The Jesus Phenomenon examines the likely possibilities for the existence of the person who became known as Jesus Christ.The book looks at his most likely ancestry, the link with David and why that might have been important, the bloodline that led to his conception, the implications after his death, and the possibility that there are direct descendants.The author examines the evidence and investigates the various possibilities for a credible and realistic basis of the Jesus Christ story and...

A new view of Jesus as a Buddha-like wisdom teacher who taught the transformation of consciousness—with traditional contemplative practices you can do yourselfIf you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness.The Wisdom Jesus provides a new perspective on Christ and an expansive interpretation of ...

Russell Shorto meticulously investigates Christian history and the Bible's New Testament to reveal the true, historical Jesus Christ.For roughly two thousand years, the world has known only the biblical depiction of Jesus: the virgin birth, miraculous life, and resurrection. Recently, scholars have pursued the historical Jesus Christ by poring through texts, examining ancient documents, and even holding votes. They make a fresh attempt to answer some of history's gr...

This thoughtful, fully accessible exploration of the creed, the list of beliefs central to the Christian faith, delves into its origins and illuminates the contemporary significance of why it still matters.During services in Christian communities, the members of the congregation stand together to recite the creed, professing in unison the beliefs they share. For most Christians, the creed functions as a sort of “ABC” of what it means to be a Christian and to be part of a worldwide ...

The fifth book of the New Testament has been known from ancient times as The Acts of the Apostles; but this title cannot be found in the book itself. One of the earliest manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus, gives as the title the simple word Acts, with no mention of the apostles. There is a reason for this. Acts was intended to be more than a brief history of the service rendered by the twelve disciples, much more than the principal events in the lifework of its four leading characters, Pete...

Seeking Truth? One of the first questions people have is, "Can I really trust the Bible? This book answers the question with proofs compiled from ancient history and archaeology revealing it's accuracy. Evidences for Pontius Pilate, Tiberius Caesar, Quirinius, Sergius Paulus, King Herod, the high priest Annas, The Flood, The Tower of Babel, The Ark of the Covenant, the prophet Jeremiah's enemy, King Cyrus, King Jehu, King Uzziah, Manasseh, King Ahaz and many others.

Taubes, Badiou, Agamben, iek, Reinhard, and Santner have found in the Apostle Paul's emphasis on neighbor-love a positive paradigm for politics. By thoroughly reexamining Pauline eschatology, L. L. Welborn suggests that neighbor-love depends upon an orientation toward the messianic event, which Paul describes as the "now time" and which he imagines as "awakening." Welborn compares the Pauline dialectic of awakening to attempts by Hellenistic philosophers to rouse their contemporaries fro...

Reading the New Testament offers an exciting and contemporary approach to New Testament Studies, which have changed dramatically in the past thirty years. James Crossley combines an introduction to traditional methods of source, form and social-scientific criticism with postcolonial, gender and political frameworks. He discusses reception-history, covering areas such as popular culture, party politics, historical theology and the politics of contemporary scholarship. He discusses ...

Who was Jesus?Historical sources portray a person who was complex, multi-layered, and often contradictory to the tidy portrait that much of modern Christianity paints him as. Even the gospel accounts render him as both judge and healer, teacher and temple, servant and savior.A Doubter's Guide to Jesus is a persuasive and often challenging investigation into the historical figure found in the earliest sources. These sources, which include references...

The life of Christ is an exhaustless theme. It reveals a character of greater massiveness than the hills, of a more serene beauty than the stars, of sweeter fragrance than the flowers, higher than the heavens in sublimity and deeper than the seas in mystery. As good Jean Paul has eloquently said, “It concerns Him who, being the holiest among the mighty, and the mightiest among the holy, lifted with His pierced hands empires off their hinges, turned the stream of centuries out of its channe...

"HERE hast thou, dear reader, an exposition upon the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew, wherein Christ, our spiritual Isaac, diggeth again the wells of Abraham: which wells the scribes and Pharisees, those wicked and spiteful Philistines, had stopped and filled up with the earth of their false expositions. He openeth the kingdom of heaven, which they had shut up that other men should not enter, as they themselves had no lust to go in. He restoreth the key of knowledge, which th...

When James wrote his epistle, he was convinced he was living in the end time. God inspired his message to teach us about the greatest tragedy on Earth at this time-what caused it-and what the solution is! In this booklet: • A Message to the Exiles   • The Father of Lights • Brethren, Show No Partiality • War Among Teachers • God Condemns the "Rich Men" • Elijah's Prayer