Hebrews-James / [print]
by Edgar McKnight and Christopher Church.
- Macon, Georgia : Smyth and Helwys Pub., (c)2004.
- xx, 450 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm +
- Smyth & Helwys Bible commentary .
- Smyth & Helwys Bible commentary. .
Accompanied by a CD-ROM with commentary.
Includes bibliographies and index.
Hebrews -- Introduction to Hebrews -- Introductory statement of faith, Hebrews 1:1-4 -- Christ superior to angels, Hebrews 1:5-14 -- Warning : the peril of ignoring the Word delivered by the Son, Hebrews 2:1-4 -- The humiliation and exaltation of Jesus, Hebrews 2:5-18 -- Christ's faithfulness over God's house as Son compared with Moses? : f aithfulness as servant, Hebrews 3:1-6 -- The rejection of Jesus more serious than the rejection of Moses : a lesson from the Exodus generation, Hebrews 3:7-19 -- The promise of rest remains but may be forfeited, Hebrews 4:1-11 -- Exhortation to diligence and the encouragement of Christ, Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Christ's qualifications as high priest, Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Hortatory introduction to a difficult discussion, part one : a call for maturity, Hebrews 5:11-6:3 -- Hortatory introduction to a difficult discussion, part two: warning and hope, Hebrews 6:4-12 -- Hortatory introduction to a difficult discussion, part three: the steadfastness of God's promise, Hebrews 6:13-20 -- Christ the perfect eternal high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 7:1-28 -- The heavenly sanctuary and the new covenant, Hebrews 8:1-13 -- The ministry of the levitical priests, Hebrews 9:1-10 -- Christ's sacrifice secures eternal redemption, Hebrews 9:11-14 -- Christ's sacrifice ratifies a new covenant, Hebrews 9:15-22 -- Christ's sacrifice is a perfect sacrifice, Hebrews 9:23-28 -- Christ's sacrifice is the reality of which the old order was a shadow, Hebrews 10:1-10 -- Perfection of the sanctified, Hebrews 10:11-18 -- Exhortation : privileges and duties of Christians, Hebrews 10:19-25 -- Warning : the fate of the willful sinner, Hebrews 10:26-31 -- Exhortation to endurance, Hebrews 10:32-39 -- The faith of past heroes and heroines, Hebrews 11:1-40 -- Exhortation to faithful endurance as children, Hebrews 12:1-29 -- Concluding admonitions, Hebrews 13:1-21 -- James -- Introduction to James -- Struggles of the faithful, James 1:1-27 -- Living out the royal law, James 2:1-26 -- New perspectives on the tongue and on wisdom, James 3:1-18 -- Friendship with the world, James 4:1-17 -- Struggles of the faithful (reprise) James 5:1-20.
"In his commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, New Testament scholar Edgar McKnight explores the two aspects of Hebrews as covenant--the appeal to the perfection and finality of Jesus Christ and the exhortation to faithfulness based on that appeal. He also highlights the interpretative strategies of the author--strategies that are often strange to modern readers. By bringing the ancient text into the world of present readers and to take readers back to the world of Hebrews, we are able to frame the author's treatment of the problems of our spiritual ancestors from the perspective of our modern world and problems presented in our pilgrimage. One helpful way to think about the Letter of James is to view it as one might an important archaeological discovery or artifact: it is a surviving representative of a once-flourishing Jewish Christianity. The Letter of James reveals a form of ancient Christianity that is distinctly different from the Pauline line that later predominated. In this portrayal of an early Christian community, we find concerns over ethical responsibility and social justice that continue to define Christian communities today ... the primary goal of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is to make available serious, credible biblical scholarship in an accessible and less intimidating format. A visual generation of believers deserves a commentary series that contains not only the all-important textual commentary on Scripture, but images, photographs, maps, works of fine art, and drawings that bring the text to life. Each volume of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series features a CD-ROM, which expands the uses and capabilities of the Commentary even more"--Publisher description.