ИНОСТРАННЫЕ

London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2018. – 320 p.

ISBN 978-1441112385

 

Third Edition. – Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014. – 669 p.

ISBN 0830828184

 

Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010. – 1406 p.

ISBN 978-0-8028-2549-0

 

Second Edition. – Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012. – 544 p.

ISBN 0801048621

 

The first thing that happened in the life of the church was translation . On the Day of Pentecost, God’s powerful wind swept through Jesus’ followers, filling them, like the sails of a great ocean-going sailing ship, so that they could take God’s good news to the ends of the earth. And they found themselves speaking other languages, so that everyone in the crowd could understand.

 

This book tells the story of the origins and development of ancient Mediterranean Christianity up to the fifth century in the post-Roman West. It is easier to see when this story ends than when it begins.

 

How odd, the reader might think. The story obviously begins with Jesus and then passes to the apostles, thence to Paul. That is the implication of the order of the books in the modern New Testament: first the four Gospels, then the Acts of the Apostles, and then Paul’s letters.

 

What makes for good preaching? Many different opinions could be advanced, depending on the perception and frame of reference of the hearer. Some would say that preaching should be standardized, such as a three point sermon format. Others would say that good preaching must stimulate the intellect; others prefer a focus on the emotions. Actually, an effective preacher will do both. But anointed preaching will always touch the spirit of the hearer, will motivate people to become conformed to the image of Christ.

 

Lanham, MD: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2008. – 426 p.

ISBN 978-0-8108-7588-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)

 

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. – 528 p.

ISBN 978-1-4422-4141-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4422-4142-8 (ebook)

 

Lebanon: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2012. – 446 p.

ISBN 978-0-8108-6194-7 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-0-8108-7967-6 (ebook)

 

Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2003. – 1032 p.

ISBN 1-57607-856-6 (alk. paper)

ISBN 1-57607-857-4 (e-book)