Bücher veröffentlicht von William B Eerdmans Publishing Co

The gripping story of one man''s remarkable spiritual journey A most dangerous criminal, convicted of five violent murders, Clayton Anthony Fountain was condemned in 1974 to live out his days in solitary confinement at the highest-security prison in the U.S. Without ever again emerging from his cell, however, Fountain underwent a profound spiritual transformation. Father W. Paul Jones, who served as Fountain''s spiritual adviser for six years until Fountain''s sudden death in 2004, shares his amazing story with candor and compassion in these pages.

Translated by Michelle K. BorrasThe idea of love pervades our society, yet it is nearly impossible to answer the question What is love? especially as we witness the divorce of love from sexuality and of sexuality from procreation. Aware that many people today are skeptical about marriage, Angelo Cardinal Scola nevertheless suggests that only in the category of nuptial mystery do we find a way to adequately describe the phenomenon of love.A bright new leader in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Scola argues that the male-female relationship lies near the heart of what it means to bear the image of God. Scola's book explores the essential sexual differences that both separate and unite men and women, and it shows how men and women can realize their purpose in marriage or celibacy.Conversant with papal teaching and Catholic writers from Aquinas to von Balthasar, Cardinal Scola writes with a deep regard for marriage and the family. His Nuptial Mystery will leave readers with a thoroughly Christian appreciation for incarnate love.

At the heart of all ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Evangelicals is their fundamental agreement on Christology -- and a common understanding and confession of the lordship of Jesus Christ as the unique Savior of the human race. Infinity Dwindled to Infancy provides a broad survey of doctrinal and historical issues at play in Christology.Drawing from a wide range of sources -- contemporary New Testament scholarship and patristic Christology, key medieval theologians, major Protestant voices, Catholic theologians, and recent magisterial statements from Vatican II -- Edward T. Oakes presents two millennia of thinking on one of the great paradoxes at the heart of Christian faith: -an infinite God who is finite man . . . in short, Infinity dwindled to infancy.-

In this and every age, the church desperately needs prophecy. It needs the bold proclamation of God's transforming vision to challenge its very human tendency toward expediency and self-interest -- to jolt it into new insight and energy. For Luke Timothy Johnson, the New Testament books Luke and Acts provide that much-needed jolt to conventional norms. To read Luke-Acts as a literary unit, he says, is to uncover a startling prophetic vision of Jesus and the church -- and an ongoing call for today's church to embody and proclaim God's vision for the world.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Paul's letter to the Romans is often regarded as the most profoundly doctrinal book in the Bible. While not overlooking its complex theology, Joseph Fitzmyer here shows Romans to be also a wellspring of devotional insight, accessible and deeply rewarding to all Christians. In this book Fitzmyer recasts the text of Romans into the form of meditations for devotional reflection in spiritual retreats, Bible studies, church classrooms, small groups, and other prayerful gatherings. Styled after the famous Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, the book includes twenty-four meditations that can be divided in a variety of ways and fit to a range of reading schedules. Accompanying each meditation are questions to encourage reflection on the passage of Romans being considered and also a colloquy in the form of a psalm or New Testament hymn that matches the sentiment of the Pauline passage. A truly fulfilling approach to spirituality, Fitzmyer's Spiritual Exercises demonstrates the role of Scripture in properly ordering the Christian life.

This outstanding book provides an in-depth historical study of the place of Jesus in the religious life, beliefs, and worship of Christians from the beginnings of the Christian movement down to the late second century. Lord Jesus Christ is a monumental work on earliest Christian devotion to Jesus, sure to replace Wilhelm Bousset's Kyrios Christos (1913) as the standard work on the subject. Larry Hurtado, widely respected for his previous contributions to the study of the New Testament and Christian origins, offers the best view to date of how the first Christians saw and reverenced Jesus as divine. In assembling this compelling picture, Hurtado draws on a wide body of ancient sources, from Scripture and the writings of such figures as Ignatius of Antioch and Justin to apocryphal texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Truth. Hurtado considers such themes as early beliefs about Jesus' divine status and significance, but he also explores telling devotional practices of the time, including prayer and worship, the use of Jesus' name in exorcism, baptism and healing, ritual invocation of Jesus as "Lord," martyrdom, and lesser-known phenomena such as prayer postures and the curious scribal practice known today as the nomina sacra. The revealing portrait that emerges from Hurtado's comprehensive study yields definitive answers to questions like these: How important was this formative period to later Christian tradition? When did the divinization of Jesus first occur? Was early Christianity influenced by neighboring religions? How did the idea of Jesus' divinity change old views of God? And why did the powerful dynamics of early beliefs and practices encourage people to make the costly move of becoming a Christian? Boasting an unprecedented breadth and depth of coverage -- the book speaks authoritatively on everything from early Christian history to themes in biblical studies to New Testament Christology -- Hurtado's Lord Jesus Christ is at once significant enough that a wide range of scholars will want to read it and accessible enough that general readers interested at all in Christian origins will also profit greatly from it.

This inaugural volume in the Bible in Its World series offers a comprehensive commentary on the parables of Jesus. Arland Hultgren's outstanding work features fresh translations of the parables in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas, followed by interpretive notes and commentary on the theological meaning and significance of each parable for readers today.After an introductory chapter on the nature of parables and their interpretation, Hultgren studies the thirty-eight parables of Jesus thematically, exploring in turn "parables of the revelation of God," "parables of exemplary behavior," "parables of wisdom," "parables of life before God," "parables of final judgment," "allegorical parables," and "parables of the kingdom." He also discusses how the three evangelists used the parables within the literary framework and theological interests of their Gospels. The book ends with a close look at the parables of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas.Distinctive in the field for its scope of coverage and its goal of addressing the widest possible audience, this volume will be a valuable study resource for classrooms, churches, and general readers.

Handel's oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt -- and also misunderstanding.This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel's majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence.Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah's unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel's music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text.For anyone seeking to appreciate Handel's Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read.(Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People is the newest volume in the flourishing Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series, edited by John D. Witvliet.)

Emmauel Katongole is a Catholic priest from Uganda, born in 1960, who lived through the reign of Idi Amin and has seen the postcolonial struggles of his home country and its sub-Saharan neighbors -- Rwanda, the Congo, Zimbabwe, Liberia, and others -- up close and personal.Looking at this region, ravaged by war, corruption, terror, genocide, and disease, Katongole wonders at length what difference Christianity makes -- or could make -- in numerous African nation-states. The Sacrifice of Africa argues that in the face of Africa's social, political, and economic turmoil, a new future truly is possible, and displays how such a new future, inspired by Christian faith, looks.

The Dance between God and Humanity brings together thirty-one articles written by Bruce Waltke, reformed evangelical professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, on fascinating topics in biblical theology including:Studying the Psalms devotionallyThe text and canon of the Old TestamentPreaching ProverbsBiblical authorityDoing theology for the people of GodEvangelical spiritualityOld Testament texts about human reproductionReflections on retirementThe role of women in the BibleAnd much more!

This book clearly shows how Karl Barth still remains a vital dialogue partner for contemporary theology. Hans Mikkelsen sets out to demonstrate the ways in which Barth reinterprets traditional Christianity. In this spirit of dialogue, Mikkelsen reads Barth in conjunction with several other thinkers and theologians, including Schleiermacher, Hegel, Brunner, Buber, Pannenberg, Gerard, and Frei.Reconciled Humanity is a refreshing treatment of Barth, full of complex, intricate, and highly nuanced arguments. Mikkelsen here establishes a connection between tradition and modernity in systematic theology, concerning himself not only with what Barth said, but also with how one can -- and should -- use Barth's thought in a constructive way today.

Alan Jacobs is fond of the essay because it lets a writer do something that more formal pieces of writing cannot: follow the "vagaries of the mind," let the writing follow its own path, encountering surprises and fresh insights along the way. In this new collection, Jacobs offers essays for companionable wayfaring. To be a Christian, he says, is to be a wayfarer, to move hopefully towards a cherished goal. These essays are a wayfarer's notes, a record of ideas and experiences encountered on the pilgrim path. Gathered here are pieces serious and comic, eloquent and interesting. Jacobs muses on the usefulness and dangers of blogging, the art of dictionary making, the world of Harry Potter, and an appreciation of trees. He also includes several book reviews, including a wickedly witty poem. With Wayfaring, Jacobs continues his tradition of exploring Christian theology and experience by way of the essay, bringing serious musings within reach of us all.