Bøger af Raymond Edward Brown

The role of Peter has remained one of the most sensitive and divisive areas of New Testament inquiry, particularly because of its implications for the position of the papacy in Christendom. Now, under ecumenical sponsorship, a notable group of Protestant and Roman Catholic New Testament scholars have sat down together over a period of nearly two years to study this matter in the light of modern biblical criticism - surely a first in cooperative ventures since the Reformation. The results of their joint study, concisely presented in a form intelligible to the interested reader, are significant both in terms of what can be known with assurance about the historical career of Peter, and still more with regard to the development of the images of Peter after his death. This study, which moves the discussion beyond many old impasses, has biblical, theological, and ecumenical implications for all Christian churches.

With the whole Christian world looking on, we Catholics have entered a sometimes acrimonious debate with ourselves as to what should be expected of those who are in the special ministry of the Church, i.e., the priesthood--What manner of life should our priests live and what work should they do? Also under review is the role of the bishop, said traditionally to possess the fullness of the priesthood. We are asking whether the authority structure on all levels should be more collegial or democratic and what such a change would mean in light of the traditional theology of the episcopate. Ecumenically we are pondering our relationships to other churches in which there is no episcopate in apostolic succession. --from the Preface

One of the most fascinating aspects of biblical research today involves Near East discoveries and how they cast light on the Bible. Newspaper headlines are made by the Dead Sea Scrolls, or Gnostic Gospels, or an Inscription by Pontius Pilate, or unearthing the bones of a crucified Jew from the first century, or the Shroud of Turin. Here is a handy guide discussing some twenty-five of the most significant archaeological and documentary finds of our times, and explaining how they broaden our knowledge of the biblical world. For the general reader this is a most helpful companion to the 'New Testament Message' and 'Old Testament Message' series. The author, Raymond E. Brown, has been described by 'Time' as probably the premier Catholic Scripture scholar in the U.S. The Sulpician priest, who is Auburn Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, has been awarded over a dozen honorary doctorates from American and European universities. He was commended by Pope Paul VI for his learning, prudence, and Catholic regard for the Magisterium of the Church. In a revealing Introduction Brown reports that reading about such discoveries was the spark that moved him to commit his life to formal Bible study. These discoveries helped him to develop his cardinal principle of biblical interpretation: The Bible as word of God is a combination of divine inspiration and human time-conditioned perception. A knowledge of the civilizations and places in which God's people lived should convince open-minded Bible readers that the time-conditioning must be acknowledged if one is not to distort the Scriptures.