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The New Testament History, Culture, and Society: A Background to the texts of the New Testament
This volume offers valuable perspectives from biblical scholars on the background of the New Testament texts, including the Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures of the time. It ranges from the law of Moses and intertestamental period to the First Jewish Revolt of AD-66-73 and the canonization of the New Testament. Over forty New Testament scholars and experts contributed to this comprehensive volume. Here is just a small sampling of those Robert L. Millet, John W. Welch, Andrew C. Skinner, Kent P. Jackson, Thomas A. Wayment, Terry B. Ball, Noel Reynolds, and Frank F. Judd Jr. The book is divided into several themes, including Jesus in the Gospels, the Apostle Paul, New Testament issues and contexts, and what transpired after the New Testament.
848 pages, Hardcover
Published May 13, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 20, 2019
It was Elizabeth Reid's Deseret News review (see her article link on Goodreads) that led me to put my name on the (very short) reserve list at the library so I could check this book out and dive in.
Be warned, this what Harry Potter's Hermione Granger would check out for a bit of "light reading," this book is HUGE! 785 pages, 43 essay-type chapters divided into seven sections covering a plethora of subjects for the interested scholar. Elizabeth Reid's review was published waaay back in Aug 2019, I had to use all three library renewals and I STILL wasn't able to finish it. Today is November 19, 2019, this book is due back tomorrow and at a hefty $40 at Deseret Book, I won't be purchasing it any time soon. Don't get me wrong, while there's something in here for everyone, I gave it two stars for going a bit overboard on the information overload. A good reference book, but impossible to read cover to cover. A more watered down version for the common reader would've been a better publishing approach.
The chapter/essays I enjoyed reading most were "Jewish Hermeneutics in the New Testament" which explained why Jesus' preaching in parables and using one well known scripture passage to explain and build upon many others was quite common and we know Jesus took it much much further.
"Rabbinic LIterature and the New Testament" and the fascinating idea that Jesus' trial was not necessarily "illegal" as some General Conference speakers have hinted. I appreciated the further insight into Jewish law that Western readers wouldn't understand unless it was explained as it is here.
What this book really needed was more chapters like Robert L. Millet (already a popular author of several church published books on the Savior) "The Mediator of the New Covenant" which provided wonderful new insights on the life and purpose of Christ's ministry and his part in the Great Plan.
To my delight, I found "The Noncanonical Gospels" or the Apocrypha which is a fascinating subject of study. When I took New Testament-Life of Christ-at the University of Utah Institute, the teacher shared these same Aprocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas texts with further insights into young Jesus' life and what he was like as a child all of which may or may not be true-manipulating pools of water, creating live birds out of mud and scaring all the local children and their parents who went to Joseph complaining about his special needs child.
There were two essays on family and the roles of women in New Testament times, "Women and the World of the New Testament" and "Family, Marriage, and Celibacy in the New Testament" which were good but focused more on the post-Pentecostal gospels where more women are mentioned by name.
This is a book worth reading, but it might take you a lifetime to get through it.
Be warned, this what Harry Potter's Hermione Granger would check out for a bit of "light reading," this book is HUGE! 785 pages, 43 essay-type chapters divided into seven sections covering a plethora of subjects for the interested scholar. Elizabeth Reid's review was published waaay back in Aug 2019, I had to use all three library renewals and I STILL wasn't able to finish it. Today is November 19, 2019, this book is due back tomorrow and at a hefty $40 at Deseret Book, I won't be purchasing it any time soon. Don't get me wrong, while there's something in here for everyone, I gave it two stars for going a bit overboard on the information overload. A good reference book, but impossible to read cover to cover. A more watered down version for the common reader would've been a better publishing approach.
The chapter/essays I enjoyed reading most were "Jewish Hermeneutics in the New Testament" which explained why Jesus' preaching in parables and using one well known scripture passage to explain and build upon many others was quite common and we know Jesus took it much much further.
"Rabbinic LIterature and the New Testament" and the fascinating idea that Jesus' trial was not necessarily "illegal" as some General Conference speakers have hinted. I appreciated the further insight into Jewish law that Western readers wouldn't understand unless it was explained as it is here.
What this book really needed was more chapters like Robert L. Millet (already a popular author of several church published books on the Savior) "The Mediator of the New Covenant" which provided wonderful new insights on the life and purpose of Christ's ministry and his part in the Great Plan.
To my delight, I found "The Noncanonical Gospels" or the Apocrypha which is a fascinating subject of study. When I took New Testament-Life of Christ-at the University of Utah Institute, the teacher shared these same Aprocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas texts with further insights into young Jesus' life and what he was like as a child all of which may or may not be true-manipulating pools of water, creating live birds out of mud and scaring all the local children and their parents who went to Joseph complaining about his special needs child.
There were two essays on family and the roles of women in New Testament times, "Women and the World of the New Testament" and "Family, Marriage, and Celibacy in the New Testament" which were good but focused more on the post-Pentecostal gospels where more women are mentioned by name.
This is a book worth reading, but it might take you a lifetime to get through it.
December 25, 2022
This is a very large scholarly book with 40+ chapters written by an array of academics on various New Testament related topics. Each chapter is designed to provide greater context and background information of various kinds to assist the reader in gaining greater understanding of and appreciation for the New Testament and the world of the people and events it describes.
I found some of the chapters in the book far more interesting and helpful than others, but overall the volume has a wealth of information and also points to a lot of valuable other sources for additional study. I appreciated the many things I learned from this volume. No doubt reading this book has made a big difference in my understanding of the New Testament, and will continue to inform my study as I study it again in the future. The most interesting chapters to me were probably those on Roman law, the translation of the King James Version of the New Testament and the limitations it has, the translation/text issues of the New Testament with the various Greek manuscripts and the variations between them, the chapter on the Joseph Smith translation, the chapter about the allusions to the New Testament in the Doctrine and Covenants, and the doctrinal chapters about the atonement, resurrection, etc. That is not to say the other chapters weren't valuable as well, but some of them didn't catch my interest as much or seem as relevant to me as others.
I found some of the chapters in the book far more interesting and helpful than others, but overall the volume has a wealth of information and also points to a lot of valuable other sources for additional study. I appreciated the many things I learned from this volume. No doubt reading this book has made a big difference in my understanding of the New Testament, and will continue to inform my study as I study it again in the future. The most interesting chapters to me were probably those on Roman law, the translation of the King James Version of the New Testament and the limitations it has, the translation/text issues of the New Testament with the various Greek manuscripts and the variations between them, the chapter on the Joseph Smith translation, the chapter about the allusions to the New Testament in the Doctrine and Covenants, and the doctrinal chapters about the atonement, resurrection, etc. That is not to say the other chapters weren't valuable as well, but some of them didn't catch my interest as much or seem as relevant to me as others.
August 20, 2019
I really, really, really liked this book. Learning about ancient Jewish culture facts was absolutely intriguing. Read my full review for the Deseret News here: https://www.deseret.com/2019/8/11/208...
May 9, 2024
I didn’t read this whole book. There were some chapters that did not appeal to me. I read the majority of them, about 1 chapter per week. I enjoyed having different authors. And I enjoyed reading this as a companion to my New Testament study.
August 26, 2019
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand the culture and history of the New Testament. This volume covers a wide range of topics and is engaging on many levels.
November 22, 2021
785 pages so it’s a long book. It takes dedication to read it. Most of the chapters were fascinating and full of knowledge. I really loved what I learned from it.
reference
June 26, 2023Historical and doctrinal essays.
December 16, 2023
I skipped around a bit... this was very dense and scholarly.
June 20, 2024
An academic/historical perspective of global and local issues within the New Testament with an LDS perspective. Rigor is better than usual, and insights are incredible.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews