Bailey begins by surveying the development of allegorical, historical-eschatological, aesthetic, and existential methods of interpretation. Though figures like Julicher, Jeremias, Dodd, Jones, and Via have made important advances, Bailey sees the need to go beyond them by combining an examination of the poetic structures of the parables with a better understanding of the Oriental culture that informs the text. Bailey's work within Middle Eastern peasant culture over the last twenty years has helped him in his attempt to determine the cultural assumptions that the teller of the parables must have made about his audience. The same values which underlay the impact of the parables in Christ's time, Bailey suggests, can be discovered today in isolated peasant communities in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. Because time has made almost no impact in these cultural pockets, it is possible to discern, for example, what it meant 2,000 years ago for a friend to come calling at midnight, or for a son to ask for his inheritance prior to his father's death. In addition to illuminating the cultural framework of the parables, Bailey offers an analysis of their literary structure, treating the parabolic section as a whole as well as its individual components. Through its combination of literary and cultural analyses, Bailey's study makes a number of profound advances in parabolic interpretation.

    On its first publication in German it was recognized as a major reference work and has since become a more and more widely acclaimed as an important tool for understanding the theology and message of the Bible. Its translation and publication in English, together with the extensive revisions and additions, provide a unique source of information, invaluable to ministers, teachers, and anyone interested in the study as well as the teaching of the Bible. Some of its main features are: concise discussions of the major theological terms of the Bible; arranged in English alphabetical order; does not require knowledge of Greek and Hebrew; discusses the use of each key term in classical Greek, the Old Testament, the rabbinic writing, and the New Testament; glossary of technical terms; full bibliographies; and complete indexes that make the wealth of information in these volumes readily accessible.

    This is a great resource for the study of Acts and has been adapted in many Bible colleges as a textbook. The Bible notes are excellent and clear, and the numerous special studies bring valuable information to the forefront that seldom makes it into a single volume.

    

    This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume.

    The author's compelling stories and insights guide the reader to a deeper under- standing of Mark's action-packed book, which is, in Stedman's words, "an excellent introduction to the gospel story for people of all back- grounds, tribes, and classes. Of the four gospels, Mark is truly the "multicultural" gospel. . .the most easily understood by a universal audience. As readers acquire a deeper grasp of the truths presented by Mark's gospel, they will be on their way toward a deeper walk with the Savior Mark described.

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