Ancient Commentary

NEWLY REVISED AND EXPANDED: Now with 29 complete texts and updated scholarship. In 1945, a farmer in Upper Egypt cracked open a sealed clay jar and found thirteen codices buried since 367 CE. Inside were gospels, cosmologies, hymns, and visions from a rival Christianity so sophisticated it nearly won. For a thousand years, everything we knew about these texts came from the people who destroyed them. Now you can read them yourself. Twenty-nine texts in clear, modern English. No archaic phrasing. No dense scholarly apparatus. Just the words, made readable. The Gospels: The Gospel of Thomas (...

The Didache: The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles - A Modern Translation of One of Christianity's Earliest Church Manuals Discover how the first Christians actually lived, worshipped, and organized their communities. The Didache, also known as The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, dating from 50-120 AD. Written when some apostles may still have been alive, this document from the Apostolic Fathers provides a direct window into daily Christian life during the apostolic era. But most editions present this ancient text with ...

“Masekhet Atzilut... is a Baraita of the wisdom of the Kabbalah of the ancient Sages from the days of King David (upon him be peace), discussing the subject of the Ten Sefirot. It was written by Y’ari’shiya, Zecharia, and Eliyah the sons of Yeruham, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8.” The Zoharic Kabbalah did not invent Kabbalah; but it did radically reinterpret and replace the older schools of Kabbalah that had been in existence since Biblical times. Masekhet Atzilut is an excellent example of the “older” Kabbalah that predates the Zohar and Zoharic influence. Masekhet Atzilut ...

Experience the Bible as a singular, powerful story and prepare to be swept away by Scripture as never before! Wangerin's "Bible storybook for adults" features brilliant settings, dramatized scenes, and added dialogue—all gleaned from extensive research. The Book of God reads like a novel...

Read by the author. Go from feeling frustrated when reading Scripture to learning to love the Bible. Feeling overwhelmed and confused by the Bible? Bestselling author Zach Windahl breaks down its entire storyline in The Bible, Simplified, making Scripture clear, accessible, and life-changing so...

Unlock the Hidden Depths of The Bible Dive into the sacred writings that have shaped Judaism, Christianity, and the study of ancient texts. This large print, easy-to-read volume brings together the lost books from the Old Testament era—Enoch, Jasher, and Jubilees—each with clear introductions, exegesis, and hermeneutics to guide your Bible study. Why You Will Love This Book: Large Print & User-Friendly Designed for comfortable reading and in-depth study. Expert Explanations & Historical Insights Each book features background on its place in the oral tradition, connections to the Torah, ...

Contrary to popular belief, the Atrahasis Epic is not merely a flood myth. In some ways it can be called a creation myth. However, it does not concern itself with the creation of the universe or even of the earth. Rather, the created work in question is one of culture and civilization. The work ostensibly includes, but may not be limited to, modern humans. The goals of this new paraphrase are to examine the ancient story in a new light free of religious and gender biases and to integrate geological and archaeological evidence that ties the story to a specific date in real history.

Your ticket from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians. A listenable, two-volume introduction placing the entire New Testament and early Christianity in its original context, written by distinguished scholar and author N. T. Wright. An ideal guide for students...

Newly Revised! The Book of Jasher: A Clear Text Edition - The Lost Book Mentioned in the Bible Experience the mysterious book referenced in Joshua and 2 Samuel—now in modern, accessible English. What if there were ancient records that filled in the gaps of Genesis and Exodus? The Book of Jasher—also known as the Book of the Upright or Sefer HaYashar—takes you beyond familiar biblical accounts with expanded narratives of the patriarchs, judges, and heroes of Israel's early history. This is one of the lost books actually mentioned in Scripture itself. This ancient text reveals: Expanded...

The Lost Gospels of Jesus What the Bible left silent, preserved in the stories early Christians told. Modern English. No academic jargon. Translated & explained for real readers. The Journey Through Four Parts The Childhood of Jesus What was God like as a toddler? The canonical gospels say very little about Jesus’ early years, these ancient texts tried to fill the silence. The Protoevangelium of James The Infancy Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew The History of Joseph the Carpenter The Trial and Death of Jesus The governor’s reports to Rome. Alternative trial records, ...

Matthew presents Jesus Christ as the Jesus as the Meshiach Nagid, the Messiah the King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. It was written by a Jew, to Jews, about a Jew. This book of the Bible uses more Old Testament quotes than any other. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes the saying of Jesus, including 10 parables not found in any other Gospel. After first establishing the royal genealogy, he then goes on to focus on the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

The Book of the Covenant—the ancient legal and relational corpus found in Exodus 20:22–23:33—stands as the oldest written body of biblical law and the cornerstone of Israel’s identity. Yet in the long sweep of Western theological history, it was pushed to the margins, treated as a relic rather than a living word. Ethiopia preserved what others forgot. Drawing from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition, the oldest continuous Christian worship tradition in the world, The Book of the Covenant Explained reveals how: Ethiopia safeguarded the covenant consciousness that shaped early ...

Discover the Jesus who has been pursuing you since before time! Join an unforgettable journey through the birth, ministry, and death of the Messiah as found in the Old and New Testaments, and have your own life transforming experience. When reading the Bible we often miss essential details that...

OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD – Get the most out of your Bible. In clear, simple language, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth helps you accurately understand the different parts of the Bible—their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today—so you can uncover the...

Introduction This volume is the distilled fruit of several hundred hours of concentrated research, textual comparison, and sustained prayer. It offers a disciplined, spiritually sober exploration of Enochic literature set alongside the canonical witness, designed to equip serious students of Scripture for faithful ministry and careful theological reflection. Scripture alone governs doctrine, yet historically attested extra‑biblical writings can illuminate the cultural, theological, and angelological horizons that shaped the biblical authors. The aim is twofold: to provide rigorous ...

The biblical story as it has never been told before. The Bible is the best-selling book in human history, but sometimes the stories it weaves are not fully understood, due to its poetic and obscure literary style. Genesis Days brings you the stories of the first generations, from the creation of the world to the end of the days of Sarah, wife of Abraham, in simple and straightforward English. The book lays bare the lives of humanity’s forefathers and reveals ancient history through a contemporary experience. If you’ve always wanted to read the Bible and understand it from beginning to ...

Learn how you can face and defeat your giants, just like King David did. How long has your Goliath dominated your days and pilfered your peace? Like David, you know well the presence of Goliath. Your Goliath doesn't carry a sword or shield; he brandishes blades of unemployment, abandonment, or...

The Enuma Elish is widely known as the classic Akkadian creation myth, passed down from the Sumerian, and replete with all the gods one has come to expect from ancient mythology. But is this an accurate reading? Were our ancestors superstitious rubes who relied on supernatural forces to explain their own existence? Or did they perhaps know another story that we have long forgotten, but whose truths continue to echo in our subconscious and in modern-day technological phenomena. A fresh interpretation for a technological age, this is the first analysis of this ancient text to incorporate ...

Stop Trying to "Fix" Your Life. Start Understanding Your Mind. The Ancient Map to Inner Peace in a Chaotic Modern World. We live in an era of paradox. We have mapped the human genome and explored the edges of the solar system, yet we often cannot find our car keys - or more importantly, our peace of mind. We are the most connected generation in history, yet we face a global epidemic of loneliness. We are the gods of technology, but we remain the slaves of our own impulses. What if the manual for your mind was written 2,000 years ago? The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali is not just an ancient ...

The Hidden Stories of Jesus's Childhood in Modern English What was Jesus like as a child? These ancient texts attempted to answer the questions that the New Testament left unanswered—and the results were so shocking that early church authorities banned them from the biblical canon. This complete collection presents the most important Infancy Gospels in clear, readable modern English, revealing the strange and sometimes disturbing stories that early Christians told about the childhood of Jesus and the early life of Mary. Complete Texts Included: The Protoevangelium of James - The detailed ...