The Good Works Reader

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 16 jul. 2007 - 360 pagina's

Often claimed as one of the sparks that ignited the Reformation, the place of “works” in the Christian life continues to be hotly debated. In this helpful volume, distinguished theologian Thomas Oden draws together Christian teaching on this subject from across the centuries to provide a comprehensive witness on this essential topic.M

The Good Works Reader seeks to make faith active in love. To complete this task, Oden listens to the timeless teaching of the patristic writers, the theologians who defined orthodoxy in the first five centuries after Christ. His listening extends not only to the well-known fathers such as Augustine, Irenaeus, and Eusebius, but also to lesser-known yet no less important fathers such as Oecumenius, Pseudo-Basil, and Peter Chrysologus. Oden presents a side-by-side collection of the fathers' teaching on treatment of the poor, the outcast, and the imprisoned, as well as an extensive discussion of the necessity of practical action.

The second volume in Oden's Classic Christian Readers set, The Good Works Reader will serve as an essential resource for Christians from all traditions who seek to balance the ancient tension between faith and works in their own lives.

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Titelblad

Inhoudsopgave

Introduction	1

2 The Purpose	2

3 Classic Christianity	3

4 If the Reader Is Not a Christian Believer	4

6 The Principal Sources	5

B The Texts	6

3 Why a Good Works Reader?	7

4 Why Good Works Require Careful Study	8

5 Carry the Mat That Carried You	176

7 The Healing Community	177

You Were as My Eyes	179

3 His Touch Gave Sight	180

The Demoniac Set Free	182

2 The Grace of Speech	183

3 The Isolated World of the Blind and Dumb Demoniac	184

5 With Demons Cast Out Tongues Were Loosed	185

6 CrossCultural Wisdom	9

7 On the Genre of the Reader	10

9 The Usefulness of Careful Selection	11

2 A Modest Inductive Approach to an Alleged Consensus	12

4 The Consenting Community	13

5 The Ancient Ecumenical Consensus and the Hunger for Unity	14

6 The Spirits Guidance through Persecution	15

8 The Reformers as Models of Patristic Learning	16

D The Ancient Christian Writers on Good Works	17

2 Premature Dismissals by the Religious Right and Left	18

3 The Proximate Unity of the First Five Centuries Compared with the Radical Disunity of the Last Five	19

4 The Mothers	20

2 The Fathers Deep Immersion in the Written Word	21

3 The Same Patrimony	22

5 Believers Seek Integration	23

7 The Reference System	24

8 Looking Ahead	26

THE POOR	27

2 Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit	28

3 Does God Prefer the Poor?	29

4 The Poor Have Responsibilities	30

6 Penury as Such Not Commended	32

7 Why the Poor Are More Likely to Be Rich in Faith	33

B Inherit the Kingdom Prepared for You from the Foundation of the World	35

2 The Incarnate Lord Though Rich Became Poor for Us	36

3 The Poor at Gods EndTime Banquet	37

4 Look Who Came to the Wedding	38

C Where Your Treasure Is	40

2 Give to the Poor That You May Be Truly Rich	41

3 Storing Up	42

4 Relief of Suffering Not Based on Merit	43

5 Why Alms?	44

6 Do Not Reinforce Slothfulness by Rewarding It	45

D The Law and the Poor	46

2 The Jubilee	48

3 Time and Atonement	50

E The Rich Man and Lazarus	51

2 The Unbridgeable Distance to Abrahams Bosom	52

3 The Invisibility of the Poor	54

4 Consider the Poor	55

F Relief for the Needy	56

2 Actively Seeking Out the Needy	57

3 Prioritizing Services according to Need	58

4 Quit Making Excuses	59

5 Remember the Saints	60

G The Fatherless	61

3 Without a Father	62

4 Without Inheritance	63

H Protecting the Widow	64

2 The Law and the Widow	65

4 The Widow in the New Testament Church	66

5 The Familys Duty in Protecting the Widow	67

1 The True Widow	68

2 The Widows Prayer for Others	69

3 The Widows Hospitality	70

4 The Disposition of Giving Seen in the Widows Gift	71

5 Giving Freely Offering All	72

6 The Disposition of Good Will in Giving	73

7 Having Nothing Possessing All	74

Feeding Quenching Welcoming Clothing Relieving and Visiting	75

1 The Revelation of the Last Day	76

2 Our Own Choices Affect Our Eternal Destiny	77

4 Without Excuse	79

5 The Hungering Thirsting Shivering Homelessness Infirmity and Imprisonment of God the Son	80

6 Summing Up the Poverty Motif	82

FOOD AND HOSPITALITY	83

1 Feeding as the First Good Work	84

3 Christ Fed the Hungry The Gospel Was Proclaimed through Food Offered	85

4 God Feeds All Humanity	87

B The Bread of Life	88

2 Gods Word as Manna	89

3 True Bread	90

4 Bread Not for Acquisition	91

5 According to Need	92

6 Why Divine Creation Permits Famine and Drought	93

7 How Misdeeds Cause Hunger	94

9 Daily We Pray for Bread for That Day	95

10 Daily Bread and the Eucharist	96

C Not by Bread Alone	97

2 How the Oneness of the Loaf of Bread Signifies the Oneness of the People	98

3 The Bread Must Be Broken	99

4 Christ Known in the Breaking of Bread	100

5 The Bread of the Word Is to Be Eaten	101

You Gave Me to Drink	102

2 Giving the Thirsty a Cup of Cold Water	103

Offering Water	104

4 The Water of Life	105

E At Table with the Lord	107

3 The Incarnate Lord Understood Hunger and Thirst	109

You Welcomed Me	111

Receive the Lord in Your Meeting with the Stranger	112

4 The Incarnate Lord Willingly Depended on the Hospitality of Others	113

6 Aliens Strangers and Pilgrims	114

7 Whether Hospitality Depends upon the Worthiness of the Visitors Motives	115

8 The Ministry of Hospitality	116

G Biblical Models of Hospitality	117

3 Icons of Hospitality	118

5 The Plight of the Traveler	119

6 Lots Hospitality	122

7 Entertaining Angels Unawares	123

8 Rebekah as an Icon of Hospitality	125

9 So?	126

3 The Glory of Nakedness in the Original State Now Fallen	127

4 While the Fallen Adam Needed Clothing the Ascended Lord Did Not	129

6 Caring for the Body in Proper Balance without Anxiety	131

Consider the Lilies	132

8 Toward Modesty	134

9The Icon of John the Baptist	135

10 So What Does This All Mean?	137

You Took Me In	138

2 Doing Good for the Refugee	139

The Flight to Egypt	140

5 What Does Jesus Flight from Death Teach about Ministry to Refugees?	141

He Had No Place to Lay His Head	143

2 Manger Born	144

3 Swaddling Clothes	145

4 So What Does This All Mean?	146

1 The Good Work of Visiting the Sick	147

2 The Pattern	148

5 Simply Being Present Where Suffering Exists	149

7 The DoctorPatient Relationship	150

8 How the Prayer of the Righteous Is Made Effective	151

9 The Righteous SufferBut Why?	153

10 In Sickness the Whole Person Is Sick	154

11 Every Disease?	155

12 They Brought Him All Who Were Sick	157

13 Continuing an Apostolic Ministry	158

14 Summing Up the Enabling Motif	159

REACHING OUT FOR THE OUTCAST	161

To the Ends of the Earth	162

3 The Pattern	163

1 Touching the Untouchable	164

2 Including the Outcast	165

Enabling the Deaf to Hear	166

1 Embracing the Dysfunctional	167

3 Do Not Add Even More Woes to Those Who Cannot Hear	168

4 Opening the Ears	169

5 The Word Is for Hearing	170

C Enabling the Disabled	171

2 Withered Minds	173

3 Faultfinding Does Not Help the Disabled	174

Use Your Restored Limb to Help Restore Others Limbs	175

F Binding Up Demonic Powers	187

2 Why the Demons Were First to Recognize the Messiah	188

3 Exorcising the Demons of Compulsive Behavior	189

G Uprooting Addictions	193

1 The Dilemma of Addictive Behaviors	194

3 Confronting Addiction	196

4 SelfConstraint over the God of the Belly	197

THE IMPRISONED AND THE PERSECUTED	201

A Visiting Those in Prison You Came to Me	202

2 As If in Prison with Them	203

3 Bought with a Price	204

4 Paul Wrote from Prison	205

6 The Ambassador in Chains	206

7 Listening to Pauls Chains	207

8 Confident Witness amid Imprisonment	208

9 Faithful Women Too Suffered Imprisonment	209

B Witnessing in Prison	210

2 Joseph Was Happier Being Righteously in Prison Than Free Lacking Righteousness	212

3 Joseph as a Type of Christ	213

4 The Imprisonment of John the Baptist	214

5 Jesus in Dying Preached to the Imprisoned Souls	215

6 Ransom from Bondage	217

The Martyrs Gift	218

2 The Icons of the Persecuted	219

4 The Wicked Serve the Good without Being Aware of It	220

5 A Larger Justice Hidden in Injustice	221

6 You Are Blessed When Falsely Reviled for Christs Sake	222

7The Spirit Will Help You Speak the Truth	223

8 Endurance	224

9 Do Not Seek Persecution	226

D Blessing Persecutors	227

2 Bless Your Persecutors	229

4 Sheep among Wolves	230

5 The Evil Depths of Human Freedom	231

E Absorbing Hatred	233

2 The Enemy Within	234

3 Persecution Visited upon Early Christians from All Sides	236

4 Stand Firm	237

5 To the End	238

6 What We Learn from the Mustard Seed	239

F Nothing Can Separate Us	240

2 The Greatness of Gods Power Revealed in Trials	241

3 All Historic Contingencies Are Viewed in EndTime Perspective	242

4 All Believers Share in the Suffering of Each	244

6 Join the Battle	245

7 Let Your Forbearance Be Known	246

8 Summing Up the Forbearing Motif	247

THE LEAST OF THESE	249

A The Child	250

2 Who Is the Greatest?	251

3 What Children Know That Adults Have Tended to Forget	252

4 Learning Guilelessness	253

5 Relearning Lowliness	255

1 Jesus Chose the Least of the Unlettered to Accomplish His Mission	256

2 Providence Works through Limitations	258

3 The Greater Value of Lesser Things	259

4 The Body Needs Hands and Feet	260

5 The Day of Small Things	261

6 The Foolishness of God	262

7 Searching for the Lost Sheep	263

C Works of Mercy	264

2 Show Mercy as You Have Received Mercy	265

3 The Faithful Are Brought into the Sphere of Gods Mercy by Themselves Becoming Agents of Mercy	266

4 Following the Way of Gods Mercy	267

5 Giving and Forgiving	268

6 Mercy Bears Its Fruit in Good Works	269

7 Showing Mercy	270

1 Be Wise as Serpents Harmless as Doves	271

2 Be Gentle Like a Dove	272

3 Restore the Brother in a Spirit of Gentleness	274

4 The Daily Practice of Kindness	275

E Put Away Bitterness	276

2 Relieving Burdens	277

F Learning Empathy with the Sufferer	279

2 Gods Empathy with Human Suffering	280

3 Crying Out to God from the Heart	281

4 Do Not Close Your Heart	282

5 Jesus Identification with Outsiders	283

6 His Sweat	284

7 His Death Shows the Full Extent of His Empathic Compassion for Sinners	285

8God Made Him to Be Sin for Us	286

9 Summing Up the Nurturing Motif	287

PHILANTHROPY	289

2 Excessive Luxury Makes One Dead While Still Alive	291

3 The Difficulty of the Rich Entering the Kingdom	292

4 Riches Are Not Evil as Such but a Temptation to Evil	293

5 The Rich Not Excluded from Gods Mercy	294

6 The Transformation of Zacchaeus	295

7 Becoming Rich toward God	297

B The Stewardship of Wealth	298

2 The Pattern	299

3 Philanthropy	300

4 Treasures on Earth	301

5 Avoid Unfair Acquisition	302

6 Psychological Evasions of Covetousness	304

C The Love of Money	306

2 The Souls of the Greedy	307

3 The Fleeting Nature of Riches	309

5 By Desiring More Pride Becomes Less	310

6 Money and the Love of Money	311

7 What Needs to Be Guarded	312

D Cheerful Giving	313

2 The Poor in Jerusalem	314

3 Paul Pled for Generosity on Behalf of the Poor	315

4 The Cheerful Heart	316

Depart from Me	317

2 Judgment Mitigated by Compassion	318

3 Summing Up the Stewardship Motif	319

DEEDS NOT WORDS	321

2 The Single Intention of a Good Work	322

3 Deeds Not Words	323

4 Offering Food and Clothing for the Body Are Elementary Tests of the Readiness of Faith to Serve	324

B The Timing of Good Works	325

2 Be Ready for an Immediate Response	326

Attentive Empathy	327

4 The Temporal Deed of Mercy Is Accountable in Relation to Eternity	328

C Grace Works through Faith Active in Love	329

2 What Law Requires Grace Enables	330

3 Faith Lives by Participating in Gods Righteousness	331

4 Faith Is Made Stronger Not Weaker through Works of Love	333

1 Faith Works through Love	334

2 Whether Genuine Faith Can Be without Any Works	335

4 Active Faith Lives through Good Works	336

5 The Supposed Faith of Demons	337

6 The Johannine Integration of Faith and Works	339

8 Defining Good Works	340

9 Gods Own Good Work on Behalf of Fallen Humanity	341

10 Gods Good Work in Creation	342

11 Faith and Works	343

E Reconciling James and Paul	344

2 Distinguishing Faith before and after Baptism	346

3 Abraham and Isaac Anticipate Christ	347

4 The Abraham Narrative Resolves the Apparent Discrepancy	348

5 Remembering Rahab	350

F Faith Bears Fruit	351

2 Do Good Quietly	353

3 Good Works Are Beheld by God	354

4 Summing Up the FruitBearing Motif	355

G Summary Review of Classic Christian Teaching on Good Works	356

2 Reprise	357

H Conclusion	359

Copyright

Veelvoorkomende woorden en zinsdelen

Abraham according ACCS NT acts Ambrose Ambrosiaster ancient Christian writers apostles Augustine become Bede Bede the Venerable believe blessed blind body bread Caesarius of Arles called CGSL Christ Christian teaching church classic Christian clothing CSEL Cyril of Alexandria death demonic disciples Ephrem the Syrian eternal evil Exod faith Fathers gentleness gift give Gospel of Luke Gospel of Matthew grace healing heart heaven Hilary Hilary of Arles Hilary of Poitiers Homily hospitality human hunger hungry Imperfectum in Matthaeum imprisoned incarnate Lord italics added James Jerome Jesus John Chrysostom kingdom live Lord’s Luke man’s Mark Matt ministry needy NPNF offered Opus Imperfectum Origen patristic pattern Paul Paul’s Epistle persecution person Peter Chrysologus poor prison receive rich righteousness salvation says scripture Sermon sick soul strangers suffering texts things thirst wealth widow word wrote

Over de auteur (2007)

Thomas C. Oden (1931-2016) was Henry Anson Buttz Professor Emeritus of Theology at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. The author of some forty books, he was also general editor of the multivolume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.

Bibliografische gegevens

Titel	The Good Works Reader Classic Christian readers Twentieth century religious thought
Auteur	Thomas C. Oden
Uitgever	Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007
ISBN	0802840310, 9780802840318
Lengte	360 pagina's

Citatie exporteren	BiBTeX EndNote RefMan

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