The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians

Finally: an introduction that captures the excitement of the early Christians, helping today's readers to think like a first-century believer while reading the text responsibly for today.

The New Testament in Its World is your passageway to a much-larger world. A highly-readable, one-volume introduction placing the entire New Testament and early Christianity in its original context, it is the only such work by distinguished scholar and author N. T. (Tom) Wright.

In short, The New Testament in Its World brings together decades of ground-breaking research, writing, and teaching into one volume that will open readers' eyes to the larger world of the New Testament. It presents the New Testament books as a historical, literary, and social phenomena located in the world of Second Temple Judaism, amidst Greco-Roman politics and culture, and within early Christianity.

An ideal guide for students, The New Testament in Its World addresses the many difficult questions faced by those studying early Christianity. Both large and small, these questions include:

• What is the purpose of the New Testament?
• What was the first-century understanding of the kingdom?
• What is the real meaning of the resurrection in its original context?
• What really were the Gospels?
• Who was Paul and why are his letters so controversial?
• As twenty-first-century people, how do we recover the excitement of what it was like to live as Christians in the first or second centuries

Written for both classroom and personal use, the benefits of The New Testament in Its World include:

• A distillation of the life work of N. T. Wright on the New Testament with input from Michael Bird
• Historical background that situates Jesus and the early church within the history, culture, and religion of Second Temple Judaism and the Greco-Roman world
• Major sections on the historical Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and Paul's chronology and theology
• Surveys of each New Testament book that discuss their significance, critical topics like authorship and date, and that provide commentary on contents along with implications for the Christian life
• Up-to-date discussions of textual criticism and the canonization of the New Testament
• A concluding chapter dedicated to living the story of the New Testament
• Available Video and Workbook companion resources to enhance learning and experience the world of the New Testament
• Illustrated with numerous pictures, maps, charts, diagrams, and artwork; numerous sidebars provide additional explanations and insights

The New Testament in Its World begins with an overview of how to read the New Testament, and then surveys its historical background to orient readers to the world of Jesus and the early church. This look at the politics, philosophy, and culture of the time provides critical context for understanding the message of Jesus and the apostles.

Against this backdrop, the authors recount the central story of the New Testament--Jesus' inauguration of the kingdom of God and the new creation through his life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Along the way they explore vital issues such as Jesus' historicity, his identity as the Messiah, and the significance of his resurrection.

The next section explores the life and theology of Paul, who unfolds the significance of Jesus' life and ministry, and applies these to the issues faced by the early churches. Wright and Bird survey all of Paul's letters, providing a compact commentary on each, based on Wright's groundbreaking work on Paul's thought and its relevance for believers today.

They then turn to the gospels, written after Paul's letters, followed by the general epistles and Revelation, explaining the background, critical issues, important teachings, and contemporary applications for each.

A concluding section brings all of the previous threads together to help readers understand how their personal story fits into the larger story of God's redemption. Readers will not only be equipped with all of the background information needed to understand the New Testament, but will see it as one cohesive story in which they are invited to play a vital role through their own lives and circumstances.