We read Scripture as we read any literary work, to understand its meaning. Meaning is usually expressed through narrative development, that is, through the unfolding of a story. Meaning, however, can also be expressed by parallelism: the juxtaposition of ideas and images typical of poetry or musical compositions. A complex yet beautiful example of such parallelism is known as chiasmus. This is a literary form that has seldom been studies in depth, although it appears with great frequency throughout the Old and New Testaments, as it does in other ancient and many modern literary works. The Shape of Biblical Language is the most complete and detailed introduction to chiasmus yet published. It also serves as a highly useful reference work that identifies and analyzes a large number of individual passages, as well as entire compositions (gospels, letters, hymns, etc.), which appear throughout the canonical Scriptures and beyond. This is a groundbreaking study that will fascinate and inform anyone who is interested in the dynamics of literary composition. Its special appeal will be to students, scholars, pastors, and others who seek to understand more fully the message of the Bible and the way that message is conveyed. Perhaps more than any other literary structures, chiastic patterns reveal the literal sense of the text. Their detection and analysis, therefore, is essential for accurate biblical interpretation. Written chiastically, the Bible should be read chiastically. This book guides the reader systematically and effectively toward just such a reading.

"We read Scripture as we read any literary work, to understand its meaning. Meaning is usually expressed through narrative development, that is, through the unfolding of a story. Meaning, however, can also be expressed by "parallelism": the juxtaposition of ideas and images typical of poetry or musical compositions. A complex yet beautiful example of such parallelism is known as "chiasmus." This is a literary form that has seldom been studied in depth, although it appears with great frequency throughout the Old and New Testaments, as it does in other ancient and many modern literary works." "The Shape of Biblical Language is the most complete and detailed introduction to chiasmus yet published. It also serves as a highly useful reference work that identifies and analyzes a large number of individual passages, as well as entire compositions (gospels, letters, hymns, etc.), which appear throughout the canonical Scriptures and beyond. This is a groundbreaking study that will fascinate and inform anyone who is interested in the dynamics of literary composition. Its special appeal will be to students, scholars, pastors and others who seek to understand more fully the message of the Bible and the way that message is conveyed. Perhaps more than any other literary structures, chiastic patterns reveal the "literal sense" of the text. Their detection and analysis, therefore, is essential for accurate biblical interpretation. Written chiastically, the Bible should be read chiastically. This book guides the reader systematically and effectively toward just such a reading."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Are the Writings a miscellaneous collection of books, as is so often asserted, or do they have a purposeful design or arrangement? Over the past 35 years, there has been a significant amount of scholarly interest in the shape of the Law, Former Prophets, Twelve Minor Prophets and the Psalms, while examinations of the shape of the Writings were almost nonexistent until very recently. The 11 essays in this volume explore this often-neglected issue from a variety of critical perspectives—reader-centered approaches, canonical, structural-canonical, and redactional—made more robust by the mix of German- and English-language scholarship on this question, including 4 articles translated from German into English. Essays range from the historical development of the collection, to analysis of the collection’s different arrangements, to the relationship of books and subcollections within the Writings, to the reception of the collection in Jewish and Christian sources. Every book in the Writings is discussed, with particular attention given to Job, Ruth, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The volume closes with 3 critical responses from John Barton, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, and Christopher Seitz.

"Could you tell me something about the church of Christ?" "Could you tell me the difference between the church of Christ and the ___________ church?" If you've ever asked questions like these--or been on the receiving end of them-- then this is the book for you. Expect to walk away from this book not only knowing what churches of Christ are all about, but also with a clear understanding of many of the beliefs and practices that distinguish them from other church groups. Don't be surprised, though, if you also walk away with a renewed conviction that being a New Testament-shaped church is a goal worth pursuing, and that doing things God's way really does matter.

A team of world-renowned scholars explores on what grounds and to what extent the New Testament shapes and prescribes Christian theology.

The Bible can and should be an environment in which we live and move and have our being, an environment in which we are shaped by God in different and interrelated ways. As with aspects of our physical environment, we may have never noticed many elements of this spiritual environment before or may have only the vaguest sense of their influence. While we may be more familiar with certain elements, we may not realize the full extent of their influence or be too preoccupied to see how they relate to form the larger whole of how we are shaped. This book looks one-by-one at several ways in which the Bible's environment influences us as people and, in particular, shapes our beliefs, attitudes, and practices as teachers in the classroom. It is concerned with helping readers to be, at one and the same time, faithful to our common calling as educators and faithful to the Scriptures as Christians.

What you believe about God actually changes your brain. Psychiatrist Tim Jennings unveils how our brains and bodies thrive when we have a healthy understanding of who God is. This expanded edition now includes a study guide to help you discover how neuroscience and Scripture come together to bring healing and transformation to our lives.