A Pastoral Letter to Theo addresses some of the fundamental concerns of recent research into biblical interpretation by Adele Berlin and Kenneth Archer. It also takes into account the communicative literary and rhetorical techniques that were prominent in the Greco-Roman world when the New Testament documents were composed. Elbert suggests that attention to levels of context, plot, repetition, and characterization or personification comprise a proper method for understanding a New Testament writer's original meaning and intent. Generally, the potentially groundbreaking thesis in much of Elbert's work is for a literary link between the Spirit language in Paul's letters and the later narrative of Luke-Acts. Specifically, A Pastoral Letter to Theo reflects heartfelt, pastoral concerns based on detailed contextual study of early Christianity and Christian experience. The book contextually examines in detail several passages pertaining to the ministry of women in missionary-minded early Christianity and concludes that this ministry was thought to be vital for the evangelistic enterprise.
Renewal has always been a concern of God's people. This present volume, a tribute to Pentecostal Bible scholar Stanley M. Horton, offers biblical and historical glimpses into the various facets of renewal throughout the history of the church. It further provides fresh insights into the outworkings of this renewal throughout the history of the church today. Essays examining the biblical themes of renewal include J. G. McConville's study of Renewal as Restoration in Jeremiah and J. Massyngberde Ford's inquiry into the Social and Political Implications of the Miraculous in Acts. Among the essays in Part 2, Historical Studies, Donald Dean Smeeton discusses how William Tyndale was a theologian of renewal. Church historian Richard Lovelace honors Professor Horton with an essay on Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Evangelical Tradition. Part 3, Contemporary Studies, explores some of the effects of the modern charismatic renewal, including the appearance and growth of loving communities and the impact of renewal movements on society. These essays truly take a new tack towards understanding the various faces of spiritual renewal. They offer the specialist a challenge to see things in a new light, while they afford the non-specialist some practical models of renewal that can affect how he or she views Christian experience. Overall, the editor and respective authors submit this anniversary volume to their colleague and friend, Dr. Stanley M. Horton, and to its readers everywhere with the hope that these sixteen studies may make a useful international contribution to scholarship and that 'Faces of Renewal' may be found helpful to preachers, teachers, and students of God's Word.
Luke’s Rhetorical Compositions offers new ideas in Lukan scholarship, especially in regard to Aelius Theon’s first-century rhetoric manual (Progymnasmata) and inter-textual, Lukan-Pauline, biblical studies. Two chapters deserve special mention: the material in chapter 3 is a groundbreaking discussion of Acts 2:38 in which its Greek verb tense speaks to the subsequent reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit following salvation, not coincident with salvation. In Acts 2:38 it is Luke’s intention to portray Peter as promising the gift of the Holy Spirit to hearers and to those beyond narrative time as a Pentecostal experience. Chapter 9 discusses Luke’s use of progymnasmatic examples in his descriptions of the salvation experience. It also discusses Luke’s clarification of Paul using narrative persuasion from Jesus tradition and history. Also, Luke’s use of basic soteriological vocabulary provides clarity and plausibility. His distinctive selection of examples from the Jesus tradition and his duplication of Paul’s soteriological vocabulary is very helpful.
Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research VOLUME THREE FALL 2011 The Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research (JBPR) is a new international peer-reviewed academic serial dedicated to narratively and rhetorically minded exegesis of biblical and related texts. Potential topics include theological and pneumatological interpretation, the role of spiritual experience with authorial, canonical, and contemporary contexts, and the contextual activity of Ruach Yahweh, Ruach Elohim, and various identiþcations of the Holy Spirit. JBPR hopes to stimulate new thematic and narrative-critical exploration and discovery in both traditional and under-explored areas of research. CONTENTS: Editor's Overview of Volume 3 ¥ 1 GALEN L. GOLDSMITH The Cutting Edge of Prophetic Imagery REBECCA SKAGGS and THOMAS DOYLE The Audio/Visual Motif in the Apocalypse of John through the Lens of Rhetorical Analysis DAVID SEAL Sensitivity to Aural Elements of a Text: Some Acoustical Elements in Revelation SIMO FRESTADIUS The Spirit and Wisdom in 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 KEITH WHITT Righteousness and Characteristics of Yahweh VANTHANH NGUYEN, S.V.D. Luke's Point of View of the Gentile Mission: The Test Case of Acts 11:1-18 LYLE STORY Luke's Instructive Dynamics for Resolving Conflicts: The Jerusalem Council Review of Christopher L. Carter, The Great Sermon Tradition as a Fiscal Framework in 1 Corinthians: Towards a Pauline Theology of Material Possessions (R. G. Dela Cruz) Review of Robert P. Debelek, Jr., Hidden in Plain Sight: Esther and a Marginalized Hermeneutic (A. Kay Fountain) Review of Richard Feldmeier, The First Letter of Peter: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Rebecca Skaggs and Thomas Doyle) Review of Rodrigo J. Morales, The Spirit and the Restoration of Israel: New Exodus and New Creation Motifs in Galatians (James C. Miller) Review of Robin Routledge, Old Testament Theology: A Thematic Approach (Andrew Davies) Review of John C. Poirier, The Tongues of Angels: The Concept of Angelic Languages in Classical Jewish and Christian Texts (Russell P. Spittler)
From the Foreword: . . . Jesus's encouragement of his disciples to pray for the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:13, the climax of Peter's sermon in Acts 2:38, and the account of the Ephesian disciples' reception of the Spirit in Acts 18:23-19:7 are key passages that take us to the heart of Luke's pneumatology. How students of the Bible read these important texts will not only shape how they understand the work of the Spirit in Luke-Acts, but will largely determine their response to the Pentecostal movement. . . . This volume analyzes in context and at length each of these important passages from Luke-Acts. While this monograph is notable because of its subject matter, it is also marked by excellent scholarship. The book is filled with helpful exegetical insights, enhanced by an astonishing command of and interaction with the scholarly literature, and characterized by sensitivity to Luke's literary skill. . . . This work is significant because, as the chapter titles indicate, it analyzes three critically important texts in context. Actually, the term "context" here can be understood in three ways. First, the author carefully interprets each of these passages within the larger literary context of Luke-Acts. So, Elbert argues that Luke writes to encourage Theophilus by setting out "a coherent pneumatological picture" for him, affirming that if Theophilus "prays for the gift of the Holy Spirit as Jesus taught, then it will be given" to him." Elbert demonstrates that we must read Jesus's exhortation to pray for the Spirit in light of the Pentecostal event and promise (Acts 2:38) and Luke's successive descriptions of its fulfilment, including the decisive story of the Ephesian disciples' reception of the Spirit (Acts 19:1-7). As Luke's narrative indicates, this gift of the Spirit will include "prophetic-type phenomena" and "make [Theophilus] a more effective witness" for Jesus. Second, the author analyzes these key texts in the light of the first-century context of Graeco-Roman rhetorical conventions. Elbert shows how Luke frequently reflects his Hellenistic setting and upbringing by utilizing literary techniques common in the Graeco-Roman world of his day. So, for example, Elbert helpfully points out how Luke's description of Apollos (Acts 18:24-28), juxtaposed as it is with his account of Paul's ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7), follows a "comparison and contrast" literary strategy common among Hellenistic authors of this period. Finally, by highlighting Luke's desire to strengthen and encourage Theophilus, an exemplar of Luke's audience, Elbert encourages contemporary readers to apply Luke's message to our context. So, just as "the phenomenological categories of prophecy, glossolalia, dreams, visions, and physically defying transcendent signs" might seem as strange to us as they were to Theophilus, hopefully we, like Theophilus, will also read this record with the knowledge that Luke is a reliable and trustworthy guide. Above all, Elbert calls us to recognize that Luke, a Spirit-inspired and authoritative guide, urges us to desire and expect the power of the Spirit to transform and enhance our participation in God's great mission.
Modern control theory and in particular state space or state variable methods can be adapted to the description of many different systems because it depends strongly on physical modeling and physical intuition. The laws of physics are in the form of differential equations and for this reason, this book concentrates on system descriptions in this form. This means coupled systems of linear or nonlinear differential equations. The physical approach is emphasized in this book because it is most natural for complex systems. It also makes what would ordinarily be a difficult mathematical subject into one which can straightforwardly be understood intuitively and which deals with concepts which engineering and science students are already familiar. In this way it is easy to immediately apply the theory to the understanding and control of ordinary systems. Application engineers, working in industry, will also find this book interesting and useful for this reason. In line with the approach set forth above, the book first deals with the modeling of systems in state space form. Both transfer function and differential equation modeling methods are treated with many examples. Linearization is treated and explained first for very simple nonlinear systems and then more complex systems. Because computer control is so fundamental to modern applications, discrete time modeling of systems as difference equations is introduced immediately after the more intuitive differential equation models. The conversion of differential equation models to difference equations is also discussed at length, including transfer function formulations. A vital problem in modern control is how to treat noise in control systems. Nevertheless this question is rarely treated in many control system textbooks because it is considered to be too mathematical and too difficult in a second course on controls. In this textbook a simple physical approach is made to the description of noise and stochastic disturbances which is easy to understand and apply to common systems. This requires only a few fundamental statistical concepts which are given in a simple introduction which lead naturally to the fundamental noise propagation equation for dynamic systems, the Lyapunov equation. This equation is given and exemplified both in its continuous and discrete time versions. With the Lyapunov equation available to describe state noise propagation, it is a very small step to add the effect of measurements and measurement noise. This gives immediately the Riccati equation for optimal state estimators or Kalman filters. These important observers are derived and illustrated using simulations in terms which make them easy to understand and easy to apply to real systems. The use of LQR regulators with Kalman filters give LQG (Linear Quadratic Gaussian) regulators which are introduced at the end of the book. Another important subject which is introduced is the use of Kalman filters as parameter estimations for unknown parameters. The textbook is divided into 7 chapters, 5 appendices, a table of contents, a table of examples, extensive index and extensive list of references. Each chapter is provided with a summary of the main points covered and a set of problems relevant to the material in that chapter. Moreover each of the more advanced chapters (3 - 7) are provided with notes describing the history of the mathematical and technical problems which lead to the control theory presented in that chapter. Continuous time methods are the main focus in the book because these provide the most direct connection to physics. This physical foundation allows a logical presentation and gives a good intuitive feel for control system construction. Nevertheless strong attention is also given to discrete time systems. Very few proofs are included in the book but most of the important results are derived. This method of presentation makes the text very readable and gives a good foundation for reading more rigorous texts. A complete set of solutions is available for all of the problems in the text. In addition a set of longer exercises is available for use as Matlab/Simulink ‘laboratory exercises’ in connection with lectures. There is material of this kind for 12 such exercises and each exercise requires about 3 hours for its solution. Full written solutions of all these exercises are available.
Good Day! , the critically-acclaimed biography about the legendary Paul Harvey, is now in paperback! In this heartwarming book, author Paul J. Batura tells the all-American story of one of the best-known radio voices in history. From his humble beginnings to his unparalleled career of more than 50 years with ABC radio, Paul Harvey narrated America's story day by day, through wars and peace, through the threat of communism and the crumbling of old colonial powers, through consumer booms and eventual busts.
Paul's letters are the earliest surviving Christian writings and therefore the earliest documentary evidence for what Jesus's followers knew and said about him. The present volume deals with questions frequently asked about Paul. Did he know Jesus personally? If not, then how much did Paul know about Jesus, and how did this information come to him? Where in his letters does Paul make use of Jesus's teachings, how does he employ them, and what kind of authority does he accord them? Above all, why does Paul place so much emphasis on Jesus' death and resurrection? How is he able to proclaim these as saving events? Finally, a closing chapter considers how several writings in the Pauline tradition variously continued and altered the apostle's own interpretation of Jesus. Because these Pauline understandings of Jesus have remained so influential across twenty centuries, the more fully they are appreciated the more one is helped in understanding Jesus today.
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