Study Commentaries

Marilynne Robinson has plumbed the human spirit in her renowned novels, including Lila and Gilead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In this new essay collection she trains her incisive mind on our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith. Whether she is investigating how the work of great thinkers about America, like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Alexis de Tocqueville, inform our political consciousness or discussing how beauty informs and disciplines daily life, Robinson's peerless prose and boundless humanity are on full display.

What happens at the end of our lives and of the course of history? Will God bring about a just and peaceful world? What lies beyond this realm, and what can we know of the beings who dwell there? In Death, the End of History, and Beyond, Greg Carey offers resources for understanding multiple, even conflicting, ways that the Bible imagines these ultimate realities.

Luke 23 details the final hours of Christ’s life, focusing entirely on his trial, crucifixion, and burial. The chapter begins with Christ being brought before Pontius Pilate, who, along with Herod Antipas, repeatedly declares Christ's innocence. Despite these verdicts, the religious leaders and the crowd demand the crucifixion of Christ, leading to Pilate's fateful decision to release the criminal Barabbas instead.

The birth of Christ is possibly one of the most controversial stories among believers. Was Mary really a virgin when she got pregnant or was Joseph the father? Did Christ fit the signs of the Messiah in the Old Testament or should we be looking for another? Only two of the four synoptic gospels go in depth about the birth and early years of Christ. As we go through the books of Matthew and Luke, we begin to get a clearer picture of the first twelve years of the life of Christ. Understanding those early years are vital when it comes to knowing who it is we believe in and why.

Do you have any idea who Jesus really is? “What you think of Jesus Christ will thoroughly color how you think about everything else,” writes John MacArthur. This is a critical truth in the life of every believer. Our view of Jesus affects the way we view God, the world, ourselves, and every...

After years of meticulously poring over the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, Carl Gallups is leading listeners on a unique pilgrimage to Golgotha, tracking a supernatural and almost DNA-like encoding of that quintessential image throughout the Bible. Astonishingly, likenesses of Golgotha are visible from the beginning words of Genesis to some of the last words of Revelation—and in just the right places. Written, in part, in Gallups’ trademark, immersive-narrative style, Golgotha’s Groaning is unlike any of his other works as far as the degree of its explosive content and exciting disclosures.

Você crê mesmo no que a Bíblia diz? Para alguns, esta pergunta pode até parecer esquisita, vinda de um livro que, provavelmente, será lido, na maior parte, por cristãos. Mas eu não a considero tão esquisita assim. A Bíblia contém assuntos bem estranhos—assuntos estes que são difíceis de acreditar, principalmente no mundo moderno. Não estou me referindo aos grandes tópicos, tais quais a vinda de Jesus à terra como Deus, que depois morreu na cruz e ressuscitou de dentre os mortos.

Award-winning journalist Eugene Linden has written numerous critically acclaimed works on the environment. In The Ragged Edge of the World, Linden recounts his experiences in locales ranging from Vietnam to Antarctica, offering an intimate look at creatures and cultures struggling to adapt to globalization.

The book of Revelation stands out as one of the most intriguing, yet least understood books of the Bible. From the sobering letters to the seven churches to the amazing visions and epic battles, millions of Christians have toiled to understand the meaning of this mysterious book. Trust Dr. Warren Wiersbe, pastor and Bible teacher for over forty years, to take you chapter-by-chapter through the various topics in this important book, all the while, keeping a steady eye on the main message of the book: Christ is the victor, and in Christ, we are also victorious.

The world has become a confusing place. Every day we are confronted with cloudy moral issues that once seemed clear. When did the simple things get so complicated? But instead of wondering how we got here, maybe we should revisit how we got started. And there's no better place to start than the beginning of God's Word, the book of Genesis.

The Zondervan Biblical and Theological Lectures series provides a unique audio learning experience. Unlike a traditional audiobook's direct narration of a book's text, Philemon: Audio Lectures include high quality live-recordings of college-level lectures that cover the important points from...

A multitude of Biblical stories have been censored, mistranslated, ignored, and even banned by religious authorities due to their erotic, violent, or mysterious content. Here, Jonathan Kirsch recounts some of the most startling and explicit writings from the Old Testament.

Also: The Old Testament: An Introduction, Part 1 and Part 2

The Bible Unmasked aims to critically examine the Bible and reveal its flaws. The author argues that the Bible is not divinely inspired but rather is a collection of myths, legends, and historical inaccuracies.

Si l'Église réfléchit depuis déjà longtemps autour de la protection de la nature, jamais un pape ne lui a consacré une encyclique, son mode d'expression le plus solennel. Les mots italiens "Laudato si': Dieu soit loué", qui ouvrent la première encyclique du pape François sont les premiers du "Cantique des créatures", écrit par Saint François d'Assise peu avant sa mort en 1226. Considéré comme l'un des premiers textes de la littérature italienne, le Poverello y célèbre Dieu à travers sa création : frère soleil, sœur lune, frère vent, sœur eau, frère feu, notre mère la terre.

The life of Christ is the central focus of the entire New Testament. His birth was prophesied in the Old Testament, and those that knew of his coming patiently awaited his arrival. While not much is known about the early years of his life, we do have bits and pieces scattered throughout the gospels, that give us glimpses of what Christ’s life was like prior to him starting the ministry we are mostly familiar with from the latter part of his life.

Matthew 2 starts out just after the birth of Christ, immediately placing the listener in what will become a life or death situation for the newborn savior of the world. The jealous and nervous king Herod gave a decree that all of the children two and younger were to be killed, which forced Christ and his parents to flee into Africa to escape.

This two-volume expositional commentary on one of the Bible’s most powerful books integrates rigorous scholarship and clear communication. Boice not only explains the meaning of the text verse by verse and section by section, he relates the text’s concerns to the world in which we live, the life of the church, and the realities of the Christian life. Based on messages preached at Philadelphia’s world-renowned Tenth Presbyterian Church, The Gospel of Matthew displays Dr. Boice’s hallmark blend of thoughtful interpretation and contemporary insight for daily living.

Matthew 24 stands as one of the most significant and debated chapters in the New Testament, primarily for its prophetic content regarding the end times and the second coming of Christ. This section, part of the extensive Olivet Discourse, captures Christ's detailed response to his disciples' questions about the signs preceding the end of the age and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. As Christ foretells of immense turmoil, from wars and rumors of wars to the rise of false prophets, listeners are drawn into a vivid prophecy of a world in spiritual and physical upheaval.

Revelation 1 serves as the powerful prologue to the Book of Revelation, framing it not as a puzzle, but as the direct revelation of Jesus Christ. Writing from his exile on the island of Patmos, the apostle John records his dramatic vision of the glorified and resurrected Christ, an awe-inspiring figure with eyes like blazing fire and a voice like rushing waters. The chapter emphasizes key themes of divine authority, as Jesus reveals himself as the Alpha and Omega, the one who holds the keys of Hell and death.

The Moab Covenant can be found in Deuteronomy 28 and many believe it to be one of the most important covenants in the Bible. It lays out a series of future blessings and curses that would play a significant role in Israel’s history. Chapters 29 – 32 build upon the terms and conditions found in Chapter 28 and contain references to the timeframe when the curses will take place in the future. These chapters were so important, that God commanded them to be read in front of the congregation every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles, as a continual reminder.