The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings

Featuring vibrant full color throughout, the eighth edition of Bart D. Ehrman's highly successful introduction approaches the New Testament from a consistently historical and comparative perspective, emphasizing the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. New to this edition, Hugo Méndez has brought fresh perspectives to the text. Distinctive to this study is The New Testament's unique focus on the historical, literary, and religious milieux of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism. As part of its historical orientation, the book also discusses other Christian writings that were roughly contemporary with the New Testament, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the letters of Ignatius.

About the Author :
Bart D. Ehrman is James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has written or edited thirty-three books, including six New York Times best sellers. His publications include A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, Fifth Edition (2020) and After the New Testament, Second Edition (2014), both published by Oxford University Press. Hugo Méndez is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches New Testament and Early Christianity. He is the author of The Cult of Stephen in Jerusalem: Inventing a Patron Martyr (2016), published by Oxford University Press.

Review :
The depth of the scholarship and the exhaustive content in The New Testament is impressive. The exploration of the New Testament documents from a historical and exegetical perspective is invaluable. Ehrman's writing style is engaging, conversationalist, and easy to follow. I can imagine him in a conversation with his students as he wrote the book. Excellent. The book's main strengths are its impeccable scholarship and clarity of explanation. It's the only textbook I use in any course. The New Testament draws from a rich consultation with numerous resources, aptly distributed, so that Ehrman gives a nod to all parties, policies, and nuances. His prose style is substantive and accessible and his treatment of theological platforms is respectfully acknowledged. The book's advantage is its appeal to 21st-century students. Ehrman and Mendéz's new edition features an array of stunning full-colour images throughout and, as ever, includes a wide variety of maps, timelines and diagrams. Its text-box summaries and "Take a Stand" prompts for further discussion all combine to render this one of the most student-centred text-books on the market, and a must-have for those who teach courses in New Testament or Early Christianity.