Synopses & Reviews
Available August 2002
For the study of early Christianity in its historical context, standard editions of the New Testament are less than ideal. Not only do they present the earliest Christian writings out of chronological order; they also leave out several writings similar in age and historical importance to the books of the New Testament. In "An Early Christian Reader, " these texts are arranged in a more historical order and set in context by helpful introductions and notes. The books of the New Testament are presented in the New Revised Standard Version, the most widely accepted version in university classrooms today. Also included are translations of the letters of Ignatius, "1 Clement, " the "Didache, " and the "Gospel of Thomas." Introductions to each work discuss date and place of composition, authorship, basic themes, and the Jewish and Greek contexts of the writings. Additional notes illumine more specific translation issues, historical difficulties, and lexical and grammatical choices. Thus, "An Early Christian Reader" gives any user an objective, informed entree into the perplexing, sometimes conflicting, world and literature of the earliest Christians. Useful appendixes, maps, and charts make this an ideal text for the university or college classroom.
Synopsis
For the study of early Christianity in its historical context, standard editions of the New Testament are less than ideal. Not only do they present the earliest Christian writings out of chronological order; they also leave out several writings similar in age and historical importance to the books of the New Testament. In Early Christian Reader, these texts are arranged in a more historical order and set in context by helpful introductions and notes. The books of the New Testament are presented in the New Revised Standard Version, the most widely accepted version in university classrooms today. Also included are translations of the letters of Ignatius, l Clement, the Didache, and the Gospel of Thomas.
About the Author
Steve Mason is associate professor at York University in Ontario, where he teaches in Classics and Religious Studies and in the Graduate Programme in History.
Tom Robinson is coordinator of the Religious Studies Programme and teaches in the History Department of the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. He is author of The Early Church: An Annotated Bibliography of Literature in English and Mastering Greek Vocabulary.