Select Works of Joseph Fitzmyer (24 vols.)

Joseph A. Fitzmyer presents 25 succinctly phrased and candidly answered questions about Jesus. His book covers issues such as the virgin birth, the infancy narratives, Jesus’ claim to be the messiah, the historical accuracy and significance of the resurrection and ascension texts, the place of Peter and the apostles, the importance of the Apocryphal gospels, and more. This book holds insights for everyone—from the biblical scholar to the curious reader of the Scriptures.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are found in many varied publications—often ordered only by publication date, rather than a more easily navigable system—making specific texts difficult to find. Joseph A. Fitzmyer’s guide offers a practical remedy to this dilemma. A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature starts by explaining the conventional system of abbreviations for the Scrolls. Then it helpfully lists specifically where readers can find each of the Scrolls and fragmentary texts from the eleven caves of Qumran and all the related sites, using the officially assigned numbers of the text. Fitzmyer supplies information on study tools helpful for scholars—concordances, dictionaries, translations, outlines of longer texts, and more—and briefly indicates electronic resources for the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A Manual of Palestinian Aramaic Texts gathers together Palestinian Aramaic texts of various sorts and varying lengths from the last two centuries BC and the first two centuries AD (roughly 200 BC to AD 135). It presents the kind of Aramaic used in Palestine during this period. Discussions of the language of Jesus in recent decades have been legion, and much of that discussion has been based on texts that are of questionable relevance. The authors’ purpose in gathering the Palestinian Aramaic texts of this period is to illustrate what should be the background to that discussion.

The texts are of diverse character: a few of them are biblical (revealing the form of the text in this period); a number belong to the so-called intertestamental literature of Palestinian Jews; some of them are letters, contracts, or business documents of different sorts, reflecting various elements of Palestinian life of that period. The last part of the collection of texts presented here comes from ossuaries or tombstone inscriptions and often contains no more than a few words or names. Indeed, it is not at all easy to decide whether such texts are really written in Aramaic (and not in the Hebrew of the day). They are included here only to the extent that they have something in them that may indicate an Aramaic relationship.

A Manual of Palestinian Aramaic Texts provides the text of these documents (often with emendations and restorations, to the extent that these are possible), a translation of the text, a brief introduction, and a bibliography of secondary literature on each of the texts. A glossary of the texts completes the collection.

This volume from distinguished Pauline scholar Joseph A. Fitzmyer contains several important essays on the Apostle Paul’s mission and teaching. Examine major issues such as Paul’s characteristic language, his Jewishness, and his relationship to the book of Acts. Also included is an insightful view of Paul’s opinion on preaching, and suggestions for preaching Pauline topics.

An Introductory Bibliography for the Study of Scripture presents an annotated list of scholarly works, perfect for the student beginning a study in one of the many Scripture-related disciplines. Joseph A. Fitzmyer has gathered together the greatest titles in Biblical literature and briefly describes each work. He presents only those resources which will be best suited to each particular field of study.

Each title is organized into convenient categories. These categories, each one comprising a their own chapter, include Grammars, Concordances, Commentaries, Geography, History, Hermeneutics, and many others. Every basic discipline related to Scriptural studies is here represented. The titles are ordered alphabetically in each categoy subdivision. The more important ones are listed with an asterisk, and the most important with two asterisks.

Becoming orientied in the vast array of materials available for the study of Scripture can be a daunting task. The student can easily find themselves at a loss trying to decide where to discover the standard, reputable titles and authors in their chosen discipline. With An Introductory Bibliography for the Study of Scripture, readers now have access to the best primary and secondary titles available.

This collection of essays seeks to establish the properly oriented use of the historical-critical method to interpret the Word of God in the Church. Joseph A. Fitzmyer presents the volume in defense of this method for the benefit of all Christian churches.

Spiritual Exercises, based on Scripture passages of Jesus’ life and early Christian legends, were first introduced by Ignatius of Loyola in the sixteenth century. Joseph A. Fitzmyer notes that Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, while beneficial, lack teaching on Pauline texts and the Holy Spirit. To remedy this, Fitzmyer recasts the Pauline text of Romans into the form of 24 meditations, making it suitable for use in a retreat of eight days or less.

This new translation of First Corinthians includes an introduction and extensive commentary that has been composed to explain the religious meaning of this Pauline epistle. Joseph A. Fitzmyer discusses all the usual introductory problems associated with the epistle, including issues of its authorship, time of composition, and purpose, and he also presents a complete outline.

The author analyzes the epistle, pericope-by-pericope, discussing the meaning of each one in a comment and explaining details in the notes. The book supplies a bibliography on the various passages and problems for readers who wish to investigate further, and useful indexes complete the volume. First Corinthians will be of interest to general readers who wish to learn more about the Pauline letters, and also to pastors, college and university teachers, graduate students studying the Bible, and professors of biblical studies.

Outside of the Gospels themselves, there is no single Christian document whose influence has been greater than Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Its explosive character has changed lives—Augustine’s, Martin Luther’s, and Karl Barth’s, to name a few—and precipitated revolutions.

This full-scale commentary deals with the most important issues of the early Christian church. And it is through the eyes of the apostle Paul, the major figure of this period, that we see dominant motifs and themes, the theological essentials of the Christian faith. Who better than the once pious Jew, converted to the Christian cause, to tell the reader about the early struggles with Judaism, the reluctant yet nurturing mother of this new community of faith?

This volume is aimed primarily at Christians, because the letter to the Romans is a part of their canon of Holy Scripture. But it is equally valuable for all those who have an interest in learning about one of the most important letters ever written by anyone, and in understanding the world-shaking movement of which it was an essential part, and to which it gave powerful impetus.

For anyone interested in the origins of Christianity, Joseph A. Fitzmyer’s The Acts of the Apostles is indispensable. Beginning with the ascension of Christ into heaven, and ending with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God from a prison in Rome, this New Testament narrative picks up where the Gospel of Luke left off. The Acts of the Apostles is indeed a journey of nearly epic proportions—and one that requires a guide as adept as Fitzmyer.

Since Acts was most likely written by the same person who composed the Gospel of Luke, it is only fitting that the Anchor Yale Bible commentaries on these New Testament books should be written by the same author. With The Acts of the Apostles, Fitzmyer gives readers the long-awaited companion to his two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

The four Gospels recount the life and teachings of Jesus, but only the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of what happened after Jesus’ departure. In this second of Luke’s two-volume work, he picks up with Jesus saying farewell to his followers; then Luke tells the fast-paced story of the birth and growth of the early church. This narrative reads like a major breaking news story, with the apostles Peter and Paul as the main characters.

The interpretation of Acts requires a scholar of the highest quality. As he demonstrates in The Acts of the Apostles, Joseph Fitzmyer not only is up to the task but establishes once again why he is ranked among the world’s top biblical scholars. Far from being a rehash of old ideas and well-rehearsed theories, Fitzmyer’s commentary distinguishes itself as the capstone of his career, with a new synthesis of all the relevant data from the Roman world to the present. He provides a thorough introduction to the background, text, and context of the book, as well as chapter-by-chapter notes and comments in which are offered insights and answers to questions that have long plagued preachers and parishioners, teachers and students.

In this first of two volumes on the Gospel according to Luke, Joseph A. Fitzmyer provides an exhaustive introduction, a definitive new translation, and extensive notes and commentary on Luke’s Gospel. Fitzmyer brings to the task his mastery of ancient and modern languages, his encyclopedic knowledge of the sources, and his intimate acquaintance with the questions and issues occasioned by the third Synoptic Gospel.

Luke’s unique literary and linguistic features, its relation to the other Gospels and the book of Acts, and its distinctive theological slant are discussed in detail by the author. The Jesus of Luke’s Gospel speaks to the Greco-Roman world of first-century Christians, giving the followers of Jesus a reason for remaining faithful. Fitzmyer’s exposition of this Gospel helps modern-day Christians hear the good news afresh.

In this second of two volumes on the Gospel of Luke, beginning with chapter 10, Joseph A. Fitzmyer builds on the exhaustive introduction, definitive new translation, and extensive notes and commentary presented in his first volume. Fitzmyer brings to the task his mastery of ancient and modern languages, his encyclopedic knowledge of the sources, and his intimate acquaintance with the questions and issues raised by the third Synoptic Gospel.

In “joining the spirit to the letter” and scholarship to faith, this two-volume commentary on Luke has, as the Journal of Biblical Literature predicted, “rapidly and deservedly become the standard work on Luke.” Luke’s unique literary and linguistic features, its relation to the other Gospels and the book of Acts, and its distinctive theological slant are discussed in detail by the author. The Jesus of Luke’s Gospel speaks to the Greco-Roman world of first-century Christians, giving the followers of Jesus a reason for remaining faithful. Fitzmyer’s exposition of Luke helps modern-day Christians hear the Good News afresh and understand it like never before.

The apostle Paul’s letter to his friend and fellow Christian Philemon, which focuses on the question of slavery, has long inspired debate. Onesimus, one of Philemon’s slaves, has left his master’s house and sought refuge with Paul, during which time he has converted to Christianity. In a letter to Philemon, Paul assures his friend that he is sending Onesimus back, but pleads for mercy on the slave’s behalf, asking Philemon to treat him as a beloved brother and as he would treat the apostle himself.

Examining Paul’s letter within the context of the social, political, and economic realities of the time, Joseph A. Fitzmyer sheds light on the question of whether Paul was suggesting that Onesimus be granted freedom from slavery or whether he was simply advocating a lenient treatment of Onesimus. His insights not only clarify Paul’s position but show why the letter is relevant in the Church today.

A thorough commentary of the Aramaic inscriptions of Sefire. This revised edition of Fitzmyer’s classic work also includes transcriptions of all three Steles, a helpful introduction, extensive bibliography, analysis of the grammar of the inscriptions, a list of the names associated with the inscriptions, several indices, and two essays entitled “The Affinity of the Sefire Inscriptions to Hittite and Assyrian Treaties” and “The Land of KTK.”