This book invites readers to assume responsibility for their own interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount through a practice of "critical study of the Bible as scripture." Such a practice takes as a starting point the conclusions about "the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount for believers today," which Christian believers of all walks of life formulate for themselves, which non-Christian ordinary readers readily envision as they observe Christians, and which scholars imply in their sophisticated interpretations. Assuming responsibility for one's interpretation involves becoming aware that it results from a series of choices among equally legitimate and plausible options, and self-consciously deciding whether or not one wants to claim "it is the best for believers today" - or, for Christian interpreters, "I believe (credo) it is Word of God for us today." Through a series of exercises, readers - whether simple believers or scholars are invited first to formulate their own conclusions about teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and then to recognize the choices implied in their interpretations by comparing them with five kinds of readings proposed by scholars. "Daniel Patte shows respect for every interpretation, be it those of 'ordinary people' or those of scholars, and clarifies underlying presuppositions of each option. In a fascinating and new way, he relates critical insights to matters of faith, ultimately to help Christians affirm their credo as truly theirs." Christina Grenholm, Uppsala University Daniel M. Patte is Professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt University and the author of Discipleship according to the Sermon on the Mount (Trinity 1996).

For half a century Leander Keck thought, taught, and wrote about the New Testament. He first served as a Professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt Divinity School and Emory University's Candler School of Theology before becoming Dean and Professor of Biblical Theology at Yale Divinity School. Keck's lifelong work on Jesus and Paul was a catalyst for the emerging discussions of New Testament Christology and Pauline theology in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas. Keck wrote a staggering number of now industry-standard articles on the New Testament. Here, they are all collected for the first time. In Christ's First Theologian and Why Christ Matters, readers will discover how Keck gave new answers to old questions even as he carefully reframed old answers into new questions. Keck's work is a treasure trove of historical, exegetical, and theological interpretation.

The Codex Sinaiticus is not only one of the most important manuscripts for the purposes of biblical translation and for the study of the textual history of the Christian Bible, it is also a beautiful and fascinating piece of history. Now you can display the delicate beauty of this important text--its parchment, inks, and scars, all visible in incredible detail--for all to see.We have selected two of the most historically significant and best preserved of these pages to reproduce as prints, suitable for framing.Painstakingly photographed using the latest high-quality digital technology and a careful imaging process, the folios are printed on the same high-quality, acid-free paper as the Fascimile Edition and come in a tube sturdy enough to be shipped.

Despite its rather austere appearance, the Codex Sinaiticus is a treasure beyond price. Produced in the middle of the fourth century, its bound parchment pages hold the full canon of the Christian Bible and more the handwritten Greek text of the earliest surviving copy of the complete koine New Testament; the earliest and best copies of some Septuagint texts, the Old Testament Scriptures as they were adopted by the first-century church; and two late fi rst-century Christian texts, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas. The sections are heavily marked by early correctors.

Told here is the compelling story of how the Codex Sinaiticus was created and used in the ancient church; how it was preserved for centuries at the monastery of St. Catherine s, Mount Sinai; its subsequent history and how its pages came to be divided and dispersed; and how it has been compiled again and made accessible to a worldwide audience for the first time.

D. C. Parker s outstanding research and excellent storytelling skills simultaneously illuminate the chronology of bookmaking in Western culture and the effects of that technology on the presentation of the biblical canon. Offering a fascinating look at the task of making a Bible in the year, AD 350, he discusses how included books were chosen or not; physical elements of production layout, ink, parchment, binding, and budget; the jobs of scribes and correctors; and the role of annotators. As readers follow the travels of the pieces of the Codex Sinaiticus through the twentieth century, they ll discover key personalities and places, and absorb the details of the current production of the Internet electronic edition of this singular document. Full-color illustrations and suggestions for further reading add much to the journey.

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This work considers identity formation in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew.