Includes bibliographical references (p. [411]-414).

Setting the stage: posing the problem. Examining the Bible's mystique -- The formation of the Torah. Breaking open the Books of Moses ; The Yahwist document : the original narrative ; The Elohist document : the Torah expands ; The Deuteronomic writers : the third strand of the Torah ; The priestly document : the fourth strand of the Torah -- The rise of the prophets. The transitional books : Joshua, Judges, and Samuel ; The story of Nathan : all are subject to the law ; I and II Kings, Elijah and Elisha : step two in the prophetic tradition -- Introducing the writing prophets. The prophetic principle: ancient and modern ; The Isaiahs I, II, and III ; Jeremiah : prophet of doom ; Ezekiel ; prophet of the exile ; Daniel : misplaced but potent -- The minor prophets : the book of the twelve. Hosea : the prophet who changed God's name to love ; Amos : the prophet who changed God's name to justice ; Micah : the prophet who turned liturgy into life ; Jonah : definer of prejudice ; I and II Zechariah : shapers of the Jesus story ; Malachi : the dawn of universalism -- The Bible's protest literature. Job : icon of a new consciousness ; Ruth : the myth of racial purity -- Liturgical books and wisdom literature. THe book of psalms ; Wisdom literature : Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon ; Lamentations and Esther : books designed for liturgical observances ; The chronicler, Ezra and Nehemiah : national mythmakers -- Introducing the Christian scriptures, commonly called the New Testament. A new beginning--an old theme ; Dating the historical Jesus ; Dating the New Testament in relation to the life of Jesus ; the oral period -- Paul : the first New Testament writer. The witness of Paul ; Paul's secret thorn ; Paul's early Epistles : I Thessalonians and Galatians ; The Corinthian Letters ; Resurrection according to Paul ; Resurrection through Jewish eyes ; Romans : the Gospel of Paul ; The theology of Paul as revealed in Romans ; Who is Christ for Paul? The Gospel in Romans ; The elder Paul : Philemon and Phillipans ; Post-Pauline Epistles : II Thessalonians, Colossians and Ephesians -- The synoptic Gospels. Exploring Mark : the original Gospel ; Park's use of synagogue worship patterns ; Mark's first narrative of the Crucifixion : a Passover format ; Matthew : the most Jewish Gospel ; Matthew's interpretive secret ; Matthew and the liturgical year of the sysnagogue ; Luke : moving toward the Gentile world ; Luke's vision of universalism ; Acts : the spirit that embraces the world and drives toward wholeness ; Paul and early Christians as viewed through Acts -- The pastoral Epistles, Hebrews and the general Epistles. I and II Timothy and Titus : "We have the truth!" ; The Epistle to the Hebrews ; The general Epistles : James, I and II Peter and Jude -- The Johannine corpus. Introducing the Johannine paterial ; The Gospel of John : not a literal book ; The raising of Lazarus and the identity of the beloved disciple ; The epilogue of John ; The Johannine Epistles and the Book of Revelation.