Charles B Puskas

Every speaker, teacher, or preacher has on some occasion encountered an audience that was unreceptive to what he or she had to say. One response to such communication breakdowns given by both the Old Testament prophets and New Testament authors was to declare that the hearers have hardened their hearts to the message or that God has hardened them. What is this hardness-of-heart phenomenon? Who became hardened and why? Was it a result of some deficiency in communication? What were the consequences of such a disposition? Is there any hope for a change of perspective for those hardened? In this concise and carefully argued volume, Charles Puskas considers all the key texts relating to human obstinacy towards God in pursuit of answers to these questions.

Every speaker, teacher, or preacher has on some occasion encountered an audience that was unreceptive to what he or she had to say. One response to such communication breakdowns given by both the Old Testament prophets and New Testament authors was to declare that the hearers have hardened their hearts to the message or that God has hardened them. What is this hardness-of-heart phenomenon? Who became hardened and why? Was it a result of some deficiency in communication? What were the consequences of such a disposition? Is there any hope for a change of perspective for those hardened? In this concise and carefully argued volume, Charles Puskas considers all the key texts relating to human obstinacy towards God in pursuit of answers to these questions.

Over, under, and through John's story of Jesus are unforgettable ideas and concepts, profoundly simple and simply profound, for the author's own audience and beyond. These ideas did not originate in a vacuum. They have recurred and been repeated before and after the writing of the Fourth Gospel. For this reason we will examine the meaning of its words and themes in the context of its Jewish-Greco-Roman milieu. Much of our intertextual understanding will be derived from alleged parallels that involve comparisons of similar vocabulary and phrases, as well as parallel concepts and images from the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, and other relevant writings. Such parallels will help to determine the meaning of a word or expression, the translation of a particular language, determining any direct influences upon the Fourth Gospel, parallel traditions, or the influence of its ideas, as a creative and inspiring work of later antiquity.

The conclusion of Luke-Acts is regarded as one of the most important chapters of Luke's two-volume work. Several significant Lukan themes are found in Acts 28, all of which make some contribution to the purpose and aim of the author in writing Luke-Acts: the Gentile mission, the triumph of God's Word, and the relationship of Christianity with Judaism and Rome. Acts 28 contains many historical problems that have been debated for centuries, including the "we" statements, the figure of Paul in Acts 28, and the abrupt-ending. Puskas compares the conclusion of Acts with other important chapters of Luke-Acts: the introduction of the Gospel, the conclusion of Acts, the "defense of Paul" chapters, as well as other passages. In this significant chapter of Acts 28 there are still fundamental problems of exegesis that need to be addressed: What is the literary function of Acts 28? What is Luke trying to tell his readers in the text?

The conclusion of Luke-Acts is regarded as one of the most important chapters of Luke's two-volume work. Several significant Lukan themes are found in Acts 28, all of which make some contribution to the purpose and aim of the author in writing Luke-Acts: the Gentile mission, the triumph of God's Word, and the relationship of Christianity with Judaism and Rome. Acts 28 contains many historical problems that have been debated for centuries, including the "we" statements, the figure of Paul in Acts 28, and the abrupt-ending. Puskas compares the conclusion of Acts with other important chapters of Luke-Acts: the introduction of the Gospel, the conclusion of Acts, the "defense of Paul" chapters, as well as other passages. In this significant chapter of Acts 28 there are still fundamental problems of exegesis that need to be addressed: What is the literary function of Acts 28? What is Luke trying to tell his readers in the text?

In this book Charles Puskas and David Crump provide a solid, student-friendly introduction to the four Gospels and the book of Acts. Leading students through the texts, highlighting the various literary devices and themes, and pointing out the historical and cultural contexts, An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts is a fruitful collaboration between a mainline scholar (Puskas) and a more evangelical scholar (Crump), who clearly articulate their own opinions while charitably engaging a wide spectrum of scholarship. The coverage of the Gospels and Acts throughout is clear, comprehensive, and well documented. Maps, charts, outlines, and tables round out the wealth of information offered here. Evenhanded and nonpolemical, this text will be valuable both for students with a previous foundation of biblical study and for those with little or no Bible background.