Books published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Mark S. Smith explores the nuances of what would become the premiere creation account in the Hebrew Bible and the serene priestly theology that informed it. That vision of an ordered cosmos, Smith argues, is evidence of the emergence of a mystical theology among priests in post-exilic Israel, and the placement of Genesis 12 at the beginning of Israels great epic is their sustained critique of the theology of divine violence that saturated ancient near eastern creation myths.

These essays reveal the consistency and integrity of a master exegete, New Testament theologian, and churchman. Stendahl brings to the biblical text a constant concern to discover what was meant by a particular biblical passage, as free as possible of the doctrinal or cultural preoccupations of intervening centuries, but also to reflect on what the text means to us today, ever alert to the ways scripture has fueled anti-semitism, the subordination of women, and other forms of prejudice and injury. The combination of respect shown here for the diversity of meanings in scripture and the urgency of reflecting - critically and faithfully - on our contemporary responsibilities in light of scripture is irresistible. The collection is a testament to the wide range of Stendahl's interests and the depth of his perception.

Couples can make significant progress toward resolving their own problems when they receive appropriate guidance from a caring person. This book outlines five tasks focused on identity, agency, and meaning that spiritual caregivers can use to empower couples for significant change in just three to five conversations. This form of empowering guidance is a dimension of pastoral conversation rather than formal counseling. Critically integrating desert spiritual theology with empirical data about successful marriages, Bidwell advocates for mutuality and partnership within covenanted relationships, which allows partners to create an alliance strong enough to resist the forces that threaten relationshipsespecially the negative influences of criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and withdrawal.

Philemon is the shortest letter in the Pauline collection, yet because it has to do with a slave separated from his master it has played an inordinate role in the toxic brew of slavery and racism in the United States. In Onesimus Our Brother, leading African American biblical scholars tease out the often unconscious assumptions about religion, race, and culture that permeate contemporary interpretation of the New Testament and of Paul in particular. The editors argue that Philemon is as important a letter from an African American perspective as Romans or Galatians have proven to be in Eurocentric interpretation. The essays gathered here continue to trouble scholarly waters, interacting with the legacies of Hegel, Freud, Habermas, Ricoeur, and James C. Scott, as well as the historical experience of African American communities. Contributors include the editors and Mitzi J. Smith, Margaret B. Wilkerson, James W. Perkinson, and Allen Dwight Callahan.

What distinguishes the new perspective on Pauland what lies beyond it? What are scholars saying about Paul and the Roman Empire or about the intersection between feminist and postcolonial interpretation of Paul? Magnus Zetterholm provides a clear and reliable guide to these and other lively issues in the contemporary study of Paul, surveying the history of the principal perspectives on Pauls relation to Judaism and the Jewish law and showing the relationships between answers given to those questions and the assumptions scholars bring to other issues as well.

Noting that Israels earliest responses to earth-shaking changes were cast in the powerfully expressive language of poetry, Hugh R. Page Jr. argues that the careful collection and preservation of these traditions was an act of resistance, a communal no to the forces of despair and a yes to the creative power of the Spirit. Further, Page argues, the power of these poems to craft and shape a future for a people who had suffered acute displacement and marginalization offers a rich spiritual repertoire for Africana peoples today, and for all who find themselves perennially outside the social or political mainstream.

This volume emphasizes the Lutheran tradition for use in preaching, the Bible, its Archimedean theological insights, and its notion of preachings place within the larger liturgical and societal setting. Working from across the whole array of seminary disciplines, the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary forges this practical resource around a single vision: the Church of Christ lives from the power of the Word of God, both the law and the gospel. Preaching this Word is a means of grace by which God creates and shapes a redeemed community.

Visionary yet practical, Nessans influential book makes a persuasive case for the centrality of mission in the life of the church. Nessans model of mission-driven leadership is strongly centered on the community of faiths worship and draws unique connections between the worship life of a congregation and every aspect of the churchs ministry. Around the twin foci of congregational identity and mission, the chapters in this dynamic book provide solid theological and radical direction on the themes of worship, education, fellowship, stewardship, evangelism, global connections, and social ministry.

* Equally sensitive to theological and scientific thought * A systematic presentation of divine action in a panentheistic framework

"Ebeling is a scholar of distinction and writes on a subject of stature." -- Geoffrey Bromiley, Christianity Today "This 'introduction' to Luther's way of thinking is a series of commentaries on the main themes of Luther's thought: letter and spirit; law and gospel; person and work; faith and love; the kingdom of Christ and the world; Christian man and secular man; God hidden and revealed. The themes are introduced by aptly chosen passages from Luther's writings and they are discussed with a theological shrewdness which is born of a thorough acquaintance with Luther, the creative theologian, and an intense participation in the theological struggles of today.... This is a very suggestive and rewarding book." -- Wilhelm Pauck, Theology Today "Gerhard Ebeling will be remembered as one of the most distinguished and influential theologians of the twentieth century.... The unity among theological profundity, ethical sensitivity, human wisdom, and the refined style of his German prose constitutes a permanent intellectual treasure to be gratefully enjoyed time and again as we enter into the uncertainties of the new millennium." -- Hans Dieter Betz, The Journal of Religion "Ebeling does more than interpret and relate Luther's thought for us, he actually introduces us to Luther himself.... He furthers our understanding of both Luther and the contemporary hermeneutical issues by dealing with the way Luther grasped and spoke the word of God." -- Carter Lindberg, Interpretation

"A diligent and carefully argued exercise in the historico-critical method, Hans Dieter Betz' Essays present the Sermon on the Mount (SM) as a pre-Matthean composition coming from a Jewish-Christian community engaged in the polemical process of constructing an identity vis-á-vis mainstream Jewish (Pharisaic) groups on the one hand and emerging Gentile Christianity on the other. It is this process that prompts the SM compiler(s) to rethink and rework the inherited Jesus tradition. Since the first appearance of the Essays in 1985 - the classic Hermeneia commentary on the SM by the author would be published in 1995 - they have remained essential reading for students of the New Testament and its Hellenistic and Jewish settings. Today, the exciting new ways of reading the Sermon suggested in Betz' seminal work continue to inform our search for a fuller and clearer grasp of the multi-faceted and dynamic world of nascent Christianity, as well as the ongoing quest for the historical Jesus." -Serge Ruzer> "The perspective that unifies these essays is the assertion that the Sermon on the Mount should be recognized and studied as an independent composition that was compiled prior to its incorporation into the Gospel of Matthew... Betz argues that the Sermon on the Mount is an epitome, that is, a condensation of the teachings of Jesus, collected for the purpose of brevity and precision. Such a genre was useful, because it encouraged a follower or disciple to keep the teacher's entire system in mind." -Theology Today

Although the Hebrew Bible serves as the main source of knowledge of ancient Israelite religion, much additional information comes from the material and written remains uncovered in the archaeological investigations of the Ancient Near East. In this volume, internationally renowned scholars examine all of these sources in order to present the most impressive, comprehensive study of ancient Israelite religion yet to appear.