13. THEOLOGY

In the books listed below, I have made no recommendations. These represent great variations of conclusions among scholars. I am attempting to avoid my prejudicing a reader's choices, without being able to explain adequately within the limited scope of this webpage the reasons for my conclusions.

WHOLE BIBLE

• Apocalyptic: Ancient and Modern, by D.S. Russell (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1978)
• Apocalyptic Movement: Introduction and Interpretation, by Walter Schmithals, translated by John E. Steely (Nashville, TN: , 1973)
• The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism, by Karen Armstrong (NY: Ballantine Books, 2000)
• Beginning and End in the Bible, by Claus Westermann, translated by Keith Crim (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1972)
• Bible Prophecy: Failure or Fulfillment? by Tim Gallahan (Altadena, CA: Millennium Press, 1997) - discusses biblical prophecies in their historical contexts and present relevance, in contrast with the interpretations of both fundamentalist millennialists and secular conspiracy theorists.
• Fundamentalisms Observed, by Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991) - an examination of many forms of fundamentalism: religious fundamentalism (Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Confusist) and political fundamentalism.
• God's Angels Need No Wings, by Claus Westermann, translated by David L. Scheidt (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1979)
• Guide to Bible Teaching, Volumes I, II, and III,, by Ann Putcamp (Boston: The Christian Science Publishing Society, Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1971-1975)
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, by Karen Armstrong (NY: Ballantine Books, 1993)
• The Origin of Satan, by Elaine Pagels (NY: Random House, 1995)
• Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture, by John Shelby Spong (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1991)

OLD TESTAMENT

• Anthropology of the Old Testament, by Hans Walter Wolff (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974)
• Old Testament Theology in Outline, by Walther Zimmerli (Atlanta, John Knox Press, 1978)

NEW TESTAMENT

• Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, by Elaine Pagels (Philadelphia: Fortress Press)
• The Atonement: The Origins of the Doctrine in the New Testament, by (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1981)
• Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, by Elaine Pagels (NY: Random House, 2003)
• The Beginnings of Christology, together with The Lord's Supper as a Christological Problem, by Willi Marxen, translated by Paul J. Actemeier and Lorenz Nieting (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1979)
• The Central Message of the New Testament, by Joachim Jeremias (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1965)
• The Christian and Gnostic Son of Man, by Frederick H. Borsch (Naperville, IL: Alec R. Allenson, 1970)
• The Christological Controversy, translated and edited by Richard A. Norris, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1980)
• Christology Beyond Dogma: Matthew's Christ in Process Hermeneutic, by Russell Pregeant and the Society of Biblical Literature (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1978)
• Death by Bread Alone: Texts and Reflections on Religious Experience, by Dorothee Soelle, translated by David L. Scheidt (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1978)
• A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, edited by David W. Bercot (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998)
• Early Arianism: A View of Salvation, by Robert C. Gregg and Dennis E. Groh (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1981)
• Early Christian Doctrines, by J.N.D. Kelly (NY: Harper & Row, 1978)
• From Jesus to Christianity: How Four Generations of Visionaries & Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith, by L. Michael White (NY: HarperCollins, 2004)
• The Gnostic Dialogue: The Early Church and the Crisis of Gnosticism, by Pheme Perkins (New York: The Paulist Press, 1980)
• The God We Never Knew, by Marcus Borg (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997)
• The Gospel According to Peanut, by Robert L. Short (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1965)
• A Guide to the Struggle between Radical and Conservative in European University and Parish: Der Spiegel on the New Testament, by Werner Harenberg, translated by James H. Burtness (New York: Macmillan, 1970)
• The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith, by Marcus J. Borg (NY: HarperCollins, 2003)
• The Holy Spirit, by Eduard Schweizer, translated by Reginald H. and Ilse Fuller (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1980)
• Honest to Jesus: Jesus for a New Millennium, by Robert W. Funk (NY: HarperCollins, 1996)
• Jesus Means Freedom, by Ernst Kasemann, translated by Frank Clarke (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1969)
• The Jesus Seminar and its Critics, by Robert J. Miller (Sana Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 1999)
• Is Jesus God?: Finding Our Faith, by Michael Morwood (NY: Crossroad, 2001)
• Karlstadt's Battle with Luther: Documents in a Liberal-Radical Debate, edited by Ronald J. Sider (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1978)
• The Kingdom That Turned The World Upside Down, by David W. Bercot (Tyler, TX: Scroll Publishing, 2003)
• Kyrios Christos: A History of the Belief in Christ from the Beginnings of Christianity to Irenaeus, by Wilhelm Bousset, translated by John E. Steely (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1970)
• Law and Gospel, by Werner Elert, translated by Edward H. Schroeder (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1967)
• Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes: Freeing Jesus from 2,000 Years of Misunderstanding, by John Shelby Spong (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996)
• The Library of Qumran: On the Essenes, Qumran, John the Baptist, and Jesus, by Hartmut Stegemann (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998)
• New Testament Questions of Today, by Ernst Kasemann, translated by W. J. Montague (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1969)
• New Testament: The History of the Investigation of its Problems, by Werner Goerg Kummel, translated by S. MacLean Gilmour and Howard Clark Kee (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1972)
• New Testament Theology, by Joachim Jeremias (New York: Scribner, 1971)
• New Testament Theology, by G.B. Caird, completed and edited by L.D. Hurst (NY: Oxford University Press, 1994)
• The Once and Future Jesus: The Future of Jesus, The Church of the Future, The Future of the Faith, by The Jesus Seminar: Funk, Sheehan, Borg, Spong, King, Crossan, Geering, Ludemann, and Wink (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2000)
• Patterns of Faith: A Study in the relationship between the New Testament and Christian doctrine, by J.L. Houlden (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1977)
• Powerful Prayers: Conversations on faith, hope, and the human spirit with today's most provocative people, by Larry King, with Rabbi Irwin Katsof (Los Angeles: Reenaissance Books, 1998)
• The Prayers of Jesus - by Martin Hengel (Fortress) - Excellent but out of print.
• Rediscovering New Testament Prayer: Boldness and Blessing in the Name of Jesus, by John Koenig (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1998)
• Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus, by Norman Perrin (New York: Harper & Row, 1976)
• Remedial Christianity: What Every Believer Should Know about the Faith, but Probably Doesn't, by Paul Alan Laughlin and Glenna S. Jackson (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2000)
• Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - by Mary Baker Eddy (Boston: The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, 2000) [book review] - (Available at Christian Science Reading Rooms, Border's Books, or at 1-800-877-8400). The study of the weekly Bible Lesson requires the Christian Science Quarterly plus this book, which provides explanations of the Bible verses cited in the Quarterly.
• Should the Church Teach Tithing: A Theologian's Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine, by Russell Earl Kelly (NY: Writers Club Press, 2000)
• Some Heretics of Yesterday, by S.E. Herrick (London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1884) [MBE]
• Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, by Bruce Bawer (Three Rivers Press, 1997)
• A Theology of Q: Eschatology, Prophecy, and Wisdom, by Richard A. Edwards (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1976)
• The Theology of the New Testament, by Werner Georg Kummel, translated by John E. Steely (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1973)
• Theology of the New Testament: Complete in One Volume, by Rudolf Bultmann, Kendrick Gobel (New York: Scribner, 1955)
• Theological Science, by Thomas F. Torrance (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996)
• The Trinitarian Controversy, translated and edited by William G. Rusch (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1980)
• The Trinity, by Roger E. Olson and Christopher A. Hall (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002)
• What is New Testament Theology? by Hendrikus Boers (Fortress: Philadelphia, PA, 1979)
• When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome, by Richard E. Rubenstein (NY: Harcourt, 1999)
• Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile, by John Shelby Spong (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco , 1999)

ORTHODOXY, HERESY, THE CANON, AND CONTROVERSY - Some of the issues and history

• Affluence and the Christian, by Hendrik van Oyen (Fortress)
• The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism, by Karen Armstrong (NY: Ballantine Books, 2000)
• Christ and Power, by Martin Hengel (Fortress)
• Christ and Violence, by Ronald J. Sider (Fortress)
• The Christian and Gnostic Son of Man, by Frederick H. Borsch (Naperville, IL: Alec R. Allenson, 1970)
• Christian Pacifism in History, by Geoffrey Nuttall (London: World Without War Council)
• Christianity and the World Religions: Paths to Dialogue with Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, by Hans Kung, Josef van Ess, Heinrich von Stietencron, & Heinz Bechert (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986) [NPL]
• The Christological Controversy, translated and edited by Richard A. Norris, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1980)
• Common Sense: A New Approach to Understanding Scripture, by David W. Bercot (Tyler, TX: Scroll Publishing, 1992)
• Crimes of Perception: An Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Leonard George (Paragon House, 1995)
• A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, edited by David W. Bercot (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998)
• Early Arianism: A View of Salvation, by Robert C. Gregg and Dennis E. Groh (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1981)
• Early Christianity and Society, by Robert M. Grant (Harper & Row)
• Fundamentalisms Observed, by Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991) - This is an examination of many forms of fundamentalism: religious fundamentalism (Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Confusist) and political fundamentalism.
• The Gnostic Dialogue: The Early Church and the Crisis of Gnosticism, by Pheme Perkins (New York: The Paulist Press, 1980)
• The Gnostic Paul: Gnostic Exegesis of the Pauline Letters, by Elaine Pagels (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975)
• Heresies, by Harold Brown (Hendrickson, 1998). This is a useful, thought-provoking book.
  
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, by Karen Armstrong (NY: Ballantine Books, 1993)
• In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, by Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza (New York: Crossroad, 1994)
• Is Jesus God?: Finding Our Faith, by Michael Morwood (NY: Crossroad, 2001)
• Jesus and the Fundamentalism of His Day, by WIlliam Loader (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001)
• Jesus on Social Institutions, by Shailer Matthews (Fortress)
• Karlstadt's Battle with Luther: Documents in a Liberal-Radical Debate, edited by Ronald J. Sider (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1978)
• Koinonia in the New Testament: A Dynamic Expression of Christian Life , by George Panikulam (Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1979)
• Kyrios Christos: A History of the Belief in Christ from the Beginnings of Christianity to Irenaeus, by Wilhelm Bousset, translated by John E. Steely (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1970)
• Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes: Freeing Jesus from 2,000 Years of Misunderstanding, by John Shelby Spong (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996)
• Militia Christi: The Christian Religion and the Military in the First Three Centuries, by Adolf Harnack (Fortress)
• New Testament Questions of Today, by Ernst Kasemann, translated by W. J. Montague (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1969)
• New Testament: The History of the Investigation of its Problems, by Werner Goerg Kummel, translated by S. MacLean Gilmour and Howard Clark Kee (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1972)
• Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity, 2nd Edition, by Walter Bauer (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1996) - Very interesting and thought-provoking.
• Out of the Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World, by Lawrence Goldstone & Nancy Goldstone (Broadway Books, 2002)
• Pauline Partnership in Christ: Christianity Community and Commitment in Light of Roman Law, by J. Paul Sampley (Fortress)
• Poverty and Expectation in the Gospels, by David L. Mealand (London: SPCK)
• Predicament of the Prosperous, by Bruce C. Birch and Larry L. Rasmussen (Westminster)
• Property and Riches in the Early Church, by Martin Hengel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2002)
• Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture, by John Shelby Spong (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1991)
• The Scandalous Message of James: Faith without Works Is Dead, by Elsa Tamez (NY: Crossroad, 2002).
• Sharing Posessions: Mandate and Symbol of Faith, by Luke T. Johnson (Fortress)
• The Trinitarian Controversy, translated and edited by William G. Rusch (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1980)
• The Trinity, by Roger E. Olson and Christopher A. Hall (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002)
• Victory over Violence: Jesus and the Revolutionists, by Martin Hengel (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973, out of print)
• The Virgin Birth in the Theology of the Ancient Church, by Hans von Campenhausen (Fortress)
• The Virginal Conception & Bodily Resurrection of Jesus, by Raymond E. Brown (Paulist Press)
• The Virgin Mary in Evangelical Perspective, by Heiko A. Oberman (Fortress)
• When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome, by Richard E. Rubenstein (NY: Harcourt, 1999)
• Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity, by David W. Bercot (Scroll Pub, 1999) [book review]
• Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile, by John Shelby Spong (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco , 1999)

ORTHODOXY, HERESY, THE CANON, AND CONTROVERSY - The canon and textual criticism

• The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds of Jesus by Robert W. Funk & The Jesus Seminar (NY: Harper Collins, 1998)
• The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance, by Bruce M. Metzger (Oxford: Clarendon Press)
• The Early Versions of the New Testament, by Bruce M. Metzger (Oxford: Clarendon Press)
• The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? by Funk, Hoover, & The Jesus Seminar (NY: Harper Collins, 1993)
• The New Testament as the Church's Book?!, by Willi Marxsen (Fortress Press)
• The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, Third Edition, by Bruce M. Metzger (NY: Oxford University Press, 1992)
• A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition, by Bruce Metzger (United Bible Societies, 1993)
• Textual Criticism in the Exegesis of the New Testament with an Excursus on Canon, by Eldon Jay Epp (Leiden: E.J. Brill)

ORTHODOXY, HERESY, THE CANON, AND CONTROVERSY - Some of the non-canonical early texts and writings

• The Apostolic Fathers, edited by Jack Sparks (Nelson)
• The Complete Gospels, edited by Robert J. Miller (Harper Collins)
• A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, edited by David W. Bercot (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998)
• Early Christians Speak: Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries, Revised Edition - by Everett Ferguson (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 1987)
• Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Writings, by Majella Franzmann (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996)
• Josephus: The Complete Works, translated by William Whiston (Kregel)
• The Lost Bible: Forgotten Scriptures Revealed, by J.R. Porter (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001) - summarizes OT and NT non-canonical writings
• The Lost Gospel Q: The Original Sayings of Jesus, edited by Marcus Borg, Mark Powelson, and Ray Riegert (Berkeley, CA: Seastone, 1995)
• The Nag Hammadi Library, edited by James M. Robinson (Harper & Row)
• A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrative of the History of the Church to A.D. 337, edited by J. Stevenson (London: SPCK)
• New Testament Apocrypha, Volumes I and II, edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher (Westminster)
• Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, by Craig A. Evans (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1992)
• Sayings of Jesus: Canonical and Non-Canonical, by Eldon Jay Epp (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1997)

 

OTHER RELEVANT BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LISTS

• (See also Commentaries - Entire Bible.)
• (See also Commentaries - Old Testament.)
• (See also Commentaries - New Testament.)
• (See also Dictionaries and Special Indices.)
• (See also Histories - Entire Bible.)
• (See also Histories - Old Testament.)
• (See also Histories - Intertestamental Period Testament.)
• (See also Histories - New Testament and Early Christianity.)