Is the Gospel Good News? was the theme of the 2015 H. H. Bingham Colloquium at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, held on June 4-5. The fourteen participants in this colloquium presented their own individual perspectives on the theme from three broad vantage points--Bible, theology, and crucial topics. The "good news" that Jesus proclaimed concerning the kingdom of God became the "gospel" proclaimed by his followers throughout church history. This gospel is about the coming of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of God''s will for humanity. This volume presents some accounts of how this good news has been understood through the ages and continues to be understood in relation to some of the major topics and issues of our contemporary world. The papers in the Bible section discuss this good news from both Old and New Testament passages and themes. The papers in the Theology section address theological topics in light of the question of what constitutes the good news. Finally, the papers in the Crucial Topics section explore new and different perspectives on ways in which the gospel is good news. This volume highlights diverse perspectives and proposals by scholars from various locations in different stages of their academic careers, resulting in a stimulating discussion of the topic of the gospel as good news.

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College's previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College's previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College''s previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

This is the twelfth volume of the hard-copy edition of a journal that has been published online (www.jgrchj.net) since 2000. Volume 1 was for 2000, Volume 2 was for 2001-2005, Volume 3 was for 2006, Volume 4 was for 2007, Volume 5 was for 2008, Volume 6 was for 2009, Volume 7 was for 2010, Volume 8 was for 2011-2012, Volume 9 was for 2013, Volume 10 was for 2014, Volume 11 was for 2015 and Volume 12 is for 2016. As they appear, the hard-copy editions will replace the online materials. The scope of JGRChJ is the texts, language and cultures of the Greco-Roman world of early Christianity and Judaism. The papers published in JGRChJ are designed to pay special attention to the ''larger picture'' of politics, culture, religion and language, engaging as well with modern theoretical approaches. Contents Seth M. Ehorn and Mark Lee The Syntactical Function of ὰλλὰ καί in Phil. 2.4 Matthew Oseka Attentive to the Context: The Generic Name of God in the Classic Jewish Lexica and Grammars of the Middle Ages--A Historical and Theological Perspective David I. Yoon Ancient Letters of Recommendation and 2 Corinthians 3.1-3: A Literary Analysis Stanley E. Porter The Synoptic Problem: The State of the Question Greg Stanton Wealthier Supporters of Jesus of Nazareth Preston T. Massey Women, Talking and Silence: 1 Corinthians 11.5 and 14.34-35 in the Light of Greco-Roman Culture Hughson T. Ong The Language of the New Testament from a Sociolinguistic Perspective Jonathan M. Watt Semitic Language Resources of Ancient Jewish Palestine Stanley E. Porter The Use of Greek in First-Century Palestine: A Diachronic and Synchronic Examination

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College''s previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

Is the Gospel Good News? was the theme of the 2015 H. H. Bingham Colloquium at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, held on June 4-5. The fourteen participants in this colloquium presented their own individual perspectives on the theme from three broad vantage points--Bible, theology, and crucial topics. The "good news" that Jesus proclaimed concerning the kingdom of God became the "gospel" proclaimed by his followers throughout church history. This gospel is about the coming of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of God''s will for humanity. This volume presents some accounts of how this good news has been understood through the ages and continues to be understood in relation to some of the major topics and issues of our contemporary world. The papers in the Bible section discuss this good news from both Old and New Testament passages and themes. The papers in the Theology section address theological topics in light of the question of what constitutes the good news. Finally, the papers in the Crucial Topics section explore new and different perspectives on ways in which the gospel is good news. This volume highlights diverse perspectives and proposals by scholars from various locations in different stages of their academic careers, resulting in a stimulating discussion of the topic of the gospel as good news.

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College's previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College's previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College''s previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.

This is the twelfth volume of the hard-copy edition of a journal that has been published online (www.jgrchj.net) since 2000. Volume 1 was for 2000, Volume 2 was for 2001-2005, Volume 3 was for 2006, Volume 4 was for 2007, Volume 5 was for 2008, Volume 6 was for 2009, Volume 7 was for 2010, Volume 8 was for 2011-2012, Volume 9 was for 2013, Volume 10 was for 2014, Volume 11 was for 2015 and Volume 12 is for 2016. As they appear, the hard-copy editions will replace the online materials. The scope of JGRChJ is the texts, language and cultures of the Greco-Roman world of early Christianity and Judaism. The papers published in JGRChJ are designed to pay special attention to the ''larger picture'' of politics, culture, religion and language, engaging as well with modern theoretical approaches. Contents Seth M. Ehorn and Mark Lee The Syntactical Function of ὰλλὰ καί in Phil. 2.4 Matthew Oseka Attentive to the Context: The Generic Name of God in the Classic Jewish Lexica and Grammars of the Middle Ages--A Historical and Theological Perspective David I. Yoon Ancient Letters of Recommendation and 2 Corinthians 3.1-3: A Literary Analysis Stanley E. Porter The Synoptic Problem: The State of the Question Greg Stanton Wealthier Supporters of Jesus of Nazareth Preston T. Massey Women, Talking and Silence: 1 Corinthians 11.5 and 14.34-35 in the Light of Greco-Roman Culture Hughson T. Ong The Language of the New Testament from a Sociolinguistic Perspective Jonathan M. Watt Semitic Language Resources of Ancient Jewish Palestine Stanley E. Porter The Use of Greek in First-Century Palestine: A Diachronic and Synchronic Examination

The McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry is an electronic and print journal that seeks to provide pastors, educators, and interested lay persons with the fruits of theological, biblical, and professional studies in an accessible form. Published by McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, it continues the heritage of scholarly inquiry and theological dialogue represented by the College''s previous print publications: the Theological Bulletin, Theodolite, and the McMaster Journal of Theology.