FOREWORD 9
PROLOGUE:INTRODUCING THE BIBLE 11
CHAPTER 1:THE BIBLICAL POINT OF VIEW 13
CHAPTER 2:THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD 26
CHAPTER 3:HOW THE BIBLE CAME TO BE WRITTEN 39
A．The Old Testament 39
B．The New Testament 47
C．Many Volumes,One Book 49
PART ONE:THE HISTORIES OF ISRAEL 53
CHAPTER 1:THE PRIESTLY HISTORY 55
A．The Introduction(chapters ⅰ-ⅹⅰ) 56
1．The Creation Stories(Genesis ⅰ-ⅱ) 56
2．The ＇Fall＇ of Man(Genesis ⅲ) 62
3．The Story of Civilization(Genesis ⅳ-ⅹⅰ) 67
B．God Chooses a Peoplc:The Stories of the Patriarchs(Genesis ⅹⅱ-1) 69
C．The Exodus:God Delivers the People from Slavery(Exodus ⅰ-ⅹⅷ) 81
D．God Makes the People a Nation:The Covenant(Exodus ⅹⅸ-Numbers ⅹⅹⅹⅵ) 92
CHAPTER 2:THE DEUTERONOMIC HISTORY OF ISRAEL IN HER LAND 107
A．God＇s Gift of a Land(Joshua-Judges) 110
B．The Problem of Government:The Monarchy(1-2 Samuel) 120
C．God＇s Controversy with the Kings(1-2 Kings) 129
1．Solomon 131
2．Ahab and Jezebel 135
3．The Fall of Northern Israel and Its Sequel in Judah 138
4．The Last Days of Judah and Jerusalem 140
CHAPTER 3:THE CHRONICLER＇S HISTORY OF JUDAH(1-2 Chronicles,Ezra,and Nehemiah) 144
PART TWO:THE PROPHETIC,DEVOTIONAL,AND WISDOM LITERATURE 153
CHAPTER 1:THE PROPHETS 155
A．The Prophets of the Eighth Century B．C． 157
B．The Prophets of the Seventh Century B．C． 169
C．The Last of the Old Testament Prophets 176
CHAPTER 2:THE DEVOTIONAL AND WISDOM LITERATURE 189
A．The Psalms 189
B．The Wisdom Literature 196
CHAPTER 3:THE CLOSE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 212
PART THREE:BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT 219
CHAPTER 1:HISTORICAL BACKGROUND-FROM THE MACCABEES TO JESUS 221
CHAPTER 2:THE JEWISH COMMUNITY 228
CHAPTER 3:THE JEWISH RELIGION 231
A．Pharisaism and Rabbinic Judaism 232
B．Apocalyptic 235
1．The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs 237
2．I Enoch 237
C．Palestinian Sects 239
D．The Damascus Covenanters 240
E．The Qumr ？n Community 240
F．John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth 245
G．Hellenistic Judaism 247
H．Josephus 254
PART FOUR:THE NEW TESTAMENT 257
CHAPTER 1:IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD 259
CHAPTER 2:JESUS 264
A．Introductory 264
B．The Proclamation of Jesus 269
C．The Demand of Radical Obedience 273
D．Jesus＇ Teaching about God 273
E．The Works of Healing 275
F．The Cross 277
G．Jesus＇ Self-Understanding 282
CHAPTER 3:THE EARLIEST CHURCH 288
A．From Easter to Pentecost 288
B．The Life of the Earliest Church 293
C．Greek-Speaking Jewish Christianity 299
CHAPTER 4:NON-PAULINE HELLENISTIC CHRISTIANITY 301
A．Introductory 301
B．Its Preaching 302
C．Its Sacramental Life 309
D．The Synoptic Gospels 313
1．Mark 314
2．Matthew 316
3．Luke 317
CHAPTER 5:ST PAUL:THE FIRST THEOLOGIAN 320
A．Critical Presuppositions 320
B．Paul the Theologian 322
C．Redemptive History 323
1．Redemption 333
2．Justification 334
3．Reconciliation 336
4．The Appropriation of Christ＇s Redeeming Work 337
5．Victory 339
6．Sacrifice 341
7．The Resurrection 343
8．The Spirit and the Church 344
9．The Church 345
10．The Sacraments 347
11．The Person of Christ 350
12．The Consummation 353
CHAPTER 6:AFTER PAUL 357
A．Ephesians 357
B．Hebrews 358
C．The Pastorals 364
D．James 366
E．I Peter 369
F．Jude 371
G．2 Peter 372
CHAPTER 7:THE JOHANNINE LITERATURE 374
A．The Apocalypse 374
B．The Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles 378
1．Authorship 378
2．Affinities of Thought 380
3．Literary and Oral Sources 384
4．Authorship-Final Conclusion 384
5．The Johannine Writings-An Interpretation 385
6．The Farewell Discourses 396
7．The Passion Narrative 400
8．The Resurrection 401
CHAPTER 8:EPILOGUE:THE UNITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 403
INDEX OF BIBLICAL REFERENCES 405
INDEX OF NAMES 417