This survey of intertestamental Judaism illuminates the customs and controversies that provide essential background for understanding the New Testament. Scott opens a door into the Jewish world and literature leading up to the development of Christianity. He also offers an accessible overview of the data through helpful charts, maps, and diagrams incorporated throughout the text to engage his readers.

When the New Testament authors wrote their inspired documents, they assumed that their readers were familiar with the customs and controversies of the Jewish tradition. Modern-day readers, however, do not have the luxury of intuitively knowing what the original readers knew. In Customs and Controversies Julius Scott adeptly surveys this body of knowledge. Scott makes readily available what scholarly research and recent archaeology have to tell us about Intertestamental Judaism. He presents up-to-date information on the efforts to reconstruct Old Testament institutions, the scribal traditions, the religious sects (including the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the community of Qumran), as well as Judaism's thinking on such matters as the final age, the kingdom of God, the messianic hope, and the Gentiles.

New to this expanded & updated edition are revisions of Ferguson's original material, updated bibliographies, & a fresh dicussion of first century social life, the Dead Sea Scrolls & much else.

Larry R. Helyer provides an introduction and historical context for the wealth of Jewish literature outside the Hebrew Bible, and he explores the pressures, realities, questions and dreams that nurtured and provoked these written works.

Discovering the New Testament is a new and comprehensive introduction to the New Testament in three volumes, reflecting current research and scholarship in New Testament studies. Each volume provides a thorough discussion of background issues as well as treating theological themes and practical application. The first volume on the Gospels and Acts covers Jewish and Greco--Roman backgrounds, critical methodologies, the synoptic problem, and surveys each of the four gospels and Acts. It concludes with three chapters that explore the key theme of the kingdom of God, including its Old Testament background, the place of miracles, and an examination of Jesus' parables. Ideal for college or seminary students, the volumes provide numerous maps and charts, as well as discussion questions for each chapter and a focus on real--life relevance and application. Forthcoming volumes will focus on Paul (Vol. 2) and the general epistles and Revelation (Vol. 3).

This lively, engaging introduction to the New Testament is critical yet faith-friendly, lavishly illustrated, and accompanied by a variety of pedagogical aids, including sidebars, maps, tables, charts, diagrams, and suggestions for further reading. The full-color interior features art from around the world that illustrates the New Testament's impact on history and culture. The first edition has been well received (over 60,000 copies sold). This new edition has been thoroughly revised in response to professor feedback and features an updated interior design. It offers expanded coverage of the New Testament world in a new chapter on Jewish backgrounds, features dozens of new works of fine art from around the world, and provides extensive new online material for students and professors available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.

This volume addresses the most important issues related to the study of New Testament writings. Two respected senior scholars have brought together a team of distinguished specialists to introduce the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman backgrounds necessary for understanding the New Testament and the early church. Contributors include renowned scholars such as Lynn H. Cohick, David A. deSilva, James D. G. Dunn, and Ben Witherington III. The book includes seventy-five photographs, fifteen maps, numerous tables and charts, illustrations, and bibliographies. All students of the New Testament will value this reliable, up-to-date, comprehensive textbook and reference volume on the New Testament world.