This volume focuses on the role of Judaism, particularly that of Philo, and of Gnosticism, as two important forces shaping the response of early Christianity to the Hellenistic Greco-Roman culture of its time. The sections which examine Hellenistic Judaism investigate themes from Greek philosophy, like 'reason controlling the passions, ' which are also crucial in shaping Philo's perception of the feminine. The manner in which Jewish authors of this period attempt to synthesize Old Testament with Greek philosophical themes like creation/cosmology receives specific treatment. Essays dealing with Gnosticism re-examine themes from Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle in Gnostic documents, but also look at the role of Hellenistic Judaism with its interests in Sophia. Co-published with the Institute for Christian Studies

This book is a collection of 26 previously published articles, with a number of additions and corrections, and with a long new introduction on "The Influence of Hellenism on Jews in Palestine in the Hellenistic Period." The articles deal with such subjects as "Homer and the Near East," "The Septuagint," "Hatred and Attraction to the Jews in Classical Antiquity," "Conversion to Judaism in Classical Antiquity," "Philo, Pseudo-Philo, Josephus, and Theodotus on the Rape of Dinah," "The Influence of the Greek Tragedians on Josephus," "Josephus' Biblical Paraphrase as a Commentary on Contemporary Issues," "Parallel Lives of Two Lawgivers: Josephus' Moses and Plutarch's Lycurgus," "Rabbinic Insights on the Decline and Forthcoming Fall of the Roman Empire."

The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to World Christianity presents a collection of essays that explore a range of topics relating to the rise, spread, and influence of Christianity throughout the world. Features contributions from renowned scholars of history and religion from around the world Addresses the origins and global expansion of Christianity over the course of two millennia Covers a wide range of themes relating to Christianity, including women, worship, sacraments, music, visual arts, architecture, and many more Explores the development of Christian traditions over the past two centuries across several continents and the rise in secularization

The Light of Discovery is a Festschrift honoring Dr. Edwin Yamauchi and it focuses on the Mediterranean world. The collection is ambitious in terms of time (from ancient Egypt to Late Antiquity) and wide-ranging in topic (from astrology and Gnosticism to the Van Kampen Collection of manuscripts in Orlando). Yamauchi is Professor of History at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio where he has taught since 1969. He received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 1964 working under Cyrus Gordon. He teaches in the areas of ancient history, biblical archaeology, and early church history. He has authored and edited seventeen books including Greece and Babylon, Persia and the Bible, The Archaeology of New Testament Cities in Western Asia Minor, Harper's World of the New Testament, Gnostic Ethics and Mandaean Origins, and Pre-Christian Gnosticism. A coedited work, Peoples of the Old Testament World, received a prize from the Biblical Archaeological Society. He has recently edited Africa and Africans in Antiquity. His writings have been translated into a dozen languages.

The papers in this second selection of articles by Professor Colish focus on thinkers of the patristic age, and relate to her three monographic studies in this area published over the last two decades. At the same time these papers look beyond the patristic period, both backward to these authors' appropriation of the classical and Christian traditions, and forward to their function as authorities in later medieval intellectual history, from the Carolingian Renaissance to Anselm of Canterbury, the scholastics, and Dante. Themes which these papers address include the transmission and use of Platonism and Stoicism, logic and linguistic theory, and the ethics of lying, moral indifference, and the salvation of the virtuous pagan.

Theologian Kevin Giles defends the historically orthodox doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son of God. He argues on biblical, historical and theological bases that, given its fundamental meaning, this doctrinal formulation is indispensable, irreplaceable and faithful to Christian revelation.

Modern theologians are focused on the doctrine of divine impassibility, exploring the significance of God’s emotional experience and most especially the question of divine suffering. Professor Rob Lister speaks into the issue, outlining the history of the doctrine in the views of influential figures such as Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther, while carefully examining modernity’s growing rejection of impassibility and the subsequent evangelical response. With an eye toward holistic synthesis, this book proposes a theological model based upon fresh insights into the historical, biblical, and theological dimensions of this important doctrine.