Books in the Essentials of Biblical Studies series

This book provides a comprehensive treatment of different understandings of sin in early Christianity.

Reading Hebrew Bible Narratives introduces readers to narrative traditions of the Old Testament and to methods of interpreting them. Considering literary analysis, words and texts in context, and reception history, this volume gives students an overview of how exegesis illuminates stories in the Bible.

Readers of the New Testament notice varying ideas about women. Some women are submissive and silent; others have titles of leaders or speak with approval. In this book, Susan Hylen guides readers through new interpretations of this evidence. She argues that women in the culture enacted feminine virtues in a variety of ways, including active leadership in their communities.

What did it mean to be a Christian in the Roman Empire? In one of the inaugural titles of Oxford's new Essentials in Biblical Studies series, Harry O. Maier considers the multilayered social contexts that shaped the authors and audiences of the New Testament.