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Paul the Letter-writer
Paul the Letter-writer
How did Paul use his secretaries? Did he rely on co-authors? Did his rhetorical education affect the way he organised his material? This book confronts these questions on the basis of extensive quotations from classical Greek and Latin authors. A synoptic survey of the beginnings and ends of the letters brings out the extent to which Paul both used and adapted current epistolary conventions. The intention of the book is to humanize the Pauline letters and make their complex theology less daunting. (Adapted from back cover).
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Keys to First Corinthians
Keys to First Corinthians
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor's reputation as a recognized expert on the Corinthian correspondence has been built on the original solutions he has offered to perennial problems. Brought together for the first time in one volume, each of the sixteen articles anthologised here deals with one or more verses in 1 Corinthians that have baffled scholars for generations. Throughout the collection the author dialogues with the opinions of colleagues, responding to and building on their accurate observations, and explaining in detail why certain solutions are viable whilst others are implausible. A newly written 'reception history' has been appended to each article to bring the collection completely up to date. Although not a commentary on 1 Corinthians, this volume deals thoroughly with all the major problems of the most interesting of the Pauline letters.
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Paul: A Critical Life
Paul: A Critical Life
Traditionally the Acts of the Apostles has provided the framework for biographies of the Apostle Paul. In recent years, however, the historical value of the Acts has come into question. Many scholars argue that, despite the accuracy of many details, the text as a whole reflects the interests of Luke rather than objective reality. This book presents a completely new, and much more vivid and dramatic, account of the life of Paul than any before. While continuing to give consideration to the Acts, Murphy-O'Connor reconstructs the apostle's life--from his childhood in Taursus and his years as a student in Jerusalem, to the successes and failures of his ministry--from his own writings. Reinforcing his critical analysis of Paul's letters with close attention to archaeology and contemporary texts, Murphy-O'Connor not only charts Paul's movements, but extracts a new understanding of his motives and the social and cultural aspects of his ministry. Most important of all, this biography transforms a fountain of theological ideas into a human being.
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Papers of the Murphy and O'Bryan Families
Also including photograph of Charles and Louise O'Bryan, grandchildren of Lewis' brother Charles Brown O'Bryan, and copy photograph of Lewis O'Bryan, Jr., taken ca. 1850.
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An English Spring
An English Spring
The candid and compelling memoirs of the late Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who led the Catholic Church in England and Wales through the tempestuous first decade of the twenty-first century. When John Henry Newman spoke of his hopes for the renewal of the Church, he imagined not only sunshine and the blossoming of new life, but icy winds and torrential rain. His forecast of 'an English Spring' was to prove remarkably far-sighted. With affection and wry humour, another English cardinal, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor – who died in September 2017 – reflects on his Irish Catholic roots and English upbringing, his training for the priesthood in Rome, and his time as a priest and bishop during a time of unprecedented turbulence and change. Then in 2000, at the age of 67, with the Church worldwide engulfed by the sexual abuse crisis, he was a surprise appointment as Archbishop of Westminster. He reflects frankly on the mistakes he himself made and on how the Church has tried to respond to the crisis, and he speaks poignantly of the terrible anguish suffered by the victims of abuse by Catholic priests. Candid and informal, this unique account takes us behind the scenes of the dramatic conclaves in Rome that led to the elections of Popes Benedict and Francis, and we meet some of the remarkable characters who have shaped the Church in recent years, including Pope John Paul II, John Carmel Heenan, Derek Worlock and Basil Hume. Running through the story is Murphy-O'Connor's passionate commitment to the family and to the community, and to the search for Christian unity. An English Spring is the very human journey of a Catholic priest trying to live out his faith and lead the faithful at a time of both opportunity and turmoil and confusion. Honest and engaging, it reflects the humility, warmth and charm that were characteristic of Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, one of the best-loved church leaders of the last fifty years
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The Theology of the Second Letter to the Corinthians
The Theology of the Second Letter to the Corinthians
The resonances in the dialogue of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians are difficult to detect unless the reader has some knowledge of the social, religious, and economic situation of the community to which the apostle was writing. In this lucid and clear survey, Father Murphy-O'Connor attempts to provide such background information, which he integrates skillfully into a flowing exposition of Paul's thought. St. Paul's theology thus comes to life as the complex interplay of factors that prompted him to write as he did to the Corinthians are examined and explored. In addition to providing a particularly accessible picture of the distinctive theological contribution made by 2 Corinthians, the author's book prompts new insights into the relation of Christ to the ministry of the Church.
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The Lobbyist
The Lobbyist
You could be a lobbyist. Lobbying is a simple job. Visit a man nine times and don't ask for anything. On your tenth visit, ask, and you will get whatever you want. They're sick of their jobs, fed up with working for someone else, and tired of the eight-to-five routine. So what's a guy to do? In the case of Mike and James, the idea hits them over beers at the Capitol House Bar, as they watch the local politicos making deals and paying for whores and booze as if money grew on trees. As reasonably handsome and charismatic men themselves, surely they too could become lobbyists. It'd be easy: just bullshit and scheme their way into the favor of the legislators, and they'd have all the money-and action-they wanted. Thus, the Good Ole Boys and Associates is born, and two political newcomers appear on the scene, ready to become a part of the lobbying profession's powerful elite. But as they'll soon learn, there's more to their new jobs than they ever imagined, and the impact they can make goes far beyond money. Meanwhile, a blossoming romance pairs a beautiful Harvard grad with the recently divorced James; it seems like a match made in heaven...but with secrets lurking behind the scene, could Kimberly be hiding something big from her new beau? Discover the truth about the politically savvy and this highly entertaining novel The Lobbyist.
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St. Paul's Ephesus
St. Paul's Ephesus
In this new volume, renowned scholar Jerome Murphy-O'Connor does for Ephesus what he did for Corinth in his award-winning St. Paul's Corinth. He combs the works of twenty-six ancient authors for information about ancient Ephesus, from its beginnings to the end of the biblical era. Readers can now picture for themselves this second of the two major centers of Paul's missionary work, with its houses, shops, and monuments, and above al the world-renowned temple of Artemis. After presenting the textual and archaeological evidence, Murphy-O'Connor leads the reader on a walk through St. Paul's Ephesus and describes the history of Paul's years in the city. Although Ephesus has been a ruin for many hundreds of years, readers of this book will find themselves transported back to the days of its flourishing.
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