Scholars continue to unearth valuable understandings of the historical and religious worlds out of which the New Testament writings emerged. This beautifully-crafted introduction notes more than two dozen contextual crises and how the biblical text addresses and reflects them. From the ministry of Jesus, to the rise and progress of the Christian movement, to the epistles of Paul and other leaders, to a vision of God's final cosmic victory, the New Testament books are succinctly introduced in literary, historical, and theological perspectives. Designed for optimal use in a 14- or a 10-week undergraduate or graduate course, each chapter is designed with four primary features in mind: (a) contextual crises shedding light on the subject; (b) connections with the biblical writings being discussed in that chapter; (c) primary features of the book(s) being discussed; and (d) an application section dealing with the relevance of the biblical content then and now. Anderson also uses call-out boxes and shorter vignettes to heighten particular themes, while images, charts, and maps are used to make information accessible for students.
