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Luke''s interest in the Holy Spirit is well-known, so when instead of having Jesus say, '' If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God...'', as Matthew has it, he writes, ''If I by the finger of God..'', Luke poses a question that has puzzled many commentators since. Woods argues that in fact the phrase ''finger of God'' holds the key to understanding the role of the Spirit in Luke-Acts. Taking into account the background to the phrase, Luke''s larger theological interests within the Beelzebub section itself, the Travel Narrative, and the programme of Luke-Acts as a whole, he offers a new solution to an old exegetical question.

In an examination of implicit sociological data in the Epistle to the Hebrews within the context of the Graeco-Roman world, Johnson argues that Hebrews' author advocates an ideal society more open to outsiders and willing to assimilate new members than was 1st-century CE hellenistic Judaism.

Pickett explores how Paul appealed to the death of Jesus in the Corinthian correspondence in order to promote a community ethos and ethic consistent with the ideals and values it symbolized. In so doing, Paul was responding to interpersonal conflicts within the community and criticisms of his ministry-criticisms he saw as founded on Graeco-Roman cultural values of the cultivated elite. His consistent emphasis on the weakness of the cross served to critique social expressions of power in Corinth. More constructively, Paul attempted to secure conduct befitting the gospel by invoking the death of Jesus as a symbol of other-regarding behaviour.

This is the third in a series of conference papers on rhetorical criticism. Held in July 1995 in London, the conference included participants from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Republic of South Africa. Part I is concerned with the past, present and future of rhetorical analysis; Parts II, III and IV are concerned with rhetorical analysis of scriptural texts; and Part V provides a conclusion reflecting on a number of questions raised in Part I. Most of the participants would characterize themselves as advocates of rhetorical criticism; but there were others less convinced that rhetorical criticism is developing as it ought.

Slater presents a study of the three major christological images of Revelation and their meanings for the original audience. Employing both historical criticism and elements of sociology of knowledge, Christ and Community explores the social functions of ''one like a son of man'', the Lamb, and the Divine Warrior, identifying both similarities and dissimilarities. The study argues, on the one hand, that the religious laxity found in Revelation 2-3 reflects attempts by some Christians to accommodate to provincial social pressures, while, on the other hand, Revelation 4-19 reflect the low status of Christians in the cities of Asia Minor.

This volume continues the major work published by the JSNT Supplement Series in the area of Greek linguistics of the New Testament, and explores what the editors believe are crucial phases in the application of linguistics to New Testament Greek. The first half of the volume includes essays on such topics as linguistics and literary criticism, linguistics and historical criticism, and linguistics and rhetoric. The second half includes essays dealing with the relations and uses of individual words, but ranges from oral composition to the value of word frequency in determining authorship. Some of these essays review established models of research; others propose new models and criteria of linguistic analysis.

This study considers the New Testament as a "reception" of various antecedents, such as the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism and Graeco-Roman culture. It explores the reception of Jesus, Paul's reception in Acts, feminist reception, reception history within the New Testament and translation.

In his letters, the apostle Paul commonly refers to his fellow believers as "adelfoi", as his "brothers and sisters". Here, Reidar Aasgaard offers the first in-depth, and by far the most profound, analysis of this sibling vocabulary in the Pauline epistles.Aasgaard researches family and sibling relationships in the Graeco-Roman and Jewish context and discusses the relevant texts on siblingship in Paul''s letters. He argues that sibling terminology is both central and charged with meaning for Paul. When the apostle speaks of the Christians as siblings, he employs contemporary notions of what sibling and family relations should be about: emotional closeness, love, tolerance and forgiveness, defense of family honor, and familial harmony. Paul utilizes these ideals rhetorically in various contexts in order to influence the attitudes and behavior of the Christians, both internally and in relation to outsiders.

This is a study of biblical reading from a woman-centred perspective. Its specific focus is the prologue of John's Gospel and its interpretation in Christian tradition. In this book, Jasper takes the prologue of John's Gospel as a case-study in feminist biblical analysis.

This sequel to "Baptism, the New Testament and the Church" brings together work by J. Ramsey Michaels, Joel Green, Howard Marshall, Bruce Chilton, Craig Evans and the editors, as well as several others, and deals with aspects of baptism from the New Testament and beyond.

This book re-examines exegetical devices commonly employed by all parties in the debate on 1 Tim.2.9-15. In the light of contextual and linguistic markers including verbal aspect, it concludes that the immediate context is general, not ecclesial.

This is a literary study of the "I" passages in Paul, and his explicit and implicit use of his personal example in the argument of his undisputed letters.

In the Revelation of John, the Hebrew Bible echoes and is re-invented, just as in James Hogg's "The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner" (1824). Here, these readings of the Bible are considered from two postmodern perspectives.