With over 150,000 copies sold, this comprehensive look at the role and function of elders brings all the advantages of shared leadership into focus.... Beginning with the four broad categories of eldership (leading, feeding, caring, and protecting), Biblical Eldership explores the essential work of elders, their qualifications (including why qualifications are necessary), their relationships with each other, and each of the biblical passages related to eldership. Written for those seeking a clear understanding of the mandate for biblical eldership, this full-length, expository book defines it accurately, practically, and according to Scripture. "Mr. Strauch has made a fine contribution to the subject of eldership. I am confident that it will be helpful to many." — John MacArthur, Jr., Pastor-Teacher, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA "At last, a thorough biblical study on the basis of church government and especially the function and ministry of elders! New churches will find it a valuable guideline to effective functioning and older churches will find it a trustworthy corrective." — Ray Stedman, former pastor and elder, Peninsula Bible Church, Palo Alto, CA "An excellent text for the study of eldership by young and older men interested in the work of an elder. Strauch is a man of gift and experience, and I am grateful for his work." — S. Lewis Johnson, Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

John Hayes and Carl Holladay have thoroughly revised and expanded this best-selling textbook, adding new chapters on emerging methods of interpretation... and the use of computer technology for exegesis. All bibliographies have been updated, and Scripture has been converted to the NRSV. This new edition retains the features of the early editions: a minimum of technical terms, solid introductory guidelines in exegetical methods, and a valuable presentation of exegetical theory and practice. It is ideal for general introductory exegesis courses, introductions to the Old and New Testaments, and introduction to preaching, as well as for pastors and lay leaders.

Most North American churches take a pragmatic approach to church life. We are concerned with being relevant to the culture and ultimately growing at a... steady rate. While these issues are certainly legitimate, they also create a danger that our churches will be shaped more by these extrabiblical goals than by the biblical mandate of God. Utilizing the Scriptures, theology, and Baptist history, this comprehensive work addresses all aspects of the church—both theological and practical.

Biblical Foundations of Spirituality is a timely and important book that invites readers to 'touch a finger to the flame' of the sacred text of the... Bible by offering guidance on what to read, how to read, and why to read the Bible as a source of spiritual nourishment. It begins by exploring the nature and meaning of that all-too-difficult word spirituality and then leads readers through the entire Bible--from Genesis to Revelation--to develop a biblical spirituality that can serve as a guiding light in this age of spiritual seeking. Informed by the latest scholarship, this book makes the Bible more intelligible and 'user friendly' for contemporary audiences by stressing the spiritual dimension of the search for God evident in our biblical ancestors and showing how the Bible can be a friend and companion in our search for God today. It illustrates the continuity of the Old and New Testaments and the progression of faith and insight about God--the turns and dead-ends, the mistakes and successes, the struggles and challenges--that reflect in some way our own contemporary experience and search for God. By showing readers that the biblical authors were real people who struggled with life's puzzles and challenges in the same way that we do, Biblical Foundations of Spirituality reveals the rich treasure of spiritual wisdom that the Bible contains and connects the wisdom and witness of Scripture with everyday life and spirituality. Complete with a historical chronology, reflection questions, a glossary, and extensive notes and bibliography, this book is ideal for classroom and parish use as well as for individual readers.

One of the most significant changes initiated by the Second Vatican Council was the direct encouragement for Catholics to rediscover the Bible.... Unfortunately, education has lagged behind Catholic interest in exploring the Bible and its mysteries. Consequently, vital questions, including how to read and interpret the Bible, remain unanswered for many Christians. In Biblical Fundamentalism, Father Ronald Witherup offers Catholics a guide to the questions that arise when they desire to use "the good book" in their personal lives. Father Witherup provides an overview of the origins, history, basic tenets, and problems with biblical fundamentalism and its influence in contemporary culture. He summarizes Catholic teaching on the Bible and points out both the strengths and the weaknesses in the fundamentalist approach to the Bible. He also provides a concise but thorough response to questions that Catholics have about fundamentalism and discusses resources for further study. Biblical Fundamentalism is divided into five chapters. The first chapter explains the historical origins of Christian biblical fundamentalism and why it is a uniquely American phenomenon. The second chapter outlines the main tenets of fundamentalist faith and how it approached the Bible. The third chapter does the same for the Catholic faith. The fourth chapter explores why biblical fundamentalism is attractive in our day and offers a critique of it. Finally, the fifth chapter imparts some practical advice about how to fashion a sensible (and courteous) Catholic response to fundamentalism. Chapters are "The Origins of Biblical Fundamentalism," "Bible Basics: A Fundamentalist Approach to the Bible," "Bible Basics: A Catholic Approach to the Bible," "Evaluating Fundamentalism," and "A Catholic Response to Fundamentalism."

The purpose of this text is to look at genres--broad and narrow--as they can be recognized in books of the Old Testament in the existing canon with... respect to various conventions of genre. Genre becomes a useful tool for helping readers know what to look for, expect, and how to organize their experience in reading the Old Testament. Jeanie C. Crain is professor of English at Missouri Western State University. She is the author of Reading the Bible as Literature: an Introduction (Polity Press 2010).

Biblical Greek: A Compact Guide offers Greek students a one-stop guide for the grammar, morphology, and vocabulary of biblical Greek. This resource... follows the organization and format familiar to the hundreds of thousands of students who have used Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar in their first-year Greek courses, but it is also usable by students who learned with a different grammar. By limiting its discussion to the 'nuts and bolts,' Greek language students working on translation and exegesis will more quickly and easily find the relevant grammatical refreshers. Students can, for example, check on the range of meaning for a particular word or make sure they remember how aorist participles function in a sentence. The paradigms, word lists, and basic discussions in Biblical Greek: A Compact Guide point students in the right direction and allow them to focus on more advanced Greek study. Biblical Greek: A Compact Guide will become a valuable addition to the reference library of seminary students and pastors.

Biblical Greek Exegesis presents a proven, highly practical approach to the study of intermediate and advanced Greek grammar. Most textbooks focus on... learning syntactical categories, illustrated by sentences taken from the Greek New Testament, and place little emphasis on how to apply Greek grammar to the Greek text in preparing sermons and lectures. In contrast, Biblical Greek Exegesis stresses 'real-life' application. Beginning with selections from the Greek New Testament, students learn intermediate and advanced Greek grammar inductively by analyzing the text. The process closely resembles the approach used in sermon and lecture preparation. In Part 1 (SYNTAX), students work through nine selections from the New Testament, taken from the Gospels, Paul's letters (including Romans), and the General Letters. The selections are arranged in order of increasing difficulty. The student becomes familiar with syntactical categories through translation, grammatical analysis, and grammatical diagramming, supplemented by class discussion. Equally important, the length of these selections allows for semantic diagramming and analysis. This provides a tool for analyzing larger units of meaning, which is not possible when working only with sentences that illustrate specific points of grammar. In Part 2 (EXEGESIS), the student takes the sections from the Greek New Testament through a twelve-step method of exegesis and exposition. The student works through one section of approximately fifteen verses every two weeks, beginning with the first step---spiritual preparation---and ending with application and a preaching/teaching outline. This approach has two benefits. Advanced Greek students learn to use the Greek text and grammar as they will in the 'real world.' They also learn to integrate other significant areas such as literary form and textual criticism, as well as the use of exegetical tools. In short, they become better expositors of the Word of God. Bibliographies are provided for each of the twelve steps in the exegetical process. Also included is a summary of syntactical categories based on Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. This successfully field-tested approach to intermediate and advanced Greek will help students bridge the gap between understanding the categories of Greek grammar and the demand to communicate the meaning and significance of the New Testament message to the twenty-first century.

A discussion of various points of Greek syntax of the New Testament with constant references to examples from the text. Of interest to all students of ... New Testament Greek, beginners and specialists.

Students of biblical Greek and Hebrew may not know everything they need to know, but they do know there's a lot they need to know! Whether studying for... exams or translating passages of Scripture, students need critical information at their fingertips. Instead, it's usually scattered throughout textbooks, self-made crib sheets, and sticky-notes on their computer monitor. Now there's a better way! The Zondervan Get an A! Study Guides to Biblical Greek and Biblical Hebrew are handy, at-a-glance study aids ideal for last minute review, a quick overview of grammar, or as an aid in translation or sermon preparation. Each set contains four information-packed sheets that are laminated and three-hole-punched, making them both durable and portable. The study guides are tied to Zondervan's Basics of Biblical Greek and Basics of Biblical Hebrew.

Comprehensive in scope, this carefully crafted introductory grammar of Biblical Hebrew offers easy-to-understand explanations, numerous biblical... illustrations, and a wide range of imaginative, biblically based exercises. According to Page Kelley, his book is designed not so much for seasoned travelers as for those who are just starting out on a strange and wonderful journey. / The book consists of thirty-one lessons arranged as follows: the nonverbal aspects of the language (lessons 1-10); the verb forms and their functions, with special attention to the strong verbs (lessons 11-20); the coordinate relationship of verbs, a topic alluded to but seldom developed in other grammars (lesson 21); and a comprehensive introduction to each of the ten classes of weak verbs (lessons 22-31). The grammar is accompanied by eleven complete verb charts, an extensive vocabulary list, a glossary of grammatical terms, and a subject index. / Kelley employs a method that one reviewer has described as a cross between a straight presentation of grammatical principles and rules and a semi-inductive presentation of concepts through the exercises. Each lesson first presents new grammatical concepts, with biblical examples, and then provides reinforcing exercises that Kelley has judiciously selected from the biblical text (the exercises do not presuppose vocabulary and grammar not already covered). / Deriving from the authors forty years of experience in teaching Biblical Hebrew to seminary students, and enthusiastically employed in its developing stages by instructors at a variety of colleges and seminaries, Kelleys Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar promises to be an excellent teaching tool with high potential as a textbook. Kelly has designed it for use in either a one-semester or a two-semester course.

This is the first textbook written for the purpose of teaching biblical Hebrew to college-level students who already know some modern, Israeli Hebrew.... Marc Brettler provides a clear, comprehensive book with numerous well-constructed exercises to help students either make the transition from modern Israeli Hebrew to biblical Hebrew or deepen their understanding of biblical Hebrew. The book is also ideal for individuals who might like to study independently, and for serious Jewish adult-education programmes. Biblical Hebrew for Students of Modern Israeli Hebrew is unique in its emphasis on phonology, based on the conviction that a strong grounding in phonology makes it possible to learn biblical Hebrew grammar in a much more systematic fashion. This method also allows verbal conjugations to be taught much more quickly and systematically. Although the text is not inductive, it uses authentic biblical texts throughout to illustrate fundamental points, and it contains many biblical texts in the exercises. Students progressing through the book will quickly be encouraged by a sense of accomplishment as they encounter and understand well-known biblical passages.

This textbook is designed as an introduction to Hebrew grammar for use in colleges and seminaries. The goal is to equip the student with a basic... understanding of biblical Hebrew as a foundation for more in-depth study. The text presents the important elements of Hebrew in short lessons so the beginning student is not overwhelmed. The vocabularies and exercises are taken from the Hebrew Bible. In the latter lessons, the student is reading Scripture as it appears in the Hebrew text of the Bible.