The Christian, according to the apostle Paul, lives between two times. The end is already present with Christ's death and resurrection, but the end is yet to come with his second appearing. Following the seminal work of Oscar Cullmann, Marvin Pate argues that this "already/not yet" eschatological tension lies at the heart of all writings of the apostle Paul and is, in fact, the key to understanding them. Pate traces the concept of "already/not yet" back to its Jewish roots and shows with exceptional clarity how Paul's teachings on God, Christ, human beings, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church society, and the last things can be successfully placed within this "already/not yet" framework. In his analysis, Pate exegetes numerous key passages in the Pauline letters.
Paul’s life, letters, and theology are unified by the theme of the overlapping of two ages—this age and the age to come. With the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the age to come (i e , kingdom of God) broke into this present age but didn’t end it. Where other important doctrines such as justification by faith, reconciliation, and the cross of Christ were key players in Paul’s theology, Marvin Pate compellingly demonstrates that the overarching theme driving the Pauline corpus was indeed Paul’s inaugurated eschatology. In fact, Paul’s apocalyptic framework was only one of a number of other rival eschatologically focused religious perspectives of the day, such as the Imperial Cult, Hellenistic/syncretistic religion, and the merkabah Judaizers. Paul’s vigorous debates with the churches he served centered on the exclusivity of the gospel of Christ that he preached: the nonnegotiable apocalypse of Jesus the Messiah. Apostle of the Last Days will be welcomed in the classroom as a one-volume treatment of Paul’s life and letters as well as his theology.
Informative and non-sensationalistic, Understanding the Book of Revelation explores the literary genre and historical situation and purpose of Revelation, along with interpretive approaches to it. This digital short also includes an outlined overview of the book’s content and reflections on its overarching theological message. Easy to read but substantiated by solid scholarship and biblical study, Understanding the Book of Revelation is a handy reference tool for personal Bible study or Bible teachers tackling this admittedly difficult book of the Bible. This short is derived from a longer resource entitled the Dictionary of Biblical Prophecy and End Times.
Christians live in two overlapping ages: this present age and the age to come. By examining Revelation and other apocalyptic literature from the Gospels and the Old Testament, it can be argued that end-time events and the age to come have already begun. This understanding, however, can present many challenges. How do we explain this blending of present and future? How do the future resurrection of the body and the return of Christ impact pastoral care and sermon preparation now? C. Marvin Pate provides an accessible guide to the distinctive content, form, and function of apocalyptic literature. Key principles of interpretation specific to this genre are presented, as well as steps in communicating the theological messages of apocalyptic passages in the Bible. Pate's in-depth explanations offer a reliable introduction to this field of literature as well as new insights into the texts.
The Handbooks for New Testament Exegesis (HNTE) provides readers with an enhanced understanding of different New Testament genres and strategies for interpretation.
The writings of John are some of the most foundational New Testament documents for today’s Christians. Most evangelical teaching about the life of Jesus begins with the Gospel of John, and Christian teaching on the end times relies heavily on the book of Revelation.Students, pastors, and lay learners need solid, up-to-date resources like this book to responsibly study and understand John’s writings. C. Marvin Pate addresses John’s writings according to their logical divisions: the Gospel of John, the Johannine Epistles, and Revelation. Each section includes a thorough introduction to relevant interpretive issues, including historical background, cultural setting, and theological context. Pate presents a two-fold historical setting for John’s gospel, encouraging readers to consider the text from the perspective of Jesus’ day and from John’s situation in Asia Minor sixty years later. He examines the Johannine epistles on issues like authorship, audience, and theological perspective. For the Apocalypse, Pate explores the challenges of John’s first readers, the nature of apocalyptic literature, and the Roman imperial cult, including as well an explanation of how the church has interpreted Revelation over the years. With its thorough discussion, textbook design and four-color interior, The Writings of John sets the standard for introductory texts on biblical books or collections.
Intriguing and endlessly contentious ideas and images of apocalyptic measure come together in the book of Revelation. It is a rich and hermeneutically complicated Scripture that, unsurprisingly, has no universally accepted interpretation. Reading Revelation compares these four major approaches to Revelation by laying out the different interpretive translations provided by each school of thought in parallel columns.
Four Views on the Book of Revelation are presented, critiqued, and defended: preterist, idealist, and the classical dispensationalist and progressive dispensationalist forms of the futurist approach.
It's the end of the world as we know it," proclaims the popular song. And sometimes the daily news appears to confirm that forecast. The signs of the times hailing Christ's return seem to be all around. Or so it appears. But, is it really the end of the world? Christians through the ages have held to a variety of understandings of the millennium--the belief that a 1,000-year period of utopia will one day come. In this book, prophecy expert and biblical scholar Marvin Pate helpfully highlights the three major views of when Christ will return--premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism--as well as a fourth skeptical interpretation, expertly analyzing them all. This timely treatment provides a reader-friendly, accessible overview of the ongoing debate over end-times viewpoints.
Presents an evangelical perspective on the media's varied depictions of Jesus--correcting misinformation, examining the debates, and defending the historic Christ.
Answers to critical questions regarding the study of the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith The conclusions of the quest for the historical Jesus, which casts the majority of Christ's life as a myth, are a stark contrast to the orthodox view of Christ as presented in the Bible. Pate demonstrates that a critical analysis of the gospel text along with historical and cultural methods of investigation actually point toward an orthodox view of Christ. This work argues that the canonical Gospels are the most trustworthy information we have about the gospel writers as well as the life and ministry of Jesus, including his death, visit to hades, resurrection, and ascension. Readers will be encouraged by the reliability of the Gospel writers, the reality of Jesus' humanity and deity, and the inferiority of the apocryphal gospels.
The Teach the Text Commentary Series utilizes the best of biblical scholarship to provide the information a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. The carefully selected preaching units and focused commentary allow pastors to quickly grasp the big idea and key themes of each passage of Scripture. Each unit of the commentary includes the big idea and key themes of the passage and sections dedicated to understanding, teaching, and illustrating the text.
All you wanted to know about biblical prophecy from A to Z, the Dictionary of Biblical Prophecy is a comprehensive reference tool. It is targeted for those who truly desire to understand prophecy and the end-times. Starting with “Abomination of Desolation” and continuing through hundreds of articles until “Zionism,” this book provides helpful and interesting discussions of the entire range of biblical prophecy, all at your fingertips.This exhaustive work contains articles on a broad sweep of topics relevant to the study of biblical prophecy and eschatology. The articles are based on solid scholarship, yet are clear and accessible to the lay reader, illuminating even the most complicated issues. The dictionary also strives for a balanced presentation by laying out differing positions along with their strengths and weaknesses, while not pushing any specific theological or interpretive agenda other than a firm commitment to seeking to understand the Scriptures. This is a valuable tool you will refer to time and again.
C. Marvin Pate demonstrates from the undisputed Pauline writings that wherever Paul employs the theme of wisdom, he does so to reverse the Deuteronomic curses and blessings. In accomplishing this, Pate highlights Paul's doctrine of justification, which signals the end of the Mosaic Law"--Page 4 of cover.
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