The apostle Paul is a controversial figure, both admired and reviled. His letters have influenced creeds and dogmatic statements, but he is also accused of turning the "simple" gospel that Jesus preached into a complex dogmatic system. Furthermore, on the authority of Paul, women have been given second place in church and society for many centuries. The "apostle to the Gentiles" has sometimes been a source of inspiration, but he has more often than not been a stumbling block when Jews and Christians meet. This book tackles all of these and other issues surrounding Paul and presents him for the widest possible audience. With his enviable gift for clear and popular writing, C. J. den Heyer here takes on a particularly difficult task and shows great mastery in offering a detailed portrait of one of the most controversial figures in the ancient world. C. J. den Heyer is Professor of New Testament at the Theological University of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands.
Ancient-Future Bible Study incorporates contemporary study of the Bible with an experience of the church's most ancient way of reading Scripture, lectio divina. This time-honored practice consists of five basic movements: biblical study (lectio), reflection (meditatio), prayer (oratio), discernment (contemplatio), and contemplative action (operatio). In six clearly written volumes, bestselling author Stephen Binz helps readers study the Bible in a way that leads to spiritual transformation and brings them closer to God.Binz leads readers in a vivid study of key biblical characters, including Abraham, Paul, Peter, David, the women of the Torah, and the women of the Gospels. He shows all Christians who desire to have a transforming experience with the inspired Word of God how studying Scripture through lectio divina can enrich their discipleship. This ecumenical Bible study, designed for use by individuals or groups, includes questions for personal reflection and suggested action. Each volume includes leader's notes for guiding a study over the course of six sessions.
New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann continues his exploration of the life and teachings of Paul in this groundbreaking monograph, which synthesizes the research of his four previous books on Christianity's leading apostle. As the subtitle of the present work makes clear, Lüdemann comes to the conclusion that Paul should be considered not only Christianity's most influential proselytizer but in truth deserves the title of founder of the religion that ostensibly originated with Jesus of Nazareth. Though other scholars have previously made the point that Paul's interpretation of the Christian message actually obscured the original teachings of Jesus, Lüdemann goes further. His painstaking historical research shows that Paul created the major tenets of the Christianity we know today and that his theology - an original synthesis of Hebrew and Greek belief systems - differs significantly from what we now know the historical Jesus to have preached.
Paul offers believers the earliest written words we have about Jesus. He ranks, after Jesus himself, as the premier interpreter of the "good news." No one explains it with more intellectual depth and earnestness than he. That is why to penetrate the Apostle's mind as he writes about Jesus's saving value is not a simple task. But Father Taylor offers here a clear and understandable commentary on his letters, which is accessible to the layman and scholar alike. The book, reflective of the latest in Pauline scholarship, is easy to read throughout and throws considerable light on what Paul has to say about Jesus, "born of a woman, born under the Law," and about the role his self-emptying (his Kenosis) played in bringing about the world's salvation. As an inspirational model, Jesus shows in Paul the paradoxical nature of our life as human beings made in the image and likeness of God: that it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned and in dying that we are born to eternal life. Readers in their pursuit of Paul's understanding of Jesus will find in this volume on his letters, his message and his heritage much that will be most helpful to them in their lives as Christians.
Covering the entire Pauline corpus the reader finds a man who was adept at persuasive arguments and providing theological answers to real and, often, thorny congregational issues. Readers have a keen understanding of Paul's place in the early church, the relationship between church and synagogue, and the relationship between the teaching of Paul and that of Jesus. These discussions set Paul firmly within the church that existed before he joined, finding that he became an adherent to much that preceded him.
The critically acclaimed debut novel from the T.S. Eliot Prize-shortlisted poet -- Frances is a graduate student spending a summer volunteering in rural France, in the hope that tending vegetables and harvesting honey will distract her from a scandal that drove her out of Paris, her research unfinished and her sense of self unmoored. At the eco-farm Noa Noa, she comes under the influence of its charismatic and domineering owner, Paul. As his hold over her tightens and her plans come unstuck, she finds herself entangled in a strange, uneven relationship. On a fraught road trip across the South of France, both are forced to reckon with uncomfortable truths. A compelling and perturbing story of power, passivity and the cage of being 'good', Paul introduces a novelist of extraordinary perspicacity and lyricism.
This book showcases a collection of photographs from his fast paced travels with Paul Weller. A collection of photographs of Paul that the world has never seen and for the first time from the perspective of a band member. This book is a series of natural observations, from being part of the Paul Weller band.
