Mikeal C. Parsons - Böcker

The Bible and Baptist Tradition surveys the ways in which Baptists have engaged with the Bible as a source of authority. That engagement has sometimes taken the form of "proof-texting" the Bible to support beliefs that Baptists "know" to be true. At times, that engagement is a struggle to come to terms with the "plain meaning" of Scripture that challenges those well-worn assumptions of Truth. Mikael Parsons and Douglas Weaver begin with the basic question of what defines Baptist identity. With over four centuries of history, the following themes emerge in the Baptist story: freedom of conscience, believer's baptism and believer's church, soul competency and local church independence, assertions of the sole authority of the Bible rather than adherence to creeds, and the interplay of personal/communal experience, the Bible, and the Spirit. Wherever the experience of freedom is central to identity, diversity of expression is sure to follow. This book traces the role the Bible has played in the formation of Baptist creeds and confessions, the struggle to come to terms with the challenges of higher criticism in biblical studies, and the impact of the Bible on issues of gender, race, and sexuality. The study includes a Baptist-specific interpretation of a particularly important passage in the tradition: Acts 2 and the account of Pentecost and Peter's sermon. Throughout their history, Baptists have grappled with the lively dynamic of personal and communal experience and biblical authority. These are their stories.

The Bible and Baptist Tradition surveys the ways in which Baptists have engaged with the Bible as a source of authority. That engagement has sometimes taken the form of "proof-texting" the Bible to support beliefs that Baptists "know" to be true. At times, that engagement is a struggle to come to terms with the "plain meaning" of Scripture that challenges those well-worn assumptions of Truth. Mikael Parsons and Douglas Weaver begin with the basic question of what defines Baptist identity. With over four centuries of history, the following themes emerge in the Baptist story: freedom of conscience, believer's baptism and believer's church, soul competency and local church independence, assertions of the sole authority of the Bible rather than adherence to creeds, and the interplay of personal/communal experience, the Bible, and the Spirit. Wherever the experience of freedom is central to identity, diversity of expression is sure to follow. This book traces the role the Bible has played in the formation of Baptist creeds and confessions, the struggle to come to terms with the challenges of higher criticism in biblical studies, and the impact of the Bible on issues of gender, race, and sexuality. The study includes a Baptist-specific interpretation of a particularly important passage in the tradition: Acts 2 and the account of Pentecost and Peter's sermon. Throughout their history, Baptists have grappled with the lively dynamic of personal and communal experience and biblical authority. These are their stories.

This book examines visual representations of the public ministry of Christ in scenes unique to the Gospel of Luke. Scenes depicting the birth and suffering of Christ no doubt dominated the visual repertoire of medieval and renaissance artists. Nonetheless, the miracles and teachings of Jesus also inspired numerous depictions, not only during the period of the earliest Christian art but continuing throughout the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods. The book demonstrates how this 'visual exegesis' might enrich our understanding of Luke's Gospel and at the same time inform the contemporary faith community's interpretation of Scripture. Each of these chapters begins with an overview of the biblical passage and its subsequent interpretation, noting significant rhetorical features and the overarching theological argument of the text, as well as outlining a brief summary of its subsequent interpretation in the ecclesiastical literature.Next, the selected work of art is lent context by a brief biography of the artist, placing the work within the artist's own oeuvre, discussing what is known of the patronage of the specific image, and exploring important social, political and religious factors which may facilitate our understanding of the painting. A stylistic and iconographic analysis is followed by brief hermeneutical reflections about how this visual interpretation might inform the church's reading of Scripture. Illuminating Luke will appeal broadly to students of the Bible and the history of Christian art. Scholars and students interested in the history of biblical interpretation will benefit from this book. Likewise, educated laypersons and pastors will find in its pages rich resources for theological reflection.

As a sequel to the hugely successful Jesus and the Heritage of Israel, this book brings together fourteen internationally acclaimed scholars in antiquities studies and experts on Paul and Luke. The contributors provoke new approaches to the troubled relation of the Lukan Paul by re-configuring the figure and impact of Paul upon nascent Christianity, with the two leading questions as a driving force. First, ‘Who is "Israel" and the "church" for Luke and Luke's Paul' and secondly ‘Who is Jesus of Nazareth and who is Paul in relation to both?' The contributors provide challenging new perspectives on approaches to the figure of Paul in recent scholarship as well as in the scholarship of previous generations, ‘re-figuring' Paul by examining both how he is portrayed in Acts, and how the Pauline figure of Acts may be envisioned within Paul's own writings. Paul and the Heritage of Israel thus accomplishes what no other single volume has done: combining both the ‘Paul of Paul' and the ‘Paul of Luke' in one seminal volume.

As a sequel to the hugely successful Jesus and the Heritage of Israel this book brings together fourteen internationally acclaimed scholars in antiquities studies and experts on Paul and Luke. The contributors provoke new approaches to the troubled relation of the Lukan Paul by re-configuring the figure and impact of Paul upon nascent Christianity, with the two leading questions as a driving force. First, 'Who is "Israel" and the "church" for Luke and Luke's Paul' and secondly 'Who is Jesus of Nazareth and who is Paul in relation to both?' The contributors provide challenging new perspectives on approaches to the figure of Paul in recent scholarship as well as in the scholarship of previous generations, 're-figuring' Paul by examining both how he is portrayed in Acts, and how the Pauline figure of Acts may be envisioned within Paul's own writings. Paul and the Heritage of Israel thus accomplishes what no other single volume has done: combining both the 'Paul of Paul' and the 'Paul of Luke' in one seminal volume.

Ephesians and Colossians is the first of eighteen volumes in the new Paideia commentary series. This series approaches each text in its final, canonical form, proceeding by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Each sense unit is explored in three sections: (1) introductory matters, (2) tracing the train of thought, (3) key hermeneutical and theological questions. The commentaries shed fresh light on the text while avoiding idiosyncratic readings, attend to theological meaning without presuming a specific theological stance in the reader, and show how the text uses narrative and rhetorical strategies from the ancient educational context to form and shape the reader. Professors, graduate and seminary students, and pastors will benefit from this readable commentary, as will theological libraries.

Though often neglected among readers of Paul's letters, his two surviving letters to the church in Thessalonica are highly valuable sources for reconstructing the theology of Paul and the history of the earliest Christian churches. First and Second Thessalonians also stand out for their intensely personal nature and provide a rare glimpse into Paul's methods of pastoral care. This practical commentary interacts with the best scholarship on the Thessalonian letters while offering fresh new insights.

A senior New Testament scholar exposes theological meaning in Second Corinthians by tracing the use of rhetorical strategies from the ancient cultural and educational context.

In Acts, the third of eighteen volumes in the Paideia commentary series, leading biblical scholar Mikeal Parsons gleans fresh theological insight into Acts by attending carefully to the cultural and educational context from which it emerges. Parsons see Acts as a charter document explaining and legitimating Christian identity for a general audience of early Christians living in the ancient Mediterranean world. Pastors, graduate and seminary students, and professors will benefit from this readable commentary, as will theological libraries. The Paideia commentaries are designed to be read through and used, not shelved and referenced. The main text is supplemented with maps, sidebars, and photographs. Indexes and reference lists help readers locate discussions in the commentary and in other secondary literature.

In this fresh and readable addition to the Paideia series, well-respected New Testament scholar Frank Matera examines cultural context and theological meaning in Romans. 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• commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book• focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text• making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format

Mikeal Parsons, a leading scholar on Luke and Acts, examines cultural context and theological meaning in Luke in this addition to the well-received Paideia series. This commentary, like each in the projected eighteen-volume series, proceeds by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. 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.

Hebrews, the second of eighteen volumes in the Paideia commentary series, brings the insight of a veteran teacher and writer to bear on a New Testament book whose rich imagery and memorable phrases have long shaped Christian discourse. The Paideia series approaches each text in its final, canonical form, proceeding by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Each sense unit is explored in three sections: (1) introductory matters, (2) tracing the train of thought, (3) key hermeneutical and theological questions. The commentaries shed fresh light on the text while avoiding idiosyncratic readings, attend to theological meaning without presuming a specific theological stance in the reader, and show how the text uses narrative and rhetorical strategies from the ancient educational context to form and shape the reader.

In this fresh commentary, the fourth of eighteen volumes in the Paideia series, a leading New Testament scholar examines cultural context and theological meaning in Matthew. 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• Commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book• Focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text• Making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format

Drawing from many parts of the broad Christian tradition, this commentary on First and Second Timothy and Titus helps readers gain a stronger understanding of early Christian ministry in the first two centuries. Paideia commentaries show how New Testament texts use ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies to form and shape the reader and provide a fresh reading of the biblical texts in light of ancient culture and modern issues. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this commentary.

In this addition to the well-received Paideia series, New Testament scholars Duane Watson and Terrance Callan examine cultural context and theological meaning in First and Second Peter. 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• commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book• focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text• making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly formatThis commentary, like each in the projected eighteen-volume series, proceeds by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight Watson and Callan offer in interpreting First and Second Peter.

In this volume, respected New Testament scholar Peter Oakes offers a translation and reading of Galatians as presenting a gospel of unity in diversity in Christ. He shows that Paul treats the Galatians' possible abandonment of his gospel as putting at stake their fidelity to Christ. As with other volumes in the Paideia series, this volume is conversant with contemporary scholarship, draws on ancient backgrounds, and attends to the theological nature of the text. Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary.

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.

In this addition to the well-received Paideia series, a respected New Testament scholar examines cultural context and theological meaning in First, Second, and Third John. 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.

2013 Catholic Press Award WinnerIn this addition to the well-received Paideia series, a respected New Testament scholar examines cultural context and theological meaning in First Corinthians. 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• commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book• focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text• making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly formatStudents, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight Pheme Perkins offers in interpreting First Corinthians.

In this addition to the well-received Paideia series, Mary Ann Beavis examines cultural context and theological meaning in Mark. 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• commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book• focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text• making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly formatStudents, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the insights that Beavis derives from interrogating the text through multiple perspectives.

In this addition to the well-received Paideia series, Jo-Ann Brant examines cultural context and theological meaning in John. 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• commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book• focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text• making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly formatThis commentary, like each in the projected eighteen-volume series, proceeds by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse.

Two respected New Testament scholars expose theological meaning in James and Jude by tracing the use of rhetorical strategies from the ancient cultural and educational context.

This practical commentary on Revelation is conversant with contemporary scholarship, draws on ancient backgrounds, and attends to the theological nature of the text. Sigve Tonstad, an expert in the early Jewish context of the New Testament, offers a nonretributive reading of Revelation and addresses the issue of divine violence. 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 moral habits, and making judicious use of photos and sidebars in a reader-friendly format.

Charting the theological and cultural potency of Acts across the timespan of Christian history, this work of profound scholarship reveals the full extent of the New Testament book’s religious, artistic, literary, and political influence. Reveals the influence of Acts at key turning points in the history of the Christian churchTraces the rich and varied artistic and cultural heritage rooted in Acts, from music to literatureAnalyzes the political significance of the book as a touchstone in the church’s external relationsProvides detailed commentary on the exegesis of Acts down the centuries

Charting the theological and cultural potency of Acts across the timespan of Christian history, this work of profound scholarship reveals the full extent of the New Testament book’s religious, artistic, literary, and political influence. Reveals the influence of Acts at key turning points in the history of the Christian churchTraces the rich and varied artistic and cultural heritage rooted in Acts, from music to literatureAnalyzes the political significance of the book as a touchstone in the church’s external relationsProvides detailed commentary on the exegesis of Acts down the centuries

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 this volume Mikeal C. Parsons provides an overview of Luke and Acts, reading Luke and Acts in the context of ancient rhetorical criticism as practiced in the Hellenistic world. Parsons first compares Luke's storytelling with narrative techniques of ancient rhetoric. He next compares Luke's interpretation of Jewish sources within the social conventions of Luke's day. Finally, Parsons profiles Luke's specific evangelistic theological artistry, one in which Luke creatively uses Isaiah to call for the conversion of the Gentiles. The depth and breadth of Parson's chapters root Luke's narrative strategy, interpretive moves, and theological imagination in the pagan, Jewish, and Christian contexts of the period.

The Acts of the Apostles: Four Centuries of Baptist Interpretation is a landmark work of research, containing examples of specific ways that Baptists have used Acts in their confessions, sermons, tracts, commentaries, monographs, devotional and denominational literature, speeches, and hymns. Including the entirety of the Acts as translated by Baptist luminary Helen Barrett Montgomery, this commentary beautifully illustrates the diversity of Baptist responses to this book of Scripture, and in so doing, a variety of hermeneutical approaches within the Baptist tradition.