Introduction to the New Testament, Vol. 1: History, Culture, and Religion of the Hellenistic Age (2nd edition)

Among the striking features that distinguish this comprehensive two-volume work, now complete in its second edition, from other books of similar title are its wide historical scope, its tretment of early Christian literature in the chronological sequence, and the inclusion of over sixty noncanonical Christian documents. Volume 2, after considering problems related to the interpretation of early Christian writings - transmission, canon, text, form criticism, literary criticism, and narrative and rhetorical criticism - unfolds the story of the early Christian communities and their literature from John the Baptist and Jesus to Justin Martyr, Valentinus, and Polycarp. This narrative has been written in a readable, nontechnical style, supplemented by current bibliographies for each selection that include listings of the best editions of original texts as well as the most accessible English translations. An essential work for students, teachers, and clergy, this set will also appeal to the educated layperson looking for a scholary treatment of the New Testament and its background in the world of Jewish and Greco-Roman antiquity. While the first American edition of this book, published more than a decade ago, was a revised translation of the German book, Einführung in das Neue Testament, this second edition of the first volume of the Introduction to the New Testament is no longer dependent upon a previously published German work. The author hopes that for the student of the New Testament it is a useful introduction into the many complex aspects of the political, cultural, and religious developments that characterized the world in which early Christianity arose and by which the New Testament and other early Christian writings were shaped. While the first American edition of this book, published more than a decade ago, was a revised translation of the German book, Einfuhrung in das Neue Testament, this second edition of the first volume of the Introduction to the New Testament is no longer dependent upon a previously published German work. Early Christian writings, including all the documents incorporated in the New Testament, are highly problematic literary sources for our understanding of the beginnings of Christianity. v. 1. History, culture, and religion of the Hellenistic age v. 2. History and literature of early Christianity. This work has established itself as a classical text in the field of New Testament studies.