The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts

This book gives a broad review of New Testament history, society, culture, economy and geography. Topics include religion, philosophy, family life, education, literature and the various regions.Unfortunately the font is small, making the text difficult for me to read without magnification.

It might not go into as great of detail as other books on the subject, but it covers a lot of information in an orderly way that makes it easier to re-find information at a latter time.

This book really transformed my Bible study. It allowed me to have insight into the culture and each city of the Greco-Roman day. It has allowed me to interpret scripture more accurately, and in the context from which It Was Written. I feel a lot of the different controversial items in today's world come from taking things out of context. This is a must-have for everyone!

So far so good, I'll update this later perhaps with more details as time goes on (book is for a class).

Aim of the Book:This volume has been designed for those who need a broad introduction to the world “behind the text” of the New Testament. It has the feel of a textbook-encyclopedia hybrid. In other words, it might serve as the main or supplementary text for a class introducing the New Testament or it might be used as a reference tool to keep nearby when studying. The reader will find that these essays provide in-depth introductions, but only introductions. In other words, the authors invite readers to explore further which is why each chapter ends with a list of books for further reading.Summary of the Contents:The book is forty-four chapters long. Some chapters are quite long. Others (like Yinger’s “Jewish Education”) may be the size of a dictionary entry, i.e., about four-five pages. There is 570 + pages worth the content (including some additional resources at the end that aren’t“chapters”), so each chapter averages out to about thirteen pages each.The book is divided into five parts. Part 1 (Setting the Context: Exile and the Jewish Heritage) contains essays on subjects such as exile, the Hasmoneans, the Herodian Dynasty, the concept of monotheism, and Scripture.Part 2 (Setting the Context: Roman Hellenism) contains essays on topics like Greek religion, the Imperial Cult, economics, slavery, women, children, etc. Basically, where as Part 1 is focused more narrowly on the Jewish people Part 2 broadens the context.Part 3 (The Jewish People in the Context of Roman Hellenism) attempts to begin a synthesis of Parts 1 and 2. Essays in this section include everything from how the Jews related to the Samaritans, how to differentiate parties like the Pharisees, Saducees, and Essenes, the function of the Synagogue, Jewish life in the Diaspora, and so forth.Part 4 (The Literary Context of Early Christianity) contains essays on subjects like literacy, pseudonymous writings, rabbinics, early Christian writings that weren’t canonized, and the influence of figures such as Homer, Josephus, and Philo.Part 5 (The Geographical Context of the New Testament) explores regions such as Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Asia, Galatia, and more.Concluding Thoughts:Overall this is a very solid volume. It accomplishes what it intends to accomplish: it introduces the background of the New Testament. This is important to recognize. Even the essays on Judaism are written in light of early Christianity and the formation of the literature that would become the New Testament. Once again, this book would make a solid textbook for a class on NT backgrounds or a supplement textbook for an Introduction to NT class. It may be a bit too heavy for lay education, mostly because it covers such a breadth of topics, but religious education directors and/or small groups leaders may be able to use large chunks of the book to teach a class.This book was provided for free by Baker Academic in exchanged for an unbiased review.

If you are a serious student of the Bible, or a teacher, you should have this book. It gives excellent background and contextual information you should have when researching any New testament topic.

I've had little chance to dig into it in depth, but it looks VERY impressive indeed, with a first-class bunch of scholars contributing to it.

I am reading this book as I study Matthew with some friends. It has been eye-opening. This book gives valuable background to understanding the New Testament. I will keep it and refer to it for future studies.

What I've read, about 25% so far, I've greatly enjoyed. Very well written &, so far, informative.One gripe the maps need to be larger & more detailed. Similarly the pictures could do with being a bit clearer, too 'grey' in tone.Overall a very useful addition to anyone's library.

AGAIN I HAVE YET TO READ IT BUT ITLOOKS GOOD!