James R. Edwards

An innovative commentary on Genesis that illuminates the book's relationship to the rest of the biblical canon In the Beginning provides historical and critical exposition of the Hebrew text of Genesis while also explaining the book's theological significance within the biblical canon as a whole. The result is a beautifully nuanced perspective--not only of the memorable events and colorful characters within the first book of the Bible, but also of the book's place in the larger story of Scripture. For each chapter of Genesis, author James R. Edwards offers a faithful reading that includes three elements: synopsis, exegesis, and kerygma.The synopsis briefly outlines and introduces the contents of the chapter; the exegesis develops a full discussion of the history, meaning, and purpose of the chapter; and the kerygma explores the influence of the various elements of the chapter on later Jewish tradition in the Old Testament and especially on Christian tradition in the New Testament. The commentary thus attends to "the whole counsel of God" by expounding Genesis in the context of salvation history as fulfilled in the subsequent history of Israel and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Distinctive for its combination of depth and breadth, In the Beginning will be a valuable resource for students, pastors, and general readers interested in the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.

The life, theological contribution, and mysterious disappearance of one of the more important New Testament scholars in the twentieth century On February 15, 1946, the Soviet NKVD raided the home of Ernst Lohmeyer just hours before his inauguration as the president of Greifswald University in Germany. Lohmeyer had survived active duty in both World War I and World War II. A New Testament scholar and theologian, he resisted the rise of Nazi fascism as a member of the Confessing Church. But the Soviet occupation of Germany was even more repressive than Nazi domination. With the exception of correspondence from prison, Lohmeyer was never heard from again. In Between the Swastika and the Sickle, James R. Edwards recounts the story of Lohmeyer's life, his theological achievements, his courageous resistance to the forces of political repression, and the events surrounding his death. But the book also includes Edwards's intrepid search for the legacy of this brilliant and courageous scholar, whose story is made even more compelling by the tumultuous interplay of faith and politics in twenty-first-century America.

Als genialer und produktiver Neutestamentler veranderte Ernst Lohmeyer den herrschenden Konsens in der neutestamentlichen Wissenschaft. Seine akademische Laufbahn wurde von fast zehn Jahren Wehrdienst sowohl im Ersten und wie auch im Zweiten Weltkriegen unterbrochen. Als Rektor der Universitat Breslau wurde Lohmeyer wegen seines Widerstands gegen die Herrschaft der Nationalsozialisten in der Universitat abgesetzt und an der Ostfront eingesetzt. Nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs - wieder als Rektor der Universitat Greifswald - wurde Lohmeyer wegen seines Versuchs, eine intellektuelle freie Universitat wiederherzustellen, von der Sowjetischen Geheimpolizei verhaftet und ermordet. Ein funfzig Jahre dauerndes Verschweigen seines Schicksals folgte in der ehemaligen DDR. Diese Biographie erzahlt Lohmeyers Lebensgeschichte, sie erforscht die Grunde fur sein Verschwinden und seine Hinrichtung.

How did the movement founded by Jesus transform more in the first seventy-five years after his death than it has in the two thousand years since? This book tells the story of how the Christian movement, which began as relatively informal, rural, Hebrew and Aramaic speaking, and closely anchored to the Jewish synagogue, became primarily urban, Greek speaking, and gentile by the early second century, spreading through the Greco-Roman world with a mission agenda and church organization distinct from its roots in Jewish Galilee. It also shows how the early church's witness can encourage the church today.

This new Pillar commentary devotes attention throughout to the vocabulary, historical background, special themes, and narrative purpose that make the book of Luke unique among the four Gospels. Though the Gentile focus of Luke is often held to be primary, James Edwards counterbalances that by citing numerous evidences of Luke's overarching interest in depicting Jesus as the fulfillment of the providential work of God in the history of Israel, and he considers the possibility that Luke himself was a Jew. Edwards also draws out other important thematic issues in excursuses scattered throughout the commentary, including discussion of Luke's infancy narrative, the mission of Jesus as the way of salvation, and Luke's depiction of the universal scope of the gospel. This readable, relevant commentary attends to the linguistic, historical, literary, and theological elements of Luke that are essential to its meaning and considers Luke's significance for the church and the life of faith today.

In keeping with the Pillar New Testament Commentary's distinctive character, this volume by James R. Edwards on Luke gives special attention to the Third Gospel's vocabulary and historical setting, its narrative purpose and unique themes, and its theological significance for the church and believers today. Though Luke is often thought to have a primarily Gentile focus, Edwards counterbalances that perspective by citing numerous evidences of Luke's overarching interest in depicting Jesus as the fulfillment of God's providential work in the history of Israel, and he even considers the possibility that Luke himself was a Jew. In several excursuses Edwards discusses particular topics, including Luke's infancy narratives, the mission of Jesus as the way of salvation, and Luke's depiction of the universal scope of the gospel. While fully conversant with all the latest scholarship, Edwards writes in a lively, fluent style that will commend this commentary to ministers, students, scholars, and many other serious Bible readers.

Martin Luther called Romans the clearest gospel of all. But centuries of interpretive tradition and dogma have muddied the waters. Edwards's careful exposition pays attention to literary detail and historical context to clarify the Epistle's significance for its original readers and for the church today. The NIBC format (section-by-section exposition of the NIV, all Greek transliterated, and separate textual and technical notes) make this commentary ideal for laypeople and pastors.

This book offers a new explanation of the development of the first three Gospels based on a careful examination of both patristic testimony to the -Hebrew Gospel- and internal evidence in the canonical Gospels themselves. James Edwards breaks new ground and challenges assumptions that have long been held in the New Testament guild but actually lack solid evidence.

In this timely book for believers, inquirers, and skeptics alike, James R. Edwards faces head-on the question of whether or not Jesus is indeed the sole savior of the world. After tracing the currents of modernity from the Enlightenment to the Jesus Seminar, Edwards contends that the assumptions of the most skeptical historical-Jesus scholars are no more intellectually defensible than the claims of faith. He then assembles extensive support to show that Jesus considered himself the unique and saving mission of God to the world. Edwards devotes the second half of the book to discussing Jesus as savior in light of contemporary cultural currents, specifically addressing the thorny issues of religious pluralism, moral relativism, postmodernism, and the quest for world peace. Illustrated with real-life stories, "Is Jesus the Only Savior?" gives a fair hearing to twenty-first-century concerns while upholding historic Christian faith.

This new Pillar volume offers exceptional commentary on Mark that clearly shows the second Gospel -- though it was a product of the earliest Christian community -- to be both relevant and sorely needed in today's church. Written by a biblical scholar who has devoted thirty years to the study of the second Gospel, this commentary aims primarily to interpret the Gosepl of Mark according to its theological intentions and purposes, especially as they relate to the life and ministry of Jesus and the call to faith and discipleship. Unique features of James Edwards's approach include clear descriptions of key terms used by Mark and revealing discussion of the Gospel's literary features, including Mark's use of the -sandwich- technique and of imagistic motifs and irony. Edwards also proposes a new paradigm for interpreting the difficult -Little Apocalypse- of chapter 13, and he argues for a new understanding of Mark's controversial ending.