This introduction gives particular attention to the social, cultural and rhetorical contexts of the New Testament authors and their writings. It also integrates instruction in exegetical and interpretive strategies with their customary considerations of authorship, dating, audience and message. This introduction introduces students to a relevant facet of interpretation with each portion of New Testament literature. It features maps, photos, points of interest, aids to learning as well as separate chapters that explore the historical and cultural environment of the New Testament era, the nature of the Gospels and the quest for the historical Jesus, and the life of Paul.

One of the daunting challenges facing the New Testament interpreter is achieving familiarity with the immense corpus of Greco-Roman, Jewish, and pagan primary source materials. From the Paraphrase of Shem to Pesiqta Rabbati, scholars and students alike must have a fundamental understanding of these documents content, provenance, and place in NT interpretation. But achieving even an elementary facility with this literature often requires years of experience or a photographic memory. Evans's dexterous survey, a thoroughly revised and significantly expanded edition of his Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, amasses the requisite details of date, language, text, translation, and general bibliography. Evans also evaluates the materials' relevance for interpreting the NT. The vast range of literature examined includes the Old Testament apocrypha, the Old Testament pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, assorted ancient translations of the Old Testament and the Targum paraphrases, Philo and Josephus, Rabbinic texts, the New Testament pseudepigrapha, the early church fathers, various Gnostic writings, and more.

Having long served as a standard introduction to the world of the early church, Everett Ferguson's "Backgrounds of Early Christianity" has been expanded and updated in this third edition. The book explores and unpacks the Roman, Greek, and Jewish political, social, religious, and philosophical backgrounds necessary for a good historical understanding of the New Testament and the early church. New to this edition are revisions of Ferguson's original material, updated bibliographies, and fresh discussions of first-century social life, of Gnosticism, and of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Jewish literature.

The final volume in InterVarsity's landmark Dictionary series! A library of scholarship in summary form, this study encompasses the full scope of Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, and features articles on such topics as the Dead Sea Scrolls and second-temple Jewish writings. Extensive bibliographies and cross-references to other volumes in the series makes this an indispensable resource.

This highly readable, four-color, beautifully-illustrated survey is designed to make studying the New Testament less daunting and more rewarding. The second edition has been revised throughout, including updated bibliographies and focus boxes addressing contemporary concerns. The CD-ROM has been thoroughly revised to increase its value to students. Other distinguishing features include: abundant illustrations, photographs, tables, and charts, all in full colour, sidebars addressing ethical/theological concerns, focus boxes isolating key issues, learning objectives and a chapter outlined-of-chapter study questions, review questions, and chapter summaries.

From the crisis of the Babylonian exile to the rise of rabbinic Judaism--a span of over six hundred years--the Jewish people produced a wealth of literature that lies outside the Hebrew Bible. Today it goes under names such as apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, Josephus and Philo, apocalyptic literature and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mishnah and targums. But line by line, scroll by scroll, it represents the history and theology, the hopes and prayers of a living and diverse Judaism. It is an engrossing subject in and of itself, but for students of the New Testament it offers an invaluable context for understanding the words and actions of Jesus as well as the conversion and thinking of Paul. Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period is an introduction to this literature and places it within its historical context. Riding the explosive growth of knowledge of this period, Larry R. Helyer guides students to the heart of the matter. What were the pressures and realities, the questions and dreams that nurtured and provoked these written expressions? And how does this literature throw light on the text of the New Testament and origins of Christianity?

Employing both conventional and innovative teaching techniques, this up-to-date introductory study features discussions on authorship; date; setting; the historical Jesus; and the interaction of New Testament criticism with modern issues. With a student-friendly approach, it also includes suggested goals, summaries, and annotated bibliographies for each chapter; research paper topics; maps and charts; and much more.

This clearly written and scholarly enriched introduction to the New Testament Letters and Apocalypse is a companion volume to Exploring the New Testament, Volume One: A Guide to the Apostles & Acts. In addition to making up-to-date New Testament scholarship accessible to students, I. Howard Marshall, Stephen Travis and Ian Paul fill this volume with helpful classroom features: questions and issues for discussion, suggestions for student research and debate, essay topics at an introductory and intermediate level, and recommendations for further reading and research. Particularly aimed at students of theology, this book introduces students to Greco-Roman background, ancient letter writing, Paul's life, mission and theology, issues of authorship, date and setting, reading and interpreting the New Testament Letters and Revelation, content and major themes of each of the New Testament Letters and Revelation, and understanding the meaning of each of these documents for today.

Oskar Skarsaune gives us a new look into the development of the early church and its practice by showing us the evidence of interaction between the early Christians and rabbinic Judaism. He offers numerous fascinating episodes and glimpses into this untold story.

Introducing the New Testament is an outstanding new guide to the literature and theology of the New Testament. Wonderfully readable, eminently teachable, and well supplied with maps, sidebars, photographs, and bibliographies. Introducing the New Testament makes an ideal textbook for seminary and college courses, regardless of theological orientation. Written by three leading New Testament specialists, the book focuses directly on the New Testament's literature, its message, and the issues raised by a careful reading of its pages. Unlike other New Testament introductions that are primarily concerned with historical-critical issues or with what other scholars have said about the New Testament, Introducing the New Testament gets directly to the business of clearly explaining the background and content of the New Testament books as well as of inducting readers of the New Testament into sensitive appreciation and serious awareness of its major figures and concerns. No other text on the New Testament is so classroom friendly, authoritative, balanced, and enjoyable to use.

An Introduction to the New Testament focuses on "special introduction" that is historical questions dealing with authorship, date, sources, purpose, destination, and the like. This approach stands in contrast to recent texts that concentrate more on literary form, rhetorical criticism, and historical parallels; topics the authors don't minimize, but instead think are better given extended treatment in exegesis courses. By refocusing on the essentials, this introduction ensures that the New Testament books will be accurately understood within historical settings. For each New Testament document, the authors also provide a substantial summary of that book's content, discuss the book's theological contribution to the overall canon, and give an account of current studies on that book, including recent literary and social-science approaches to interpretation.

This unique commentary provides, in verse-by-verse format, the crucial cultural background you need for responsible - and richer - Bible study. It includes a glossary of cultural terms and important historical figures, maps and charts, up-to-date bibliographies, and introductory essays about cultural background information for each book of the New Testament.

Based on ten years of in-depth study, this accessible and bestselling commentary is valuable for pastors in sermon preparation, for Sunday-school and other church teachers as they build lessons, for missionaries concerned not to import their own cultural biases into the Bible, for college and seminary students in classroom assignments, and for everyday Bible readers seeking to deepen and enhance their study of Scripture.

This much-anticipated sixth edition of New Testament Commentary Survey offers students and pastors an updated look into available resources on the New Testament. Pastors, seminarians, and theology students will eagerly welcome this invaluable tool into their biblical studies libraries. In this succinct yet thorough survey, Carson examines sets, one-volume commentaries, and New Testament introductions and theologies, before offering extensive comments on the available offerings for each New Testament book, noting intended audience, levels of difficulty, and theological perspective. He records the publisher, price, and current publication status, identifies those texts he considers overpriced, and advises readers when to delay purchase for forthcoming works. The book concludes with a useful "Best Buys" section where Carson indicates the most valuable works for each individual New Testament book.

In this succinct yet readable narrative, Witherington carries the reader from the intertestamental Maccabean wars to the reign of Domitian and the exile of John, focusing especially upon the life of Christ. Witherington closely explores the geographical, political, social, and religious influences that shaped the leaders and social movements of the day. The inferiority complex of Alexander the Great and the stories of "Little Boots" and Nero are a few examples of such case studies.