Books by Bruce W. Longenecker

Description:In this refreshingly unique book, Bruce Longenecker demonstrates that reading Luke''s narrative is richly enhanced through attentiveness to what is tantalizingly left out of the Lukan narrative. In Hearing the Silence, the reader is invited to delve deeply into literary and theological dimensions of the Lukan narrative through an exploration of Jesus'' strangely under-narrated "escape" in Luke 4:30. The options for interpreting the mechanics of that curious event are brought into dramatic relief by Longenecker''s survey of the scene''s reconstruction in Jesus-novels and Jesus-films, in which a variety of strategies have been employed to iron out the scene''s narrative oddity. Against their backdrop, Longenecker''s own constructive proposals bring the reader into direct contact with some of the most significant features of the Lukan Gospel and worldview. Endorsements:"''But the dog did not bark!'' Sherlock noted. Now Bruce Longenecker, with a similar steely detective-like resolve, explores one of the most perplexing silences in the Gospel of Luke. Specifically, what actually happened to Jesus on the edge of a hill in Nazareth, that he was able to walk away scot free from an angry mob? With literary sensitivity, Longenecker demonstrates how the silence of details actually speaks volumes . . . God is at work to reveal the liberating power of the kingdom of God by preserving the messianic deliverer in the midst of evil. An engaging read!"--Michael BirdProfessor of Theology and Bible, Crossway College, Brisbane, AustraliaAuthor of Colossians and Philemon: A New Covenant Commentary (Cascade, 2009)"This is an entertaining book with a serious point. Longenecker takes his readers on a captivating journey from the absurd to the sublime. Focusing on a single ''gap'' in the text of Luke''s Gospel, he starts with novelistic attempts at filling it (the absurd) and ends with deft reflections on how Luke crafts a narrative Christology (the sublime). With this highly innovative approach, Longenecker deepens our appreciation of Luke''s Gospel, while also bearing testimony to the mystery of Christ."--George HunsingerHazel Thompson McCord Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological SeminaryEditor of Thy Word Is Truth: Barth on Scripture (2012)"Longenecker proposes a ''christological arc'' for hearing Luke''s narrative as a whole: the one who undergoes the eucatastrophic ''escape'' from the enraged townsfolk of Nazareth and is ''taken up'' by divine custody from his death by his nation to fill out the greater, overarching blessing to Israel and the nations. The author''s wit and imagination for filling in the ''gap'' of Luke 4:30 through the . . . ''arc'' of Psalm 91 outsmarts even the most creative Jesus novelists . . . in making sense of Jesus'' mysterious ''passing through their midst''--stimulating, provocative, a delight to read!"--David P. MoessnerA. A. Bradford Chair of Religion for Biblical Studies, Texas Christian University, Fort WorthAbout the Contributor(s):Bruce W. Longenecker is Professor of New Testament and the W. W. Melton Chair of Religion in the Department of Religion at Baylor University, Texas.

This beautifully designed, full-color textbook introduces the Greco-Roman background of the New Testament by immersing students in the life and culture of the thriving first-century towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which act as showpieces of the world into which the early Christian movement was spreading.

Archaeologists have disputed the scarce evidence claimed for the presence of Christians in Pompeii before the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Now, Bruce W. Longenecker reviews that evidence in comparison with other possible data of first-century Christian presence elsewhere in the Mediterranean and reaches the conclusion that there were indeed Christians living in the doomed city. The Crosses of Pompeii presents an elegant case for their presence, with photographic illustration of the available archaeological evidence.

A Fascinating Glimpse into the World of the New TestamentTransported two thousand years into the past, readers are introduced to Antipas, a Roman civic leader who has encountered the writings of the biblical author Luke. Luke's history sparks Antipas's interest, and they begin corresponding. While the account is fictional, the author is a highly respected New Testament scholar who weaves reliable historical information into a fascinating story, offering a fresh, engaging, and creative way to learn about the New Testament world. The first edition has been widely used in the classroom (over 30,000 copies sold). This updated edition, now with improved readability and narrative flow, will bring the social and political world of Jesus and his first followers to life for many more students of the Bible.

A practical commentary on Philippians and Philemon that is conversant with contemporary scholarship, draws on ancient backgrounds, and attends to the theological nature of the texts.

Upending a longstanding consensus, Bruce W. Longenecker presents a wide variety of material artifacts to illustrate that Christians made use of the cross as a visual symbol of their faith long before Constantine appropriated it to consolidate his power in the fourth century. Constantine did not invent the cross as a symbol of Christian faith; for an impressive number of Christians before Constantines reign, the cross served as a visual symbol of commitment to a living deity in a dangerous world.