Sexual Ethics and the New Testament: Behavior and Belief (Companions to the New Testament) [Paperback]

Raymond F. Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000 | Series: Companions to the New Testament

From the internationally acclaimed Catholic biblical scholar, this is a meticulous reading of biblical teaching on sexuality, giving insight into how a disciple of Jesus is called to live out his or her existence as a sexual being.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Raymond F. Collins, a Roman Catholic priest, is professor of New Testament (and former dean) at The Catholic University of America. From 1970 to 1993, he was professor of New Testament at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium).

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824518012
• ISBN-13: 978-0824518011
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,510,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's Talk About Sex!, July 20, 2000

By 

J. Blaylock "joypharrell" (Mobile, Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sexual Ethics and the New Testament: Behavior and Belief (Companions to the New Testament) (Paperback)

I was introduced to Fr. Collins' work while studying theology and have come to expect much from this fine scholar. This book upholds the consistency and penetrating depth I have found in his other works. In this book, Collins explores relevant New Testament texts in both a historical and literary context, offering to the reader a new understanding of how discipleship and sexuality relate to each other, necessarily. Using poignant examples from the Gospels and the epistles, Collins dispels many misunderstandings about sexuality in the New Testament by using his fine exegetical skills, especially in noting the various lenses inherent to any hermeneutic task. Collins does not seek to define certain meanings or construct a systematic program; rather, he opens the New Testament texts to allow them to speak for themselves, to speak to the fact that human sexuality is a complex reality permeating any person's existence--hence the subtitle of his work: behavior and belief. The central motif of this book is that all disciples of Christ are called to embrace their sexuality as both gift and responsibility. In this affirmation Collins offers a look into the cultural conexts of the New Testament and elicits the reader to grapple with the questions offered in the New Testament texts themselves and those still very applicable in our own time: divorce, adultery and homosexuality. The parameters of this challenge can be found in Collins' conclusion; that a viable contemporary sexual ethics must include the following: the notion of embodied existence; the dignity of women in God's plan; and the overarching demands of agapaic love. Though written and executed in fine academic fashion, Collins also brings to this work his pastoral experience and compassion thereby making the book accessible to anyone who seeks to integrate sexuality and ethics as a living reality. Though attempts have been made to separate human sexuality and ethics, Collins invites his readers to integrate these realities. Thus, he gives us yet another great work, providing a valuable resource not only to ethicists and theologians but to all who wish to explore the possiblites of growth in their Christian identity.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A Responsible Look at Sexuality and Christianity!, July 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sexual Ethics and the New Testament: Behavior and Belief (Companions to the New Testament) (Paperback)

While I do not consider myself a biblical scholar, this book definitely caught my attention. I have to admit expecting a Roman Catholic papal redundancy on this topic, but instead I found Fr. Collins to be very insightful and penetrating in his analysis of controverisal topics. This book has challenged me with its nascent call to a sexual identity that is both wholesome and spiritual. Kudos to Fr. Collins! He is a welcome beacon in an often stale, stolid tradition.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Protestant welcomes this defense of Biblical sexuality, May 28, 2010

By 

George T. Hobson (St Clair County, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sexual Ethics and the New Testament: Behavior and Belief (Companions to the New Testament) (Paperback)

Speaking as a Protestant scholar, I welcome Collins' book. It is the best treatment of the Biblical sexual ethic to be found on the market, plus it is the only book that contains a detailed examination of the New Testament's catalogues of sins. Collins corrects so-called progressive claims about what the Bible teaches, although the book is not a polemic against these, it is simply an honest comprehensive examination of the evidence.