Several features of the story of the encounter between Jesus and a Syrophoenician woman (Mk 7,24-30) are unique within the Second Gospel: the stress on the woman's identity, Jesus' first refusal to help her, the woman's answer recorded in direct speech, and the fact that Jesus does not seem to expel the demon. This monograph seeks to cast light on the pericope by taking recourse to both diachronic and synchronic methods. It begins with the history of the interpretation of Mk 7,24-30 par. Mt 15,21-28, starting from the patristic period. The ensuing historical-critical study of the Markan text includes an examination of the literary relationship with the Matthean parallel and paves the way for an analysis of Matthew's redaction and his position vis-a-vis Judaism and the Gentile world. The book ends with a synchronic and contextual reading of Mk 7,24-30 attentive to its placement in the Gospel in order to reach the final stage of interpretation.

Just like us, the women of New Testament times were ambitious, worried, broken, lonely, insecure, and unfulfilled. Discover the powerful stories of their encounters with the perfect, unconditional love of the Savior. Rather than trivializing their problems or ignoring women, Jesus responded to their deepest needs with compassion, reminding them of their value and transforming their past, present, and future. Let this engaging book introduce you to the man who loves women like no other.

Dehumanization has led to serious misinterpretation of the Gospels. On the one hand, Christians have often made Jesus so much more than human that it seemed inappropriate to ask about the influence other human beings had on him, male or female. On the other hand, women have been treated as less than fully human, their names omitted from stories and their voices and influence on Jesus neglected. When we ask the question this book does, what Jesus learned from women, puzzling questions that have frustrated readers of the Gospels throughout history suddenly find solutions. Weaving cutting edge biblical scholarship together with an element of historical fiction and a knack for writing for a general audience, James McGrath makes the stories of women in the New Testament come alive, and sheds fresh light on the figure of Jesus as well. This book is a must read for scholars, students, and anyone else interested in Jesus and/or in the role of ancient women in the context of their times.

Exegesis from the year 1996 in the subject Theology - Biblical Theology, grade: A, University of Dayton, Ohio, language: English, abstract: The pericope of the Syrophoenician woman (Mk 7:24-31) marks the breakthrough point of the Gentile mission in Mark’s Gospel. Whenever I read or heard this story, I was struck by the harshness of Jesus' reaction towards this woman. I could not understand how he who had said: "Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you" could so harshly reject the woman's re-quest. This is the reason why I wanted to write my research paper about this pericope. I wanted to find out more about it than I had heard so far, for what I had heard had never fully satisfied me. In this paper, I will show that with the story of the Syrophoenician woman, Mark actually built a trap for the hearers of his Gospel, because Jesus' reaction reflects their attitude towards Gentiles. They did not want to share the eucharistic table with Gentiles. As the hearers sympathize with the protagonist Je-sus, they get trapped, because the woman's humility disarms their prejudices against Gentiles, and they have to change their attitude in the same way Jesus does. After textual, form, and redaction criticism I will focus on Jesus' and the woman's behavior from different perspectives. In discussing the issues raised by the text, I will concentrate on the striking part of Jesus' harsh reaction to the woman's request and how the woman responds to it. Many scholars have dealt with this issue, and so I will include aspects of feminist, socio-political, and narrative criticism.

The name "Junia" appears in Romans 16:7, and Paul identifies her (along with Andronicus) as "prominent among the apostles." In this important work, Epp investigates the mysterious disappearance of Junia from the traditions of the church. Because later theologians and scribes could not believe (or wanted to suppress) that Paul had numbered a woman among the earliest churches' apostles, Junia's name was changed in Romans to a masculine form. Despite the fact that the earliest churches met in homes and that other women were clearly leaders in the churches (e.g., Prisca and Lydia), calling Junia an apostle seemed too much for the tradition. Epp tracks how this happened in New Testament manuscripts, scribal traditions, and translations of the Bible. In this thoroughgoing study, Epp restores Junia to her rightful place.

"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

Behind every great movement of God stands a few generous men and women called Gospel Patrons. This book tells three of their stories from history and invites us to believe God, step out, and serve the purposes of God in our generation too. For bulk orders and more resources, please visit: gospelpatrons.org "I read this book from cover to cover. I couldn't put it down. I'm praying for thousands of similar Gospel Patrons for our generation." -Todd Harper, President of Generous Giving "This is a great read! I love the way these stories paint a picture of stewarding relationship, affluence, and influence to lay up treasure in heaven." -David Wills, President of National Christian Foundation "Gospel Patrons is one of the most important books I have seen this year! It's 100 years overdue and these untold stories urgently need to be told today." -George Verwer, Founder of Operation Mobilization "As I read Gospel Patrons, I found myself weeping for joy. May the Lord powerfully use this vision around the globe!" -Howard Dayton, Founder of Compass--Finances God's Way