Family Empires, Roman and Christian

Susan M Elliott

In this first of two volumes of Roman Family Empires: Household, Empire, Resistance, Dr. Elliott examines the Roman household form as it was changing during the Augustan era. Augustus relied on his version of that family form to establish his one-man rule of the empire. Dr. Elliott lays out several forms of resistance to the Roman empire and the family model on which it was built. She closes with a reading of Paul’s letter to Philemon considering the many viewpoints in the room as the letter was read. Her reading reveals a complex negotiation of accommodation and resistance to the Roman family empire and its slave-owning households.

Geering Interviews

Mike Grimshaw

Lloyd Geering forces us to respond to, rethink, and reinterpret Christian origins, institutions, and beliefs. He demands that we begin from a position of informed knowledge that includes a central engagement with science, religion, and scholarship. Geering came to prominence in an age when religion seemed to be losing its relevance. How do we explain his move from accused heretic to New Zealand’s foremost public intellectual? Through interviews, expansive notes, and an excellent introduction, Michael Grimshaw guides us through the life and times of Lloyd Geering.

Inventing the Passion

How the Death of Jesus Was Remembered

Arthur J. Dewey

In order to demonstrate how the crucifixion narrative emerged and changed over time, this historical primer on the death of Jesus includes: an overview of the evidence that Jesus existed and was crucified, explanations of how crucifixion worked and why it was employed by the Romans, and descriptions of Jesus' death in early Christian literature in a logical progression from the earliest to latest.

Some Surprises from the Apostle Paul

William O. Walker, Jr.

Controversial during his lifetime and ever since, the Apostle Paul is often accused of being homophobic, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, dogmatic, narrow-minded, prejudiced, and downright obtuse. Walker argues that some of the animosity toward Paul stems from ignorance of his cultural context and/or the assumption that he wrote everything attributed to him. In Some Surprises from the Apostle Paul, Walker addresses common misconceptions and explores what can be learned about Paul from the historical evidence.

The Pastorals and Polycarp

Titus, 1–2 Timothy, and Polycarp to the Philippians

The Scholars Bible series, vol. 5

Richard I. Pervo

This first-ever gathering of the Pastoral Epistles and Polycarp to the Philippians under a single cover moves beyond debates about Pauline authorship to address second-century themes, such as combining the traditional Roman Household Code with the emerging Church Order, the corrosive effects of greed, and the price worth paying for unity. Includes the Greek texts, Pervo’s dynamic English translations, introductions, notes and index.

Galatians and the Rhetoric of Crisis

Demosthenes—Cicero—Paul

Nina E. Livesey

Livesey lays the works of Demosthenes, Cicero, and the Apostle Paul side-by-side and compares the rhetorical strategies—such as hyperbole, rebuke, and irony—that each used to win over their audiences. In doing so, she teases out the ambiguity and complexity of Paul’s letter to the Galatians and challenges simplistic explanations of his relationship to Judaism.

Wisdom Notes

Theological Riffs on Life and Living

Arthur J. Dewey

Theology at its best lends rhythm and rhyme to the raw energy of life. It improvises on this world without trying to escape to a heaven somewhere else. In this curated collection of radio commentaries and editorials, Art Dewey invites readers to remain open to new meaning as it arises from our encounters with neighbors, strangers, and friends. Through anecdotes and modern parables touched with humor and curiosity, he blends ancient and modern attempts to make sense of who we are and where we're going.

God's Human Future

God and Human Future series, vol. 2

David Galston

If theology is the work of defending antiquated ideas of reality, then one might as well call the Death of God the death of theology, too.  Galston challenges this notion with two types of theology — covenant and enlightenment — in order to address a larger question: What is the value of religion for the future?

The Folly of God

God and Human Future series, vol. 1

John D. Caputo

Inspired by Paul Tillich’s suggestion that atheism is not the end of theology but is instead the beginning, and working this together with Derrida’s idea of the undeconstructible, Caputo explores the idea that the real interest of theology is not God, especially not God as supreme being, but the unconditional. The Folly of God continues the radical reading of Paul's explosive language in 1 Corinthians 1 about the stand God makes with the nothings and nobodies of the world, first introduced in The Weakness of God (2006) and The Insistence of God (2013).

Gospels, Jesus, and Christian Origins

Collected Essays

William O. Walker, Jr.

Representing five decades of research on the gospels, Jesus, and Christian origins, this collection of historical-critical essays explores topics such as demythologizing, “son of man,” and the synoptic problem, to name just a few. Includes a critical analysis of ways in which scholars have attempted to recover the historical Jesus.

The Acts of John

Early Christian Apocrypha series, vol. 6

Richard I. Pervo with Julian V. Hills

When and where was the Acts of John composed, by whom, for whom, and why? Using the new Scholars Version translation, Pervo introduces the text of the Acts of John, identifies its sources, investigates early witnesses, and illuminates the motivations of its author. Includes notes and cross-references.

Ethics in the Last Days of Humanity

Don Cupitt

Ethics in the Last Days of Humanity is not about the science of global warming so much as the absence of a serious ethical and religious response to it. When all existing ‘reality’ breaks down, ethics can no longer be based on nature or religious law. Cupitt advocates for an alternative inspired by the historical Jesus.

Is God Needed in the Kingdom of God?

Seminar on God and the Human Future
Spring 2015 Session

Of all the possible ways to think about God, which concept makes the best sense for our world today? This celebration of the work of radical theologian John D. Caputo invites listeners to consider a new way of thinking about God as weak but potent, God as "the great perhaps."

The Problem with God

Peter Steinberger
Spring 2015 Meeting

Peter Steinberger challenges listeners to set aside as nonsensical the question, "Does God exist?" He argues that theism, atheism, and agnosticism are all incoherent positions and addresses the implications of his thesis for ethics, the meaning of life, and the limits and aspirations for human knowledge of the universe.

The Real Paul

Recovering His Radical Challenge

Bernard Brandon Scott

“An impressively informed and informative work of biblical scholarship that will prove to be as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is seminal and iconoclastic … Highly recommended for seminary and academic library New Testament Studies reference collections in general, and Paulinian Studies supplemental reading lists in particular.”—Midwest Book Review

Creative Faith

Religion as a Way of Worldmaking

Don Cupitt

“A forceful and clearly-written call to open a new religious horizon suited to our time.” —George Pattison, University of Glasgow

Paul and His Legacy

Collected Essays

William O. Walker Jr.

“Paul and His Legacy is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. A work of seminal scholarship that is fully accessible to the non-specialist general reader as it is to the academic scholar or ecclesiastical theologian, Paul and His Legacy is very highly recommended for personal, seminary, community, and academic library Christian Studies collections.” —Midwest Book Review