When early Christians began to study the Bible, and to write their own history and that of the Jews whom they claimed to supersede, they used scholarly methods invented by the librarians and literary critics of Hellenistic Alexandria. But Origen and Eusebius, two scholars of late Roman Caesarea, did far more. Both produced new kinds of books, in which parallel columns made possible critical comparisons previously unenvisioned, whether between biblical texts or between national histories. Eusebius went even farther, creating new research tools, new forms of history and polemic, and a new kind of library to support both research and book production. Christianity and the Transformation of the Book combines broad-gauged synthesis and close textual analysis to reconstruct the kinds of books and the ways of organizing scholarly inquiry and collaboration among the Christians of Caesarea, on the coast of Roman Palestine. The book explores the dialectical relationship between intellectual history and the history of the book, even as it expands our understanding of early Christian scholarship. Christianity and the Transformation of the Book attends to the social, religious, intellectual, and institutional contexts within which Origen and Eusebius worked, as well as the details of their scholarly practices--practices that, the authors argue, continued to define major sectors of Christian learning for almost two millennia and are, in many ways, still with us today.,

A Lifetime in the MakingOne of the most anticipated and comprehensive Study Bibles of the year, "The Transformation Study Bible" has been a lifetime in the making by a man who is the former pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, an internationally known Bible teacher, and someone who has given his life to a deep examination of the Word of God.For over thirty years, millions have come to rely on the timeless wisdom of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe s Be Commentary series. Dr. Wiersbe s commentary and insights on Scripture have helped readers understand and apply God s Word with the goal of life transformation.We may be the messengers but God transforms lives through His Word and "The Transformation Study Bible" promises to be an essential resource for growing motivated disciples. Not only will readers understand God s Word with a greater sense of clarity, but they will be given the means to apply what they learn with a new sense of purpose."The Transformation Study Bible" offers the full text of the highly readable New Living Translation with accompanying notes and commentary from the 50 books in Dr. Wiersbe s Be series.Rely on Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe to guide you through Scripture and lead you in real-life transformation. Uncover the profound truths of God s Word. Apply what you learn with a new sense of purpose.

Too often, our study of the Bible focuses on searching for specific information or some formula that will solve our pressing needs of the moment. But what if we approached the Bible differently, and instead of transforming the text to meet our needs, allowed it to transform us? That's exactly the idea behind Life with God, Richard J. Foster's much-anticipated book on the Bible. Foster, bestselling author of Celebration of Discipline and general editor of The RenovarÉ Spiritual Formation Bible, claims that God has superintended the writing of Scripture so that it serves as the most reliable guide for Christian spiritual formation. According to Foster, the Bible is all about human life "with God." As we read Scripture, we should consider how exactly God is with us in each story and allow ourselves to be spiritually transformed. By opening our whole selves—mind, body, spirit, thoughts, behavior, and will—to the page before us, we begin to grasp all the Bible has to teach about prayer, obedience, compassion, virtue, and grace and apply it to our everyday lives to achieve a deeper relationship with God. With a wealth of examples and simple yet crucial insights, Life with God is an indispensable guide to approaching the Bible through the lens of Christian spiritual formation, revealing that reading the Bible for interior transformation is a far different endeavor than reading the Bible for historical knowledge, literary appreciation, or religious instruction.

The Word of God is alive—dynamic and powerful. Do you want a Bible study method that will bring Scripture to life in your personal study and in your group studies? With both biblical expertise and cultural awareness Bob Grahmann clearly introduces the inductive method of Bible study and offers a variety of exercises to help you put it into practice right away.

Engage the delightful and inspiring, sometimes rough and rocky road to inclusive and transformative Bible reading This book offers the results of research within a new area of discipline—empirical hermeneutics in intercultural perspective. The book includes interpretations from the homeless in Amsterdam, to Indonesia, from African Xhosa readers to Norway, to Madagascar, American youths, Germany, Czech Republic, Colombia, and Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic. Features: Interpretations from ordinary readers in more than twenty-five countries Background introduction with history of the text Discussion of intertextual connections with Greco-Roman authors

Renewal of the mind is the Great Physician's prescription for the troubled soul. The Bible, in Romans 12:1-2, teaches the need to become a transformed person through the renewal of the mind. Transformation is the metamorphoses (a change in form) of our minds, changing the expressions of the old life and nature for the new nature each believer has. Indeed, it is a whole new manner of life. This book is a study guide, designed to help each person learn how to properly participate in the transformation process to make it most effective. This book is for people who feel stuck in life, as though they were going through the motions, spinning their wheels, but accomplishing nothing. Many feel controlled by their pasts or in bondage to their own emotional baggage. The Lord wants to deliver us from our own dysfunctional and misguided minds by renewing them, and in the process our lives will be transformed. Then we will be able to think and act as the new person we are in Jesus Christ; life will have purpose and control will flow from within us. Who we really are deep inside, is defined by entities such as character, attitude, conscience, values, etc. These reside in the deeper recesses of the soul, in the central core of our being. They can be deeply scarred by the events of life, sin, self, false concepts..., and these scars are often created early in life. Thus, our scarred souls (minds) carry the baggage of our pasts, the emotional pain of our lives, and the thinking characteristic of the non-regenerated mind. Our dilemma is: we are powerless to do anything about these scars (which are like scratches on DVD) and we can't function correctly with them. Resolving this dilemma is the Lord's work, and that is what mind renewal accomplishes. This is why the Holy Spirit works in the deepest parts of our minds, to reach the inner, core issues of life. This is where miracles are performed in our lives. Upon faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit enters our lives, and searches out the deepest recesses of our minds. As the Spirit works, He changes us, starting from those deepest recesses and working outward. The gunk of our past, the emotional baggage, the pride and self righteousness, the toxic memories, the negative thoughts that control our lives..., are all transformed through His power. In their place the Spirit produces His fruit, which is exactly what we need (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...). Some topics discussed: depression, mental baggage, toxic thoughts, harmful emotions, negativity, fear and anxiety, being overweight, deadly memories, and the stress-health connection. Specific plans are developed to show how to address any matter in life in a godly manner, with the goal of achieving a renewed mind.

In 2014, Time magazine announced that America had reached the transgender tipping point, suggesting that transgender issues would become the next civil rights frontier. Years later, many peopleeven many LGBTQ alliesstill lack understanding of gender identity and the transgender experience. Into this void, Austen Hartke offers a biblically based, educational, and affirming resource to shed light and wisdom on this modern gender landscape. Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians provides access into an underrepresented and misunderstood community and will change the way readers think about transgender people, faith, and the future of Christianity. By introducing transgender issues and language and providing stories of both biblical characters and real-life narratives from transgender Christians living today, Hartke helps readers visualize a more inclusive Christianity, equipping them with the confidence and tools to change both the church and the world.