John Barton

Establishing the relevance of Old Testament ethics to contemporary life is, as Barton concedes, an uphill task. For many Christians today - let alone those with no religious commitment - to find some way of accommodating them into a coherent moral system by which to live in the 21st century seems at best implausible and at worst ridiculous or even immoral. However, Barton is convinced that in many areas of ethical enquiry the Old Testament has much to teach us, and he argues his case in this new edition of "Ethics and the Old Testament". He looks again at the Ten Commandments; the narrative about David and his children; the ethical issue of ecology; sexual morality and property; human morality as the express command of God; and the motivation for moral conduct. An additional chapter offers fresh views about the value of Old Testament ethics in discussions on human dignity. Barton's aim is to show that although the Old Testament comes from a remote, alien and apparently unsophisticated context, the powerful minds who worked on its books still have things to say which remain evocative and suggestive for our own moral enquiries.

Fire, flood, earthquake, vandalism, a terrorist attack—the issues of safety measures, emergency response, and disaster recovery have now become an important part of the planning strategies for most organizations. For the information organization, such as a library, archives, or record center, this responsibility has taken on new dimensions with the proliferation of various forms of electronic media. The authors take the approach that disaster recovery planning must touch every department of an organization and that emergency response must be a carefully mapped strategy. This broad-based approach to "integrated disaster planning" explains each phase of disaster planning, with chapters covering prevention planning, protection planning, preparedness planning, response planning, and recovery planning. The authors consider collections, records, facilities, and systems and include a chapter on post-disaster planning as well. The authors also cover federal and local assistance programs and list other sources for financial assistance. Although the main thrust of the book is the protection of documents, human safety in case of disaster is stressed explicitly and implicitly throughout. Indispensible for every information organization.

Playing Shakespeare is the premier guide to understanding and appreciating the mastery of the world's greatest playwright. Together with Royal Shakespeare Company actors-among them Patrick Stewart, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Ben Kingsley, and David Suchet-John Barton demonstrates how to adapt Elizabethan theater for the modern stage. The director begins by explicating Shakespeare's verse and prose, speeches and soliloquies, and naturalistic and heightened language to discover the essence of his characters. In the second section, Barton and the actors explore nuance in Shakespearean theater, from evoking irony and ambiguity and striking the delicate balance of passion and profound intellectual thought, to finding new approaches to playing Shakespeare's most controversial creation, Shylock, from The Merchant of Venice. A practical and essential guide, Playing Shakespeare will stand for years as the authoritative favorite among actors, scholars, teachers, and students.

In Joel and Obadiah, John Barton furnishes a fresh translation of the ancient manuscripts and discusses questions of historical background and literary architecture before providing a theologically sensitive and critically informed interpretation of the text.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

Here, in a new edition reprint of John Barton's Archibald Lampman Award-winning classic, is a portrait in verse of the venerable and eccentric Emily Carr. Barton explores the West Coast landscape that was her inspiration with its cathedrals of cedars and the swirling skies of her own imagining. With an introduction by Kate Braid, author of To This Cedar Fountain, Barton's own artistry is made available to the host of fans it garnered on its original printing and to those legions which have followed his career for the last fifteen years. Emily Carr wrote in her journal in the early thirties: "Avoid outrageousness and monstrosity. Be vital, intense, sincere. Distort if it is necessary to carry your point but not for the sake of being outlandish. Seek ever to lift the painting above the paint." Barton heeds her words, penning a fine literary work which is representational rather than documentary, impressionistic rather than exact, creating art that betrays the artist intact in spirit, fortitude and legacy.

This entertainment by and about the Kings and Queens of England includes music, poetry, speeches, letters and other writings. The Hollow Crown has been performed in America and England by stars from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The four readers enact the writings of royals from William I to Victoria; the three singers intersperse songs from the proper period - some of which are sad tunes on the death of kings while others are uproariously funny.1 woman, 3 men

An internationally respected biblical scholar investigates the origins of the Christian canon. John Barton explores the reasons behind the development of the New Testament and pursues the historical factors involved in combining these books with the Hebrew Scriptures.

In a clear and concise way, John Barton describes the development of the Bible. He explains how the Bible came to be written and collected into the authoritative Scriptures of the Christian Church. Barton untangles the web of history and lets the reader appreciate the journey from spoken word to written word.

One of the most reliable and helpful books on interpretive method is now available in a new and up-to-date edition. Firmly founded in the best scholarship, John Barton's Reading the Old Testament helps students to understand both the established methods of biblical study and the newer emerging trends.

In this book, John Barton offers a positive but critical evaluation of biblical authority. Among other topics, he discusses the canon, the value of the Bible as historical evidence, the Bible's witness to the faith, and the place of Scripture in worship. He shows Christians that critical reading of Scripture is a help rather than a hindrance to their faith and affirms that they are not required to chose between fundamentalism and unbelief.

Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric on Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical interpretation. It analyses the development of literary and historical criticism and more recent social-scientific and literary approaches, by focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposes the underlying theological issues. There emerges a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in these texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. An annotated index provides detailed information on some 250 biblical scholars and other interpreters.

Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric on Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical interpretation. It analyses the development of literary and historical criticism and more recent social-scientific and literary approaches, by focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposes the underlying theological issues. There emerges a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in these texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. An annotated index provides detailed information on some 250 biblical scholars and other interpreters.