Nijay K. Gupta

This accessible and balanced introduction helps readers sort out key views on the most important debated issues in New Testament studies. Well-known New Testament scholar Nijay Gupta fairly presents the spectrum of viewpoints on thirteen topics and offers reflections on why scholars disagree on these matters. Written to be accessible to students and readers without advanced training in New Testament studies, this book will serve as an excellent supplementary text for New Testament introduction courses.

In this new introduction and guide to Paul's Letter to the Philippians, Nijay K. Gupta makes the background, messages, and theological importance of this text understandable and interesting to lay readers and students. Reading Philippians includes Gupta's own English translation of Philippians. In his discussion of the value and significance of this text for Christians todat, he incorporates fascinating historical case studies, modern analogies from pop culture, and practical advice and exercises for Christian formation for today.

In this new introduction and guide to Paul's Letter to the Philippians, Nijay K. Gupta makes the background, messages, and theological importance of this text understandable and interesting to lay readers and students. Reading Philippians includes Gupta's own English translation of Philippians. In his discussion of the value and significance of this text for Christians todat, he incorporates fascinating historical case studies, modern analogies from pop culture, and practical advice and exercises for Christian formation for today.

A dynamic reading of Paul's faith language, outlining its subtle nuances as belief, trust, and faithfulness. Faith language permeates the letters of Paul. Yet, its exact meaning is not always clear. Many today, reflecting centuries of interpretation, consider belief in Jesus to be a passive act. In this important book, Nijay Gupta challenges common assumptions in the interpretation of Paul and calls for a reexamination of Paul's faith language. Gupta argues that Paul's faith language resonates with a Jewish understanding of covenant involving goodwill, trust, and expectation. Paul's understanding of faith involves the transformation of one's perception of God and the world through Christ, relational dependence on Christ, as well as active loyalty to Christ. Pastors and scholars alike will benefit from this close examination of Paul's understanding and use of faith language. For Gupta, Paul's understanding involves a divine-human relationship centered on Christ that believes, trusts, and obeys.

This book surveys the current landscape of New Testament studies, offering readers a concise guide to contemporary discussions. Bringing together a diverse group of experts, it covers research on the most important issues in New Testament studies, including new discipline areas, making it an ideal supplemental textbook for a variety of courses on the New Testament. Michael Bird, David Capes, Greg Carey, Lynn Cohick, Dennis Edwards, Michael Gorman, and Abson Joseph are among the contributors.

The study of Paul's Thessalonian letters is enjoying fresh interest today. These texts are considered by many to be amongst the earliest extant Christian documents. They are included in conversations about early Jewish and Christian apocalypticism. New insights are coming from examination of the religious, socio-cultural, and political contexts of Roman Thessalonica. And, looking back, these letters have played an important role in the development of Christian eschatology. This volumes serves as an up-to-date guide to these academic discussions and debates and much more. This volume on 1 and 2 Thessalonians in the Zondervan Critical Introductions to the New Testament series offers a volume-length engagement with subjects that normally only receive short treatments in biblical commentaries or in New Testament Introductions. This volume addresses:AuthorshipDateAudienceSocio-Historical ContextGenrePurposeIntegrityTextual HistoryGreek StyleStructureArgumentOther Critical IssuesMain Interpretive IssuesReception into the CanonSelected History of InterpretationBibliography

What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and succeeding in the academic world? This book is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced with: How do I choose a program? How can I gain admission into an elite program? How do I choose a research topic? Alongside the ""big"" questions about the process, there are also a host of smaller matters: How do I publish an article? What conferences are out there in my field? Where do I start looking for a job? How do I get teaching experience? How do I write a syllabus? This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three parts: Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world such as conference participation, publishing, employment, and best practices in teaching. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION ""Gupta has kindly provided me a book version of an academic mentor. In a time when many professors are busy, Gupta walks the extra mile and makes himself present not only in person to those near him, but also in writing for those like me. I can't thank him enough "" --Natan B. de Carvalho, College Student ""Dr. Gupta's book offered indispensable advice for me as I applied for PhD programs, completed my thesis, and applied for (and secured) tenure-track jobs. I am grateful for his service to the guild "" --Madison N. Pierce, Assistant Professor in New Testament, TEDS ""Having started seminary about a year after the first edition appeared, I was able to use Gupta's abundance of clear-headed advice to build a path to doctoral study. I can see, as a student in a first-tier PhD program, that this journey would not have been possible had I not been able to learn the many unspoken rules Gupta outlines in this invaluable book."" --Jonathan Groce, New Testament PhD student at Emory University ""This book should be required for anyone even slightly interested in biblical higher education. I've enjoyed it so much that I've bought it three times, having given it away to two students."" --Ryan Lytton, Director of Academic Services and Adjunct Professor at Life Pacific University-Virginia ""This book has proven immensely helpful as I navigated the PhD application process. Providing useful benchmarks and invaluable suggestions, Gupta's sage advice prepared me for success."" --Benjamin Castaneda, PhD student at the University of St. Andrews ""The world of academic biblical studies can be difficult to navigate, especially for ethnic minorities. This book has prepared me well by making an opaque process clear and straightforward. I recommend it to anyone considering this path."" --Daniel K. Eng, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge ""I wanted to thank you for the invaluable guidance your book provided as I made decisions concerning my academic future. I have just completed my M. A. in Classical Studies at Villanova and was accepted into graduate programs at both Edinburgh and Oxford. Every step of the way your text provided clear and specific recommendations. It was a true blessing."" --Ken Tully, Adjunct Faculty at Villanova ""Prepare, Succeed, Advance is a tremendously helpful reference tool. As an academic advisor, I will make this the first resource I recommend to colleagues who may not have the advantage of personal experience in a PhD program. As a student, I will regularly return to Gupta's work for counsel on the next stage of academic life. Doctoral students should rejoice at having such a sure guide to academic success and commend Gupta for his contribution."" --Samuel Emadi, review in JETS 56/1 (2013) 139-141, (140-141) ""This guide is i

What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and succeeding in the academic world? This book is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced with: How do I choose a program? How can I gain admission into an elite program? How do I choose a research topic? Alongside the ""big"" questions about the process, there are also a host of smaller matters: How do I publish an article? What conferences are out there in my field? Where do I start looking for a job? How do I get teaching experience? How do I write a syllabus? This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three parts: Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world such as conference participation, publishing, employment, and best practices in teaching. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION ""Gupta has kindly provided me a book version of an academic mentor. In a time when many professors are busy, Gupta walks the extra mile and makes himself present not only in person to those near him, but also in writing for those like me. I can't thank him enough "" --Natan B. de Carvalho, College Student ""Dr. Gupta's book offered indispensable advice for me as I applied for PhD programs, completed my thesis, and applied for (and secured) tenure-track jobs. I am grateful for his service to the guild "" --Madison N. Pierce, Assistant Professor in New Testament, TEDS ""Having started seminary about a year after the first edition appeared, I was able to use Gupta's abundance of clear-headed advice to build a path to doctoral study. I can see, as a student in a first-tier PhD program, that this journey would not have been possible had I not been able to learn the many unspoken rules Gupta outlines in this invaluable book."" --Jonathan Groce, New Testament PhD student at Emory University ""This book should be required for anyone even slightly interested in biblical higher education. I've enjoyed it so much that I've bought it three times, having given it away to two students."" --Ryan Lytton, Director of Academic Services and Adjunct Professor at Life Pacific University-Virginia ""This book has proven immensely helpful as I navigated the PhD application process. Providing useful benchmarks and invaluable suggestions, Gupta's sage advice prepared me for success."" --Benjamin Castaneda, PhD student at the University of St. Andrews ""The world of academic biblical studies can be difficult to navigate, especially for ethnic minorities. This book has prepared me well by making an opaque process clear and straightforward. I recommend it to anyone considering this path."" --Daniel K. Eng, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge ""I wanted to thank you for the invaluable guidance your book provided as I made decisions concerning my academic future. I have just completed my M. A. in Classical Studies at Villanova and was accepted into graduate programs at both Edinburgh and Oxford. Every step of the way your text provided clear and specific recommendations. It was a true blessing."" --Ken Tully, Adjunct Faculty at Villanova ""Prepare, Succeed, Advance is a tremendously helpful reference tool. As an academic advisor, I will make this the first resource I recommend to colleagues who may not have the advantage of personal experience in a PhD program. As a student, I will regularly return to Gupta's work for counsel on the next stage of academic life. Doctoral students should rejoice at having such a sure guide to academic success and commend Gupta for his contribution."" --Samuel Emadi, review in JETS 56/1 (2013) 139-141, (140-141) ""This guide is i

This book examines Paul’s use of temple, priesthood, and sacrificial metaphors from a cognitive and socio-literary perspective. The final conclusion of a number of scholars in this area of research is that Paul’s cultic metaphors have the theological and rhetorical purpose of encouraging community formation and moral living. Such evaluations, however, often take place without paying sufficient attention to the complexity of Paul’s cultic imagery as well as, from a methodological standpoint, what metaphors are and how they are used in thinking and communicating. Utilizing the tools and insights of conceptual metaphor theory, this study seeks to approach this topic afresh by attending to how metaphors constitute a necessary platform of cognition. Thus, they have world-constructing and perception-transforming utility. In this study, we conclude that, far from being merely about ethics or ecclesiology, Paul’s cultic metaphors act as vehicles for communicating his ineffable theology and ethical perspective. By anchoring his converts’ new experiences in Christ to the world of ancient cult, and its familiar set of terms and concepts, he was attempting to re-describe reality and develop a like-minded community of faith by articulating logike latreia – 'worship that makes sense'.