The letter of 2 Corinthians is important, Paul Barnett believes, for its magnificent message that God's power is brought to people in their weakness, not in human strength. This momentous theme emerges in a dramatic real-life situation. The apostle confronts shadowy opponents who had recently come to Corinth and formed an alliance with some of the church leaders and members. His letter is a fascinating record of that conflict.

The Message of 2 Corinthians (The Bible Speaks Today Series)

Barnett, Paul W.

Religion & Spirituality

IVP Academic

At the heart of the Christian faith stands a man, Jesus of Nazareth. Few people seriously question whether Jesus existed in history. But many, influenced by the more skeptical scholars, doubt that the Christ of orthodox Christianity is the same as the Jesus of history. In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, historian Paul W. Barnett lays these doubts to rest. He uncovers the methodological weaknesses present in some forms of critical scholarship, demonstrating a failure to account for important early evidence about Jesus. Once the evidence is properly marshalled, a picture of Jesus emerges that fits well with orthodox belief in him. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Jesus and the Logic of History (New Studies in Biblical Theology) (Volume 3)

Paul and His Friends in Leadership: How they changed the world

BRF The Bible Reading Fellowship

The Gospels are the most important texts of the Bible because they tell the story about Jesus—who he was and what he achieved. If we did not have the Gospels, the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament would be left hanging and the passing references in the apostles’ letters would leave us baffled about the identity of this mysterious figure, Jesus.  During the past several hundred years some scholars have implied that key figures from the first century had conspired to present a Jesus who was different from Jesus as he really was—Paul, Mark, and the editor of the so-called “Q” document. The real Jesus, it is claimed, was not a redeemer but a charismatic rabbi or prophet. Paul Barnett engages with key advocates of a deconstructed Jesus by attempting to work out historically just how the Gospels came to be written. As a result of this inquiry, a cogent picture emerges that explains many of the who, the when, and the why questions about the writing of the Gospels. Inevitably, however, because of our distance from that era, there are many details missing and many details that remain a mystery. But mystery does not imply conspiracy.

Making the Gospels: Mystery or Conspiracy?

Cascade Books

The Gospels are the most important texts of the Bible because they tell the story about Jesus--who he was and what he achieved. If we did not have the Gospels, the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament would be left hanging and the passing references in the apostles' letters would leave us baffled about the identity of this mysterious figure, Jesus. During the past several hundred years some scholars have implied that key figures from the first century had conspired to present a Jesus who was different from Jesus as he really was--Paul, Mark, and the editor of the so-called ""Q"" document. The real Jesus, it is claimed, was not a redeemer but a charismatic rabbi or prophet. Paul Barnett engages with key advocates of a deconstructed Jesus by attempting to work out historically just how the Gospels came to be written. As a result of this inquiry, a cogent picture emerges that explains many of the who, the when, and the why questions about the writing of the Gospels. Inevitably, however, because of our distance from that era, there are many details missing and many details that remain a mystery. But mystery does not imply conspiracy. ""Barnett shows that, while there are many secondary issues on which scholars differ, conspiracy theories can be safely put to rest. The historically earliest and most reliable sources tell us quite a bit about the historical Jesus, and he looks a lot more like what the ancient witnesses claimed than like what modern speculations insist. Barnett's exploration of echoes of Jesus in other early sources is insightful."" --Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary ""Paul Barnett caps a lifetime of scholarship and ecclesiastical service with this sketch of a plausible history of the formation of the New Testament Gospels. Barnett offers numerous, converging lines of evidence to show that these foundational works about Jesus were in a position to provide reliable information about this greatest of all figures in human history. An accessible work that encourages faith."" --Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary ""Paul Barnett writes with the acumen of a scholar, the curiosity of a detective, and the creativity of a novelist. Add to this his internationally recognized expertise as a historian. The result is a thorough, searching, and convincing study."" --Robert W. Yarbrough, Covenant Theological Seminary ""As we have come to expect from him, Paul Barnett has produced another helpful gem of a book that is at once informed, insightful, and appealing. Here he shows how a full exploration of the available biblical and historical data illumines the origin of the Gospels and justifies positive conclusions about their reliability."" --Donald Hagner, Fuller Theological Seminary Paul W. Barnett has combined pastoral ministry with lecturing and writing. He has been pastor of several congregations and retired as Bishop of North Sydney. He has written extensively on New Testament history and lectured at universities in Australia and China, as well as at Regent College, Vancouver, and Moore College, Sydney. He is Honorary Visiting Fellow in Ancient History at Macquarie University. Paul is married to Anita.

Making the Gospels

Most books about Paul the apostle are long and very detailed, and for many a potential reader a daunting prospect. A Short Book about Paul is deliberately brief, but its brevity is not at the cost of accuracy. We trace the main contours of Paul's life, which turn on the hinge of the singular event outside Damascus in c. AD 34. From that time the leading persecutor of the disciples became the dedicated preacher of the message about Jesus.This short book shares with many the opinion that Paul remains the most influential voice from Greco-Roman antiquity apart, that is, from the Lord whose servant he was. At the same time, many critics have found fault with him, especially from the time of the Enlightenment.Paul's achievements were considerable. Between AD 47-56 he established a network of congregations in five Roman provinces--Syria-Cilicia, Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia. His thirteen surviving letters are witnesses to his dedicated pastoral care of these tiny, far-flung gatherings. Not to be missed was his remarkable skill in recruiting a small army of loyal coworkers like Timothy, Luke, and Titus.The result of Paul's decade-long journeys in the provinces of Anatolia and Greece was the planting of the seeds of Christianity that would develop into the official religion of the eastern Roman Empire, based in Constantinople.

A Short Book about Paul

Jerusalem to Illyricum

Jerusalem to Illyricum is the geographical space and ca. AD 34 to 57 the time frame for Paul’s church planting mission. Acts includes this within its meta-narrative, and while historically accurate, it is not raw history like Paul’s letters. In this study Barnett is seeking references to Paul’s initial missionary “arrival” (eisodos) and the local cultural pushback. Of particular interest for history and theology is his encyclical to the Galatians and his account of the dispute with Cephas in Antioch. Paul’s success in his mission to the gentiles in Syria and Cilicia provoked the rise within the Jerusalem Church of those he calls “false brothers” whose colleagues travelled to “agitate” the Galatian believers and to drive the gentile believers in Antioch from the common meal. Some years later a band of preachers from Jerusalem sought to capture the church in Corinth, intending to then capture other churches in Macedonia and Asia. Paul’s missions and writings have been the subject of numerous large studies which, however, unintentionally imply that Paul’s mission years were longer than they were and that his mission writing occupied a lengthy time space. His nine missionary letters were written ca. AD 48 to 57, a mere decade, and all of which point to Paul’s astonishing energy and drive.

Jerusalem to Illyricum: Earliest Christianity through the Eyes of Paul

Jerusalem to Illyricum is the geographical space and ca. AD 34 to 57 the time frame for Paul's church planting mission. Acts includes this within its meta-narrative, and while historically accurate, it is not raw history like Paul's letters. In this study Barnett is seeking references to Paul's initial missionary "arrival" (eisodos) and the local cultural pushback. Of particular interest for history and theology is his encyclical to the Galatians and his account of the dispute with Cephas in Antioch. Paul's success in his mission to the gentiles in Syria and Cilicia provoked the rise within the Jerusalem Church of those he calls "false brothers" whose colleagues travelled to "agitate" the Galatian believers and to drive the gentile believers in Antioch from the common meal. Some years later a band of preachers from Jerusalem sought to capture the church in Corinth, intending to then capture other churches in Macedonia and Asia. Paul's missions and writings have been the subject of numerous large studies which, however, unintentionally imply that Paul's mission years were longer than they were and that his mission writing occupied a lengthy time space. His nine missionary letters were written ca. AD 48 to 57, a mere decade, and all of which point to Paul's astonishing energy and drive.

The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power In Weakness (The Bible Speaks Today New Testament) (The Bible Speaks Today New Testament, 9)

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