Books published by Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.

Understanding this letter to be one of Paul's prison epistles but aware of the differences between this and his other writings, Jerry Sumney shows how the church struggled with expressing its new faith in the diverse settings of the Greco-Roman world.

This volume offers a compelling introduction to the life, times, and theological thought of H. Richard and Reinhold Niebuhr--the two most important American theologians of the twentieth century. Although the Niebuhr brothers shared the same heritage and experienced many of the same formative moments, their thought diverged at key points as...

In this collection, six leading theologians on political theology explore the contemporary states and potential future of the discipline. Offering a highly nuanced and complex picture of "older" and "newer" Political Theology, these scholars examine the multifaceted interconnections and tensions between political theologies, liberation...

When author and theologian John P. Burgess first travelled to Russia, he was hoping to expand his theological horizons and explore the rebirth of the Orthodox Church since the fall of Communism. But what he found changed some fundamental assumptions about his own tradition of North American Protestantism. In this book, Burgess asks how an...

Easy to use and understand, Living Water presents the sacramental aspects of baptism, the symbolic meaning of water, baptism in the name of God, the baptismal (or Apostles') Creed, and how baptism leads to service.

Cleo LaRue is one of the best-loved preachers and writers about preaching. In past volumes, he has brought together great collections of African American preaching to showcase the best preaching from across the country. Here he offers his own insights into what makes for great preaching. Filled with telling anecdotes, LaRue's book recognizes...

While others might tell stories claiming the world is without promise, Luke presents the narrative of Jesus Christ as good news, challenge, and hope. For Luke, this is the only story that makes sense of the past, offers guidance for the present, and secures hope for the future.Interpretation Bible Studies (IBS) offers solid biblical content in...

Few things are so vital to Christian life yet so mired in controversy as the language we use to name the mystery of the Trinity. This project offers a fresh map of Trinitarian language that is simple, yet profound in its implications for theology and practice. Soulen proposes that sacred scripture gifts us with three patterns of naming the...

The Bible's first book contains many well-known stories, some familiar since childhood: creation and the garden of Eden; an ark full of animals adrift in a flood; Abraham and Isaac; the conniving Jacob; and the dreams of Joseph. Now hear these stories again in a new way, and in hearing, discover the knowledge that God created everything in...

The Psalms speak to the depths of human experience, provoking words and images to express anger, sorrow, lament, thanksgiving, joy, and worshipful praise. They are as relevant today as they were to the ancient peoples who first composed them.Interpretation Bible Studies (IBS) offers solid biblical content in a creative study format. Forged in...

The Bible is funny! Very funny, according to Douglas Adams. In this book, Adams demonstrates how readers can discover this often-neglected humor looking at the Bible as a whole and seeing biblical stories with all their rough edges--the unethical and ambiguous characters, the unsolved problems, and the surprising endings. Adams argues that by...

Most Christians believe that there was essentially only one early church which was later imperiled by false teachings. The New Testament was the developing statement of this early church, and from it grew the whole structure of Christian belief. In this remarkable book, Michael Goulder sets out to disprove this commonly held...

What was the family like for the first Christians? Informed by archaeological work and illustrated by figures, this work is a remarkable window into the past, one that both informs and illuminates our current condition.The Family, Culture, and Religion series offers informed and responsible analyses of the state of the American family from a...

This celebrated book, a dynamic and original interpretation of the Ten Commandments, is enhanced by a thoughtful introduction by C. S. Lewis, the author's husband. Lewis writes, "the flaw in us which Joy Davidman seems to me to expose with most certainty will be to some perhaps an unexpected one: the sin of fear . . . quite simply...

Fascinating, surprising, challenging--these are among the words used by Robert Davidson to describe the two books covered in this commentary. The book of Ecclesiastes concerns the ultimate meaning of life itself and reminds us that we can be happy even amid uncertainty. The Song of Solomon invites us to an exploration of love that reminds us of...

One of the most important and cherished books in the Old Testament, Isaiah contains a message of vibrant spirituality. It reveals an exalted view of God and speaks in soaring poetry of joy and hope in the kingdom. Throughout his two-volume commentary, John F. A. Sawyer seeks to present the meaning of the text of the book of Isaiah with...

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." In this perceptive commentary familiar sayings from the book of Proverbs, such as this one, are seen in a new light. Kenneth T. Aitken deepens our understanding of the collection of popular sayings and folk wisdom of ancient Israel.Carrying forward brilliantly the pattern established by Barclay's...

One of the most exciting and challenging books of the Bible, Job is a literary work of great majesty and power. In this commentary, John C. L. Gibson helps contemporary readers explore the timeless story of the afflicted Job and its meaning for today.Carrying forward brilliantly the pattern established by Barclay's New Testament series, the...

Set in the Persian Empire, one of the greatest kingdoms the world has ever known, the stories contained in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide the most comprehensive scriptural account of the restored Judean community after the Babylonian exile. The book of Esther is also set in the Persian period of Israel's history, although the concern is...

The author of Twelve Prophets, Volume 1 completes his study with a commentary on Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, who foretold the birth of the Messiah; Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, prophets who spoke for God in the last days of the Kingdom of Judah; and Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, whose messages were directed to those reforming the...

In this volume Robert Davidson examines Jeremiah's uncomfortable relationship with the political and religious establishments of his day. He guides us through the prophecies given in the last years of Jerusalem, the account of the fall of Jerusalem, the oracles against foreign nations, and a final historical appendix. In discussing...

This prophetic Old Testament book begins by telling the reader that it is the "vision" of Isaiah. The use of the word "vision," John F. A. Sawyer explains, conveys to the reader that regardless of when the prophet lived, "his 'words' go beyond the immediate historical circumstances of his day." Sawyer argues that we as modern readers also are...

Taking a look at the setting, form, and content of I and II Chronicles, J. G. McConville describes how these two often neglected books present God's purpose for his people at a crucial time in their history--the period of restoration after the Exile.Carrying forward brilliantly the pattern established by Barclay's New Testament series, the...

The three books considered in this volume constitute the principal biblical witness to Israel's early history. According to A. Graeme Auld, "they tell the story of how under Joshua the land was first taken by Israel and then apportioned to her various tribes. They tell how after Joshua there was a long period of ups and downs; of religious...

In presenting the last half of the Psalter, George A. F. Knight discusses the meaning of the Psalms in the Old Testament, their application in the New Testament, and their challenge for today's readers. Psalms 73 to 150 belong to the later period of Israel's experience of God's steadfast love, recalling the story of how ordinary, sinful people...

This illuminating study enables the reader to better understand the vocation and message of an extraordinary prophet. The message Ezekiel delivered to the people of Babylon centered on the holiness of God. Even though he foretold doom and judgement, the prophet held out the promise of hope, based on the continuing mercy and forgiveness of...

The books of Samuel present a drama in which the principal players are the God of Israel, the prophet Samuel, and the first kings of Israel, Saul and David. In his masterful commentary David F. Payne shows that this Old Testament book combines history and theology as it narrates Samuel's virtues, Saul's defeats, and David's successes in...

For George A. F. Knight, reading the Psalms is a "glorious and exciting experience." Writing in this spirit, he captures the beauty of these timeless hymns of praise and conveys both their original meaning and their application for today. Knight show how these songs of salvation speak as eloquently for today's men and women as they did for the...

"Exodus," writes H. L. Ellison, "is in many ways one of the most important and spiritually interesting books in the Old Testament. It tells the story of how God freed his people from Egypt and bound them to himself by a covenant. We are given insight into how this link with God modified the people's traditional law, how God's grace reacted to a...

In this first of two volumes on the book of Genesis, John Gibson--Old Testament General Editor of the Daily Study Bible--offers a probing investigation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis. He provides a perceptive verse-by-verse and even word-by-word examination of the well-known Genesis stories of creation, the garden of Eden, Cain and...