An Introduction to the New Testament

Book excerpt: Grasp the message of the New Testament by focusing on the essentials. An Introduction to the New Testament focuses on historical questions dealing with authorship, date, sources, purpose, destination, and so forth, ensuring that the New Testament books will be accurately understood within historical settings. For each New Testament document, the authors also provide a substantial summary of the book's content, discuss the book's theological contribution to the overall canon, and give an account of current studies on the book, including recent literary and social-science approaches to interpretation. This second edition reflects significant revision and expansion from the original, making this highly acclaimed text even more valuable. A new chapter provides a historical survey examining Bible study method through the ages. The chapter on Paul has been expanded to include an analysis of debates on the "new perspective." The discussion of New Testament epistles has been expanded to form a new chapter. This new edition is an ideal textbook for seminary students and will help a new generation better grasp the message of the New Testament.