New Testament: Historical Introduction To the Early Christian Writings - Text Only (4TH 08 - Old Edition)

Featuring vibrant full color throughout, this new edition of Bart Ehrman's highly successful introduction approaches the New Testament from a consistently historical and comparative perspective, emphasizing the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. Rather than shying away from the critical problems presented by these books, Ehrman addresses the historical and literary challenges they pose, showing why scholars continue to argue over such significant issues as how the books of the New Testament came into being, when they were written (and by whom), what they mean, how they relate to contemporary Christian and non-Christian literature, and how they came to be collected into the canon of scripture that we now call the New Testament. Distinctive to this study is its unique focus on the historical, literary, and religious milieux of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism. As part of its historical orientation, the book also discusses works by other Christian writers who were roughly contemporary with the New Testament, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the letters of Ignatius. The text is enhanced by maps, timelines, an extensive text box program, and more than one hundred photos. An accompanying Instructor's Manual contains chapter summaries, discussion questions, and a test bank. An updated Website Study Guide provides chapter summaries, glossary terms, and self-quizzes for students.

New to this edition:

* Coverage of new discoveries--including the Gospel of Judas Iscariot--and of recent advances in scholarship

* A revised discussion of the history of Palestine and Judaism, which now appears much earlier in the book (Chapter 3), thereby providing students with more background on the development of early Christianity at the outset of their studies

* A new photo essay on important Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, ten new text boxes, a revised epilogue, and updated suggestions for further reading

* An expanded glossary featuring more than 200 key terms, which are also listed at the end of each chapter in which they appear

* Key terms appear in boldface type the first time they are used in each chapter

* Vivid full color throughout

Ideal for undergraduate and seminary classes in the New Testament, Biblical Studies, and Christian Origins, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Fourth Edition, encourages students to carefully consider the historical issues surrounding these writings.

Maps, Time Lines, and Diagrams

Preface

Acknowledgments

Notes on Suggestions for Further Reading

Credits

Master Time Line

1. WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT? THE EARLY CHRISTIANS AND THEIR LITERATURE

Box 1.1 The Canon of Scripture

The Diversity of Early Christianity

Box 1.2 The Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament

The New Testament Canon of Scripture

Box 1.3 The Common Era and Before the Common Era

Box 1.4 The Layout of the New Testament

Box 1.5 The New Testament: One Other Set of Problems

Implications for Our Study

Box 1.6 The New Testament Canon

Excursus: Some Additional Reflections: The Historian and the Believer

2. THE WORLD OF EARLY CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS

The Problem of Beginnings

Box 2.1 Pagan and Gentile

Box 2.2 The Greco-Roman World

One Remarkable Life

The Environment of the New Testament: Religions in the Greco-Roman World

Box 2.3 The Roman Empire

Box 2.4 Divine Rulers as Savior Gods

Box 2.5 Christianity as a Mystery Cult

Box 2.6 The World of Early Christianity

3. THE JEWISH CONTEXT OF JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS

Judaism as a Greco-Roman Religion

Box 3.1 The Septuagint: The Hebrew Bible in Greek

Political Crises in Palestine and Their Ramifications

Box 3.2 Flavius Josephus

The Formation of Jewish Sects

Box 3.3 Divine Revelation in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Box 3.4 Women in the Synagogues

Box 3.5 Other Jewish Miracle-Working Sons of God

Box 3.6 The Jewish World of Early Christianity

4. THE TRADITIONS OF JESUS IN THEIR GRECO-ROMAN CONTEXT

Oral Traditions behind the Gospels

Box 4.1 Orality and Literacy in the Ancient World

Box 4.2 Mark and John on the Time of Jesus' Death

Box 4.3 The Traditions of Jesus

Excursus: Some Additional Reflections: The Authors of the Gospels

5. THE CHRISTIAN GOSPELS: A LITERARY AND HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

The Question of Genre

Biography as a Greco-Roman Genre

Box 5.1 Plutarch on Biography

The Gospels as Ancient Biographies

Box 5.2 The Christian Gospels

6. JESUS, THE SUFFERING SON OF GOD: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

The Beginning of the Gospel: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God Who Fulfills Scripture

Box 6.1 The Jewish Messiah

Jesus the Authoritative Son of God

Jesus the Opposed Son of God

Box 6.2 Jewish Scribes, Herodians, and Chief Priests

Box 6.3 Jesus' Opponents in Mark

Jesus the Misunderstood Son of God

Box 6.4 Jesus the Angry Healer

Jesus the Acknowledged Son of God

Box 6.5 The Messianic Secret in Mark

Jesus the Suffering Son of God

Box 6.6 Son of God and Son of Man

Jesus the Crucified Son of God

Box 6.7 The Charge of Blasphemy according to Mark

Jesus the Vindicated Son of God

Conclusion: Mark and His Readers

Box 6.8 The Gospel of Mark

7. THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR INTERPRETATION

Methods for Studying the Gospels

The Synoptic Problem

Box 7.1 Ironing Out the Problems: One Potential Difficulty in Mark's Account

Box 7.2 The Contents of Q

The Methodological Significance of the Four-Source Hypothesis

Box 7.3 The Synoptic Problem

8. JESUS, THE JEWISH MESSIAH: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

The Importance of Beginnings: Jesus the Jewish Messiah in Fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures

Box 8.1 Matthew's Scheme of Fourteen

Box 8.2 The Women in Matthew's Genealogy

Jesus and His Forerunner from Matthew's Perspective

The Portrayal of Jesus in Matthew: The Sermon on the Mount as a Springboard

Box 8.3 The Golden Rule

Jesus and the Jewish Cultic Practices Prescribed by the Law

Jesus Rejected by the Jewish Leaders

Box 8.4 Gentiles in Matthew's Community

Box 8.5 Was Matthew a Jew?

Matthew and His Readers

Box 8.6 Matthew

9. JESUS, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

The Comparative Method and the Gospel of Luke

A Comparative Overview of the Gospel

The Preface to Luke's Gospel

Box 9.1 Apologetic Literature in Early Christianity

Luke's Birth Narrative in Comparative Perspective

Box 9.2 Historical Problems with Luke's Birth Narrative

Box 9.3 The Virginal Conception in Matthew and Luke

From Jew to Gentile: Luke's Portrayal of Jesus the Rejected Prophet

Luke's Distinctive Emphases throughout His Gospel

Box 9.4 Jesus' Bloody Sweat in Luke

Box 9.5 Jesus as a Righteous Martyr

Box 9.6 The Institution of the Lord's Supper in Luke

Conclusion: Luke in Comparative Perspective

Box 9.7 Luke

10. LUKE'S SECOND