, His life, His message and the Work that God gave Him to do. It is a proclamation of the Incarnation of the Logos, the Word which was God and which was manifested in Jesus of Nazareth. This story begins with a clear allusion to Gen. 1:1 in the opening verse. It is the Good News about the New Creation. Signs, some of which are designated as such by the author and others that can be observed from the text, appear from chapter 2, and on throughout. Topics of focus are Jesus as the Logos, Light, Life, Bread, Water, Truth, Path (Way), Resurrection and Love. As the Logos, He is connected to God's creative power, to the created universe, and at the same time, to the Hellenistic world of philosophy. It reaches back to the entire corpus of the OT. He speaks of a new Temple, a new Birth, and a new realm of worship. Metaphors of shepherds and sheep, of a Vine and its branches, and the theme of Life of the Age of the Messiah are also highlighted. The human side of Jesus is seen first of all as Him being "the Logos made flesh," and then "taking up residence among the People" (1:14). The social side of His life is presented as Him "being in the world" (1:10), attending a wedding (2:1ff), and striking up a conversation with a woman who was a stranger (4:3ff). His public ministry is mostly covered from chapters 2-12; 13 begins His final supper and then 14-16 offer continuous teaching of His disciples, with 17 presenting an intimate view of His relationship with both His Father and His disciples, in His long prayer for them. Chapters 18-20 involve His arrest, His trial, His crucifixion and then His resurrection. In 1:41 Andrew terms Him the Messiah, and in 1:49, Nathanael proclaims Him to be "the Son of God... the King of Israel," then in 6:69, Simon Peter will acclaim, "we by personal, intimate experience have come to know that You, Yourself, are God's Holy One." Considerable time is spent on the various ways that the first sentence of the Prologue can be rendered, and the implications that are associated with each potential rendering. Also included is an extensive investigation of the Greek word Logos, which dominates the theme of Jn. 1:1-14; its use also pointed out elsewhere in this Gospel. Filled with numerous iconic verses for the "Christian Faith", this is a Gospel about continuously having and holding Life. It is indeed a message of Goodness, Ease and Wellbeing (The Good News). There is no mention of The Unseen (hades) nor of Gehenna (Valley of Hinnom, the dump outside Jerusalem). It is the End of the Old covenant, and the beginning of the New covenant: the continuous, progressive and perpetual redemption of ALL of humanity. Included, after the conclusion of John, is my translation of The Epistle of Barnabas.

The Gospel of Mark is considered by scholars to be the earliest of the three Synoptic ("seen-together") Gospels, is the shortest of them, and is the earliest example of this genre of literature. It is the least-biographical of the four Gospels, and does not offer a birth narrative. We present observations and thoughts as we read through the author's expanded translation, and consider apparent allusions to OT texts, as well as insights from other NT writers that would have been circulating at the time. We occasionally use passages from the other Gospels to inform our readers of some things that those other authors recorded that may shed light on Mark's text. The author's translation of the fragments of the 1st century Gospel of Peter, a visionary description of Christ's resurrection and surrounding events, is inserted toward the end of Mark's account.Next, we offer selected passages from the Book of Acts and focus on: the early events that followed the resurrection of Jesus, the early development of the new movement, the content of the messages which the representatives of Christ presented to their listeners, and finally the paradigmatic life and missions of Paul. We consider the book's agenda: Was it just a "history" of this early period of Christianity, or was there a purpose for what was included and what was not mentioned? In the first chapter we find the leadership sensing a need to replace Judah (Judas) in order to keep intact their original number of "the twelve," but this group almost immediately disappears from Luke's narrative. Were Paul's revelations and teachings considered by Luke to be the central stream for the future followers of Christ? Of the major speeches in this book, about one half of them are an abbreviated presentation of Israel's history which led to the coming of Jesus, His death and His resurrection, all of which then resulted in the coming of the Holy Spirit and the establishing of called-out, covenant communities. This is a book about the time of transition from the old creation (Israel under Mt. Sinai) to the new creation (Israel upon Mt. Zion - Heb. 12:22): the new age of the Messiah had arrived. This inter-age history co-exists with the final decades of Second Temple Judaism (which ended with the destruction of the temple, in A.D. 70).The Sermon on the Mount: a foundational, "outer court" teaching for Life in the Kingdom, which is a presentation from the Chief Corner Stone, upon which Paul and the called-out communities were to begin building the new Temple of God. From the author's expanded translation, this study takes a fresh look at Jesus' teachings in the Mathew 5, 6 & 7, along with additions noted in Luke's version. It addresses the question of how these teachings now speak, and apply, to us.

Our English word "parable" is a transliteration of the Greek, parabolē, and is a loan word from Greek that now has a long history in the English language. It has often been thought of as being a story that makes some point. Many of Jesus' parables were stories, but the Greek term has a wider usage. The literal meaning of the Greek word meant "something cast down at the side for comparison or illustration." When Alexandrian Jews translated their Hebrew Scriptures into Greek (for what became known as the Septuagint, or, the LXX, in the 3rd century BC), parabolē was used for the Hebrew masal, which referred to a variety of figures of speech: riddle; proverb; ethical maxim; by-word; allegory; fable; enigmatic saying that is meant to stimulate intense thinking. In Mat. 13:34, we read: "Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds, and apart from parables He was, and continued, speaking nothing to them." A parallel saying is found in Mk. 4:33. So by means of many parables (illustrative comparisons) of this kind He continued speaking the message (Word; Logos) to them (or: kept on conveying a flow of the information for them and progressively declared the Blueprint and Idea among them) - according as they continued able to continue hearing (or: continued having power to be repeatedly listening).34. Now apart from a parable (illustrative comparison) He was not normally (in the habit of) speaking to, or among, them. Yet privately and in accord to a person's own ability] He was routinely loosening all things upon (or: habitually releasing all for; so: explaining and interpreting everything to) His own disciples (students; learners; apprentices). I owe the concept of "lived-out" parables to Robert Farrar Capon, Kingdom, Grace, Judgment; Paradox, Outrage and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub., 2002, where he referred to Jesus as having acted out parables (e.g., p 9). All of Scripture: its histories, its poems, its prophesies, its Gospels, and even the situations addressed, or the admonitions, in the NT letters, are passages that can be laid beside our own lives to give instruction, be catalysts for contemplation, and shed Light for comparison with our own behavior. Taking into consideration the broad range of use for this term, "parable," together with what the Gospel writers have said about how Jesus communicated His teachings to the crowds, our investigation will look for "parables" in other literary devices that Jesus used, as well as for how the Gospel writers used Jesus' actions to create lived-out parables which they included in their texts. This work will follow the sequence of the Gospel of Matthew, but will insert various parables, from the other Gospels, which Matthew does not include. It is our view that Jesus Himself is the central parable that flows throughout the Gospels. The Gospels, as a genre of literature, can also be discerned as versions of The Story, cast alongside the history of humanity, presenting us with a picture of, and the spirit of, God's Love, while revealing to us a True image of God, and the Heart of our Father. Each Gospel is a parable of the Good News. This work is based upon the author's translation of the Greek New Testament.