Showing titles in Commentaries

Christianity and Judaism are two of the world’s most influential and enduring religions, yet despite their shared heritage, the relationship between these faiths has been marked by both profound connections and deep divisions. This audiobook explores the complex history and theological interplay between Christianity and Judaism, examining how two religions with common roots grew into distinct and often opposing traditions.

This accessibly written textbook has been a popular introduction to the Pentateuch for over twenty-five years. It identifies the major themes of the first five books of the Bible and offers an overview of their contents. Unlike some academic studies, it focuses on how the books from Genesis to Deuteronomy form a continuous story that provides an important foundation for understanding the whole Bible. This new edition has been substantially updated throughout to reflect the author's refined judgments and to address the future of pentateuchal studies.

Are you facing constant obstacles and barriers in your life? Do you feel like something is holding you back from achieving your goals and living life to the fullest? You're not alone. Many people struggle against invisible barriers that limit their potential and keep them stuck in neutral. These barriers are often the result of spiritual forces at work, including witchcraft. In his powerful new book "Dealing with Witchcraft Barriers," author Ladejola Abiodun exposes the dark workings of witchcraft and gives you the spiritual weapons to break free from its grasp. Abiodun draws from years of ...

Are You Ready to Experience the MIRACULOUS Hand of God in Your Life? You've been praying fervently for a breakthrough...yearning for answers and relief. But nothing seems to change. The financial pressure keeps mounting. The health issues persist. The relationship remains broken. God feels distant. Your faith feels weak. You're not sure how much longer you can hold on. If this describes you, you're not alone! Every believer faces seasons of struggle and waiting. But what if there was a way to PROVOKE divine intervention and ACCELERATE your breakthrough? In his powerful new book, Provoking ...

Romans is more than a collection of proof texts for Reformed theology. It is an exposition of God's plan to take back the world. In this new commentary, Douglas Wilson tackles Paul's meaty letter passage by passage, explaining Paul's central message: Jesus’s death and resurrection have transformed the world. God has brought an end to the old covenant and ushered in a new covenant, joining Jews and Gentiles in one new people.

further understand the Holy Scriptures. Truly an extensive piece of work, this commentary should help you in your pursuit of the Lord when used correctly. This specific book covers Matthew Henry's commentary on the book of Galatians.

The founder of the world's largest religious media empire shares her beloved wit and down-to-earth spirituality in Mother Angelica's Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures. Editor Raymond Arroyo draws on hundreds of never-before-released private lessons to present the renowned nun's definitive take on the Good Book. Angelica provides readers with guided meditations and probing personal questions, and unearths an often-overlooked practical spirituality.

Of all things Catholic, there is nothing that is so familiar as the Mass. With its unchanging prayers, the Mass fits Catholics like their favorite clothes. Yet most Catholics sitting in the pews on Sundays fail to see the powerful supernatural drama that enfolds them. Pope John Paul II described the Mass as "Heaven on Earth," explaining that what "we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy."

Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own cross-cultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time, and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways.

Matthew's gospel focuses on the Kingship of Christ—that Jesus is Lord of Lords, the Messiah, the One promised by the prophets of old. But a king is not born in a manger, to a virgin peasant, and a king is definitely not executed on a Roman cross, is he? Actually, that's exactly the type of King God sent to the world.

The three letters of John found near the end of the New Testament have a tendency to be oversimplified or simply overlooked in the study of the Scriptures. However, though these letters may on the surface seem less applicable to our time because they address heresies and church management issues that seem unique to the early church, careful study reveals just how contemporary these concerns are. In this volume of James Montgomery Boice’s popular commentary series, pastors, Bible students, and laypersons will find analysis of John’s timeless messages of righteousness, truth, and love.

With a focus on Jesus Christ, Anne Graham Lotz brings clarity and understanding to the book of Revelation. Lotz explains God's faithfulness regardless of circumstance. All who feel depressed, deluded or discouraged can find hope in all of life's difficult situations: When life seems too small and problems seem too great; when personal insignificance outweighs God's significance; when overwhelmed by the ungodly majority; or when facing death or choosing life. Sharing her passion for God's word, Lotz leads the listener through the apostle John's account of God's plan for our future.

Modern Genre Theory describes the current state of biblical genre theory (as well as the meaning of form criticism and why it needs to die). Scholar of biblical hermeneutics Andrew Judd then presents a better alternative of interpretation based on the best developments in secular literary theory, linguistics, and rhetorical studies.

Piper has gathered many of Jesus' demands from the four Gospels and puts the demands in a redemptive, historical context, then concisely examines each. The result is an accessible introduction for thoughtful inquirers and new believers, as well as meditative meat for veteran believers who want to know Jesus better.

Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context.

Perhaps no declaration incites more theological and moral outrage than a human's claim to be divine. Those who make this claim in ancient Jewish and Christian mythology are typically represented as the most hubristic and dangerous tyrants. Their horrible punishments are predictable and still serve as morality tales in religious communities today. But not all self-deifiers are saddled with pride and fated to fall.

The modern conception of sacrifice is at once cast as a victory of self-discipline over desire and condescended to as destructive and archaic abnegation. But even in the Old Testament, the dual natures of sacrifice, embodying both ritual slaughter and moral rectitude, were at odds. In this analysis, Terry Eagleton makes a compelling argument that the idea of sacrifice has long been misunderstood. Pursuing the complex lineage of sacrifice in a lyrical discourse, Eagleton focuses on the Old and New Testaments, offering a virtuosic analysis of the crucifixion.

N. T. Wright—widely regarded as the most influential commentator and interpreter of Paul—deftly unpacks this dense and sometimes elusive letter, detailing Paul's arguments and showing how it illuminates the Gospel from the promises to Abraham through the visions of Revelation. Wright takes a deep dive into Romans 8, showing how it illuminates so much else that God reveals in Scripture: God the Father, Christology, and the Spirit; Jesus' Messiahship, cross, resurrection, and ascension; salvation, redemption, and adoption; suffering and glory; holiness and hope.

Some questions about the New Testament canon are far from settled, either in the academy or the church—to say nothing of misconceptions and confusion. This is a crucial topic, given the importance of the canon's formation for our understanding of early Christianity and the nature of the Christian faith itself. In Creating the Canon, Benjamin P. Laird explores misunderstood, disputed, and overlooked matters tied to the composition, collection, and authority of the New Testament canon.

Everything You Need to Know About the Bible's Most Important Stories.