12. HISTORIES - NEW TESTAMENT and EARLY CHRISTIANITY

In several categories of listings below, I have made no recommendations, even though I consider some of the books particularly helpful or even outstanding. Some of the topics 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.

JESUS

• The Apocalyptic Jesus: A Debate, edited by Robert J. Miller (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2001)
• The Archeology of the New Testament: The Life of Jesus and the Beginning of the Early Church, Revised Edition, by Jack Finegan (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992)
• The Birth of the Messiah, by Raymond E. Brown (Doubleday)
• The Charismatic Leader and His Followers, by Martin Hengel (Crossroads)
• A Credible Jesus: Fragments of a Vision, by Robert W. Funk (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2002)
• Crucifixion, by Martin Hengel (Fortress)
• Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts, by John Dominic Crossan & Jonathan L. Reed (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001)
• Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, by Steven Kellmeyer (Peoria, IL: Bridegroom Press, 2004)
• The Formation of the Resurrection Narratives, by Reginald H. Fuller (Fortress)
• 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 Gospel of Jesus according to the Jesus Seminar, by Robert W. Funk and the Jesus Seminar (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 1999)
• The Historical Figure of Jesus, by E.P. Sanders (London: Penguin Press, 1993) [NPL]
• The Historical Jesus Goes to Church, by the Jesus Seminar (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2004)
• Honest to Jesus: Jesus for a New Millennium, by Robert W. Funk (NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996)
• Jesus, by Eduard Schweizer (John Knox Press)
• Jesus, by Hans Conzelmann (Fortress)
• Jesus: A New Vision - Spirit, Culture, and The Life of Discipleship, by Marcus J. Borg (SF: HarperCollins, 1987)
• Jesus and the Fundamentalism of His Day, by WIlliam Loader (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001)
• Jesus and Muhammad: The Parallel Sayings, edited by Joey Green (Berkeley, CA: Seastone, 2003)
• Jesus and the Four Gospels, by John Drane (Harper & Row)
• Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 1999)
• Jesus before Christianity, by Albert Nolan (Orbis)
• Jesus Before God: The Prayer Life of the Historical Jesus, by Hal Taussig (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 1999)
• Jesus Christ in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, by Jack Dean Kingsbury (Fortress)
• Jesus in the Church's Gospels: Modern Scholarship and the Earliest Sources, by John Reumann (Fortress)
• Jesus in His Time, edited by Hans Jurgen Schultz (Fortress)
• Jesus in History, Second Edition: An Approach to the Study of the Gospels, by Howard Clark Kee (Harper & Row)
• Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Writings, by Majella Franzmann (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996)
• Jesus of Nazareth, by Gunther Bornkamm (NY: Harper & Row, 1960)
• Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence, by Robert E. Van Voorst (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000)
• Jesus' Promise to the Nations, by Joachim Jeremias (Fortress)
• Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels, by Geza Vermes (Fortress)
• Jesus the Man: An Introduction for People at Home in the Modern World, by Marvin Cain (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 1999)
• Interpreting the Gospels, edited by James Luther Mays (Fortress)
• John the Baptist and Jesus: A report of the Jesus Seminar, by W. Barnes Tatum (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1994)
• The Lord's Prayer, by Joachim Jeremias, translated by Norman Perrin (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964)
• Mary in the New Testament, edited by Brown, Donfried, Fitzmyer, and Reumann (Fortress/Paulist Press)
• The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus J. Borg and N.T. Wright (NY: HarperCollins, 1998)
• Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The historical Jesus & the heart of comptemporary faith, by Marcus J. Borg (NY: HarperCollins, 1994)
• The Messiah before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Israel Knohl (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000)
• The Messianic Legacy, by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln (NY: Dell, 1986)
• The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Isalmic Literature, edited and translated by Tarif Khalidi (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001)
• The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary, by Tom Wright (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996)
• Notes on the Miracles of our Lord, by Richard C. Trench (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2002; originally, 1846, reprinted)
• Notes on the Parables of our Lord, by Richard C. Trench (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2002; originally, 1840, reprinted)
• The Passion in Mark, edited by Verner H. Kelber (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976) - This includes contributions from John R. Donahue, Norman Perrin, Kim E. Dewey, Theodore J. Weeden, Sr., and John Dominic Crossan.
• The Prayers of Jesus - by Martin Hengel (Fortress) - Excellent but out of print.
• The Problem of the Historical Jesus, by Joachim Jeremias (Fortress)
• Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus, by Norman Perrin (New York: Harper & Row, 1976)
• Reimarus: Fragments, edited by Charles H. Talbert (Fortress)
• The Resurrection according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, by Norman Perrin (Fortress)
• The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, by Willi Marxsen (Fortress)
• The Resurrection of the Son of God, by N.T. Wright (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003)
• Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Burstein (NY: CDS Books, 2004)
• The Son of God, by Martin Hengel (Fortress)
• Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, by Bruce Bawer (NY: Three Rivers Press, 1997)
• 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)
• What Can We Know about Jesusx, by Hahn, Lohff, and Bornkamm (Fortress)
• Who Killed Jesus? - Exploring the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus, by John Dominic Crossan (San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995) [NPL]
• Who Was the Nazarene? by Albert Field Gilmore (New York: Prentice Hall)
• Women and the Historical Jesus: Feminist Myths of Christian Origins, by Kathleen E. Corley (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2002)

• See also other books on the life, works, and teachings of Jesus at http://www.bibletexts.com/bibliogr/06com-nt.htm#nt-parts.

JOHN THE BAPTIST, JAMES, PETER (Cephas, a.k.a., Simon), & PAUL (a.k.a., Saul)

• JOHN THE BAPTIST
  • John the Baptist and Jesus: A report of the Jesus Seminar, by W. Barnes Tatum (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1994)
• JAMES
• James the Brother of Jesus: Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Robert Eisenman (New York: Penguin Books, 1997)
• PETER
  • Peter in the New Testament, edited by Brown, Donfried, and Reumann (Augsburg/Paulist Press)
• PAUL
  • The Apostle, by Sholem Asch, translated by Maurice Samuel (NY: GP Putnam's Sons, 1943)
  • A Chronology of Paul's Life, by Robert Jewett (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979)
  • Conflict and Identity in Romans: The Social Setting of Paul's Letter, by Philip F. Esler (Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2003)
  • The Corinthian Women Prophets: A Reconstruction Through Paul's Rhetoric, by Antoinette C. Wire (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003)
  • From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries, by Peter Lampe, translated by Michael Steinhauser (Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2003)
  • God's Word to Women, by Katharine C. Bushnell (originally Oakland, CA: Katharine Bushnell, Publisher, 1930; currently Minneapolis, MN: Christians for Biblical Equality, 2003), especially pages 189-362
  • The Gnostic Paul: Gnostic Exegesis of the Pauline Letters, by Elaine Pagels (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975)
  • The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, by W.J. Conybeare and J.S. Howson (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, originally published London, 1852; reprinted, 1949) [MBE]
  • In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, by Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza (New York: Crossroad, 1994), especially Chapter 6, "No Male and Female: Galatians 3:28 -- Alternative Vision and Pauline Modification" (pages 205-241)
  • The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy (Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1990), especially Fitzmeyer's article on "Paul" (pages 1329-1337). This includes a "Sequence Chart of Paul's Movements" (page 1331) with parallels between Paul's genuine letters and the Book of Acts.
    
  • The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Third Edition, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 2004), especially Chapter 24, "From Paul's Female Colleagues to the Pastor's Intimidated Women: The Oppression of Women in Early Christianity" (pages 395-407)
  • Paul, by Gunther Bornkamm (NY: Harper & Row, 1969, 1971)
  • Paul, by John Drane (NY: Harper & Row, 1976)
  • Paul: A Man Who Changed the World, by Henrietta Buckmaster (Westmorland, England: The Art Store, 1973)
  • Paul the Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought, by J. Christian Beker (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980)
  • Paul and His Letters, by Leander E. Keck (Philadelphia: Fortress)
  • Paul in the Roman World: the Conflict at Corinth, by Robert M. Grant (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001)
  • Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook, edited by J. Paul Sampley (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003)
  • Pauline Partnership in Christ: Christianity Community and Commitment in Light of Roman Law, by J. Paul Sampley (Fortress)
  • Paul's Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in Their Cultural Setting, Revised Edition, by Robert J. Banks (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994)
  • The Story of Paul, for Boys and Girls of Junior High School Age: A Teacher's Manual (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1930)
  • Walking Between the Times: Paul's Moral Reasoning, by J. Paul Sampley (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1991)
  • What Paul Really Said About Women: The Apostle's Liberating Views on Equality in Marriage, Leadership, and Love, by John Temple Bristow (San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco, 1991)

  • Women and Christian Origins, edited by Ross Shepard Kraemer and Mary Rose D'Angelo (NY: Oxford University Press, 1999), especially Part III, "Mining the Pauline Tradition" (pages 199-253)

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: General histories of early Christianity

• Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity, by Martin Hengel (Fortress Press)
• Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, by Elaine Pagels (Philadelphia: Fortress Press)
• The Anatomy of a Hybryd: A Study in Church-State Relationships, by Leonard Verduin (Sarasota, FL: The Christian Hymnary Publishers, 1976)
• The Apostolic Age, by G.B. Caird (Duckworth)
• Backgrounds of Early Christianity, Second Edition, by Everett Ferguson (Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans, 1993) - An excellent resource.
• Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, by Elaine Pagels (NY: Random House, 2003)
• The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened in the Years Immediately after the execution of Jesus, by John Dominic Crossan (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998) [NPL]
• The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity, edited by Ken Parry, Dmitri Brady, Sidney H. Griffith, David J. Melling, & John Healey (Blackwell Publishers, 1999)
• Christian Origins in Sociological Perspective, by Howard Clark Kee (Westminster)
• Christian Beginnings, by Morton Scott Enslin (Harper)
• 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]
• Conflict and Identity in Romans: The Social Setting of Paul's Letter, by Philip F. Esler (Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2003)
• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, edited by Elizabeth A. Livingstone (NY: Oxford University Press, 1977)
• 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)
• A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography: A Reference Guide to Over 800 Christian Men and Women, Heretics, and Sects of the First Six Centuries, edited by Henry Wace & William C. Piercy (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999 - originally published 1911). This book presents an accumulation of accounts of each disciple. Though the historical reliability of most of the details is not verifiable, the book at least cites the writings from which the details were derived.
• Dissent from the Creed: Heresies Past and Present, by Richard M. Hogan (Our Sunday Visitor, 2001)
• Ecclesiastical Authority and Spiritual Power, by Hans von Campenhausen (Stanford)
• Early Christian Doctrines, by J.N.D. Kelly (NY: Harper & Row, 1978)
• Early Christian Worship, by Oscar Cullman (Westminster)
• Early Christians Speak: Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries, Revised Edition - by Everett Ferguson (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 1987) - An excellent resource.
• The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages, by E. Glenn Hinson (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1996)
• Early Years of Christianity: The Apolstolic Era, by E. De Pressense, translated by Annie Harwood (NY: Carlton & Lanahan, 1871) [MBE]
• Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, Second Edition, edited by Everett Ferguson (NY: Garland Publishing, 1998)
• Essays on New Testament Themes, by Ernst Kasemann, translated by W.J. Montague (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1964, 1982)
• Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, translated by C.F. Cruse (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998)
• The First Christians, by Eduard Lohse (Fortress Press) - A good resource.
• Fortress Introduction to Black Church History, by Anne H. Pinn and Anthony B. Pinn (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002)
• From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries, by Peter Lampe, translated by Michael Steinhauser (Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2003)
• The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels (NY: Random House,1978) - Very interesting and thought-provoking.
• Gnosticism in Corinth, by Walter Schmittals (Abingdon)
• The God of the Early Christians, by Arthur Cushman McGiffert (Edinburgh: T&T Clark)
• Going to Church in the First Century, by Robert J. Banks (Jacksonville, FL: Christian Books Publishing House, 1990). This is an intendedly fictional account that informatively portrays first century worship.
  
• Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church, by Harold Brown (Hendrickson, 1998)
  
• Heretics: The Other Side of Early Christianity, by Gerd Ludemann (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996)
• Historical Atlas of Christianity, by Franklin H. Littell (NY: Continuum, 2001) [NPL]
• A History of Christian-Muslim Relations, by Hugh Goddard (Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2000)
• A History of Christianity, Volumes I and II, Revised Edition, by Kenneth Scott Latorourette (Harper & Row, 1975)
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, by Karen Armstrong (NY: Ballantine Books, 1993)
• History of Primitive Christianity, by Hans Conzelmann (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1973) - Very interesting and thought-provoking.
• Introduction to the New Testament, Volume 1: History, Culture, and Religion of the Hellenistic Age, by Helmut Koester (Fortress, 1982) - A detailed analysis of the history, culture, and religion of the first century holy lands.
• Introduction to the New Testament, Volume 2: History and Literature of Early Christianity - by Helmut Koester (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982)
• Introduction to the New Testament, Volume 2: History and Literature of Early Christianity, 2nd Edition - by Helmut Koester (Berlin: Aldine de Gruyter, 2000) - An excellent resource.
• Islam, by Caesar E. Farah (Hauppaugh, NY: Baron's, 1994)
• Israel in Revolution 6-74 C.E., by David M. Rhoads (Fortress Press)
• Jerusalem and Rome, by Henry Chadwick and Hans von Campenhausen (Fortress Press)
• Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, by Joachim Jeremias (Fortress Press) - A detailed analysis of the first century Jerusalem.
• Judaism & Hellenism, Volumes 1 and 2, by Martin Hengel (Fortress Press) - A detailed analysis of the history, culture, and religion of the first century holy lands.
• The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down, by David W. Bercot (Tyler, TX: Scroll Publishing, 2003)
• Let Me Die in Ireland: The True Story of Patrick, by David W. Bercot (Tyler, TX: Scroll Publishing, 1999)
• Links in Christianity's Chain, by Albert Field Gilmore (Norwood, MA: Plimpton Press)
• Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew, by Bart D. Erhman (NY: Oxford University Press, 2003)
• The New Birth of Christianity: Why Religion Persists in a Scientific Age, by Richard A. Nenneman (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992, especially "The Early Church" pages 55-82)
• New Testament Environments, by Eduard Lohse (Abingdon) - A detailed analysis of the history, culture, and religion of the first century holy lands.
• The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Third Edition, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 2004) -- also covers non-canonical writings
• New Testament History, by F.F. Bruce (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1969). A very good and honest survey by a leading conservative scholar.
• A New Testament History, by Floyd Filson (Westminster). A very good survey.
• The New Testament: Its background, Growth, and Content - by Bruce M. Metzger (Abingdon) - An excellent resource.
• The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament, by Bart D. Erhman (NY: Oxford University Press, 1993)
• Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity, 2nd Edition, by Walter Bauer (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1996) - Very interesting and thought-provoking.
• Pagans and Christians: Religion and the Religious Life from the Second to the Fourth Century A.D..., by Robin Lane Fox (NY: Knopf, 1987) [NPL]
• Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook, edited by J. Paul Sampley (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003)
• Paul in the Roman World: the Conflict at Corinth, by Robert M. Grant (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001)
• Paul's Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in Their Cultural Setting, Revised Edition, by Robert J. Banks (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994)
• Primitive Christianity, by Rudolph Bultmann (Fortress Press) - A classic.
• Religious Toleration and Persecution in Ancient Rome, by Simeon L. Guterman (London: Aiglon Press, 1951)
• The Riddle of the Labarum, by George Pitt-Rivers (George Allan & Unwin)
• The Rise of Christianity, by W.H.C. Frend (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984)
• The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Methods for the Study of Early Liturgy, by George Pitt-Rivers (George Allan & Unwin)
• The Search for the Twelve Apostles, by William Steuart McBirnie (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973). In addition to presenting the biblical accounts of each disciple, this book presents an accumulation of annecdotal, circumstantial, and legendary accounts of each disciple. Though the historical reliability of most of the details is not verifiable, the book at least cites writings from which most details were derived and lays out a comprehensive account of the legends about each disciple, which readers should treat with scholarly skepticism.
• Should the Church Teach Tithing: A Theologian's Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine, by Russell Earl Kelly (NY: Writers Club Press, 2000)
• A Study of Early Christinity, by Joseph B. Tyson (Macmillan) - Very good.
• This is the Day: The Biblical Doctrine of the Christian Sunday, by Roger T. Bechwith and Wilfrid Stott (Marshall, Morgan & Scott)
• Understanding the New Testament, 5th Edition - by Kee, Lindberg, & Hanawalt (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993) - An excellent survey.
• When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome, by Richard E. Rubenstein (NY: Harcourt, 1999)
• Who Wrote the Gospels, by Randel McCraw Helms (Altadena, CA: Millenium Press, 1997) [NPL]
• The Worship of the Early Church, by Ferdinand Hahn (Fortress Press) - Excellent but out of print.
• See also "ORTHODOXY, HERESY, THE CANON, AND CONTROVERSY - Some of the issues and history" at http://www.bibletexts.com/bibliogr/13the.htm#controversy-issues.

   

  EARLY CHRISTIANITY: Christian healing

• The Bible and Healing: A Medical and Theological Commentary - by John Wilkinson (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998) - The author's conclusions seem to reflect a professional bias -- as both a physician and Bible scholar -- and does not give as much weight to the continuing record of healing in the post-apostolic period as do other scholars. Yet this book is still a very useful resource, and the author's medical missionary work in Africa and his other Christian ministries reflect a deep caring that is evident in his book. Chapters 23 ("From the Commission to the Ministry") and 24 ("The Practice of the Healing Ministry Today") devotes 21 pages to an interesting, though incomplete, account of Christian healing in the 19th and 20th century.
• Biblical Healing: Hebrew and Christian Roots - by Frank C. Darling (Vista Publications, 1989) -This is an excellent survey of the history of spiritual healing up through the first few centuries of the Christian era..
• Christian Healing - by Mary Baker Eddy (Boston: The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, 2000). This was one of the first sermons in modern times to focus specifically on the practice of "Christian healing." It continues to be widely read today.
• Christian Healing After the New Testament: Some Approaches to Illness in the Second, Third and Fourth Centuries, by R.J.S. Barrett-Lennard (University Press of America, 1994) [book review]
  
• Christian Healing in the Middle Ages and Beyond - by Frank C. Darling (Vista Publications, 1990) - This is an excellent survey of the history of Christian healing in each period up through the twentieth century.
• Divine Healing of the Body, by J. Sidlow Baxtor (Zondervan)
• Evolution and Faith, by J.D. Thomas (ACU Press)
• Go Preach the Kingdom, Heal the Sick, by Jim Wilson (Attic Press, 1962)
• Healing and Christianity - by Morton T. Kelsey (New York: Harper & Row, 1973) - A professedly "comprehensive history of sacramental healing in the Christian church from biblical times to the present."
• Healing in the New Testament: Insights from Medical and Mediterranean Anthropology, by John J. Pilch (Philadelphia: Fortress, 2000) - Excellent
  
• The Healing LIght: The Art and Method of Spiritual Healing, by Agnes Sanford (St. Paul, MN: Macalester Park Publishing, 1947)
• The Healing Power of a Christian Mind: How Biblical Truth Can Keep You Healthy, by Dr. William Backus (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Books, 1996)
• The Healing Power of Christ, by Emily Gardiner Neal (Carmel, NY: Guideposts Associates, 1972)
• Healing Spiritually: Renewing Your Life through the Power of God's Law - (Boston: The Christian Science Publishing Society, 1996) - Provides accounts between 1966 and 1996 of many "documented" Christian healings of clinically diagnosed diseases.
• The Healings of the Bible, by Nellie B. Woods (Woods, 1955)
• Health and Medicine in the Christian Science Tradition, by Robert Peel (New York: Crossroad, 1988)
• Health Care and the Rise of Christianity, by Hector Avalos (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999) - An excellent treatment of the subject.
• Interpreting Miracles - by Reginald H. Fuller (London: SCM, 1963) - Explains a liberal scholar's reasoned skepticism regarding the historiosity of both biblical and modern day Christian healing.
• Mindpower and the Spiritual Dimension: Physics yielding to metaphysics?, by Richard C. Haw (Natal, SA: Flame Lily Books, 1981)
• Miracles: Cambridge Studies in their Philosophy and History - by C.F.D. Moule (London: Mowbrays, 1965) - A noted scholar's essays surveying the history of miracles up through the early Christian church.
• Miracles from God or Man? - by Jimmy Jividen (ACU Press, 1987) - Explains a conservative theologian's acceptance of historiosity of biblical Christian healing but a total rejection of the possibility of modern day Christian healing.
• Miraculous Healing, by Henry W. Frost (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1979)
• The Oxford Companion to the Bible (edited by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993) has two excellent articles on the subjects of "Medicine" (pages 507-509) and "Medicine and the Bible" (509-510).
• Notes on the Miracles of our Lord, by Richard C. Trench (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2002; originally, 1846, reprinted)
• 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 Power of God to Heal, by George F. Garland (Harrington Park, NJ: Robert H. Sommer Publisher, 1973)
• The Problem of Miracle in Primitive Christianity - by Anton Fridrichsen (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 1972, originally published in 1925) - A careful, reasoned analysis of the biblical healings of Jesus and first century Christians.
• Religion & Medicine, edited by D.W. Millard (London: SCM)
• Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - by Mary Baker Eddy (Boston: The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, 2000) [book review]. First published in 1875, this was the first major work in modern times and modern terms to extensively address the practicality and practice of "Christian healing." It is still widely read today by physicians, by lay people, and by clergy of many denominations.
• Something's On The Boil: A Discovery of Prayer and Healing, by Josephus L. van den Hoek (Victoria, BC, Canada: Trafford Publishing, 2004)
• Spiritual Healing in a Scientific Age - by Robert Peel (New York: Harper & Row, 1988) - This presents the thoroughly documented findings of an impeccably honest, scholarly historian.

• See also the BibleTexts.com webpage on "Christian healing" at http://www.bibletexts.com/topics/christianhealing.htm.

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: Ethics and morality

• Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, by Elaine Pagels (Philadelphia: Fortress Press)
• Biblical Ethics, by R.E.O White (John Knox Press)
• Business by the Book: Complete Guide of Biblical Principles for the Workplace, by Larry Burnett (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998)
• Divorce and Nullity, by R.H. Charles (London: T&T Clark, 1927)
• Ethics and the Gospel, by T.W. Manson (London: SCM Press)
• Ethics and the New Testament, by J.L. Houlden (London: T&T Clark, 2000)
• Ethics in the New Testament, by Jack T. Sanders (Fortress Press)
• Everything Jesus Taught about Faith, Humility, Money, Prayer, The Sabbath, Sickness and Death, by Herbert Lockyer (Harper & Row)
• Everything Jesus Taught about Love, Marriage and Divorce, Women, Children, by Herbert Lockyer (Harper & Row)
• The Moral Teachings of the New Testament, Second Revised Edition, by Rudolph Schnackenburg, translated by J. Holland-Smith and W.J. O'Hara (NY: Seabury, 1962, out of print) - An excellent resource.
• Paul in the Roman World: the Conflict at Corinth, by Robert M. Grant (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001)
• Should the Church Teach Tithing: A Theologian's Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine, by Russell Earl Kelly (NY: Writers Club Press, 2000)

• Walking Between the Times: Paul's Moral Reasoning, by J. Paul Sampley (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1991)

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: Ethics and business, politics, social issues, violence, and non-violence

• Affluence and the Christian, by Hendrik van Oyen (Phiiladelphia: Fortress, out of print)
• The Anatomy of a Hybrid: A Study in Church-State Relationsips, by Leonard Verduin (Sarasota. FL: The Christian Hymnary Publishers, 1976)
• Biblical Ethics, by R.E.O White (John Knox Press)
• Business by the Book: Complete Guide of Biblical Principles for the Workplace, by Larry Burnett (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998)
• Christ and Power, by Martin Hengel (Philadelphia: Fortress, out of print)
• Christ and Violence, by Ronald J. Sider (Fortress)
• The Christian Lifestyle, by George Wolfgang Forell (Fortress)
• Christian Pacifism in History, by Geoffrey Nuttall (London: World Without War Council)
• Corporation Ethics: The Quest for Moral Authority, edited by George W. Forell and William H. Lazareth (Fortress)
• 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)
• Doing Theology in a Revolutionary Situation, by Jose Miguez Bonino (Fortress)
• Early Christianity and Society, by Robert M. Grant (Harper & Row)
• Encountering Marx: Bonds and Barriers between Christians and Marxists, by Jan Miric Lochman (Fortress)
• Ethics and the Gospel, by T.W. Manson (London: SCM Press)
• Ethics and the New Testament, by J.L. Houlden (London: T&T Clark, 2000)
• Ethics in the New Testament, by Jack T. Sanders (Fortress Press)
• From Hope to Liberation, edited by Piediscalzi and Thobaben (Fortress)
• The Great Economic Debate: An Ethical Analysis, by J. Philip Wogaman (Westminster)
• The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith, by Marcus J. Borg (NY: HarperCollins, 2003), especially chapter 10, "The Heart of the Matter: Practice" (pages 187-206).
• How Christians Made Peace with War: Early Christian Understandings of War, by John Driver (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988)
• Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way, by Walter Wink (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2003)
• Jesus: CEO - Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership, by Laurie Beth Jones (Hyperion)
• Jesus on Social Institutions, by Shailer Matthews (Fortress)
• Koinonia in the New Testament: A Dynamic Expression of Christian Life , by George Panikulam (Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1979)
• Lifestyle in the Eighties: An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle, edited by Ronald J. Sider (Fortress)
• The Left Hand of God: Essays on Discipleship and Patriotism, by Krodel, Lazareth, Lee, and Olson (Fortress)
• Luther and the Peasant's War, by Hubert Kirchner (Fortress)
• Luther: Selected Polical Writings, edited by J.M. Porter (Fortress)
• Militia Christi: The Christian Religion and the Military in the First Three Centuries, by Adolf Harnack (Fortress)
• Monday Morality: Right and Wrong in Daily Life, by Edward Wakin (Paulist Press)
• The Moral Teachings of the New Testament, by Rudolph Schnackenburg (Seabury, 1964, out of print) - An excellent resource.
• The Nature of a Humane Society, edited by H. Ober Hess (Fortress)
• Pauline Partnership in Christ: Christianity Community and Commitment in Light of Roman Law, by J. Paul Sampley (Fortress)
• Political Theology, by Dorothee Soelle (Fortress)
• Politics, Medicine, & Christian Ethics: A Dialogue with Paul Ramsey, by Charles E. Curran (Fortress)
• Poverty and Expectation in the Gospels, by David L. Mealand (London: SPCK)
• The Power of Nonviolence, by Richard B. Gregg (London: James Clarke & Co Ltd)
• The Powers that Be: Theology for a New Millennium, by Walter Wink (NY: Doubleday, 1998)
• Preaching on Peace, edited by Ronald J. Sider and Darrel J. Brubaker (Fortress)
• Predicament of the Prosperous, by Bruce C. Birch and Larry L. Rasmussen (Westminster John Knox, 1981)
• The Proclamation of the Gospel in a Pluralistic World: Essays on Christianity and Culture, by George W. Forell (Fortress)
• Property and Riches in the Early Church, by Martin Hengel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress. New edition expected, June, 2003). Thought-provoking book by a highly respected Bible scholar and Christian historian.
• Religion and the American Revolution, by Brauer, Mean, and Bellah (Fortress)
• Room to be People, by Jose Miguez Bonino (Fortress)
• The Scandalous Message of Jesus: Faith without Works Is Dead, by Elsa Tamez (NY: Crossroad, 2002). Thought-provoking.
• Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - by Mary Baker Eddy (Boston: The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, 2000) [book review], especially chapter 1, "Prayer," chapter 2, "Atonement and Eucharist" (pages 1-55), and a section on human rights (pages 223:14 to 228:15).
• Should the Church Teach Tithing: A Theologian's Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine, by Russell Earl Kelly (NY: Writers Club Press, 2000)
• Sharing Posessions: Mandate and Symbol of Faith, by Luke T. Johnson (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981, out of print)
• Sociology of Early Palestinian Christianity, by Gerd Theissen (Fortress)
• Sometimes God has a Kids's Face: The Story of America's Exploited Street Kids, by Bruce Ritter (Fortress)
• Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Philadelphia: Fortress: 1963)
• Suffering, by Dorothy Soelle (Fortress)
• Victory over Violence: Jesus and the Revolutionists, by Martin Hengel (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973, out of print, but worth obtaining from a used book store)
• What Christians Stand for in a Secular World, by William Temple (Fortress)

ISLAM & MUSLIM ISSUES

• Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages, by Richard E. Rubenstein (Orlando, FL: Harcourt Inc., 2003)
• 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]
• A History of Christian-Muslim Relations, by Hugh Goddard (Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2000)
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, by Karen Armstrong (NY: Ballantine Books, 1993)
• Islam, by Caesar E. Farah (Hauppaugh, NY: Baron's, 1994)
• The Koran (in Arabic, with English interpretation on facing pages)
• The Koran, translated with notes by N.J. Dawood (NY: Penguin Books, 1993)
• The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature, edited and translated by Tarif Khalidi (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001)
• What's Right with Islam : A New Vision for Muslims and the West, by Feisal Abdul Rauf (NY: HarperCollins, 2004)

• See also a topical index on this subject at http://www.bibletexts.com/topical.htm#islam.

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: The canon: texts, manuscripts, and versions, including Old Testament versions

• See "Commentaries on the Canon, Bible Translating, and Bible Translations" at http://www.bibletexts.com/bibliogr/04com-b.htm#bible-canon.
• See "Commentaries on the Old Testament -- Whole Old Testament" at http://www.bibletexts.com/bibliogr/05com-ot.htm#ot-canon.

• See "Commentaries on the New Testament Canon, Translating, and Translations" at http://www.bibletexts.com/bibliogr/06com-nt.htm#nt-canon.

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: Non-canonical texts and sources

• After The New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 1999)
• Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development, by Helmut Koester (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1990)
• Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 Volumes, edited by A. Roberts and J. Donaldson, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994 (originally Vol 1-8 & 10: 1885-1887, Vol 9: 1896-1897)
• The Apostolic Fathers, edited by Jack Sparks (Nelson) - An excellent resource for exploring some of the earliest non-canonical early Christian writings.
• The Archko Volume or Archeological Writings of the Sanhedrim and Talmuds of the Jews, translated by McIntosh and Twyman (Grand Rapids, MI: Archko Press) - Spurious, apocryphal writings.
• The Complete Gospels, edited by Robert J. Miller (Harper Collins) - includes the 4 canonical gospels plus all other non-canonical gospels, including Thomas (Greek and Coptic) and Q, with some commentary.
• The Critical Edition of Q (Hermeneia), edited by James McConkey Robinson, Paul Hoffmann, John S. Kloppenborg, and Milton C. Moreland (Philadelphia: Fortress, 2000)
• 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)
• The Didache (Hermeneia), by Kurt Niederwimmer and Harold W. Attridge, translated by Linda M. Maloney (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1998)
  
• The Didache: Faith, Hope, & Life of the Earliest Christian Communities, 50-70 C.E., by Aaron Milavec, (NY: Newman Press, 2003) - dates the Didache earlier than most scholars
  
• The Didache: Text, Translation, Analysis, and Commentary, by Aaron Milavec, (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003) - dates the Didache earlier than most scholars
  
• Documents for the Study of the Gospels, by David R. Cartlidge and David L. Dungan (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980) - Helpful.
• Early Christians Speak: Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries, Revised Edition - by Everett Ferguson (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 1987) - An excellent resource.
• The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age, by Stephen J. Patterson, James M. Robinson, and Hans-Gebhard Bethge (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press, 1998)
• The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? by Funk, Hoover, & The Jesus Seminar (NY: Harper Collins, 1993) - Includes detailed commentary on all Jesus' sayings in the 4 canonical gospels plus Thomas.
• The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First aWoman Apostle, by Karen L. King (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2003)
• The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated & Explained, by Stevan Davies (Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths Publishing, 2002)
• The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus, by Stephen J. Patterson (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993)
• The Gospel of the Nazirenes, "edited and restored with historical documentation" by Alan Waunters and Rick Van Wyhe (Patagonia, AZ: Essene Vision Books, 1997) - The Complete Gospels, mentioned above, contains excerpts from and a history of The Gospel of the Nazirenes on pages 443-446.
• Josephus: The Complete Works, translated by William Whiston (Kregel)
• 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 (NY: Harper & Row, 1977)
• The Lost Books of the Bible, by (NY: Alpha House, 1926 and earlier) [MBE]
• Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 2003)
• A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrative of the History of the Church to A.D. 337, edited by J. Stevenson (London: SPCK)
• The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Third Edition, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 2004) -- also covers non-canonical writings
• New Testament Apocrypha, Volumes I and II, edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963, 1965) - An excellent resource.
• The New Testament Background: Selected Documents, edited by C.K. Barrett (Harper) - An excellent resource.
• Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, by Craig A. Evans (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1992) - An excellent resource.

• Sayings of Jesus: Canonical and Non-Canonical, by Eldon Jay Epp (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1997)

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: Women's roles in the early Christian church

• All of the Women in the Bible, by Edith Deen (NY: Harper & Row, 1955)
• The Bible and the Role of Women: A Case Study in Hermeneutics, by Krister Stendahl, translated by Emilie T. Sander (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1966)
• The Corinthian Women Prophets: A Reconstruction Through Paul's Rhetoric, by Antoinette C. Wire (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003)
  
• The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels (NY: Random House,1978), Chapter III: "God the Father / God the Mother" (pages 48-69)
• God's Word to Women, by: Katharine C. Bushnell (originally Oakland, CA: Katharine Bushnell, Publisher, 1930; currently Minneapolis, MN: Christians for Biblical Equality, 2003)
  
• In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, by Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza (New York: Crossroad, 1994)
• Let Her Keep It, by Thomas W. Butler (Tracy, CA: Quantum Leap Publisher, 1998)
• Mary Magdalene and Many Others: Women Who Followed Jesus, by Carla Ricci, translated by Paul Burns (Fortress, 1994)
  
• The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Third Edition, by Bart D. Ehrman (NY: Oxford University Press, 2004, especially pages 395-407: Chapter 24, "From Paul's Female Colleagues to the Pastor's Intimidated Women: The Oppression of Women in Early Christianity")
• Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), several authors' (Eliozabeth Achtemeier, Mary Joan Winn Leith, Sidnie Ann White, and Valerie Abrahamsen) article on "Women" (pages 806-818).
• Oxford Companion to Christian Thought, edited by Adrian Hastings, Alistair Mason, and Hugh Pyper (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), Linda Woodhead's article on "Woman/Feminity" (pages 755-758) and Linda Hogan's article on "Feminist Theology" (pages 238-240)
• The Resurrection of Mary Magdalen: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament, by Jane Schaberg (NY: Continuum, 2002)
• Searching the Scriptures: A Feminist Commentary, edited by Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza (NY: Crossroad, 1994) - This book is primarily a commentary on the entire New Testament and some other early Christian writings, but other earlier Jewish writings also are included.
• Searching the Scriptures: A Feminist Introduction, edited by Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza (NY: Crossroad, 1993)
• What Paul Really Said About Women: The Apostle's Liberating Views on Equality in Marriage, Leadership, and Love, by John Temple Bristow (San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco, 1991)
• When Women Were Priests : Women's Leadership in the Early Church and the Scandal of Their Subordination in the Rise of Christianity, by Karen J. Torjesen (NY: HarperCollins, 1993)
• Wisdom from Women in the Bible, by Edith Deen (NY: Harper & Row, 1978)
• Women and Christian Origins, edited by Ross Shepard Kraemer and Mary Rose D'Angelo (NY: Oxford University Press, 1999)
• Women and the Genesis of Christianity, by Ben Witherington III (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990)
• Women and the Historical Jesus: Feminist Myths of Christian Origins, by Kathleen E. Corley (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2002)
• Women's Bible Commentary, Expanded Edition, Carol A. Newsom & Sharon Ringe (Atlanta: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992) - An excellent corrective commentary.
• Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books and the New Testament, edited by Carol Meyers & Toni Craven (Grand Rapids, MI: Eermans, 2001)
  
• Women in the Earliest Churches, by Ben III Witherington (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988)
• Women Preachers and Prophets Through Two Millennia of Christianity, edited by Beverly Mayne Kienzle & Pamela J. Walker (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998)
• Women's Religions in the Greco-Roman World: A Sourcebook, edited by Ross Shepard Kraemer (NY: Oxford University Press, 2004)

• See also BibleTexts.com's topical index on "Women" at http://www.bibletexts.com/women.htm.

OTHER RELEVANT BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LISTS

• See also the indices in the back of the books listed in:
  • Commentaries - Entire Bible
  • Commentaries - New Testament
  • Dictionaries and Special Indices
  • Histories - Entire Bible
  • Theology