Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament

by Richard Longenecker

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1996

Overview

Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament is a great resource for diving into biblical discipleship. The inaugural volume of the McMaster New Testament Series—sponsored by McMaster Divinity College in order to address central New Testament themes—this first volume is designed like a symposium, compiling 13 rigorous yet accessible essays by world-class biblical scholars on discipleship in the New Testament. A text which Gordon Fee called “a useful, often thought-provoking collection of essays by careful New Testament scholars on a very timely subject,” Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament is both scholarly and pastoral in style and content. These articles dive into the intricacies of discipleship as displayed in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. This text is a treasury of practical insight for the good work of discipleship, building from the premise that, as editor Richard Longenecker puts it: “[discipleship] needs better biblical rootage than it usually receives in the popular press and better personal application than it usually receives in scholarly writings.” Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament seeks to provide both, encouraging you to grow in biblical knowledge as well as in practical discipleship.

The Logos edition of Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament is designed to enhance and accelerate your study. Fully integrated into your digital library, you can easily put a scholar’s library of texts in conversation with this text and find what other scholars, pastors, and theologians have to say about discipleship. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches with the Topic Guide to instantly gather relevant biblical texts and resources. Free tablet and mobile apps let you take the discussion with you. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Explores discipleship in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation
• Compiles numerous scholarly voices
• Offers practical commentary for a fuller understanding of discipleship

Contents

• Following Jesus in the Gospel of Mark—and Beyond
• Guiding Readers—Making Disciples: Discipleship in Matthew’s Narrative Strategy
• Taking Up the Cross Daily: Discipleship in Luke–Acts
• They Believed in Him: Discipleship in the Johannine Tradition
• “How You Must Walk to Please God”: Holiness and Discipleship in 1 Thessalonians
• “Imitate Me, Just as I Imitate Christ”: Discipleship in the Corinthian Correspondence
• Becoming like God through Christ: Discipleship in Romans
• The Imitation of Christ: Discipleship in Philippians
• “Christ in You, the Hope of Glory”: Discipleship in Colossians
• Standing Before the Moral Claim of God: Discipleship in Hebrews
• Controlling the Tongue and the Wallet: Discipleship in James
• Going to Heaven with Jesus: From 1 Peter to Pilgrim’s Progress
• Following the Lamb: Discipleship in the Apocalypse

Top Highlights

“Discipleship, Mark emphasizes, means following Jesus, with no rival, no distraction, and no competition for the allegiance of his disciples.” (Page 25)

“For our purposes, the following simple definition of narrative will suffice: a narrative consists of a story, told in a particular way in order to produce a desired effect in the reader.” (Page 31)

“In Mark’s account, Jesus is both the basis for and the pattern of discipleship. His death is the salvific ransom (10:45), the covenant-making sacrifice (14:24), the index of commitment for his disciples (e.g., 8:34), and the servant-pattern that they are to follow (10:43–45). In fact, Mark makes Jesus the only adequate model of discipleship.” (Page 25)

“What we have, then, is a story of Jesus that ‘can be read as a blueprint for the Christian life: it begins with baptism, proceeds with the vigorous pursuit of ministry in the face of temptation and opposition, and culminates in suffering and death oriented toward an as-yet unseen vindication’ (Davis 109).” (Page 26)

“What is needed for most of our theories about Christian discipleship, however, is a firmer rootage in the biblical materials. And what is needed for our practice is a clearer grasp of the patterns of discipleship set out in the New Testament.” (Page 1)

Contributors

• David E. Aune
• Linda L. Belleville
• Gerald F. Hawthorne
• Larry W. Hurtado
• William L. Lane
• L. Ann Jervis
• Peter H. Davids
• And more . . .

Praise for the Print Edition

Readers . . . who are struggling to define and implement strategies for discipleship in the churches will find this volume helpful and provoking as a pretext and foundation for their work. As to the readability, the authors have hit their intended mark in most cases, creating a collection of accessible and intelligent essays for the layperson and clergyperson alike.

—Reformed Review

For preachers, there are many sermon ideas embedded in this excellent book. For theologians and professors, this is a highly readable popularization of all the main ideas about discipleship circulating in responsible arenas at the present time.

—Calvin Theological Journal

Thirteen scholars . . . discuss the varied concepts of discipleship in the New Testament and seek to draw out some simple applications to modern Christian life. The chapters are well-organized, well-documented and balanced. . . Useful to students, clergy and others wishing to study, or preach on, discipleship.

—The Expository Times

Product Details

• Title: Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament
• Editor: Richard N. Longenecker
• Series: McMaster New Testament Studies
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 1996
• Pages: 294

About Richard Longenecker

Richard N. Longenecker is a prominent New Testament scholar and Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wycliffe College, Toronto. He was formerly Distinguished Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.