Introducing the New Testament
Overview
John Drane's Introducing the New Testament has long been recognized as probably the most authoritative and accessible survey of the subject, both for students and for general readers. This revision of this classic work takes full account of recent scholarly developments in areas such as the historical Jesus, the theologies of the four Gospels, and the role of St Paul in the transformation of Christianity from a first-century Jewish sect into a separate movement that was to spread throughout the world. This revision also includes a substantial new chapter on the interpretation of the New Testament. Introducing the New Testament is a book for all who want to be better informed about the foundation documents of the world's largest and most powerful religion.
Top Highlights
“Jesus seems, therefore, to have understood this idea of God’s kingdom in at least two ways: on the one hand, as God’s guidance in the lives of those who would be disciples, and on the other hand, as something that God would somehow display to the world at large. Both these concepts were already found in the expectations of the Old Testament writers.” (Page 114)
“Within twenty years of Jesus’ crucifixion, every major centre of Roman civilization could boast at least one group of his followers.” (Pages 10–11)
“Paul, believed that the Old Testament Law was not directly relevant to the Christian life.” (Page 419)
“Such ambiguities eventually led to what can appropriately be described as a failure of nerve in the Hellenistic world. While the philosophers had discredited traditional ways of making sense out of life, they had failed to establish a plausible alternative, and as a result huge numbers of people found themselves in a moral and spiritual vacuum. There was no shortage of religious ideas that could fill the gap, and people whose confidence in their inherited spiritualities had been eroded were ready to try anything that might give them new hope in an uncertain world.” (Page 19)
“However, what really distinguished Jesus from other rabbis of his day, was the fact that it was not among simple peasants on the shores of the inland Sea of Galilee that his teaching made its greatest impact. In a very short time after his death, his personality and his beliefs were having a profound effect in places far removed from the shores of Palestine.” (Pages 10–11)
John Drane (PhD, University of Manchester) taught practical theology at the universities of Stirling and Aberdeen, and is currently a Fellow of St John’s College, Durham, and an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, California. He is widely known for his best-selling books on the Bible: Introducing the Old Testament and Introducing the New Testament.
Reviews
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Simon Hill
9/4/2014
John Vignol
7/24/2013