The Ethical Vision of the Bible: Learning Good from Knowing God

by Peter W. Gosnell

Overview

This introduction to the world of biblical ethics walks readers through the ethical teachings of key people and texts within the Bible. Instead of focusing on what the Bible says about various ethical issues, it emphasizes how the different parts of the Bible encourage its readers to think ethically about every issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830864799
Publisher:	IVP Academic
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	411
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peter W. Gosnell (Ph.D., University of Sheffield) is associate professor of religion at Muskingum University.He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Peter W. Gosnell (Ph.D., University of Sheffield) is associate professor of religion at Muskingum University.He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Table of Contents

Preface
1 What is Biblical Ethics?
2 From Disorder to Order: Ethics in Torah 1
3 Mercy, Covenant and Instructing Law: Ethics in Torah 2
4 Holiness and Love in the Covenant: Ethics in Torah 3
5 Wisdom and Consequences: The Book of Proverbs
6 Prophets: Ethics or Morality?
7 Reversal and Exemplar: Jesus and the Kingdom in Luke
8 Perfection, Mercy and Imitation: Jesus and the Kingdom in Matthew
9 Transformation in Practice: Paul and 1 Corinthians
10 Transformation Explained: Paul and Romans
Concluding Thoughts: What Can We Do with All of This?
Notes
Bibliography
Name and Subject Index
Scripture Index

What People are Saying About This

Christopher J. H. Wright

"Do not bother with this book if you are hoping for neat answers to your favorite burning moral issues, along the lines of 'What does the Bible say about....?' Not only does Peter Gosnell not set out to give simple answers to a range of ethical questions, he also challenges that whole approach to using the Bible. Wanting a rule for every situation, to keep or not to keep—preferably with suitable penalties for the latter—is the way of the lazy, the legalist and the fundamentalist. Rather, Paul urges us to 'be transformed in the renewing of our minds,' which means that we actually have to do some thinking. What Gosnell offers is to guide our feet and our brains on a wonderfully illuminating journey through the Bible. All along the way he points out how different major sections of the Old and New Testaments address the question of what it means to live well in this broken world—to advance what is good and resist what is evil and harmful—and why we should do so. As you follow his lead through the rich panorama of texts he surveys, you will undoubtedly begin to 'get answers' to that difficult ethical issue you are concerned about, not because you found one verse that solved it but rather because you have thought it through in the light of the whole biblical witness to God and the purposes of God in creation, redemption and new creation. The book is delightfully easy to read, but its simplicity floats on reassuringly deep waters of thorough biblical scholarship. It is reliable, readable, well resourced and relevant."

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/01/2014
Ethics and religion, despite superficial resemblances, are not always easy to correlate, as ethics is largely concerned with situation and society, while religion often tackles ultimates, even when it has a communal as well as personal expression. Gosnell (religion, Muskingum Univ.) has written a careful and prudent approach to biblical ethics, which, as he points out, is not "what the Bible says" but how it fosters ethical thought. His considerate scholarship reviews the "how" of ethics over the course of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures and arrives at the conclusion that biblical ethics prioritizes microethics over macroethics and people over principles and encourages readers to allow the Bible to lead them along similar lines. VERDICT Careful, sensible, and well written, Gosnell's study deserves a wide readership among religious leaders and church groups.

Library Journal

"Gosnell has written this book as an introductory college textbook, including numerous biblical citations as well as questions at the end of each chapter. His level of writing suits the audience, bringing concepts into a nicely framed, college textbook format."

Paul Mueller

"This book would be helpful in seminary or advanced undergraduate courses. . . . I also found this book to be very stimulating and thought-provoking. Perhaps this is the highest praise for any book."

Daryl Docterman

"Do not bother with this book if you are hoping for neat answers to your favorite burning moral issues, along the lines of 'What does the Bible say about....?' Not only does Peter Gosnell not set out to give simple answers to a range of ethical questions, he also challenges that whole approach to using the Bible. Wanting a rule for every situation, to keep or not to keep—preferably with suitable penalties for the latter—is the way of the lazy, the legalist and the fundamentalist. Rather, Paul urges us to 'be transformed in the renewing of our minds,' which means that we actually have to do some thinking. What Gosnell offers is to guide our feet and our brains on a wonderfully illuminating journey through the Bible. All along the way he points out how different major sections of the Old and New Testaments address the question of what it means to live well in this broken world—to advance what is good and resist what is evil and harmful—and why we should do so. As you follow his lead through the rich panorama of texts he surveys, you will undoubtedly begin to 'get answers' to that difficult ethical issue you are concerned about, not because you found one verse that solved it but rather because you have thought it through in the light of the whole biblical witness to God and the purposes of God in creation, redemption and new creation. The book is delightfully easy to read, but its simplicity floats on reassuringly deep waters of thorough biblical scholarship. It is reliable, readable, well resourced and relevant."

Christopher J. H. Wright