This book is Prof. Minear's clarion for a return to authentic biblical theology. After more than fifty years of teaching and research, his message is still simple: biblical theology must pay attention to the emphases of the biblical writers. Contemporary biblical scholars, often best trained as historians, tend to dismiss those elements of the Bible most relevant to the faith of ancient and contemporary Christians. This book introduces contemporary students again to a study of the Bible with God at its heart.

"Paul S. Minear provokes readers of the New Testament to attend to the utter confidence with which its pages speak of God and God's doings. In a book that ranges from Matthew to Revelation and from J. S. Bach to Jacques Ellul, Minear's insights are both classic and astonishing. A volume to be both welcomed and read." --Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Paul Minear's work, too little known to recent students, was a major influence that drew me into the field of New Testament studies. These subtly crafted essays press us to reckon with the New Testament writers' claim to speak about a God who transcends modernist ways of knowing. Minear's far-seeing readings beckon us to peer into the mystery to which the texts point. In short, Minear raises the art of New Testament criticism into the practice of prophecy. The publication of this book is an event to be celebrated by all who cherish theological interpretation of the New Testament." --Richard B. Hays, The Divinity School, Duke University

"Minear goes directly to the biblical texts, and by deftly exploring their ways of talking about things like peace, death or "the heavens," lets their language invite the reader to be grasped by the extraordinary reality of which they speak. These jargon-free essays do more than express an aesthetic appreciation of the New Testament's distinct language; they exemplify a way of reading scripture that can stimulate the imagination, challenge the moral will and deepen understanding. For thirsting spirits, an oasis." --Leander E. Keck, Yale Divinity School

Until recently, many scholars have read Pauls use of the word Christos as more of a proper name (Jesus Christ) than a title, Jesus the Messiah. Joshua Jipp broadens the discussion by surveying Greco-Roman and Jewish depictions of the ideal king and argues for the influence of these traditions on several aspects of Pauls thought, including Pauls language of participation in Christ. Jipp finds that Pauls use of royal tropes is indeed significant, and concludes that Christos is a royal title, an honorific, within Pauls letters.

With its soaring affirmations and profound statements of salvation in Christ, Romans 8 is a high point in Pauline theology. But what does Paul mean when in 8:29 he speaks of being "conformed to the image of his Son"? Remarkably, there has been little scholarly attention awarded to this Pauline statement of the goal of salvation. And yet in Christian piety, preaching, and theology, this is a treasured phrase. Surprisingly, its meaning has been variously and ambiguously expressed. Is it a moral or spiritual or sanctifying conformity to Christ, or to his suffering, or does it point to an eschatological transformation into radiant glory? InConformed to the Image of His Son, Haley Goranson Jacob probes and reopens a text perhaps too familiar and a meaning too often assumed. If conformity to the image of the Son is the goal of salvation, a proper understanding is paramount. Jacob points out that the key lies in the meaning of "glory" in Paul's biblical-theological perspective and in how he uses the language of glory in Romans. For this investigation of glory alone, her study would be valuable for the fresh understanding she brings to Paul's narrative of glory. But in introducing a new and compelling reading of Romans 8:29, this is a study that makes a strong bid to reorient our understanding of Paul's classic statement of the goal of salvation.

In this book, Eung Chun Park reconstructs a focused and coherent narrative of the last two decades of the life of Paul as it revolved around Gentile mission. The result is a detailed and thorough analysis of the Pauline letters that shows how Paul's theology changed over the course of his life as a result of his struggle to defend his gospel against those who advocated a different kind of gospel.

Throughout the Old Testament and into the New, God not only demands righteousness from his people but also showers on grace that enables them to act. Jesus, of course, provides the ultimate fulfillment of these twin aspects of God's relationship to humanity. In biblical terms, Jesus is the King who demands righteous obedience from his followers, and Jesus is the Servant who provides the grace that enables this obedience.So what does it mean to follow Jesus? What does God expect from his followers, and how can they be and do what is required?Jonathan Lunde answers these and other questions in his sweeping biblical study on discipleship. He surveys God's interaction with his people from Eden to Jesus, paying special attention to the biblical covenants that illuminate the character and plans of God. He offers Bible students and teachers--such as pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders--the gift of practical biblical teaching rooted in the Bible's witness on the vital topic of discipleship.