God's People in God's Land

Family, Land and Property in the Old Testament

Author: Christopher J.H. Wright Series: Paternoster Digital Library

It is plain even from Pauls own writings that other presentations of the Christian message than his own were current during his apostolic career. With some of these other presentations he is quite happy; against others he found it necessary to put his readers on their guard.In these four studies originally presented as the inaugural series of Didsbury Lectures at the British Isles Nazarene College Manchester F.F. Bruce discusses what we know about the history of nonPauline Christianity in the first century. Judiciously drawing upon material from the whole of the New Testament he relates it to other early Christian literature in order to provide a highly readable outline of an important area.But as he warns this book does not study the literature for its own sake. Instead it focuses on the leaders of early nonPauline Christianity with their associates from whom the literature provides indispensable evidence.The topics covered areChapter 1 Peter and the ElevenChapter 2 Stephen and Other HellenistsChapter 3 James and the Church of JerusalemChapter 4 John and his Circle

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In recent sociological approaches to the Old Testament, Christians have been finding unexpected resources for their ethical reflection and action relative to the modern world's pressing social and economic dilemmas. This unique survey by Christopher Wright examines life in Old Testament Israel from an ethical perspective by considering how the economic facts of Israel's social structure were related to the people's religious beliefs. Observing the centrality of the family in the social, economic and religious spheres of Israelite life, Wright analyzes Israel's theology of land, the rights and responsibilities of property owners, and the socioeconomic and legal status of dependent persons in ancient Israel - wives, children, and slaves - showing the mutual interaction between such laws, institutions, and customs and the nation's covenant relationship with God. While primarily exegetical, God's People in God's Land contains many useful insights for Christian social ethics: Wright suggests how the ethical application of his findings might proceed as Christians with different theological perspectives and cultural contexts seek to work out the relevance of the Old Testament for today.

About the Author

Christopher J. H. Wright (Ph.D., Cambridge) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His doctorate is in Old Testament ethics. He taught Old Testament in India for five years (1983-88) at Union Biblical Seminary, and then returned to the faculty of All Nations Christian College, a missionary training school in England, where he was principal from 1993-2001. Wright is now the international director of the Langham Partnership International (known in the United States as John Stott Ministries), providing literature, scholarships and preaching training for pastors in Majority World churches and seminaries. He has written a number of informative books for thinking Christians including commentaries on Deuteronomy (New International Bible Commentary) and Ezekiel (The Bible Speaks Today), Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, The Mission of God, the Trilogy Knowing God the Father through the Old Testament, Knowing the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament, and Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament and The Uniqueness of Jesus. An ordained Anglican, he serves on the staff of All Souls Church, Langham Place, London, England. His most recent publications are The God I Don't Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith and Salvation Belongs To Our God.-Editorial Review.