Bruce W. Longenecker - Böcker

To understand the New Testament well, it is important to study the larger world surrounding it, and one of the primary avenues for this exploration is through reading related ancient texts, a daunting task for scholars and novices alike given the sheer size of the ancient literary corpora. The ALNTS series aims to bridge this gap by introducing the key ancient texts that form the cultural, historical, and literary context for the study of the New Testament.This volume explores two vital strands of ancient Jewish literature: (1) the Jewish apocrypha and (2) the Septuagint (the Old Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible). These text-collections reveal the rich and dynamic Jewish environments in which early devotion to Jesus Christ first emerged. Intriguing on their own, these text-collections also backlight the life of Jesus and the faith of his earliest followers, adding contours of depth to the writings of the New Testament in relation to the Jewish matrix of their time.Contributors: Samuel L. Adams, Loveday Alexander, Philip Alexander, Joshua Alfaro, Sonja Ammann, Anna Angelini, John Barton, Katell Berthelot, Francis Borchardt, Miryam T. Brand, Alma Brodersen, Nuria Calduch-Benages, Adela Yarbro Collins, John J. Collins, Lindsey A. Davidson, David A. deSilva, Susan Docherty, Joseph R. Dodson, Michael W. Duggan, Craig A. Evans, Lisbeth S. Fried, Edmon L. Gallagher, Pieter B. Hartog, Tuukka Kauhanen, Olivia Stewart Lester, David Lincicum, William Loader, Francis M. Macatangay, Jean Maurais, Jill Middlemas, Gerbern S. Oegema, Mika S. Pajunen, Nicholas Perrin, Barbara Schmitz, Marco Settembrini, Shayna Sheinfeld, Jan A. Sigvartsen, Malka Simkovich, Gert J. Steyn, Markus Witte, and Benjamin G. Wright III.

Are Paul's letters undergirded and informed by key narratives, and does a heightened awareness of those narratives help us to gain a richer and more rounded understanding of Paul's theology? The last two decades of the twentieth century witnessed an increasing interest in the narrative features of Paul's thought. A variety of studies since that period have advanced "story" as an integral and generative ingredient in Paul's theological formulations. In this book, a team of leading Pauline scholars assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a narrative approach, looking in detail at its application to particular Pauline texts.

New in the Acclaimed Paideia Commentary SeriesTwo respected senior New Testament scholars examine cultural context and theological meaning in Philippians and Philemon in this addition to the well-received Paideia series. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs, showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits, and making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary.

A Fascinating Glimpse into the World of the New TestamentTransported two thousand years into the past, readers are introduced to Antipas, a Roman civic leader who has encountered the writings of the biblical author Luke. Luke's history sparks Antipas's interest, and they begin corresponding. While the account is fictional, the author is a highly respected New Testament scholar who weaves reliable historical information into a fascinating story, offering a fresh, engaging, and creative way to learn about the New Testament world. The first edition has been widely used in the classroom (over 30,000 copies sold). This updated edition, now with improved readability and narrative flow, will bring the social and political world of Jesus and his first followers to life for many more students of the Bible.

St Paul was a pivotal and controversial figure in the fledgling Jesus movement of the first century. The New Cambridge Companion to St Paul provides an invaluable entryway into the study of Paul and his letters. Composed of sixteen essays by an international team of scholars, it explores some of the key issues in the current study of his dynamic and demanding theological discourse. The volume first examines Paul's life and the first-century context in which he and his communities lived. Contributors then analyze particular writings by comparing and contrasting at least two selected letters, while thematic essays examine topics of particular importance, including how Paul read scripture, his relation to Judaism and monotheism, why his message may have been attractive to first-century audiences, how his message was elaborated in various ways in the first four centuries, and how his theological discourse might relate to contemporary theological discourse and ideological analysis today.

The first three hundred years of the common era witnessed critical developments that would become foundational for Christianity itself, as well as for the societies and later history that emerged thereafter. The concept of 'ancient Christianity,' however, along with the content  that the category represents, has raised much debate. This is, in part, because within this category lie multiple forms of devotion to Jesus Christ, multiple phenomena, and multiple permutations in the formative period of Christian history. Within those multiples lie numerous contests, as varieties of Christian identity laid claim to authority and authenticity in different ways. The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity addresses these contested areas with both nuance and clarity by reviewing, synthesizing, and critically engaging recent scholarly developments. The 27 thematic chapters, specially commissioned for this volume from an international team of scholars, also offer constructive ways forward for future research.

St Paul was a pivotal and controversial figure in the fledgling Jesus movement of the first century. The New Cambridge Companion to St Paul provides an invaluable entryway into the study of Paul and his letters. Composed of sixteen essays by an international team of scholars, it explores some of the key issues in the current study of his dynamic and demanding theological discourse. The volume first examines Paul's life and the first-century context in which he and his communities lived. Contributors then analyze particular writings by comparing and contrasting at least two selected letters, while thematic essays examine topics of particular importance, including how Paul read scripture, his relation to Judaism and monotheism, why his message may have been attractive to first-century audiences, how his message was elaborated in various ways in the first four centuries, and how his theological discourse might relate to contemporary theological discourse and ideological analysis today.

Interpretation and the Claims of the Text combines the writings of more than a dozen prominent biblical scholars to elucidate the theological building blocks for the New Testament. Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Mikeal C. Parsons, Jason A. Whitlark, Loveday Alexander, Warren Carter, Sharyn Dowd, Amy-Jill Levine, Bruce W. Longenecker, Frank J. Matera, David P. Moessner, Alicia D. Myers, Lidija Novakovic, Todd D. Still, C. Clifton Black, and R. Alan Culpepper chart the waters of creation and humanity, the problems of sin, Christ's redemptive power, and God's overarching plan for humankind. Students and scholars alike will benefit from their exegetical groundwork, perceptive discussion, and enlightening conclusions. Interpretations and the Claims of the Text illuminates multiple points of departure for further exploration of the depths of New Testament texts.

Rudolf Bultmann's Theology of the New Testament has stood the test of time. At the very moment modernity was threatening to splinter New Testament studies into a myriad of isolated disciplines, Bultmann was somehow able to hold history, exegesis, and theology together. Theology of the New Testament was, and still is, the definitive theological statement of a high modernist critic. In it Bultmann was as relentless in his historical judgments as he was unapologetic in laying bare the New Testament's existential claims.Beyond Bultmann puts Bultmann's classic Theology of the New Testament to a new test . Thirteen contemporary New Testament scholars subject Bultmann's Theology to a comprehensive new reading. This fresh, critical examination of Bultmann not only places his magisterial work in a new context but also reveals the enduring features of Bultmann's achievement. Beyond Bultmann demonstrates that Theology of the New Testament, far from being a relic in the museum of interpretation, still speaks today despite its flaws.

In these volumes, Timothy Brookins and Bruce Longenecker provide a foundational analysis of the Greek text of 1 Corinthians. Distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the Greek text, 1 Corinthians is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for deciding between competing semantic analyses, engages important text-critical questions, and addresses questions relating to the Greek text that are frequently overlooked or ignored by standard commentaries. Beyond serving as a succinct and accessible analytic key, 1 Corinthians also reflects the most recent advances in scholarship on Greek grammar and linguistics. By filling the gap between popular and technical commentaries, these handbooks become indispensable tools for anyone committed to a deep reading of the biblical text.

Understanding associations in the Greco-Roman world enhances the study of the rise of early Christianity—whether at the micro-level of interpreting particular texts or at the macro-level of assessing the spread of Christ-devotion in the pre-Constantinian era. The twenty-five contributions contained within Greco-Roman Associations, Deities, and Early Christianity enlarge our perspectives on the extent to which Greco-Roman associations bring features of Christian origins into relief.Thematic studies include associational social reputation; women in associations; deities and devotion; financial strategies of group maintenance; care for the poor; varieties of group identity; refinements of terminological and conceptual apparatus; funerary practices; occupational groups; and the alleged role of Christianity in the demise of associations. Studies of particular phenomena include 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, Paul's Collection, Hebrews, a late first-century Christian family, 1 Clement, and Clement of Alexandria.While the essays cover a wide spectrum of topics, they retain a clear focus on aspects of corporate life within ancient associations as comparanda for the study of early Christ-groups within their social milieu. These essays, all kept to a disciplined length, represent the work of impressive scholars from a range of interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and international contexts. The volume's symposium of voices and lively scholarly exchange productively expand current conversations about Greco-Roman associations, deities, and early Christianity.

In the fourth and fifth centuries CE, Christian artistry began to flourish, as elite patrons sponsored decorative initiatives for basilica churches throughout the Mediterranean basin. But what about the first three centuries? Living prior to the Constantinian age of tolerance, did Christ followers of that period engage in artistic expressions that externalized their theological hopes and convictions?The question can best be answered by consulting the ancient material record itself. The study of the Greco-Roman world has increasingly taken a "material turn" with the recognition that the archaeological record is integral in shaping our understanding of ancient cultures and civilizations. Foregrounding the material data reanimates the lived experience of people on the ground. To what extent did early Christ followers leave their mark on the material record of the Roman world?This is the question Bruce Longenecker explores in The Materiality of Early Christ Devotion. An array of evidence from around the Mediterranean basin testifies to some fascinating ways that Christ followers expressed themselves in artistic media—gravestones, rings and gemstones, amulets, wall plaster, and mosaics. In particular, four archaeological sites allow us to see Christ followers giving life to their theological convictions in ways shaped by their localized situations.In Ostia and the aftermath of persecution, we glimpse a cautious but hopeful Christ devotion, with Christ followers creating cryptic artistic symbols within a public space.In Dura-Europos and the context of international embattlement, we encounter an ambitious and impassioned Christ devotion, as Christ followers used art to enhance their experiences of empowerment, illumination, and union with the divine.In Smyrna where numerical mysticism was fashionable, we discover a savvy and sapiential Christ devotion, with Christ followers embedding their devotion in artistic puzzles that exhibited the mystical and mathematical dimensions of their beliefs.In Pompeii, we catch sight of an embryonic Christ devotion that, like countless artistic artifacts from the town, displayed a simple hope for protection from evil forces and the insecurities of life.Building on the findings of archaeologists and historians, Longenecker's innovative interpretations offer fresh opportunities to see the diversity of localized forms of Christ devotion through the artistic ingenuity of pre-Constantinian Christ followers.

This beautifully designed, full-color textbook introduces the Roman background of the New Testament by immersing students in the life and culture of the thriving first-century towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which act as showpieces of the world into which the early Christian movement was spreading. Bruce Longenecker, a leading scholar of the ancient world of the New Testament, discusses first-century artifacts in relation to the life stories of people from the Roman world. The book includes discussion questions, maps, and 175 color photographs. Additional resources are available through Textbook eSources.

2026 Christian Book Award® Finalist (Bible Reference Works)Southwestern Journal of Theology 2024 Book Award (Biblical Reference / Biblical Backgrounds)This authoritative volume brings together a team of world-class scholars to cover the full range of New Testament backgrounds in a concise, up-to-date, and comprehensive manner.Drawing on the expertise of specialists in the areas of archaeological, historical, and biblical studies, this book provides concise treatments of a wide breadth of topics related to the world of the early Christ followers. The book offers compact overviews of key historical issues, facilitating enriched understandings of the significance and force of the texts of the New Testament in their original contexts.Meant to be used alongside traditional surveys, this one-stop introduction to New Testament backgrounds fills a gap in typical introduction to the Bible courses and is ideal for undergraduate or seminary classes. It is beautifully designed and includes photographs, line drawings, maps, charts, and tables, which will facilitate its use in the classroom.

In these volumes, Timothy Brookins and Bruce Longenecker provide a foundational analysis of the Greek text of 1 Corinthians. Distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the Greek text, 1 Corinthians is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for deciding between competing semantic analyses, engages important text-critical questions, and addresses questions relating to the Greek text that are frequently overlooked or ignored by standard commentaries. Beyond serving as a succinct and accessible analytic key, 1 Corinthians also reflects the most recent advances in scholarship on Greek grammar and linguistics. By filling the gap between popular and technical commentaries, these handbooks become indispensable tools for anyone committed to a deep reading of the biblical text.