The Bible is one of the world's most complex and remarkable books. It is the basis of two of the most important religions, and to believers it remains the primary means of spiritual salvation. Yet it is far more than a religious treatise; it is also a work of challenging profundity, charged with the deepest emotions and containing some of the most compelling stories ever told. The influence of the Bible on the history of Western culture has been immense, providing a foundation for its moral and religious codes and a source of inspiration for some of the most exceptional works of art and literature that the world has seen. The Illustrated Guide to the Bible distils the essence of the Old and New Testaments in a series of generously illustrated treatments of major themes and episodes from the Creation to the Apocalypse. Authoritative and highly readable accounts of the historical, social, archaeological and mythological contexts in which its stories occur are contained within a framework that emphasizes narratives and their meanings. The Illustrated Guide to the Bible is an illuminating and comprehensive reference guide to the books, episodes, figures, and places of the Bible. Above all, it offers a highly accessible way to read the narratives that have caught the imagination of the world since the beginnings of civilization, bringing alive the Bible's characters and events while exploring in detail the underlying significance of its major themes. This book is intended for students of history, religious studies, and cultural studies.

Illustrated Guide to the Bible

PORTER, J.R.

Oxford Univ. Press

The Illustrated Guide to the Bible

The Bible has had an immeasurable impact on Western culture as the basis of two of the world's great religions, Judaism and Christianity. It remains a powerful means of spiritual guidance and a work of challenging profundity, charged with the deepest emotions and containing some of the most compelling stories ever told. For countless generations it has been a source of inspiration to artists, a comfort in suffering, and a focal point for reflection on the mysteries of life. Now, The Illustrated Guide to the Bible distills the essence of this great work in over one hundred generously illustrated commentaries on the major stories, places, characters, and events in the Bible, from the Garden of Eden and the suffering of Job to the Last Supper and the Book of Revelation. Beautifully illustrated with over 300 full-color reproductions, photographs, and maps, the authoritative and engaging essays emphasize biblical narratives and their meanings and context. The substantial introduction brings together the latest scholarship on how the Bible was written, compiled, and handed down from generation to generation, and discusses its formidable, far-reaching influence throughout history. The main body of the Guide, divided into two sections, offers a treatment of the Hebrew Scriptures and the extraordinary history of the Israelites and a discussion of the New Testament and the life of Jesus. Each essay places its subject in historical and geographical context, comparing themes presented in the Bible with corresponding myths from a wide variety of cultures. Boxed sidebars throughout provide interesting background information on important themes and symbols (such as the dove and the lily) and full-color maps help to illustrate places and events (such as the city of Babylon and Paul's final voyage to Rome). The final section presents an invaluable and fully cross-referenced book-by-book summary of the Bible, a glossary of biblical terms, and a comprehensive bibliography and index. Superbly illustrated with photographs of art, artifacts, and landscapes, and with magnificent paintings, charts, maps, and family trees, the highly accessible Illustrated Guide to the Bible is an excellent companion to this great work. It is an essential volume for every home and library, the first place to turn for information on this seminal book of Western culture.

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Oxford University Press

Jesus Christ: The Jesus of History, the Christ of Faith

Illuminating the life of Jesus--his historical context, his religious teachings, and the changing perceptions of him over the centuries--this lavishly illustrated volume offers one of the most comprehensive and authoritative accounts available of this great and charismatic man. Featuring some 180 illustrations (including 20 full-color maps) and numerous boxed and sidebar features that shed light on interesting facets of the story, Jesus Christ paints a vivid portrait of Christ's life from the Nativity to the Ascension. Drawing on the Gospels and other evidence, J. R. Porter disentangles many of the mysteries and confusions surrounding the life of the historical Jesus--such as the role of women in his career and the political issues surrounding his trial--and paints a detailed background portrait of all aspects of society in first-century Palestine, from the fishing communities of Lake Galilee to life under Roman rule. Porter also explores the teachings of Christ, looking at his use of parable, his view of Hebrew Scriptures and his attitude toward the law, and his thinking about the Kingdom of God. And the book assesses the many interpretations of Christ down through the ages, from his immediate impact on the early Church, to the changing image of Jesus in art and illustration, to his perceived role as apocalyptic preacher, revolutionary, mystic, and prophet. A marvelous gift at Easter time or for a child's confirmation, this attractive, informative volume gives us an inspiring portrait of one of the most complex figures in world history.

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Illuminating the life of Jesus--his historical context, his religious teachings, and the changing perceptions of him over the centuries--this lavishly illustrated volume offers one of the most comprehensive and authoritative accounts available of this great and charismatic man. Featuring some 180 illustrations (including 20 full-color maps) and numerous boxed and sidebar features that shed light on interesting facets of the story, Jesus Christ paints a vivid portrait of Christ's life from the Nativity to the Ascension. Drawing on the Gospels and other evidence, J. R. Porter disentangles many of the mysteries and confusions surrounding the life of the historical Jesus--such as the role of women in his career and the political issues surrounding his trial--and paints a detailed background portrait of all aspects of society in first-century Palestine, from the fishing communities of Lake Galilee to life under Roman rule. Porter also explores the teachings of Christ, looking at his use of parable, his view of Hebrew Scriptures, his attitude toward the law, and his thinking about the Kingdom of God. The book assesses the many interpretations of Christ through the ages, from his immediate impact on the early Church, to the changing image of Jesus in art and illustration, to his perceived role as apocalyptic preacher, revolutionary, mystic, and prophet. A marvelous gift at Easter time or for a child's confirmation, this attractive, informative volume gives us an inspiring portrait of one of the most complex figures in world history.

A work of challenging profundity, charged with the deepest emotions and containing some of the most compelling stories ever told, the Bible has had an immeasurable impact on Western culture. For countless generations, it has been a powerful means of spiritual guidance, an unmatched source of inspiration to artists, a comfort in suffering, and a focal point for reflection on the mysteries of life. Now, The Illustrated Guide to the Bible distills the essence of this great work in over one hundred generously illustrated commentaries on the major stories, places, characters, and events in the Bible, from the Garden of Eden and the suffering of Job to the Last Supper and the Book of Revelation. Beautifully illustrated with over 300 full-color reproductions, photographs, and maps, this engaging volume places its subject in historical and geographical context, comparing themes presented in the Bible with corresponding myths from a wide variety of cultures. Boxed sidebars throughout provide interesting background information on important themes and symbols (such as the dove and the lily) and full-color maps illustrate places and events (such as the city of Babylon and Paul's final voyage to Rome). The final section presents an invaluable and fully cross-referenced book-by-book summary of the Bible, a glossary of biblical terms, and a comprehensive bibliography and index. Superbly illustrated with photographs of art, artifacts, and landscapes, and with magnificent paintings, charts, maps, and family trees, the highly accessible Illustrated Guide to the Bible is an essential volume for every home and library, the first place to turn for information on this seminal book of Western culture.

The Lost Bible provides a fascinating introduction to sacred writings of great profundity and aesthetic merit that did not become part of the canon of the Old and New Testaments. In the centuries around the beginning of the Common Era, the Jewish people drew faith and inspiration from hundreds of sacred writings, not just those that make up the Hebrew Bible we know today. Early Christianity itself produced a wealth of sacred writings, which, though they did not become part of the New Testament, were popular among believers and important in spreading the faith. After the canons of the Jewish and Christian Bibles were established, many of these works disappeared into obscurity. Some were lost entirely; others survived in translations. J. R. Porter introduces the reader to a wide selection of these extraordinary and beautiful "lost" works-from words considered to be those of prophets, kings, and patriarchs (even Adam himself) to legends and stories that supply "missing" parts of the Gospels. For each work, commentary is followed by a translated extract in clear and up-to-date language. The commentary places writings in their religious, social, and political context; explains the crucial importance of these works to the development of Jewish and Christian thought; and highlights the many legends and artistic traditions that sprang from them. It also examines the reasons-both religious and political-why these writings did not become part of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. Lavishly illustrated with beautiful artwork, and amplified by maps, timelines, and data boxes, this text is a rich resource for anyone interested in exploring the origins of Judaism and Christianity. Part I: Works related to the Old Testament *Apocalypses *Testaments *Comments on Scripture *Wisdom and Philosophy *Hymns and Prayers *Sibylline Oracles *Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical works *Recent Discoveries, including the Dead Sea Scrolls Part II: Works related to the New Testament *Apocryphal Gospels *Apocryphal Acts *Apocryphal Letters *Apocryphal Apocalypses *Recent Discoveries, including the Gnostic Library

The Lost Bible: Forgotten Scriptures Revealed

Reference

University of Chicago Press

Leviticus (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament)

The book of Leviticus originally formed part of a larger whole comprising what are now the first four or five books of the Old Testament. Its name is descriptive - 'the Levitical book' being about the personnel of the temple, all of whom were supposed to be descended from Levi. In one way the description is accurate, since the material was produced among the priesthood which had survived the fall of Judah to the Babylonians in 587 BC as a manual of instruction for its members. However, since priests in Israel gradually emerged as leaders of the nation, the book of Leviticus is also directed at the laity and, by the promulgation of laws set in a historical narrative, intended to instruct them in their religious and civil obligations.

Cambridge University Press

The book of Leviticus originally formed part of a larger whole comprising what are now the first four or five books of the Old Testament. Its name is descriptive - 'the Levitical book' being about the personnel of the temple, all of whom were supposed to be descended from Levi. In one way the description is accurate, since the material was produced among the priesthood which had survived the fall of Judah to the Babylonians in 587 BC as a manual of instruction for its members. However, since priests in Israel gradually emerged as leaders of the nation, the book of Leviticus is also directed at the laity and, by the promulgation of laws set in a historical narrative, intended to instruct them in their religious and civil obligations.

JESUS CHRIST THE JESUS OF HISTORY THE CHRIST OF FAITH With deft and profound scholarship, Professor Porter looks squarely at biblical and other evidence in order to disentangle many of the mysteries and confusions surrounding the life of the historical Jesus. Concentrating on Jesus' life, his teachings, the conflicting perceptions of Jesus by his contemporaries and subsequent generations, and the social and political context of the time he lived, Jesus Christ is the only comprehensive, authoritative and fully illustrated account of this great and charismatic man. Special illustrated features highlight Jesus' relationship to the Judaism of his day, the role of women in his life, his view of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament), the political issues surrounding his trial and his significance for early Christian groups such as the Gnostics. Jesus Christ is divided into five major sections: • The Setting: a detailed portrait of all aspects of society in the Palestine of Jesus' day, from the fishing communities of Lake Galilee to life under Roman rule. Maps and superb photographers evoke the setting of Jesus' career with unparalleled vividness. • The Life: a biography of Jesus, with illuminating treatment of the many areas of controversy and enigma. All stages of Jesus' life are traced, from his birth to the Crucifixion and its aftermath. • The Teachings: a treatment of Jesus' message and beliefs, covering such topics as the Sermon on the Mount, his attitude to the Jewish Law, his use of parables and his views on the Kingdom of God. • Interpretations: a wide-ranging survey of the many ways in which Jesus has been regarded through the centuries - as apocalyptic preacher, revolutionary, mystic and prophet, among other interpretations. • Jesus In Art: a fully illustrated section devoted to the changing image of Jesus in art over the centuries.

Jesus Christ: The Jesus Of History, The Christ Of Faith

Barnes&Noble Books

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Books by PORTER, J.R.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by PORTER, J.R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Illustrated Guide to the Bible

The Illustrated Guide to the Bible

Jesus Christ: The Jesus of History, the Christ of Faith

The Illustrated Guide to the Bible

Jesus Christ: The Jesus of History, the Christ of Faith

The Illustrated Guide to the Bible

The Lost Bible: Forgotten Scriptures Revealed

Leviticus (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament)

Leviticus (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament)

Jesus Christ: The Jesus Of History, The Christ Of Faith