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“This book proposes that Mark’s Gospel was written in Rome in late 71 after the return of the feared Titus who had recently destroyed the Jerusalem Temple. Recognising that the use of emotional appeals was a prime contemporary rhetorical tool, it shows the Gospel to be an emotionally-charged text aimed at readers traumatised by years of persecution, fear of arrest and intra-community tensions over the forgiveness of those who had failed. It examines the political, social and religious situation and shows that the Gospel contains allusions to many recent events of concern to Christians. Mark stirs their fears and painful memories to move them to a new resolve, providing a model for them — Jesus, the first martyr for the gospel.” – Brill

“Drawing on archaeology and ancient Near Eastern texts, Matthews examines the prophets chronologically, placing them and their message into historical context. He explores pertinent aspects of historical geography, economic conditions, and social forces that influenced a prophet’s life and message and explains why prophets served an integral purpose in the development of ancient Israelite religion. He also explores how prophets addressed their audience and employed rhetorical methods, images, and metaphors to communicate effectively.” – Baker Academic Press

“First published in 2004, The Jewish Study Bible is a landmark, one-volume resource tailored especially for the needs of students of the Hebrew Bible. It has won acclaim from readers in all religious traditions.The Jewish Study Bible, which comes in a protective slipcase, combines the entire Hebrew Bible–in the celebrated Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation–with explanatory notes, introductory materials, and essays by leading biblical scholars on virtually every aspect of the text, the world in which it was written, its interpretation, and its role in Jewish life. The quality of scholarship, easy-to-navigate format, and vibrant supplementary features bring the ancient text to life.” – OUP

Christians sometimes approach the Old Testament with a mixture of awe and bewilderment, knowing that it contains pearls of wisdom, but unsure how to dive for them … especially when it comes to the Prophets. In The Message of the Prophets, author J. Daniel Hays offers a scholarly, yet readable and student-friendly survey of the Old Testament prophetic literature that presents the message of each prophet in its historical and its biblical context and then tracks that message through the New Testament to challenge readers with what it means for them today. Hays focuses on synthesizing the message of the prophets, which enables students to grasp the major contours of the prophetic books clearly and concisely. Hundreds of colorful pictures help to illustrate the historical and cultural background of the prophets. After identifying what the message meant for ancient Israel, Hays helps the readers to move toward theological application today, helping readers to gain a better understanding of God and the relationship between God and his people. The Message of the Prophets is essential for professors, students, and others seeking to understand the role that the OT prophets play in the Christian faith.” – Harper Collins

“The followers of Jesus are to be different,” writes John Stott, “different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture.” In the Sermon on the Mount, the “nearest thing to a manifesto” that Jesus ever uttered, we find Jesus’ own description of what he wanted his followers to be and do. In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Stott guides readers through Jesus’ well-known but often poorly understood teachings in Matthew 5 through 7. He identifies key themes in the Sermon that demonstrate its ongoing relevance to believers: a Christian’s character, influence, righteousness, piety, ambition, relationships, and commitment. Leading us to listen carefully to the meaning of each verse in its context, Stott also confronts the challenges this text raises for today’s Christians and draws out practical applications. A seven-session study guide at the end of the book will help you more deeply ponder the message of the Sermon on the Mount and how it speaks to your life. If the church truly lived by the standards and values Jesus set forth in this passage, Stott declares, it would be the authentic alternative society that he always intended it to be–showing a dark world what human life looks like under the gracious rule of God.” – InterVarsity Press

The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary, Vol. 2: Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk by Thomas Edward McComiskey

The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary, Vol. 2: Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk (FORTHCOMING) by Thomas Edward McComiskey

“With their messages of doom and judgment, the Minor Prophets have not been popular subjects in the history of biblical interpretation. In this exegetical and expository commentary, noted scholars remedy this neglect by offering an authoritative, evangelical treatment on the prophets. This volume, the second of three, features commentary by Jeffrey Niehaus (Obadiah), Joyce Baldwin (Jonah), Bruce Waltke (Micah), Tremper Longman III (Nahum), and F. F. Bruce (Habakkuk). The authors not only provide meticulous exegesis of the Hebrew text but also relate the message of the ancient prophets to contemporary life in practical and meaningful ways.” – Baker Academic

The New International Greek Testament Commentary (FORTHCOMING) by G. K. Beale

“The culmination of over a decade of research of writing on the Apocalypse, Beale’s work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Revelation. While the reader may not necessarily agree on all points, the commentary will certainly provide considerable insight into John’s often perplexing vision. In particular, Beale’s grasp of the Greek grammar of Revelation is outstanding. Too few scholars today have the linguistic expertise to furnish the reader with such extensive and thoughtful notes. . . Beale also provides the reader with a rich collection of intertextual references from the Hebrew Bible, rabbinic literature, Jewish apocalyptic, and early Christian texts. . . Beale has written a truly important work that should be consulted as a reference by serious scholars of the Apocalypse.” – Journal of Biblical Literature

“This widely praised commentary by William Lane shows Mark to be a theologian whose primary aim was to strengthen the people of God in a time of fiery persecution by Nero. Using redaction criticism as a hermeneutical approach for understanding the text and the intention of the evangelist, Lane considers the Gospel of Mark as a total literary work and describes Mark’s creative role in shaping the Gospel tradition and in exercising a conscious theological purpose. Both indicating how the text was heard by Mark’s contemporaries and studying Mark within the frame of reference of modern Gospel research, Lane’s thoroughgoing work is at once useful to scholars and intelligible to nonspecialists.” – Eerdmans

“”It is a special pleasure to introduce R T (Dick) France’s commentary to the pastoral and scholarly community, who should find it a truly exceptional – and helpful – volume.” So says Gordon Fee in his preface to this work. France’s masterful commentary on Matthew focuses on exegesis of Matthew’s text as it stands rather than on the prehistory of the material or details of Synoptic comparison. It is concerned throughout with what Matthew himself meant to convey about Jesus and how he set about doing so within the cultural and historical context of first-century Palestine. Amid the wide array of Matthew commentaries available today, France’s world-class stature, his clear focus on Matthew and Jesus, his careful methodology, and his user-friendly style promise to make this volume an enduring standard for years to come.” – Eerdmans

“For over 50 years students, professors, clergy, and general readers have relied on The New Oxford Annotated Bible as an unparalleled authority in Study Bibles. This fifth edition of the Annotated remains the best way to study and understand the Bible at home or in the classroom. This thoroughly revised and substantially updated edition contains the best scholarship informed by recent discoveries and anchored in the solid Study Bible tradition.” – OUP

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