James Chukwuma Okoye, C.S.Sp., is Director of the Center for Spiritan Studies at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. He was the Stuhlmueller Professor of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He studied in the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome and Oxford University, England. Okoye has been Provincial of his Nigerian Congregation of Spiritans and General Assistant in the Congregation’s headquarters in Rome. He was a member of the International Theological Commission and a peritus of the 1994 First Synod of Bishops for Africa. His teaching and ministry place him among people of many diverse cultures.
 

Genesis 12-50: A Narrative Theological Commentary | Order Here

Genesis 12–50: A Narrative-Theological Commentary uses narrative criticism to bring out the theological aspects of the biblical story. While basing itself on the Christian belief that Christ is the goal of all Scripture, it nevertheless allows the Hebrew Bible to speak for itself and to show how its inner message may receive completion in Christ. Hence, it adopts what the author calls a “two-stage” hermeneutics. A particular contribution of this commentary is the comparison and confrontation of patristic and early rabbinic exegesis as Christians and Jews struggled over the same texts, using them to support their diverse beliefs. The discussion is geared towards the average educated reader.

Genesis 1-11: A Narrative Theological Commentary | Order Here

Genesis 1–11: A Narrative Theological Commentary combines critical acumen with concern for the theological message of Scripture. It is a commentary in two stages. First, the text is allowed to speak for itself, using a narrative approach. Then, specific Jewish and Christian traditions flowing from the text are identified, and the underlying hermeneutical moves analyzed.

Israel and The Nations: A Mission Theology of the Old Testament | Order Here

A missional reading of the Old Testament aimed at showing how Israel became a “missionary people” by opening its Covenant with Yahweh to the nations. James Chukwuma Okoye brilliantly applies his Nigerian background and training at Romes Biblical Institute and Oxford University to the issue of the mission of Israel among the nations and what that mission means for Christians. In a crucial passage, Okoye observes: “Blessing in the Old Testament is primarily this-worldly… even if it entails good relationship with God. Israel never gave up her rooting in this world. Christians must learn from Israel not to over-spiritualize the blessings of her mission.”

Scripture in The Church: The Synod on the Word of God | Order Here

Who should read the Bible? What is the biblical word? How is Scripture to be interpreted? How is it to be prayed and lived? How does Scripture call forth the Church’s entire life and mission? In October 2008 the Synod on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church took place in Rome. During the synod the bishops addressed these questions on the significance of the Word in the life and mission of the church. Beginning with a helpful explanation of the synod process, James Chukwuma Okoye, CSSp, follows the synod in historical progression, highlighting important topics and issues along the way and concluding with an exposition of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, which Benedict XVI signed on September 30, 2010. Okoye emphasizes that the Synod on the Word of God was not just about Scripture’s function in the pastoral life of the church but “it was also about tradition and God?s continuing self-disclosure in history and in the religions and cultures of humankind.”