With the publication of Everett Ferguson's book on ecclesiology, another milestone has been reached in the scholarly presentation of the distinctive theological perspective of Churches of Christ. The book is divided into six chapters, each roughly sixty to seventy pages in length. Within each chapter, Ferguson neatly and systematically outlines his thoughts and arguments. The first chapter, entitled "The People and the Messiah: History and Eschatology," deals mainly with background issues. It examines the Old Testament teaching on the importance of covenant and the meaning of the phrase "kingdom of God" in its relationship to an and distinction from the church. Ferguson enters into the New Testament and ecclesiology proper via a consideration of Jesus as Messiah, including a careful exegesis of Matt. 16:13-23, where he concludes that the "rock" of Matt. 16:18 is not Peter, but the fact of Jesus' Messiahship. Ferguson's analysis of Matt. 16:13-23 is insightful and carefully articulated. Within this section, he gives attention to "the gates of Hades will not prevail" and concludes with some interesting yet encouraging insight. In the second chapter, "The Church and Her Lord: The Nature of the Church," Ferguson deals with and focuses on three images, "people of God," "body of Christ," and "community of the Spirit." A peculiar feature in this chapter is placing the discussion of the word ekklesia last rather than first. The latter would seem more appropriate and would seem to set the stage for the chapter, especially for a work of biblical ecclesiology. This great section will open the eyes of the reader and renew his focus of church. That is to say, this chapter correctly puts Christ as the head of the church and gives Him His appropriate place. The third chapter concentrates on, "The Church and Her Savior: Salvation and Church Membership." Essentially this section covers soteriology, which determines ecclesiology, but it is not ecclesiology itself. His full treatment of the nature of sin, the meaning of the cross, and the human response to God's saving work is only loosely linked to his topic of ecclesiology. This is not to say that this section is uninteresting or uninformative because it is quite helpful for a fuller understanding of these matters. Far more important is the content of Ferguson's soteriology. Ferguson is strong when it comes to the necessity of baptism. A few statements will give the reader an idea of his position: "Baptism is the time at which one is incorporated into Christ and so becomes a child of God" (pg. 170); "Baptism is a 'calling on the name' of the Lord" (pg. 180); and, "Baptism is the appointed time at which God pronounces forgiveness" (pg. 183). He concludes: There must be an objective necessity about baptism, or New Testament writers could not speak of baptism in the way they do" (pg. 185). How refreshing! In our world of relativity and ecumenism, people need to hear Ferguson's words, especially those in Churches of Christ. The last three chapters move into a more familiar territory for a treatise on the church. Chapter four, "The Church and Her High Priest: Worship and Assembly" is a great section for anyone interested in the dynamics of worship. Here, Ferguson begins with a type of etymology as a way of introduction, concentrating on both the Greek and English words. This introduction to the subject sets the stage for the entire chapter. Worship is a hot topic today, thus chapter four is rather applicable for our day with all the differing views. This section is multitudinously faceted and exhaustive. "The Church and Her Bishop: The Continuing Ministry" is appropriately the title for the fifth chapter. In this section, Ferguson again touches on some hot topics in the church. It is unfortunate however that he only briefly deals with the debates on miraculous gifts and women's roles. Ferguson advocates a cessasionist position on miraculous gifts and a complementarian position on women's roles, but leaves the reader thirsting for more information and a more comprehensive treatment of the issues. In a day where these two in particular issues are so widely discussed and debated, one would think that they might have received a little concentration. Again, this is not to eradicate what was accomplished in this chapter because it was insightful and obliging, especially given the fact that his discussion on deaconesses was amazingly insightful and well balanced. In chapter six Ferguson adequately covers, "The Church and Her Teacher: The New Way of Life." In this section, he includes an unusually prominent consideration of ethics and a very healthy discussion of the importance of Christian fellowship and its concomitant, church discipline. One last thing that must be mentioned about this chapter is Ferguson's section on unity. Although this section is brief, it is significant and insightful. Ferguson lays out the various aspects of unity and does so in just a few short pages. It serves as an excellent conclusion to a monumental work. Of course, any reader is free to take issue with some of Ferguson's conclusions. For example, the distinction that is made between the temporary and permanent endowments of the Spirit still awaits additional clarification, and there will be those who will score Ferguson, despite his disclaimer, for his synchronic rather than diachronic approach to the New Testament writings. This is a courageous book. Its Reformed-Restorationist slant that the proper doctrine of the church entails a return to the faith and practice of the apostolic church is unmistakable. There are numerous nuggets of exegesis and important points of emphases that make this book worth reading. It is astounding that Ferguson deals with so many facets of ecclesiology in a one-volume work. Not only that, but he also includes a helpful subject index as well as a number of bibliographies. Just a glance at his copious footnotes and it is clear that this book is well researched and well documented. This book should be one that every minister, church leader, and ministry student is required to read and ponder.

This book is an excellent introduction to the historical, cultural, social, economic, and political backgrounds of the times before, during, and after the beginnings of Christianity, i.e., from 330 B.C. to A.D. 330, from Alexander the Great to Constantine. It superbly complements the study of the New Testament. It has helped me attempt to make concepts in the Gospels concrete which, at first, seemed to be abstact.

I read this cover-to-cover. It was easy to read, and mostly very interesting. It is written for a wide, general audience, and does not make assumptions about the beliefs of the reader. The articles are moderately long, with nice hierarchical subheadings. I am eager to learn more about the interpenetration of Judaism and Hellenism in the actual origins and formation of Christianity.

I bought this one on a whim, thought it might have an interesting section or two. I ended up reading the thing cover to cover.

In a field where lots of books are hard to read because they're poorly written, this one is exceptionally well organized, clearly written and easy to read.

It also covers all the subject, from Greco-Roman political history, through Hellenistic-Roman religions and philosophies, on to an excellent section on Judaism and another on early Christianity. Even if you're not an early Church buff, the book is a good introduction to ancient culture.

It's honest. It's written by a proff at a Christian university, but it doesn't slant the scholarship. For eg it gives a good accounting of both sides of the modern scholarship on the contributions of pagan Mystery Religions to the Church, and the _testimonium Falvianum_ is treated fairly -- and dismissed as a later interpolation.

Each section lists a number of books for further reading -- very useful.

A great book!!

Trying to find out which Church council condemned Nestorianism? Need some background on Maximian of Ravenna or a quick history of the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas? This volume is an excellent reference. Having used it as a resource for apologetical endeavors, I have found it supremely useful when confronted with historical personages or Christian teachings that were unfamiliar. Bibliographies at the end of each entry allow easy access to further research. I found two drawbacks: The first is regarding the large number of contributors - this ensures that the quality of the entries is somewhat uneven throughout. The second is the occasional 'political correctness' which creeps in to some entries - but I suppose that's unavoidable in a book published by a secular press. All in all, though, a very good reference.

This collection of articles is an excellent quick reference for all. While the contributors obviously could not report every detail due to space restrictions, they give concise bibliographies that become a springboard to greater insight into the topic. The paperback version is not pricy considering the ease and scholarship it puts at the fingertips of students and scholars alike.

This is an excellent resource for students, pastors, scholars and people in the pews. The scholarship is of the highest level but the book is also very readable. The paperback version is reasonably priced.

See deeper into the mystical life of moses. After reading this you will never read the biblical books of Moses the same. The saint brings to life the hidden work of God that you dont get from reading the scriptures externaly. He shows that everthing that moses did had deep meaning and shows the way for us to find union with God.

St. Gregory of Nyssa, one of the early Church fathers, has really nailed down the Life of Moses. Not only does he give you a summary of his life, he takes the time to discuss both the symbolic and spiritual imagery present throughout Moses' Life. Through reading this book you can come to a great understanding of How God really worked wonders in the Life of moses in the vindication of His people Israel. In reading the bible texts, without even knowing it, you may miss many important symbols, but Here Gregory lays them all out for you in an easily accessable way. Even if you are not experenced in reading Patristic Litature, This book will appeal to both your literarly and Spiritual Side. A book i would recommend to anyone seeking to learn more about the life of the man that Led the Exodus.

The Life of Moses is two books in one. The first one deals with the history of Moses. The second takes accounts from this history and explains their meaning. Gregory not only demystifies Moses' lifeby explaining the symbolic meaning of it's events("The master of deciet endeavors to turn the drink of the Hebrews into blood by polluting it with falsehood",page 69), he also encourages the reader to apply the beliefs to his/her own life("The firmer and more immovable one remains in the good, the more he progresses in the course of virtue",page 117). He even explains why God resides in the heavens("The divine is by it's very nature infinite, enclosed by no boundry", page 236). This is a very good book for anyone in the Judeo-Christian community, but need not be limited to that group alone. It is thought provoking enough to appeal to theologians, and the heavy use of metaphor reminded me of some of the writings from eastern religions.