Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies is your one-stop guide to once-hidden works that add a new dimension to Biblical teachings. Most people have heard about the discovery of strange ancient religious writings that are not part the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, such as the Gnostic Gospels. Now, you will find new insights and a fresh perspective on long-lost works that may have once been in the running for Biblical inclusion, but didn't make the final cut. This easy-to-understand guide examines the sometimes weird, provocative, and profoundly moving texts that have been "lost" as well as those hotly debated works that are in some Bibles and not others. You will come away with a clearer understanding of the Judeo-Christian religion and the development of the Biblical canon. You’ll learn about the origins of the Bible, explore early scriptures, and understand why translations affect the meanings of texts. You’ll even learn how the Greek influenced early Biblical writing. Find out how to: <ul>
<li>Explain what the term “lost books” means</li> <li>Understand the definition of “canon”</li> <li>Take translation differences into consideration</li> <li>Divide early writings into style categories</li> <li>Take another look at scripture with the Dead Sea Scrolls</li> <li>See how the Greeks influenced early scripture</li> <li>Decode apocalyptic visions</li> </ul>
Complete with a list of ten of the weirdest Jewish lost books, ten of the weirdest Christian lost books, ten sayings of Jesus NOT in the Bible, and ten “lost books that every student of the Bible should read, Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies is your one-stop guide to understanding and reading the Biblical lost books.

Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies

Religion & Spirituality

Smith-Christopher, Daniel L.

Spignesi, Stephen J.

Christian Books & Bibles

For Dummies

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher focuses on the life and efforts of Keir Hardie, one of the founders of the UK Labour Party and one of the foremost figureheads of trade unionism. Drawing upon the work of two contemporary and significant American theorists-Herbert Gutman's classic essay on "Working-Class Religion" and Michael Gold's call for "Proletarian Literature"-Smith-Christopher marries British and American historical and theoretical debates to argue that Hardie's work is surely the quintessential example of a "proletarian exegesis" of the Bible. Beginning with a summary of the major events in Hardie's life, Smith-Christopher draws both upon existing biographies and more recent historical discussions that question assumption of British social history. He then reviews previous debates upon the influence of Hardie's own Christian faith upon his journalistic output, and assesses three Christian Socialists whose work was advertised and reviewed by Hardie himself: Dennis Hird, John Morrison Davidson, and Caroline Martyn. Smith-Christopher proceeds to Hardie's copious writings, both for The Labour Leader and separately published lectures, pamphlets, and somewhat longer works of autobiography and comment. Highlighting Hardie's tendency to cite favorite texts (heavily from the Gospels and James, but also some notable Old Testament discussions), Smith-Christopher proves Hardie's serious discussion of these texts beyond mere political rhetoric; concluding by comparing a selection of Hardie's favorite Biblical arguments with contemporary research in Biblical Studies about these same passages, evaluating the problems and possibilities of proposing a "Proletarian Exegesis".

Keir Hardie, the Bible, and Christian Socialism: The Miner's Prophet (The Library of New Testament Studies,Scriptural Traces)

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

T&T Clark

This critically acclaimed series provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The authors are scholars of international standing.

Micah: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)

Westminster/John Knox Press

Considered one of the Minor Prophets, the book of Micah contains the famous quote "what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). However, many of us do not know the circumstances that led the prophet to these famous words. This serious commentary by Daniel Smith-Christopher analyzes the historical, social, and literary context of the book of Micah. Smith-Christopher presents a challenging perspective on Micah, who is here represented as an angry opposition figure to King Hezekiah and the Jerusalem elite. In Micah, we hear from those Judeans who suffered Assyrian, and later Babylonian, force but who hold Jerusalem's military folly to blame as much as the Empires of his day. Smith-Christopher's fresh reading of Micah is a stimulating addition to the Old Testament Library that will well serve both the academy and the church.The Old Testament Library series provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important

Micah: A Commentary (The Old Testament Library)

An original, powerful, and programmatic reading of the Bible that emphasizes the biblical call to peacemaking Smith-Christopher shows us that biblical peacemaking recognizes and then crosses―or “runs”―borders. All too often, borders and other imaginary lines drawn between groups of people have a way of becoming the basis for conflict, bigotry, and ultimately, war. Danger signs are evident when people use “borders” to talk about the goodness of everyone within “our” border, and the evil of everyone “over there.” Modern social commentators use the phrase “the other” to refer to the tendency of human groups to develop a positive image of themselves by contrasting it with negative images of others. Smith-Christopher states that when this happens, it is important for us to remind ourselves that it is a profoundly biblical lesson that making peace between groups of people often requires that somebody must be willing to intentionally cross the “borders” that separate groups. In this book, he argues that the Bible teaches Christians that they are this somebody. Crossing boundaries is a biblical mandate, and the foundation of peacemaking. About the title: “Coyote” in modern parlance refers to human traffickers of illegal aliens and immigrants. Coyote crossings commonly elicit the image of professional mercenary smugglers who prey upon the hopes and dreams of illegal aliens. However, among immigrants themselves, the overwhelming view of Coyotes is positive. Daniel Smith-Christopher uses this paradox, this provocative image, a very biblical paradox, he adds, as the central and effective metaphor in the book. Jonah and Jesus are reviled for the same reason, he says: they crossed boundaries, they met the “other,” and they brought them over. They thumbed their noses at man-made and fear-based boundaries that exclude rather than embrace.

Jonah, Jesus, and Other Good Coyotes: Speaking Peace to Power in the Bible

ABINGDON PRESS *

The Christian church continues to seek ethical and spiritual models from the period of Israel's monarchy and has avoided the gravity of the Babylonian exile. Against this tradition, the author argues that the period of focus for the canonical construction of biblical thought is precisely the exile. Here the voices of dissent arose and articulated words of truth in the context of failed power.

A Biblical Theology of Exile (Overtures to Biblical Theology)

History

Ancient Civilizations

Fortress Press

Book Details:<ul>
<li>Format: Paperback</li>
<li>Publication Date: 3/1/2007</li>
<li>Pages: 288</li>
</ul>

The Old Testament: Our Call To Faith and Justice

Teen & Young Adult

Ave Maria Pr

Through brilliant new interpretations of biblical exiles, Daniel Smith-Christopher shows their experience as the most apt model for the Church as witnesses for the peace and justice of God in a strange land.

The Religion of the Landless: The Social Context of the Babylonian Exile

World

Wipf and Stock

Choosing ten films that were considered “suspicious,” “un-American,” or even “dangerous” by the conservative media, and especially the infamous “House Un-American Affairs Committee” (HUAC) between 1947–1953, each chapter briefly outlines how progressive Christians should have supported the message of the film rather than condemned it. Each chapter explains why the film was considered controversial, and then proposes a number of arguments drawing heavily on Scripture, arguing that Christians should have, and still should, consider these films about social justice issues to be deeply biblical, and not “un-American.” Intended for an adult education series, this book can serve as a kind of “handbook” for a church or parish “Film Series” that raises serious questions of social justice and Christian response.

The Blacklisted Bible: Biblical Justice and the Hollywood Panic 1947-1955

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Cascade Books

The Blacklisted Bible

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Books by Smith-Christopher, Daniel L.