Showing titles in Commentaries

Talking snakes. Giants. A heavenly council. Imprisoned spirits. Your Bible is filled with strange things, but what do they mean and why do they matter? In The Unseen Realm, Michael Heiser unveils the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Heiser shows how understanding the Bible’s ancient context reveals surprises hiding in plain sight. By reading the Bible with the mindset of an ancient Israelite, you will learn new things about God, yourself, and the world. You may never read your Bible the same way again.

The Book of Enoch contains one of the oldest stories ever told by the human species on Planet Earth. It is an epic tale of lustful angels, man-eating giants, and portentous visions of the end times. It introduces us to the heavenly Watchers and their earthborn hybrid sons, the mighty Nephilim, unlocking the meaning behind some of the most perplexing passages in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Read by the author. An Instant New York Times Bestseller USA Today Bestseller Bestselling author John Bevere challenges Christians to take a fresh and honest look at one of the most often misunderstood and avoided truths of the Christian faith—the second coming of Jesus. Through personal...

A preeminent physicist unveils a field-defining theory of the origins and purpose of life. Why are we alive? Most things in the universe aren't. And everything that is alive traces back to things that, puzzlingly, weren't. For centuries, the scientific question of life's origins has confounded...

In this updated edition of the popular textbook An Introduction to the Old Testament, Walter Brueggemann and Tod Linafelt introduce the listener to the broad theological scope of the Old Testament, treating some of the most important issues and methods in contemporary biblical interpretation. This clearly written textbook focuses on the literature of the Old Testament as it grew out of religious, political, and ideological contexts over many centuries in Israel's history. 

Revelation is a lens that puts the entire Bible into focus. The lens is focused on the person of Jesus Christ, and his destiny is imminent. This is a book of victory: We are overcomers! We are the ultimate winners in the game of life! (I read the ending: We win!) One of the reasons this book strikes us as strange is because of our lack of understanding concerning the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation consists of 404 verses that contain over 800 allusions to the Old Testament. These are detailed, along with Chuck's analysis of the design and structure of this fascinating book.

Abraham is unquestionably one of the most outstanding and influential figures in world history. He had no political or military achievements, and he left no literary remains, yet today billions of people claim him as their spiritual father. Throughout the Bible, Abraham is seen as a pivotal figure in God's plan of salvation. In this richly detailed account of his life and times, John Lennox helps us to see through mists of the past to the real flesh-and-blood man, with all his strengths and weaknesses, to better appreciate all that Abraham stands for as a model of faith today.

In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, two well-respected New Testament scholars interpret the Gospel of John in its historical and literary setting as well as in light of the Church's doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual tradition. They unpack the wisdom of the Fourth Gospel for the intellectual and spiritual transformation of its followers and connect the Gospel with a range of witnesses throughout the whole history of Catholicism.

Examines Abraham's family and assesses the significant roles it plays across three religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Relating biblical narrative to theological concerns, Fretheim wrestles with such controversial concepts as God's selection of an elect people, the gift of land and other promises, the role of women and outsiders, the character of God, and the suffering of innocents.

Protestants and Catholics are not as separated theologically as they may think. In Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, Norman L. Geisler examines the common spiritual roots between Catholics and Protestants and the theological and moral bridges upon which they can both travel. He explores...

An accessible introduction to the book of Ephesians from New Testament scholar N. T. Wright. Ephesians presents a wide-ranging panorama of the Christian gospel and its implications. It looks backwards toward the creation of the world, and it looks forward to the time when God will be "all in all...

Discover how Jesus’ parables can help you better understand God’s Word and how to live today. Have you ever wondered why Jesus often spoke in parables? Are you curious about what lessons we can learn from these parables today? Pastor and bestselling author John MacArthur breaks down the...

A thorough introduction to the four biblical Gospels and their subject—the life and person of Jesus. Like different artists who render the same subject using unique styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four distinctive portraits of the same Jesus of Nazareth. To Christians worldwide...

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.

Clarence Larkin (1850-1924) was a pastor, author, and theologian. Published in 1918, The Book of Daniel examines the Biblical book of Daniel in detail. An entire chapter is devoted to the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel’s interpretation of it. Larkin also investigates and interprets the Book of Revelation, with reference to earlier books of the Bible.

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.

Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler's faithful yet irreverent approach to the Bible made their book God Is Disappointed in You a modern cult classic. Now, by popular demand, they turn their attention to the best parts left out of the canonical Bible, including the Midrash, the Apocrypha, Gnostic Gospels, and more! And if you thought the Bible had some weird stuff in it....

Ever feel lost in translation? With the NET Full-notes Edition of the Holy Bible, you don’t need to be. Modern readers can find it challenging to connect with the ancient words and cultural contexts of the biblical writers. The NET offers a completely new solution: pairing a readable, everyday...

This fundamental historical question and its complex answer speak penetratingly to the spiritual impulses, concerns, and beliefs that have played a seminal role in our world, even as they reveal the foundation of history’s most global religious movement, and fresh insights into the Western world's single most influential human being. Tackling all of these matters and more, Great Courses favorite Professor Ehrman returns with the unprecedented historical inquiry of How Jesus Became God.

Whether you’re a serious Bible student probing through Psalm 19 or a first-time student inspired by the promise of Psalm 23, this first volume on the book of Psalms explores each of the first 41 Psalms, uncovering deep reflections, wisdom for living, and verses of praise, confidence, and repentance.