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Endorsements:"Thirty years after the close of Vatican II, we have this fresh revelation of the ''strange Roman experience'' of the twenty-three women from fourteen different countries invited to be auditors at the previously all male Council. You will not want to stop before the end."-- Marie Augusta Neal, SND de Namur,Professor of Sociology, Emerita, Emmanuel College, Boston"An important and necessary history that will find great interest for a long time."--Bernard Haring, Moral Theologian"Facts buried in archives come alive in the living voices of these women who now share the ''dangerous memory'' of their presence at Vatican II. Carmel McEnroy tells this story with keen insight into women''s oppression in the Church, an eye for the humorous detail, and great narrative flair. Thank goodness she rescued this piece of history before it disappeared over the horizon like so much else."--Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ, Professor of Theology, Fordham University"This interesting historical investigation of the exclusion and participation of women at the Vatican Council reveals the dynamics of communication within the Church, including its systematic distortions and the forgiving fidelity of dedicated women. I am glad that this book has been written."--Gregory Baum,Professor of Theology, McGill UniversityAuthor Biography:Carmel McEnroy, a Sister of Mercy and distinguished professor of theology, was fired in 1995 from St. Meinard Seminary for her public dissent from church teaching on women''s ordination. Her name had appeared with hundreds of others in an advertisement questioning the issue in the National Catholic Reporter.

Synopsis:"The conversation between music and theology, dormant for too long in recent years, is at last gathering pace. And rightly so. There will always be theologians who will regard music as a somewhat peripheral concern, too trivial to trouble the serious scholar, and in any case almost impossible to engage because of its notorious resistance to words and concepts. But an increasing number are discovering again what many of our forbears realized centuries ago, that the kinship between this pervasive feature of human life and the search for a Christian ''intelligence of faith'' is intimate and ineradicable.Maeve Heaney''s ambitious, wide-ranging, and energetic book pushes the conversation further forward still. Her approach is unapologetically theological, grounded in the passions and concerns of mainstream doctrinal theology. And yet she is insisting . . . that music must be given its due place in the ecology of theology. Although convinced that music should not be set up as a rival to linguistic or conceptual articulation, let alone swallow up ''traditional'' modes of theological language and thought, she is equally convinced that music is an irreducible means of coming to terms with the world, a unique vehicle of world-disclosure, and as such, can generate a particular form of ''understanding'': ''there are things which God may only be saying through music.'' If this is so, it is incumbent on the theologian to listen."--Jeremy Begbie, from the ForewordEndorsements:"In a daring and inspiring study in theology as an aesthetic discipline, Heaney explores the role of music in the aesthetic conversion of people to their real, bodily presence. As Christian faith teaches that God has revealed and reveals himself in real, bodily presence, and as our reception of his real presence demands our real presence, it follows that music can make us susceptible to God''s revelation." --Willem Marie Speelman, Tilburg University"Heaney offers us a courageously interdisciplinary book on how music can mediate religious faith. She brings together her own gifts as composer, performer, and theologian in order to create a fruitful dialog between musical theory, theological aesthetics, and a praxis of religious communication. Thus, readers will find many stimulating pages, ranging from personal testimony to academic insights." --Michael Paul Gallagher, Gregorian University "It would be hard to imagine a book more committed to exploring and celebrating music''s theological gifts, present as well as past. Heaney conveys a marvelous sense of music as a living medium, resonant with theological significance on multiple levels, and able to enter into and nurture the transformed, embodied Christian life. In this multifaceted study, she draws on an impressive (at times almost overwhelming) array of resources, from ethnomusicology to theological aesthetics, especially, but not exclusively, Catholic." --Frank Burch Brown, University of Chicago Divinity SchoolAuthor Biography:Maeve Louise Heaney, a missionary of the Verbum Dei Fraternity, has taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University and is the 2011-2012 Banaan Fellow of Santa Clara University, California. She researches and teaches in the areas of fundamental theology, music, and spirituality.

Synopsis:The Christian faith has always stood in a place of tension between its transcendent nature and the surrounding culture. On the one hand, Christian faith claims to originate in the revelation of God, which transforms culture itself. On the other hand, all such revelation is inevitably received and interpreted by humans in concrete situations. It is no exaggeration to say that two millennia of church history have continually demonstrated the struggle between Christian faith and culture. In an effort to address this struggle, this book explores relevant issues pertinent to the relationship between faith and culture in the particular context of Japan. In this unique work, the context of Japan, well known as a desolate swamp for Christian missions, provides the setting for a re-exploration of issues pertaining to theology of culture. As such, Japan provides both a concrete and challenging context to work out a theology of culture. This book also helpfully illuminates for Western readers some key problems that may not have appeared fully in their contexts yet but will do so as the post-Christendom era continues.Endorsements:"A valuable study of the relation of Christianity and culture, of especial importance to Japanese Christians, but with relevance for all concerned with mission and ministry in post-Christian contexts."--Alister McGrathProfessor of Theology, Ministry and Education, andHead of the Center for Theology, Religion, and Culture, King''s College"Readers of this splendid book will find it to be a masterly guide to the complexities of Japanese responses to Western Christian missionary endeavors in contexts of Japanese nationalism/cosmopolitanism/imperialism and the tragedy of defeat. An acute discussion of Niebuhr, Yoder, and Hauerwas is complemented by analysis of the theologies of Kazoh Kitamori, Yasuo Furuya, and Hideo Ohki . . . to generate a possible theology of culture for Japan and appropriate church structures."--Ann LoadesProfessor Emerita of Divinity, University of DurhamHonorary Professor of Divinity, University of St. Andrews"The influence of the theologies of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas now spans the globe. Fujiwara has shown, in this significant work, that any thoughtful deliberations regarding Christianity and culture--including a culture as different from the US as Japan--should include a serious consideration of the thought of Yoder and Hauerwas."--Mark Thiessen NationProfessor of Theology, Eastern Mennonite Seminary"Fujiwara . . . offers his believer''s church theology, based upon his critical study of the theology of H. Richard Niebuhr, John Howard Yoder, and Stanley Hauerwas, to evaluate critically three phases of the history of Christianity in the context of Japanese culture: the rise and development of Roman Catholic mission and church during the feudal 16-17th centuries, the rise and development of the Protestant mission and church from the opening of Japan (1860s) to the beginning of WWII (1945), and postwar Christianity (1945-1985)."--Robert LeeAuthor of The Clash of Civilizations: An Intrusive Gospel in Japanese Civilization (1999, 2005)Author Biography:Atsuyoshi Fujiwara is Professor of Theology at Seigakuin University General Research Institute in Japan. He has also taught at Tokyo Christian University, Aoyama Gakuin University, and Keio University.

Scholars interested in narrative critical / narratological analyses of the Old Testament and New Testament Bible will welcome this extensive practical study that discusses all aspects that should be evaluated when a narratological analysis is undertaken. All the relevant aspects, such as the relationship between narrator and narratee, plot development, characterization, temporal relationships, focalization, and setting are discussed in such a way that it is easy to follow, yet of high academic quality. Each aspect is illustrated by several examples from the Old Testament and New Testament. At the end of each chapter is a bibliography directing readers to more technical books/articles on the subject.

This volume provides an overview of the relation between secular philosophy and philosophical theology over a one-hundred-year period.Beginning with idealism, the study proceeds through the rise of realism, the advent of logical positivism, the development of analytical philosophy, the resurgence of scholasticism and existentialism, the contributions of encounter theology and of process thought, to specific questions of the existence of God and religious language.

Synopsis:John Goldingay is an internationally renowned biblical scholar, teacher, and theologian whose writings have impacted Christians across the globe. In Conversations at the Edges of Things, Francis Bridger and James Butler bring together a wide-ranging collection of essays from John's friends and colleagues throughout his career and around the world in honor of his seventieth birthday and his lifetime's service to the church and the academy. Contributors:Roger Bowen Francis Bridger Colin Buchanan James T. Butler Graham Buxton George Carey Christopher Cocksworth Vivienne Faull Kathleen Scott Goldingay Sarah GoldingayAthena GorospePhilip JensonRobert KingAnne LongNancey MurphyGordon OliverTom SmailMarianne Meye ThompsonStephen TravisEndorsements:"This rich volume is for those prepared to marry rigorous, modern, and questioning intellect with an open-hearted and passionate commitment to following the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."--H. G. M. Williamson, Professor of Hebrew, University of Oxford"These lively and wide-ranging essays reflect the engaging qualities of John Goldingay's own work, and suggestively roam across conventional scholarly boundaries. A stimulating read!"--Walter Moberly, Professor of Theology and Biblical Interpretation, Durham University"John Goldingay is arguably our most compelling point person at the interface between evangelical faith and critical study. These essays in his honor reflect the breadth and depth of his influence and offer suggestive reflections on text and culture. They will serve to summon serious evangelicals to think well and critically . . . The outcome is a fitting tribute and welcome read."--Walter Brueggemann, Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological SeminaryAuthor Biography:Francis Bridger is Ecclesiastical Professor of Anglican Studies and Executive Director of the Center for Anglican Communion Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Among his publications are Counselling in Context and Christian Counselling and the Challenge of Postmodernism.James Butler is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the coeditor of Understanding the Word: Essays in Honor of Bernhard W. Anderson.

Lesslie Newbigin was one of the most significant missionary strategists and theologians of the twentieth century. With the breakdown of confidence in some of the central philosophical and theological paradigms that have been shaped and sustained by the culture of modernity, Newbigin's approach to a genuinely missionary theology offers fresh insights and approaches, providing something of a prophetic model for the global Christian community in new and challenging times.In this collection of essays, scholars and practitioners from around the world engage with aspects of Newbigin's continuing legacy. They explore Newbigin's approach to theological method, his theological and philosophical account of Western culture in the light of the gospel, and some of the implications of his thought for global mission in the third millennium.This collection is essential reading not just for Newbigin enthusiasts but also for all who are concerned to develop a genuinely missionary encounter with contemporary culture.Contributors: Ian Barns, John G. Flett, Michael W. Goheen, Kenneth D. Gordon, Eleanor Jackson, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, David J. Kettle, J. Andrew Kirk, Mark Laing, Murray Rae, Jurgen Schuster, Wilbert Shenk, Jenny Taylor, Geoffrey Wainwright, Ng Kam Weng, and Paul Weston.

Sydney's evangelical Anglicans have been the focus of a great deal of controversy and criticism in the Anglican world. Their blend of conservatism towards doctrine and radicalism towards the institutional church has made them something of an enigma to other Anglicans. But what makes them really tick? Michael Jensen provides a unique insider's view into the convictional world of Sydney Anglicanism. He responds to a number of the common misunderstandings about Sydney Anglicanism and challenges Sydney Anglicans to see themselves as making a positive contribution to the wider church and to the city they inhabit.

Should Christians w00t or wail about the scope and power of modern entertainment? Maybe both. But first, Christians should think theologically about our human passion to be entertained as it relates to the popular culture that entertains us. Avoiding the one-size-fits-all celebrations and condemnations that characterize the current fad of pop culture analyses, this book engages entertainments case by case, uncovering the imaginative patterns and shaping power of our amusements. Individual chapters weave together analyses of entertainment forms, formats, technologies, trends, contents, and audiences to display entertainment as a multifaceted formational ecology.

The question of God's relationship to evil is a long-running one in the history of Christianity, and the term often deployed for this task has been theodicy. The way theodicy has historically been pursued, however, has been problematic on a number of counts. Most significantly, these efforts have generally been insufficiently theological. This work hopes to subvert and reconfigure the theodical task in a way that can be accessible to nonspecialists. Overall, the book hopes to cast the "god" of theodicy as the triune God of Christian confession, a move that shapes and alters distinctly all that follows in what has traditionally been considered a philosophical matter.

Pentecostals are known for an experiential spirituality that emphasizes immediate encounters with God through the Holy Spirit. But how should such experience be understood? Is it, in fact, quite so immediate?Neumann argues that Pentecostal experience of God is mediated by the Spirit's work through Scripture, the Christian tradition, and the broader cultural context. Using the work of three contemporary Pentecostal theologians--Frank D. Macchia, Simon K. H. Chan, and Amos Yong--the book demonstrates that a mediated view of experience of God is forging a more mature Pentecostal theology. As further evidence of this maturation, Neumann engages these Pentecostal theologians in ecumenical dialogue with leading representatives from Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.

The story of the Garden of Eden is one of the most familiar in the Bible. But if we read it without preconceptions, we discover a narrative as its original audience would have heard it, as its author intended. Robbins explores why the man was created first, and the woman for and from him. She elucidates the reason for the particular punishments, and why the storyteller gave a woman the starring role. She does all this by highlighting the importance of wordplay in the Garden of Eden story. This book introduces not only a wordsmith but, above all, a supreme storyteller who is bound to become a personal favorite.

Text, Theology, and Trowel consists of ten essays on the understanding and reception of the Hebrew Bible in Judaism and Christianity. Textual exegesis, historical contexts, and modern reception of the Hebrew text are placed side by side to encourage interdisciplinary study. Two theologically minded essays are included to help overcome the biblical studies/theology dichotomy. By placing such divergent approaches together, this volume will help expand ways of thinking about the Bible and its cognate fields.

This semi-autobiographical novel is set in a small, rural Alabama community during the height of World War II. At that time, the modern Civil Rights Movement was scarcely in its infancy. The main characters are two ten-year-old sons of sharecroppers--one black and one white. Amid the difficulties, deprivations, and disadvantages resulting from living on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder, they share a friendship that carries them through tough times and enriches their lives with joy. A terrible sequence of events threatens that friendship and rocks their world.

In 1972, Will Campbell published an issue of the Committee of Southern Churchmen's journal, Katallagete, to shed light on the US prison system. None could anticipate how the system would expand exponentially in the next four decades. Today, the US operates the world's largest prison system, incarcerating nearly 1 in every 100 American adults. How did this expansion happen? What is the human toll of this retributive system? How might ""ambassadors of reconciliation"" respond to such a punitive institution? Replicating the firsthand nature of Will Campbell's original Katallagete collection, twenty new essays pull back the veil on today's prison-industrial complex. The plea throughout this collection is not for some better, more progressive institution to exact justice. Rather, the invitation is to hear from voices of experience how the system functions, listen to what the institution does to those locked in its cells, consider what an execution involves, and, most importantly, contemplate the scandalous call to be in reconciled community with those whom society discards and the system silences. Our story is that there are neither good nor bad people, neither felon nor free world. We are all one.

Trying to articulate the ways in which one's life meshes with one's own time can be perilous, yet friends have encouraged me to do just that. Nevertheless, for one oriented to serving others as teacher and mentor in a context of faith, writing about oneself seems unnatural. Yet the "self" we have been given to share embodies many others as well. So many of the encounters narrated here will open into friendships. Moreover, what spices those encounters are the places and passions they embody, so the story that emerges is hardly my own. Different places often unveiled different faith communities, each of which has altered, if not transformed, the "self" narrated here. In that respect, and in many others, my story is not mine but that of the times our generation has inhabited. Finally, it has been my religious community of Holy Cross that made these multiple transformations possible, so it is only fitting to dedicate the work to that community and the rich exchanges it continues to effect among women and men.

Four years after John Bunyan released his instantly popular journey allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, he published The Holy War--a battle allegory and companion volume. His first book explores salvation of the individual Christian; the second portrays the battle for sanctification. While Christian struggles with questions about assurance of salvation, the collective Mansoul labors with the challenges of being led by and filled with the Holy Spirit.The Pilgrim's Progress focuses on the individual's struggle against sin; The Holy War portrays the Church in a corporate struggle against systemic evil. Bunyan wrote that The Holy War originates in ""the same heart, and head, fingers and pen"" as The Pilgrim's Progress. Both books present separate dimensions of Bunyan's spiritual journey.Taken together, the journey allegory and the battle allegory capture the full range and depth of the biblical message that consumed Bunyan's imagination. He credits his own salvation to these two things: The grace of God and tenacious, continual, holy warfare. The Holy War is testimony to a spiritual battle he fought, and won.This edition provides annotations that clarify Bunyan's first edition language and message for readers in a post-Puritan world.

Why do many U.S. residents, Catholics and Catholic leaders among them, too often fall short of adequately challenging the use of violence in U.S. policy? The opportunities and developments in approaches to peacemaking have been growing at a significant rate. However, violent methods continue to hold significant sway in U.S. policy and society as the commonly assumed way to ""peace."" Even when community organizers, policymakers, members of Catholic leadership, and academics sincerely search for alternatives to violence, they too often think about nonviolence as primarily a rule or a strategy. Catholic Social Teaching has been moving toward transcending the limits of these approaches, but it still has significant room for growth. In order to contribute to this growth and to impact U.S. policy, McCarthy draws on Jesus, Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan, and King to offer a virtue-based approach to nonviolent peacemaking with a corresponding set of core practices. This approach is also set in conversation with aspects of human rights discourse to increase its possible impact on U.S. policy. As a whole, Becoming Nonviolent Peacemakers offers an important challenge to contemporary accounts of peacemaking in the U.S.

In a time of life-and-death challenges to the human spirit--global economics, nuclear dangers, environmental threats, and religious polarization and war--Christians must look for resources that provide new insights of God's power and care for all people. What are the forms of suffering and hope in the world today, and how can Christians respond with healing resources? Korean Christians have unique contributions to make to our understanding of pastoral theology and counseling. Pastoral counselors and theologians from the United States should look to the South Korean Christian churches and other Asian churches for conversation partners about the nature of care and healing in today's world. In this book, the authors explore important ideas--such as han, jeong, and salim--from Korean history and culture that can inform the healing ministries of the churches.

Two parables that have become firmly lodged in popular consciousness and affection are the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Prodigal Son. These simple but subversive tales have had a significant impact historically on shaping the spiritual, aesthetic, moral, and legal traditions of Western civilization, and their capacity to inform debate on a wide range of moral and social issues remains as potent today as ever. Noting that both stories deal with episodes of serious interpersonal offending, and both recount restorative responses on the part of the leading characters, Compassionate Justice draws on the insights of restorative justice theory, legal philosophy, and social psychology to offer a fresh reading of these two great parables. It also provides a compelling analysis of how the priorities commended by the parables are pertinent to the criminal justice system today. The parables teach that the conscientious cultivation of compassion is essential to achieving true justice. Restorative justice strategies, this book argues, provide a promising and practical means of attaining to this goal of reconciling justice with compassion.

This is a series of books which have a common theme: the understanding of Christ, and therefore the revelation of God, in the work of C. S. Lewis. These books are a systematic study of Lewis's theology, Christology and doctrine of revelation; as such they draw on his life and work. They are written for academics and students, but also, crucially, for those people, ordinary Christians, without a theology degree who enjoy and gain sustenance from reading Lewis's work.www.cslewisandthechrist.net

Applying an ecological hermeneutic developed in the Consultation on Ecological Hermeneutics of the Society of Biblical Literature, and in conjunction with intertextual and theological hermeneutics, Jeffrey Lamp creatively reads the Letter to the Hebrews from the perspective of Earth. The author of Hebrews engages in an extended argument that reinterprets features of the old covenant in terms of the Son in order to demonstrate that the new covenant instituted by the Son is superior to the old. In such an argument, the voice of Earth is understandably absent. The author of the letter is frequently understood as denigrating the temporal order, of which the old covenant is a part, while praising the eternal order, of which the new covenant is a part. An ecological reading of Hebrews demonstrates that, despite the rhetorical concerns of the author, embedded in the argument are textual clues, derived primarily from the christological affirmations of the argumentation, connecting Hebrews with the larger biblical concern for the integrity and care of the created order.

Understanding Religious Conversion begins with emphasis on the value of respecting religious/theological interpretations of conversion while coordinating social scientific studies of how personal, social, and cultural issues are relevant to the human transformational process. It encourages us to bring together the perspectives of psychology, sociology, anthropology, and religious studies into critical and mutually-informing conversation for establishing a richer and more accurate perception of the complex phenomenon of religious conversion. The case of St. Augustine's conversion experience superbly illustrates the complicated and multidimensional process of religious change. By critically extending the contributions of the literature within Lewis Rambo's interdisciplinary framework, Dong Young Kim presents a more integrated picture of how personal, social, cultural, and religious/theological components interact with one another in the process of Augustine's conversion. In doing so, he has struggled with how to relocate more effectively and practically the conversion narrative of Augustine within the context of pastoral care and ministry (and the field of the academy)--in order to facilitate a better understanding of the conversion stories of the church members as well as to enhance the experiences of religious conversion within the Christian community.

Most New Testament scholars today agree that Jesus used an enigmatic self-designation, bar nasha (""the Son of Man""), translated into Greek as ho huios tou anthropou in the Synoptic Gospels. In contrast, Paul, the earliest New Testament writer, nowhere mentions the phrase in his letters. Does this indicate that the Gospel writers simply misunderstood the generic sense of the Aramaic idiom and used it as a christological title in connection with Daniel 7, as some scholars claim?Paul demonstrates explicit and sophisticated Adam Christology in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. In contrast, there is no real equivalent in the Synoptic Gospels. Does this indicate that Adam Christology in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 was essentially a Pauline invention to which the Evangelists were oblivious?In this study Yongbom Lee argues that in addition to the Old Testament, contemporary Jewish exegetical traditions, and his Damascus Christophany, Paul uses the early church tradition--in particular, its implicit primitive Adam-Jesus typology and the Son of Man saying traditions reflected in the Synoptic Gospels--as a source of his Adam Christology.

What Jesus began on and around the Sea of Galilee, Paul continued on and around the Mediterranean Sea. With Acts as the stage, the biblical narrative shifts from land to sea. Paul is the central actor in this part of the drama. Luke, the playwright, traveling with Paul on portions of his journeys, was deeply impressed by Paul's challenges and his creative engagement with both the pagans and the Jews living in the Roman Empire.In With Paul at Sea, Linford Stutzman, himself an accomplished sailor, relates key highlights of his personal experience of sailing Paul's voyages two thousand years later. Including examples of discoveries in the cities and harbors of Acts, combined with historical, archeological, and biblical evidence, Stutzman demonstrates the contribution and relevance of Paul for Christians in the twenty-first century. Portraying the modern world as a sea, the church as a ship, and a life of faith as sailing, With Paul at Sea is an invitation for today's Christians to travel with Paul.

In The Disciple, Lucy Peppiatt addresses the question of what it means to "become like Jesus" in the context of our everyday lives. Through the gifts of the Word and the Spirit, our communities, and our circumstances in life, God forms us into the likeness of his Son and leads us into a life of freedom, in relationship with the Father, where we experience what it means to become truly and fully human. The Disciple brings together theological depth, stories from Scripture, and examples from everyday life to paint a picture of the dynamic work of God in our lives and how we might respond to his work so that we are brought into the richness and reality of the life of the kingdom. Following Jesus means being apprenticed and schooled in the ways of freedom and the fullness of life. The Disciple combines theology and practice, including suggestions of how to respond in practical ways, as individuals, and in our communities, to the calling of God on our lives to "follow him."

The following study is a revised version of Thomas Mann's doctoral dissertation submitted to Yale University Graduate School in 1975. Its origins can be traced back to seminar papers written for Professor W. Sibley Towner while Mann was still a student at Yale Divinity School. Further work on the topic was done in a seminar with Professor Brevard S. Childs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the form and function of motifs of divine presence and guidance in the Old Testament.

This book contains a collection of nineteen essays by Marvin A. Sweeney, some previously unpublished, that focus on the role of literary form and intertextuality in the study of prophetic and apocalyptic literature. The volume includes five major parts: Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel; The Book of the Twelve Prophets; and Apocalyptic Literature. Selected topics include the Book of Isaiah as Prophetic Torah; the role of Isaiah 65-66 as conclusion of the Book of Isaiah; the interpretation of the Masoretic and Septuagint forms of the book of Jeremiah; Jeremiah 2-6 and 30-31 in relation to Josiah's reform; Ezekiel's role as Zadokite priest and visionary prophet; the problems of theodicy and holiness in Ezekiel 8-11 and 33-39; the interpretation of the Masoretic and Septuagint sequences of the Book of the Twelve; and others.

Lane provides a canonical analysis of the credo of Exodus 34:6-7 and its major parallels in the Hebrew Bible. He argues that the credo was an important theological expression for the ancient Israelites and that the final form of the Tanak is marked by the use of the credo. These uses in the final form of the canon give evidence of the theological tension over the presence of the foreigners in the postexilic community. And this tension is marked by the use of the credo in texts that emphasize YHWH's covenantal relationship with ancient Israel (Torah), movement toward the nations (Prophets), and YHWH as king over the whole earth (Psalms).

Nearly all scholars divide Genesis into primeval and patriarchal history, though they debate the precise point of division. One reason advanced to justify the division is a thematic shift. In primeval history, the narrator focuses on the origin and spread of sin, as well as God's consequent curse and judgment on humanity. In patriarchal history, however, the spread of sin theme falls off the radar of most scholars. But these analyses of the primeval and patriarchal narratives are simplistic and inaccurate. In fact, the theme of human sin and the divine curse not only serve as the main themes of the Fall narrative, but they also continue to function as major themes in both the primeval and patriarchal narratives that follow. More particularly, human sin appears to increase at both individual and societal levels. Moreover, just as the primordial sin threatened to derail the advance of God's kingdom and fulfillment of the creation mandate, so the spread of human sin in postlapsarian history threatens to thwart God's redemptive plan, which consists in the restoration of his original creational intentions for divine and human eschatological fullness. This proves true even in the patriarchal narratives where the sins of God's chosen often threaten the very promise intended for their ultimate good. These facts, which the author attempts to demonstrate in the monograph, not only have important ramifications for the unity of the Genesis corpus, but they also have important implications for the doctrines of sin, justification, and sanctification.