Richard Bauckham

Richard Bauckham explores the historical and literary contexts of the Epistle of James, discussing the significance of James as the brother of Jesus and leader of the early Jerusalem church. He gives special attention to the aphorisms which encapsulate James' wisdom, and to the way that James' teaching closely resembles that of Jesus.

This work stands among the most important publications in biblical studies over the past twenty-five years. Richard Bauckham, James Davila, and Alexander Panayotov's new two-volume collection of Old Testament pseudepigrapha contains many previously unpublished and newly translated texts, complementing James Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and other earlier collections. Including virtually all known surviving pseudepigrapha written before the rise of Islam, this volume, among other things, presents the sacred legends and spiritual reflections of numerous long-dead authors whose works were lost, neglected, or suppressed for many centuries. Excellent English translations along with authoritative yet accessible introductions bring those ancient documents to life for readers today.

Internationally respected scholar Richard Bauckham offers a brief, engaging study of divine revelation in Scripture. He probes the deep meaning of well-known moments in the biblical story in order to address the key question the Bible is designed to answer: Who is God? Accessible for laypeople and important to scholars, this volume begins by exploring three key events in the Bible in which God is revealed: Jacob's dream at Bethel (the revelation of the divine presence), Moses at the burning bush (the revelation of the divine Name), and Moses on Mount Sinai (the revelation of the divine character). In each case, Bauckham traces these themes through the rest of Scripture. He then shows how the New Testament builds on the Old by exploring three revelatory events in Mark's Gospel, events that reveal the Trinity: Jesus's baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion. This book, now in paperback, is based on the Frumentius Lectures for 2015 at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa and on the Hayward Lectures for 2018 at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia." A short, powerful book on a huge, vital topic."--N. T. Wright, University of St. Andrews; Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

In early 2022, esteemed New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham nearly lost his ability to read--an alarming prospect for a man who considers reading, writing, and scholarly work to be his vocation from God. Despite it being one of the most difficult times of his life, it was also a period in which Bauckham felt closest to God. In this beautifully written book, Bauckham combines memoir, theological and biblical reflection, and poetry to offer profound insight into God's providence amid life's difficulties. He discusses relevant aspects of his earlier life, delves into the time when his eyesight began to deteriorate, and reflects on issues that arose during that period. The book also includes generous amounts of Bauckham's own poetry. Throughout his experience, Bauckham maintained a close relationship with God and drew nearer to him. His journey with God during this time led him to contemplate God's purpose for his life and how he can live in a way that reflects his overwhelming sense of gratitude. He shares his story as a way of encouraging others in their own unique walk with God.

Who is the "Son of Man"? In pre-Christian Jewish writings, "Son of Man" was not a title, and it certainly did not indicate divinity. It was simply an expression for a man. Yet the term has held considerable interest among scholars of Christology for its use in describing Jesus in the gospels. And among those studying messianism in Second Temple Judaism, consensus about the valences of "Son of Man" in Scripture remains elusive. In the first volume of this landmark study, Richard Bauckham pushes the conversation forward, explicating the phrase "Son of Man" as it appears in Jewish interpretations of the book of Daniel and in the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch. With philological precision and sensitivity to his sources, Bauckham attunes us to the realities of early Jewish eschatology. Thorough and comprehensive, "Son of Man," vol. 1, offers scholars a solid basis for understanding the context of the messiah in the centuries leading up to Jesus. Along with the forthcoming second volume, which parses the meaning of "Son of Man" in the Gospels, Bauckham's work is essential for understanding one of the most widely used yet misunderstood phrases in the Bible.

Richard Bauckham is one of today’s most outstanding and internationally recognised biblical scholars and theologians. In addition he has, over a number of years, written a corpus of poetry that is admired by, among many others, Rowan Williams, Tom Wright, Jeremy Begbie, David Ford and Malcolm Guite. Tumbling Into Light collects together his poetry, including an extended sequence on the seasons and feasts of the church year, plus many other poems on biblical themes, creation and saints. This wide-ranging collection of poems will enrich the liturgy and worship of the church.

Internationally respected scholar Richard Bauckham offers a brief, engaging study of divine revelation in Scripture. He probes the deep meaning of well-known moments in the biblical story in order to address the key question the Bible is designed to answer: Who is God? Accessible for laypeople and important to scholars, this volume begins by exploring three key events in the Bible in which God is revealed: Jacob's dream at Bethel (the revelation of the divine presence), Moses at the burning bush (the revelation of the divine Name), and Moses on Mount Sinai (the revelation of the divine character). In each case, Bauckham traces these themes through the rest of Scripture. He then shows how the New Testament builds on the Old by exploring three revelatory events in Mark's Gospel, events that reveal the Trinity: Jesus's baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion. This book, now in paperback, is based on the Frumentius Lectures for 2015 at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa and on the Hayward Lectures for 2018 at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia." A short, powerful book on a huge, vital topic."--N. T. Wright, University of St. Andrews; Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

A companion series to the acclaimed Word Biblical CommentaryFinding the great themes of the books of the Bible is essential to the study of God's Word and to the preaching and teaching of its truths. These themes and ideas are often like precious gems: they lie beneath the surface and can only be discovered with some difficulty. While commentaries are useful for helping readers understand the content of a verse or chapter, they are not usually designed to help the reader to trace important subjects systematically within a given book a Scripture. The Word Biblical Themes series helps readers discover the important themes of a book of the Bible. This series distills the theological essence of a given book of Scripture and serves it up in ways that enrich the preaching, teaching, worship, and discipleship of God's people. Volumes in this series:Are written by top biblical scholarsFeature authors who wrote on the same book of the Bible for the Word Biblical Commentary seriesDistill deep and focused study on a biblical book into the most important themes and practical applications of themGive readers an ability to see the "big picture" of a book of the Bible by understanding what topics and concerns were most important to the biblical writersHelp address pressing issues in the church today by showing readers see how the biblical writers approached similar issues in their dayAre ideal for sermon preparation and for other teaching in the church Word Biblical Themes are an ideal resource for any reader who has used and benefited from the Word Biblical Commentary series, and will help pastors, bible teachers, and students as they seek to understand and apply God’s word to their ministry and learning.

Richard Bauckham's The Jewish World around the New Testament explored various aspects of the significance of early Judaism for interpreting the New Testament. Now The Christian World around the New Testament brings together Bauckham's well-known work on gospel origins, early Christianity, and patristic literature in one convenient volume. The book contains thirty-one studies that have been published over Bauckham's distinguished career. This affordable North American paperback by an internationally respected New Testament scholar will be published simultaneously with the prestigious European hardcover.

Most of these thirty-one essays by Richard Bauckham, a well-known New Testament scholar, were first published between 1979 and 2015 in journals and multi-authored volumes. Two are previously unpublished and one has not been published in English before. They range widely over early Christianity and early Christian literature in both the New Testament period and the early patristic period, reflecting the author's conviction that the historical study of early Christianity should not isolate the New Testament literature from other early Christian sources, such as the apostolic fathers and the Christian apocryphal literature. Some of the essays develop further the themes of the author's books on aspects of the Gospels, such as the intended audiences of the Gospels, the way in which Gospel traditions were transmitted, the role of the eyewitnesses in the origins of the Gospels, the importance of Papias's evidence about Gospel traditions, and the relationship between canonical and Gnostic Gospels. Some of the essays relate to important persons, such as Peter, Barnabas, Paul and James. These include a full investigation of the evidence for the martyrdom of Peter and an attempt to locate the estate of Publius where Paul stayed on Malta. There are studies of the Sabbath and the Lord's Day in both the New Testament and patristic periods. There are studies that survey most of the main categories of apocryphal Christian literature, including apocryphal Gospels and Acts, and with a special focus on the non-canonical apocalypses, such as the Apocalypse of Peter and the Latin Vision of Ezra.

A groundbreaking work in New Testament studies expanded and updated Winner of the 2007 Christianity Today Book Award in Biblical Studies, this momentous volume argues that the four Gospels are closely based on the eyewitness testimony of those who personally knew Jesus. Noted New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham challenges the prevailing assumption that the Jesus accounts circulated as "anonymous community traditions," asserting instead that they were transmitted in the names of the original eyewitnesses. In this expanded second edition Bauckham is adding a new preface, three substantial new chapters that respond to critics and clarify key points of his argument, and a comprehensive new bibliography.

A crucial responsibility for Christian interpreters of Scripture today, Richard Bauckham insists, is to seek to understand our contemporary context and to explore the Bible’s relevance to it in ways that reflect serious critical engagement with that context. In The Bible in the Contemporary WorldBauckham models how this task can be carried out. Bauckham calls for our reading of Scripture to lead us into increased engagement with the important issues of today’s world, including globalization, environmental degradation, and widespread poverty. He works to bring biblical texts into relationship with these contemporary realities by means of the Bible’s metanarrative of God and the world, in which God’s purpose takes effect in the salvation and fulfillment of the world as his cherished creation.

A crucial responsibility for Christian interpreters of Scripture, says Richard Bauckham, is to understand our contemporary context and to explore the Bible's relevance to it in ways that reflect serious critical engagement with that context. In this book Bauckham models how this task can be carried out. Bauckham calls for our reading of Scripture to lead us to greater engagement with critical issues in today's world, including globalization, environmental degradation, and widespread poverty. He works to bring biblical texts to bear on these contemporary realities through the Bible's metanarrative of God and the world, according to which God's purpose takes effect in the blessing and salvation and fulfillment of the world as his cherished creation.

Throughout Christian history, the Gospel of John's distinctive way of presenting the life, works, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus have earned it labels such as "the spiritual Gospel" and "the maverick Gospel." It has been seen as the most theological of the four canonical Gospels. In this volume Richard Bauckham, a leading biblical scholar and a bestselling author in the academy, illuminates main theological themes of the Gospel of John. Bauckham provides insightful analysis of key texts, covering topics such as divine and human community, God's glory, the cross and the resurrection, and the sacraments. This work will serve as an ideal supplemental text for professors and students in a course on John or the four Gospels. It will also be of interest to New Testament scholars and theologians.