Full Description
Events in the Bible rarely follow an orderly course. For many of the figures whose stories it tells, their fortunes often turn, for good or bad, on important encounters with other people and with divine beings. In these moments of destiny, individuals discover something new and remarkable that changes the course of their lives.
In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Ewertowski explores over 35 meetings described in the Old and New Testaments. These include Joseph's confrontation with his brothers, Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush, the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies, the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary, and the profound encounters of ordinary people with Christ Jesus. Time and again Ewertowski shows how the weaknesses, setbacks and failures of the Bible's all-too-human protagonists are brought into harmony with a divine plan.
The short, self-contained chapters are perfect as daily readings, but together they provide a panoramic sweep of the Bible narrative from its beginnings through to the ministry of Christ, the apostles' encounter with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and St Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus.
Contents
Foreword
1. Herod and Nimrod: Hinderers Who Can
Prevent Nothing
2. At the Well: Hagar and the Angel; Rebekah and Isaac;
Rachel and Jacob; Joseph
3. Joseph: How Dreams Come True
4. Joseph and Susanna: Dealing with Injustice
5. Moses and His Mission: On the Way to Selfhood
6. Moses Does Not Enter the Promised Land
7. Rahab: Preparing the Way
8. Samson: God-sent Yet Independent
9. Ruth: The Stranger in Jesus’ Family Tree
10. Saul and the Necromancer: A King’s End
11. David: Fallible But Forgiven
12. Job: The Rebellious Sufferer
13. Judith: Pious Liberator or Temptress?
14. Jonah the Initiate: Three Days in the Fish
15. Tobias: Everything Falls into Place
16. Daniel: A Loyalty Beyond the Reach of Power
17. Dreams Change When Christ Appears
18. Mary and Elizabeth
19. The Birth of Jesus: Uniquely Atypical
20. Moses and John: The Tragedy of the Forerunners
21. Appearances of God
22. Nicodemus: On the Threshold of a New Birth
23. Christ and the Samaritan Woman
24. Simon Peter: Courage and Weakness
25. Why the Messiah is Also God’s Servant
26. Raising the Dead
27. Christ’s Experience of Powerlessness
28. The Transformation of Hell
29. Why Ascension Did Not Happen at Easter
30. Pentecost
31. What It Means to Heal a Lame Man
32. Ananias and Sapphira: ‘Why Has Satan Filled Your Heart?’
33. Three Unlikely Baptisms
Endnotes
Bibliography
