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The first book printed in North America, this 1640 translation of the Psalms of David was made for the Massachusetts Puritans. Communal singing of the psalms held a unique importance for the pioneers and their Psalter is in rhyming metrical verse. It was designed not for elegance but, as MacCulloch writes in his introduction, to be ‘roared out by a congregation exalting in its common voice, taking comfort from communal purpose amid a wilderness’. This facsimile is of the Bodleian Library copy. No jacket.

Writing in 1828, Lord Macaulay described the King James Bible as ‘a book which, if everything else in our language should perish, would alone suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and power’, and for many people today, this 400-year-old translation remains the finest. Marking Collins’s 200th anniversary, this edition continues the company’s tradition of Bible publishing; it presents the complete Old and New Testaments, with a foreword by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. Bound in white covers with gold lettering.

In this detailed analysis of the Hebrew Scriptures’ most sensual text, Gillow Reynolds offers a fresh interpretation, reading the Song of Songs not as a symbolic expression of longing for God but as representing the human embodiment of divine love and wisdom.

The New Testament is here rearranged so that each gospel is placed at the beginning of a group of closely related books, allowing the reader to have a more meaningful encounter with their different theological traditions. The New International Version’s text is used, but without the distraction of chapter numbers and headings. The book accompanies the four Lumo Project films of the gospels and includes photographs from them.

In 1859 Constantin Tischendorf brought to Europe the Codex Sinaiticus, the earliest known copy of the New Testament, previously kept at the remote Sinai monastery of St Catherine's. Gottschlich describes his own visit to Sinai, reflecting on his predecessor’s obsessions and the continuing controversy over the manuscript’s removal.

In this book accompanying his BBC radio series, the former director of the British Museum explores the role of shared beliefs in the life of human communities around the globe. Rather than focusing on religious doctrine, he concentrates on practices, objects and places, tracing how societies from the Ice Age onwards have used stories and rituals to mark their identity and strengthen cohesion: ‘for in deciding how we live with our gods we also decide how to live with each other’.

‘Christianity doesn’t abrogate the Old Testament; it completes it.’ Limbaugh presents a reading of the 39 books from Genesis to Malachi, arguing that they offer rich and plentiful insights to help us understand Jesus’ life, deeds and message. After an overview of Old Testament history and key themes such as prophecy, covenants and salvation, he unlocks each book’s mysteries through an analysis of the passages that herald the coming of the Saviour. (Previously published as The Emmaus Code.)

This introduction to Christianity’s foundational documents is also a guide to the main approaches that scholars have used in discussing them. Telford begins by describing the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of the early church. He then outlines the dating and classification of the New Testament’s 27 books before providing a closer analysis of the Synoptic Gospels and the sources of their traditions about Jesus. Off-mint.

‘Religiously motivated violence must be fought religiously as well as militarily, and with passionate intensity.’ So writes the former Chief Rabbi in this powerful exploration of the roots of religious extremism. By analysing stories of sibling rivalry in the biblical texts shared by the Abrahamic faiths, he shows how centuries of misreadings have led to the ‘altruistic evil’ by which murder is seen as a moral act – an idea against which those of all faiths and none must stand together. Off-mint.

As distant in time from the Pentateuch of Moses as Updike is from Shakespeare, these later books of the Old Testament are innovative and entertaining works of literature, in which women are often centre stage. The Song of Songs is a sensuous celebration of young love, Queen Esther’s shrewd triumph is a sly sexual comedy, while the story of Ruth celebrates loyalty, charity and love. Robert Alter’s award-winning translation from the Hebrew captures all their freshness and immediacy.

Why do the creation stories in Genesis contradict each other? Did the Exodus really happen? In a discussion which ‘neither requires, nor rejects, belief’, Loveday brings a literary critic’s eye to the Biblical authors. Presenting insights from modern scholarship, he shows how to read their texts ‘with our brains in gear’, by viewing the Bible as a structure of the imagination rather than through modern concepts of ‘history’ and ‘truth’.

These 15 essays on aspects of Latin exegesis up to the 9th century discuss topics ranging from the controversy over Methuselah’s death and the concept of inerrancy to the mysticism of number.

Including historical and prophetic texts as well as psalms and two wisdom books, the Jewish documents known collectively as the ‘Old Testament Apocrypha’ originated between the third century BCE and first century CE. In his succinct survey of their contents and structure, Kaiser explains the historical background to each text, traces the development of Jewish theological ideas and provides information on modern commentaries, articles and other scholarly works. (Previously published in German.)

This series introduces the texts that have helped shape Western civilization, every volume providing a detailed examination of the central ideas and arguments of a seminal text and discussion of its lasting significance.

Intended as first introductions for students new to a subject, each of these guidebooks gives an overview of the fundamental principles of a subject area in an accessible format and jargon-free language.

Intended as first introductions for students new to a subject, each of these guidebooks gives an overview of the fundamental principles of a subject area in an accessible format and jargon-free language.

In short essays, each of these volumes focuses on the 50 essential writers, movements, works or themes in disciplines ranging from ancient history to modern media studies.

With 1,450 articles written by scholars from the USA's National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, but including a broad range of opinion and approach, this dictionary aims to provide the student with accurate, relevant and interesting information about the history, traditions and literature of the Bible. The well-illustrated A–Z includes outlines of each canonical book and articles on key people, places and terms, non-canonical books and Biblical scholarship.

This study for pastors, Bible students and general readers offers a running exposition on the texts of the New Testament Books of 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude, providing reflection and response to the texts.

First published in 1913, this scholarly commentary includes Batten's introduction to the original form of Ezra-Nehemiah, and addresses topics including the reigns of Cyrus, Darius I and Artaxerxes I and II. No jacket.

The New Jerusalem Bible translation of the book of Romans, with a brief explanatory introduction and easy-to-reference chapter divisions. 6”x4”

Although the 'historical' life and personality of Mark is irretrievable, Clifton Black argues that 'the figure of Mark is marvellously intricate and potentially informative for our understanding of some early Christian traditions'. His highly acclaimed study probes early Christian images of Mark and why the patristic church identified Mark as the author of the Second Gospel.

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This second of three volumes of exegetical essays on biblical texts from the Revised Common Lectionary, covers the final chapters of Acts and the New Testament Epistles from Romans to Revelation.

The Bible's size and obscurities can be a stumbling block for those who want to know it better, so Peter Hermon has produced this clear overview of its content and the 'golden thread of Promise' that runs through it. The core of this volume is a book-by-book, section-by-section survey of the Old and New Testaments and the 'Deutero-Canonical' additions, supplemented with background information on key themes, the different genres represented and the interrelations between books.

With this book John Dancy has set out to restore the Old Testament to 'the reading list of the general educated public' by selecting sections of the text for their artistic merit and intrinsic interest. These dramatic narratives and the heightened speech of Hebrew poetry are accompanied by Dancy's commentary, which concentrates on literary matters and provides parallels with other ancient Near Eastern and Greek texts, as well as highlighting features of Hebrew language and story-telling techniques.

The past 100 years have seen profound changes in New Testament study. This book follows its development from the late 19th century through the challenges of the 20th. Central to the book's argument is Rudolf Bultmann's attempt to reconcile critical, historical and theological studies, and its ultimate failure. Reviewing recent developments, Riches concludes by asking if the time has not come for a similar attempt to integrate modern approaches.