Die Botschaft des Neuen Testaments – serie

Die neutestamentliche Forschung hat sich in den letzten Jahren eingehend mit dem letzten Buch der Bibel befasst. Von den Ergebnissen ist freilich wenig in der kirchlichen Verkündigung und bei normalen Bibellesern und -leserinnen angekommen. Dieser Kommentar möchte deshalb in allgemeinverständlicher Sprache den Ertrag der wissenschaftlichen Auslegung der Offenbarung einer breiten Leserschaft vermitteln. Er fragt aber darüber hinaus auch nach ihrer Botschaft für uns heute. Die Situation der Empfängergemeinden wird erklärt und die zeitgeschichtlichen Hintergründe werden hervorgehoben. Vor allem aber werden die Perspektiven herausgearbeitet, die über die zeitbedingten Aussagen hinausführen. Die alttestamentlichen Quellen der Visionen werden aufgezeigt und zur Entschlüsselung ihrer Symbolik genutzt. Auch die genaue Analyse des Aufbaus der Schrift wird zu einer wichtigen Lesehilfe. Die Spannungen innerhalb der Botschaft des Buchs werden klar benannt: Rigoristische Anforderungen an die Treue der Gemeinde neben bedingungsloser Einladung zu Gott, Theologie des Kreuzes neben blutigen Gewaltfantasien, Betonung der gnädigen Erwählung und die Bedeutung der Werke für das Urteil Christi. Doch es sind diese scheinbaren Widersprüche, die der Botschaft ihr besonderes Profil und Tiefenschärfe geben. Die Ermutigung zu einem Verhalten, das sich nicht von der Vergötterung menschlicher Macht verführen lässt, und zur Hoffnung auf den Sieg der gerechten und gnädigen Herrschaft Gottes hat bleibende Bedeutung auch für die Kirche heute.

Wer ist Gott? Diese Frage wird auch heute noch von vielen Menschen gestellt. Die Antwort wird auf unterschiedlichen Feldern menschlicher Erfahrung gesucht. Sie in der Bibel zu suchen scheint eher aus der Mode gekommen zu sein. Es gibt viele Vorurteile, insbesondere im Blick auf die Gottesvorstellungen im Alten Testament. Aufgrund seiner Jahrzehnte langen Beschäftigung mit der biblischen Botschaft zeigt Walter Klaiber in seinem neuen Buch die grundlegende Einheit der Gottesverkündigung in allen Teilen der Bibel auf. Es gibt unterschiedliche Akzente in den unterschiedlichen Schriften, aber im Grunde spricht die Bibel von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite von dem einen Gott, der Liebe ist. Es ist eine Liebe, die auch Nein sagen kann, die sich für geliebte Menschen und gegen Ungerechtigkeit ereifern kann, aber sie ist grundsätzlich getragen und erfüllt von dem Ja Gottes zu seiner Schöpfung und den Menschen, die er als sein verantwortliches Gegenüber geschaffen hat.

The letter to the Ephesians differs from all other Pauline letters because of its special character. In his dense and balanced language he develops Pauline theology in a comprehensive way. The death of Paul was probably the trigger for the creation of this letter. His words sound like a legacy for the next generation. He has important things to say, especially for today: With his well-formed doctrine of the church, he provides essential impetus for ecumenical dialogue. But the letter also offers valuable information for the question of how Christian life can be shaped and how faith can be lived out in everyday life. One senses that the letter was written from a prayerful attitude. His words testify to spiritual depth. You can therefore give suggestions in a special way for practicing prayer today. The interpretation aims to open up the message of the letter to the Ephesians to as many readers as possible and to arouse interest in dealing more intensively with its statements.

Luke has researched exactly which sources best identify Jesus: what kind of person is he? What is he proclaiming? How does he realize God's will for salvation through his birth, his life, his death and his resurrection? The evangelist saved many Jesus traditions that would otherwise have been lost. He dared to come up with a great new concept that reveals the search for the lost as the leitmotif of Jesus' mission: Jesus' way to people paves the way of people to God. It is laid out in the story of Jesus that faith will spread all over the world after Easter and that nothing other than the gospel of Jesus will be passed on from generation to generation. In his commentary, Thomas Söding elaborates on the evangelist's art of storytelling. The fullness of life is reflected in the colorful sequence of scenes. The liberating power of faith becomes visible in the concentration of human encounters. In the midst of adversity and guilt, God sets free to a life that is a blessing. In his commentary, Thomas Söding shows how Luke sharpens the memory of Jesus through storytelling. Söding explains the message of Jesus in understandable language. He answers the historical questions in a differentiated and clear manner. The main focus is on carving out the Good News in the many small scenes depicting Jesus' encounters with people - close to the text, aware of the questions that the gospel raises and offering a theological interpretation that shows how God comes infinitely close to people and how close God should get to people if they want to experience the kingdom of God in their lives and deaths, in their fears and in their happiness.

Luke has researched exactly which sources best identify Jesus: what kind of person is he? What is he proclaiming? How does he realize God's will for salvation through his birth, his life, his death and his resurrection? The evangelist saved many Jesus traditions that would otherwise have been lost. He dared to come up with a great new plan that reveals the search for the lost as the leitmotif of Jesus' mission: Jesus' path to people paves the way for people to reach God. It is laid out in the story of Jesus that faith will spread all over the world after Easter and that nothing other than the gospel of Jesus will be passed on from generation to generation. In his commentary, Thomas Söding elaborates on the evangelist's art of storytelling. The fullness of life is reflected in the colorful sequence of scenes. The liberating power of faith becomes visible in the concentration of human encounters. In the midst of adversity and guilt, God sets free to a life that is a blessing. In his commentary, Thomas Söding shows how Luke sharpens the memory of Jesus through storytelling. Söding explains the message of Jesus in understandable language. He answers the historical questions in a differentiated and clear manner. The main focus is on carving out the Good News in the many small scenes depicting Jesus' encounters with people - close to the text, aware of the questions that the gospel raises and offering a theological interpretation that shows how God comes infinitely close to people and how close God should get to people if they want to experience the kingdom of God in their lives and deaths, in their fears and in their happiness.

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? And who is Jesus Christ? The evangelist Mark was the first to answer these questions with a story of the ministry and death of Jesus. He collected individual stories, words and parables of Jesus and placed them in the context of Jesus' work in Galilee and his journey from there to Jerusalem up to his death on the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus. The commentary shows how Mark combines the individual stories and the whole of Jesus' path into an overall picture of God's action in Jesus that is of lasting importance. The following is decisive for the interpretation of all volumes: 1. Although the current state of scientific interpretation is processed, the text of the commentary should be generally understandable. 2. The historical questions about the origin of the respective script are taken into account, but the focus of the interpretation is on capturing the message of the text. 3. Therefore, only the most necessary information for understanding the text is given in the respective introduction. The decisive historical and theological questions are worked out on the text. A final part summarizes the results. 4. The translation prepared especially for the commentary provides an initial introduction to the interpretation. If all volumes of the commentary series "The Message of the New Testament" are purchased, the sales price is reduced by approx. 10%. The so far established authors of the future volumes are Walter Klaiber - his commentary on 1st Corinthians will appear in 2011 - Roland Gebauer, Acts of the Apostles

Although it has the same scope as the letter to the Romans, theological first letter to the Corinthians is often overshadowed by the later letter of Paul. Much of what Paul writes here seems too situational to tell us anything today. The present commentary shows how Paul, in this letter, too, which deals with problems in the church in Corinth, the background of which we often only partially understand, formulates his answers from the center of the Gospel. By placing the plethora of challenges that arise in the young Corinthian church in the field of tension between the lasting meaning of the word of the cross and the hope of the resurrection of the dead, he develops a perspective for the understanding and practice of the church which is still important today among completely different issues. Paul argues on very different levels when it comes to the endangerment of the theology of the cross and the unity of the congregation or problems of a responsible lifestyle and the constructive organization of worship services, but he treats all these questions under the sign that the congregation belongs to Christ. The exposition carefully works out the different problem areas and approaches that Paul addresses, but at the same time shows the red thread that runs through the entire letter and gives it its own theological weight. The point is not to take over what Paul wrote to the Corinthians one-to-one for us today, but to take it seriously as an impulse for our search for answers today. The following is decisive for the interpretation of all volumes: 1. Although the current state of scientific interpretation is processed, the text of the commentary should be generally understandable. 2. The historical questions about the origin of the respective script are taken into account, but the focus of the interpretation is on capturing the message of the text. 3. Therefore, only the most necessary information for understanding the text is given in the respective introduction. The decisive historical and theological questions are worked out on the text. A final part summarizes the results. 4. The translation prepared especially for the commentary provides an initial introduction to the interpretation. If all volumes of the commentary series "The Message of the New Testament" are purchased, the sales price is reduced by approx. 10%. The so far established authors of the volumes that will appear in the next few years are Walter Klaiber, 2nd Corinthians (2012); Walter Klaiber, Galater (2013); Walter Klaiber, Matthäus (2014); Christian Rose, Hebrew (2014); Michael Gese, Ephesians (2014); Volker Hampel, Jakobus (2014); Christoph Schluep, Philippians (2014); Roland Gebauer, Acts of the Apostles (2015); André Heinze, Johannesbriefe (2015) and Ernst Synofzik, 1-2. Thessalonians (2015). This is followed by Karl-Heinrich Ostmeyer, 1.-2. Petrus, Judas and Thomas Söding, Lukas. Further authors for the remaining New Testament letters are requested.