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