Kirjahaku

Professor Perkins compares Jesus with other types of teachers in his day: philosophers, interpreters of the law, prophets, and visionaries. Jesus is characterized as a charismatic teacher and prophet who addressed his message to all people, as opposed to the elite groups taught in formal schools in ancient times. Readers are shown how Jesus used parables, proverbs, and legal and prophetic sayings to challenge the imagination and to allow his listeners to discover his message. The book contains detailed analyses of many Gospel passages and covers themes of particular prominence in Jesus’ teaching, including justice, wealth, forgiveness and love.

Pheme Perkins searches for the historical Peter, and the influence his image has had for both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Pointing to portrayals of Peter in the Pauline and Johannine traditions, the synoptic Gospels, and the Book of Acts, Perkins argues that precisely because there is no single Petrine tradition in the New Testament, the apostle should serve as a unifying figure for many forms of Christianity. She shows how Peter should be viewed as a harmonising figure who captures the Christian imagination, not only because he is the most prominent of Jesus disciples but also because his weaknesses and strengths reveal a character accessible to all Christians.

First and Second Peter, James, and Jude have existed on the edges of the canon throughout the centuries. In this volume in the Interpretation series, Pheme Perkins casts light on these often neglected writings. She ably demonstrates that these "catholic epistles" have, in fact, much to offer to today's readers.

In this volume, Pheme Perkins mines the writings from Nag Hammadi and Qumran for illuminating parallels to Ephesians, showing how a first-century audience would have heard and responded to the various parts of the letter. Under her sure guidance, contemporary readers are led to see the rhetorical power and the theological depth of this pseudonymous letter.

The gnostic writings found at Nag Hammadi have stimulated much controversy about the relationship between early Christians and the diverse religious movement of the first three centuries. Perkins fills the New Testament student's need for a guide to recent developments in scholarship with a helpful survey that addresses the origins of Gnosticism, its relationship to Judaism, Redeemer myths and New Testament hymns, and other relevant topics.

Perkins describes the search for the historical Peter, and the influence his image has had, in Roman Catholic and Protestant ecumenical discussions. Pointing to portrayals of Peter in the Pauline and Johannine traditions, the synoptic Gospels, and the Book of Acts, Perkins argues that precisely because there is no single Petrine tradition in the New Testament, the apostle might serve as a unifying figure for incongruous forms of Christianity. Perkins argues that Peter should be viewed as a harmonizing figure who captures the Christian imagination not only because he is the most prominent of Jesus' disciples, but also because his weaknesses and strengths present a character accessible to the average Christian.

First and Second Peter, James, and Jude have existed on the edges of the canon throughout the centuries. In this much-anticipated volume in the Interpretation series, Pheme Perkins casts light on these often neglected writings. She ably demonstrates that these "catholic epistles" have, in fact, much to offer to today's readers.Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

Reading the New Testament is an excellent introduction to the writings of the New Testament, written by a prominent scholar who is able to communicate the main ideas and results with a clear and simple style. This third edition, although leaving intact the structure of the book, has been rewritten extensively, updating the information and adding the results of new biblical approaches and research. Highlights of this new revised edition: • Extensively rewritten • New results of biblical exegesis incorporated • Updated and expanded bibliography • New maps and illustrations “With this third edition of her fine work, Dr. Pheme Perkins has taken a great book and made it still better…. Both teachers and students owe her a great debt for distilling the rich experience of a great teacher in a single book.” —John P. Meier, University of Notre Dame. “This third revised edition of Reading the New Testament continues to make solid biblical scholarship accessible to a broad spectrum of readers….Already impressive for its longevity, this highly recommended book will continue to serve new readers for a long time to come.” —John J. Pilch, Johns Hopkins University “For conciseness, clarity, and the ability to offer a balanced introduction to the literary, historical, and theological dimensions of the New Testament, the volume is unrivaled…. I can think of no others scholar today that I would rather have as a guide for my students as they begin their journey in understanding the New Testament!” —Margaret Y. MacDonald, St. Francis Xavier University †

This newest addition to the popular Trinity New Testament in Context series focuses on the politics of division in Paul's letter to the Galatians. Traditionally, Galatians has been read as the "Magna Charta" of Christian liberty since in Galatians Paul teaches that Gentiles need not become Jews before becoming Christians. As Pheme Perkins demonstrates, the matter was not so simple. She uses recent evidence to show that the communal boundaries of Judaism were more porous than has been assumed. Thus, rather than portraying a simple conflict between Jews and Gentile converts, Galatians depicts a Jewish community whose identity is in flux and Gentile converts not entirely certain about their lineage in the Christian faith. In Abraham s Divided Children, Perkins argues that while Paul might have tried to use his rhetoric to encourage unity among Gentile converts, he actually created harsh divisions between the Christian and Jewish communities. Perkin's lively and engaging reading of Galatians challenges much recent scholarship on Paul's letter and offers fresh insights into a contentious Pauline text. Pheme Perkins is Professor of New Testament at Boston College and the author of numerous books and articles, including Peter: Apostle for the Whole Church.