The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings
Ehrman (Bart D.)
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Amazon Product Description

  1. This new edition of Bart Ehrman's highly successful introduction approaches the New Testament from a new consistently historical and comparative perspective, emphasizing the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. Rather than shying away from the critical problems presented by these books, Ehrman addresses the historical and literary challenges they pose and shows why scholars continue to argue over such significant issues as how the books of the New Testament came into being, what they mean, how they relate to contemporary Christian and non-Christian literature, and how they came to be collected into a canon of Scripture. Distinctive to this study is its emphasis on the historical, literary, and religious milieu of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism. As part of its historical orientation, this text also discusses works by other Christian writers who were roughly contemporary with the New Testament, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the letters of Ignatius. The volume is enhanced by two color inserts, one on illuminated manuscripts and the other on archaeology. New to this1 edition:
    • Additional material on archaeology, including a new eight-page color insert
    • "What to Expect" and "At a Glance" boxes that provide summaries of the material covered in each chapter
    • Several new "Something to Think About" and "Some More Information" boxes
    • More extensive treatments of Judaism and of the role of women in the history of early Christianity
    • Nine new illustrations
    • An Instructor's Manual2 containing chapter summaries, discussion questions, and possible examination questions
    • A Website Study Guide at3 OUP Learning Links: Ehrman, The New Testament 7e, offering chapter summaries, glossary terms, guides for reading, and self-quizzes for students.
    • The Introduction to the First Edition mentions a very useful Link (Defunct).
  2. Ideal for undergraduate and seminary classes in the New Testament, Biblical Studies, and Christian Origins, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 3/e, is an accessible, clearly written introduction that encourages students to consider the historical issues surrounding these writings.
Amazon Customer4 Review
  1. This book is quite well written and closely argued, but as an introduction to the subject matter it fails on at least one important level: Unlike, say, John Drane's "Introduction to the New Testament", it does not introduce us to a representative sample of scholarly thought. Instead it mainly argues the case for Ehrman's own position, and in the process it takes for granted certain assumptions that are more widely contested than he seems willing to admit. In other words, there is a tendency to cite opinions that other equally reputable scholars would contest as though they were established fact.
  2. Another difficulty with using this book as an introduction to the subject is that Ehrman does not give the reader enough assistance in investigating his influences and antecedents. Thus he makes some quite radical assertions (e.g. challenging the traditional view that the oral traditions of pre-literate societies tend to be transmitted reliably) without the conventional footnotes quoting authorities and sources. Apart from some general further reading suggestions at the end of chapters, Ehrman's assertions along the lines that "recent research has shown" or "it is now accepted" have to be taken on his say-so alone.
  3. Actually, Ehrman's antecedents are fairly obvious to anyone who has read theology - he continues the tradition of 19th century liberals like Wrede (and their 20th century disciples like Bultmann) who drew a sharp distinction between (i) the Jesus of history and (ii) the Christ of the Church's faith, and assumes that the Bible can only inform us about the latter. And yet the impressive work of N.T. (Tom) Wright, founder of the so-called "Third Quest for the Historical Jesus" raises at very least the possibility (and for many people the near-certainty) that the supposed dichotomy between Jesus and the Christ results from a flaw in post-Enlightenment intellectual methodologies (the very flaw against which post-modernity is a dangerous over-reaction).
  4. A further problem is that Ehrman goes a stage beyond Reimarus, Wrede and so on in his assumptions that first century Christian thought was at least as heterodox as we know second century thought to have been, that the ascendancy of the orthodox "brand" of Christianity was simply by a process of natural selection, and that generations of "proto-orthodox" NT redactors constantly and consciously changed and added to the texts as they went along - their intention being to filter out any ideas that seemed to challenge their prejudices and to provide ammunition in the fight against "heresy". This position is not systematically spelled out in the book under review (for that, see one of Ehrman's other books, "The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture"), but it needs stating here because these a prioris inform his whole approach to the subject.
  5. This is more radical than it may sound, because it would imply that the four canonical Gospels are not necessarily any more authoritative as insights into the historical Jesus than the Gnostic and other apocryphal writings of the second century such as the "Gospel of Thomas". In fact, the very starting point for Ehrman's main discourse is the non-uniqueness of the traditionally-supposed key points of Jesus' life: He begins by recounting the miraculous birth, life, death and resurrection of a man the readers is allowed to assume is Jesus, but then (surprise!) turns out to be Appollonius of Tyana, a mythical miracle worker whose exploits are chronicled in the "histories" of Philostratus.
  6. Ehrman's book has many good points. Its discussion of Markan priority is the most lucid I have read, and its assessment of the historical background to each of the biblical Gospels is also outstanding. My problems with the book arise from its shuttered perspective. In the context of a more open discussion, the author could have argued his own opinions just as coherently and with less danger of giving the inexperienced student a one-sided view of the issues.
Brief Table of Contents
  1. What Is the New Testament? The Early Christians and Their Literature - 1
  2. The World of Early Christian Traditions - 18
  3. The Traditions of Jesus in Their Greco-Roman Context - 48
  4. The Christian Gospels: A Literary and Historical Introduction - 61
  5. Jesus, the Suffering Son of God: The Gospel according to Mark - 67
  6. The Synoptic Problem and Its Significance for Interpretation - 83
  7. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah: The Gospel according to Matthew - 92
  8. Jesus, the Savior of the World: The Gospel according to Luke -112
  9. Luke's Second Volume: The Acts of the Apostles - 132
  10. Jesus, the Man Sent from Heaven: The Gospel according to John - 154
  11. From John's Jesus to the Gnostic Christ: The Johannine Epistles and Beyond - 176
  12. Jesus from Different Perspectives: Other Gospels in Early Christianity - 195
  13. The Historical Jesus: Sources, Problems, and Methods - 210
  14. Excursus: The Historian and the Problem of Miracle - 225
  15. Jesus in Context - 231
  16. Jesus, the Apocalyptic Prophet - 250
  17. From Jesus to the Gospels - 274
  18. Paul the Apostle: The Man and His Mission - 285
  19. Paul and His Apostolic Mission: 1 Thessalonians as a Test Case - 302
  20. Paul and the Crises of His Churches: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon - 316
  21. The Gospel according to Paul: The Letter to the Romans - 348
  22. Does the Tradition Miscarry? Paul in Relation to Jesus, James, Thecla, and Theudas - 362
  23. In the Wake of the Apostle: The Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles - 372
  24. From Paul's Female Colleagues to the Pastor's Intimidated Women: The Oppression of Women in Early Christianity - 395
  25. Christians and Jews: Hebrews, Barnabas, and Later Anti-Jewish Literature - 408
  26. Christians and Pagans: 1 Peter, the Letters of Ignatius, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, and Later Apologetic Literature - 426
  27. Christians and Christians: James, the Didache, Polycarp, 1 Clement, Jude, and 2 Peter - 445
  28. Christians and the Cosmos: The Revelation of John, The Shepherd of Hermas, and the Apocalypse of Peter - 461
  29. Epilogue: Do We Have the Original New Testament? - 479
    Glossary of Terms - 491
    Index - 499


In-Page Footnotes ("Ehrman (Bart D.) - The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings")

Footnote 1: This text does appear to relate to the 2003 Third Edition, which I have – I took it from the back cover, after all!. Unfortunately, Ehrman has brought out two further editions since then – the Fifth dating from 2011.

Footnote 2: I’m not sure where this is – maybe it’s downloadable from somewhere? There seems to be something on-line: Link, but unfortunately you need to log in to access it.

Footnote 3: The web reference automatically re-routes, but allows you to further link to Link after a couple of clicks.

Footnote 4: This review is not by me, but seems very sensible. Ehrman’s work has to be taken with a pinch of salt, even by those of a liberal persuasion.

Book Comment

OUP USA; 3 edition (4 Sep 2003)


"Ehrman (Bart D.) - The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings"

Source: Ehrman (Bart D.) - The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings


Contents
  • Maps, Time Lines, and Diagrams - xx
  • Preface to the Third Edition - xxi
  • Preface to the Second Edition - xxiii
  • Preface to the First Edition - xxv
  • Acknowledgments - xxvii
  • Notes on Suggestions for Further Reading - xxix
  • Credits - xxx
  • Master Time Line - xxxi
  1. WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT? THE EARLY CHRISTIANS AND THEIR LITERATURE - 1
      … Box 1.1 The Canon of Scripture - 2
    • The Diversity of Early Christianity - 2
      … ... Box 1.2 The Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament - 4
    • The New Testament Canon of Scripture - 8
      … ... Box 1.3 The Common Era and Before the Common Era - 9
      … ... Box 1.4 The Layout of the New Testament - 10
      … ... Box 1.5 The New Testament: One Other Set of Problems - 12
    • Implications for Our Study - 13
      … ... Box 1.6 The New Testament Canon - 15
    • Excursus: Some Additional Reflections: The Historian and the Believer - 15
  2. THE WORLD OF EARLY CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS - 18
    • The Problem of Beginnings - 18
    • One Remarkable Life - 19
      ... Box 2.1 Pagan and Gentile - 20
      ... Box 2.2 The Greco-Roman World - 21
      The Environment of the New Testament: Religions in the Greco-Roman World - 23
      ... Box 2.3 The Roman Empire - 28
      ... Box 2.4 Divine Rulers as Savior Gods - 30
      ... Box 2.5 Christianity as a Mystery Cult - 34
    • Judaism as a Greco-Roman Religion - 35
      ... Box 2.6 The Septuagint: The Hebrew Bible in Greek - 38
      ... Box 2.7 Women in the Synagogues - 43
      ... Box 2.8 Other Jewish Miracle-Working Sons of God - 44
      ... Box 2.9 The World of Early Christianity - 45
  3. THE TRADITIONS OF JESUS IN THEIR GRECO-ROMAN CONTEXT - 48
    • Oral Traditions behind the Gospels - 49
      … Box 3.1 Orality and Literacy in the Ancient World - 54
      ... Box 3.2 Mark and John on the Time of Jesus' Death - 57
      ... Box 3.3 The Traditions of Jesus - 58
    • Some Additional Reflections: The Authors of the Gospels - 58
  4. THE CHRISTIAN GOSPELS: A LITERARY AND HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION - 61
    • The Question of Genre - 62
    • Biography as a Greco-Roman Genre - 62
      ... Box 4.1 Plutarch on Biography - 63
    • The Gospels as Ancient Biographies - 64
    • ... Box 4.2 The Christian Gospels - 65
  5. JESUS, THE SUFFERING SON OF GOD: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK - 67
    • The Beginning of the Gospel: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God Who Fulfils the Scripture - 68
      ... Box 5.1 The Jewish Messiah - 68
    • Jesus the Authoritative Son of God - 70
    • Jesus the Opposed Son of God - 71
      ... Box 5.2 Jewish Scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, and Chief Priests - 71
      ... Box 5.3 Jesus' Opponents in Mark - 72
    • Jesus the Misunderstood Son of God - 74
    • Jesus the Acknowledged Son of God - 74
      ... Box 5.4 The Messianic Secret in Mark - 75
    • Jesus the Suffering Son of God - 76
      ... Box 5.5 Son of God and Son of Man - 77
    • Jesus the Crucified Son of God - 78
      ... Box 5.6 The Charge of Blasphemy according to Mark - 79
    • Jesus the Vindicated Son of God - 79
    • Conclusion: Mark and His Readers - 80
      ... Box 5.7 The Gospel of Mark - 82
  6. THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR INTERPRETATION - 83
    • Methods for Studying the Gospels - 83
    • The Synoptic Problem - 84
      ... Box 6.1 Ironing Out the Problems: One Potential Difficulty in Mark's Account - 87
      ... Box 6.2 The Contents of Q - 88
    • The Methodological Significance of the Four-Source Hypothesis - 89
      ... Box 6.3 The Synoptic Problem 90
  7. JESUS, THE JEWISH MESSIAH: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW - 92
    • The Importance of Beginnings: Jesus the Jewish Messiah in Fulfilment of the Jewish Scriptures - 93
      ... Box 7.1 Matthew's Scheme of Fourteen - 95
      ... Box 7.2 The Women in Matthew's Genealogy - 97
    • Jesus and His Forerunner from Matthew's Perspective - 98
    • The Portrayal of Jesus in Matthew: The Sermon on the Mount as a Springboard - 100
      ... Box 7.3 The Golden Rule - 103
    • Jesus and the Jewish Cultic Practices Prescribed by the Law - 104
    • Jesus Rejected by the Jewish Leaders - 105
      ... Box 7.4 Gentiles in Matthew's Community - 106
    • Matthew and His Readers - 108
      ... Box 7.5 Was Matthew a Jew? - 109
      ... Box 7.6 Matthew 110
  8. JESUS, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - 112
    • The Comparative Method and the Gospel of Luke - 113
    • A Comparative Overview of the Gospel - 114
    • The Preface to Luke's Gospel - 114
      ... Box 8.1 Apologetic Literature in Early Christianity - 116
    • Luke's Birth Narrative in Comparative Perspective - 117
      ... Box 8.2 Historical Problems with Luke's Birth Narrative - 118
      ... Box 8.3 The Virginal Conception in Matthew and Luke - 119
    • From Jew to Gentile: Luke's Portrayal of Jesus the Rejected Prophet - 122
    • Luke's Distinctive Emphases throughout His Gospel - 123
      ... Box 8.4 Jesus' Bloody Sweat in Luke - 124
      ... Box 8.5 Jesus as a Righteous Martyr - 125
      ... Box 8.6 The Institution of the Lord's Supper in Luke - 128
    • Conclusion: Luke in Comparative Perspective - 129
      ... Box 8.7 Luke 130
  9. LUKE'S SECOND VOLUME: THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 132
    • The Genre of Acts and Its Significance - 133
      ... Box 9.1 The Book of Acts: An Ancient Novel? - 134
    • The Thematic Approach to Acts - 135
    • From Gospel to Acts: The Opening Transition - 135
      ... Box 9.2 Luke's Mysterious Two Men - 137
      ... Box 9.3 Luke's Artistry as a Storyteller 1 - 138
      ... Box 9.4 Luke's Artistry as a Storyteller 2 - 139
    • Themes in the Speeches in Acts - 139
      ... Box 9.5 The Death of Judas - 141
      ... Box 9.6 Christianity before Paul - 147
      ... Box 9.7 The Book of Acts - 148
    • Excursus: The Author of Luke-Acts and His Audience - 149
    • Conclusion: The Author and His Themes in Context - 151
  10. JESUS, THE MAN SENT FROM HEAVEN: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN - 154
    • The Gospel of John from a Literary-Historical Perspective - 155
      ... Box 10.1 Jesus' Signs in the Fourth Gospel - 156
      ... Box 10.2 "The Jews" in the Fourth Gospel - 157
    • The Gospel of John from a Thematic Perspective - 158
    • The Gospel of John from a Comparative Perspective - 158
      ... Box 10.3 Signs and Faith in the Fourth Gospel - 161
      ... Box 10.4 Jesus and the "I Am" Sayings in John - 162
    • The Gospel of John from a Redactional Perspective - 163
    • The Socio-Historical Method - 167
      ... Box 10.5 The Death of the Beloved Disciple in the Johannine Community - 167
    • The Gospel of John from a Socio-Historical Perspective - 168
      ... Box 10.6 John's De-Apocalypticized Gospel - 173
    • The Author of the Fourth Gospel - 174
      ... Box 10.7 The Gospel of John - 174
  11. FROM JOHN'S JESUS TO THE GNOSTIC CHRIST: THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES AND BEYOND 176
    • The Questions of Genre and Author - 177
      ... Box 11.1 A Letter from Greco-Roman Egypt - 178
    • The New Testament Epistolary Literature and the Contextual Method - 179
      ... Box 11.2 The Gospel and Epistles of John: Some Thematic Similarities - 180
    • The Johannine Epistles from a Contextual Perspective - 181
    • Reflections on the Contextual Method - 183
      ... Box 11.3 House Churches in Early Christianity - 184
      ... Box 11.4 The Johannine Epistles - 185
    • Beyond the Johannine Community: The Rise of Christian Gnosticism - 185
      ... Box 11.5 How Do You Know a Gnostic When You See One? - 188
      ... Box 11.6 Gnostics and the Jewish Scriptures - 190
    • Gnostics and the Johannine Community - 192
      ... Box 11.7 Gnosticism 193
  12. JESUS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES: OTHER GOSPELS IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY - 195
    • Narrative Gospels - 196
      ... Box 12.1 The Gospel of the Ebionites and Early Gospel Harmonies - 198
    • Sayings Gospels - 201
      ... Box 12.2 Judas Thomas as Jesus' Twin Brother - 202
      ... Box 12.3 The Older Sayings of the Gospel of Thomas - 205
    • Infancy Gospels - 207
    • Conclusion: The Other Gospels - 208
      ... Box 12.4 The Other Gospels - 208
  13. THE HISTORICAL JESUS: SOURCES, PROBLEMS, AND METHODS - 210
    • Problems with Sources - 211
    • Non-Christian Sources - 211
      ... Box 13.1 Christianity as a Superstition in the Roman World - 213
      ... Box 13.2 The Testimony of Flavius Josephus - 214
    • Christian Sources - 215
    • Using Our Sources: Some of the Basic Rules of Thumb - 217
    • Specific Criteria and Their Rationale - 218
      ... Box 13.3 Aramaisms as a Criterion of Authenticity - 219
    • Conclusion: Reconstructing the Life of Jesus - 223
      ... Box 13.4 The Sources for the Historical Jesus - 223
  14. EXCURSUS: THE HISTORIAN AND THE PROBLEM OF MIRACLE - 225
    • Miracles in the Modern World and in Antiquity - 226
    • The Historian and Historical Method - 227
      ... Box 14.1 The Problem of Miracles - 229
  15. JESUS IN CONTEXT 231
    • Political Crises in Palestine and Their Ramifications - 232
      ... Box 15.1 Flavius Josephus - 233
    • The Formation of Jewish Sects - 235
      ... Box 15.2 Divine Revelation in the Dead Sea Scrolls - 238
    • Popular Modes of Resistance to Oppression - 241
    • An Ideology of Resistance - 244
      ... Box 15.3 Prophecy and Apocalypticism - 247
    • Jesus in His Apocalyptic Context - 248
      ... Box 15.4 First-Century Palestinian Judaism - 248
  16. JESUS, THE APOCALYPTIC PROPHET - 250
    • Considering the Rules of Thumb - 250
    • Considering the Specific Criteria - 251
      ... Box 16.1 O Little Town of Nazareth - 252
      ... Box 16.2 Jesus of Sepphoris? - 254
    • The Beginning and End as Keys to the Middle - 255
    • The Apocalyptic Deeds of Jesus - 256
      ... Box 16.3 Explaining Away the Apocalyptic Traditions: Seeking the Lost - 257
      ... Box 16.4 Explaining Away the Apocalyptic Traditions: Setting a Date - 258
      ... Box 16.5 Was Jesus a Cynic Philosopher? - 259
      ... Box 16.6 The Temple Incident as an Enacted Parable - 260
      ... Box 16.7 Another Apocalyptic Jesus - 263
    • The Apocalyptic Teachings of Jesus - 264
      ... Box 16.8 The Cosmic Deliverer of Israel - 267
      ... Box 16.9 Jesus and "Family Values" - 269
    • The Apocalyptic Death of Jesus - 270
      ... Box 16.10 Jesus and Judas, the Betrayer - 272
      ... Box 16.11 Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet - 272
  17. FROM JESUS TO THE GOSPELS - 274
    • The Beginning of Christianity - 275
    • Jesus' Resurrection from an Apocalyptic Perspective - 276
      ... Box 17.1 The Women and the Empty Tomb - 277
      ... Box 17.2 Jesus, the Messiah, and the Resurrection - 278
    • Jesus' Death, according to the Scriptures - 279
    • The Emergence of Different Understandings of Jesus - 280
      ... Box 17.3 Vicarious Suffering in Jewish Martyrologies and Other Greco-Roman Literature - 281
      ... Box 17.4 From Jesus to the Gospels - 283
  18. PAUL THE APOSTLE: THE MAN AND HIS MISSION - 285
    • The Study of Paul: Methodological Difficulties - 286
      ... Box 18.1 The Pauline Corpus - 287
      ... Box 18.2 Other Sources for the Life of Paul - 290
    • The Life of Paul - 291
      ... Box 18.3 Paul on the Road to Damascus - 295
      ... Box 18.4 Paul and His Mission - 300
  19. PAUL AND HIS APOSTOLIC MISSION: 1 THESSALONIANS AS A TEST CASE - 302
    • The Founding of the Church in Thessalonica - 303
    • The Beginnings of the Thessalonian Church: A Socio-Historical Perspective - 308
      ... Box 19.1 Rules for a Private Association - 310
    • The Church at Thessalonica after Paul's Departure - 311
      ... Box 19.2 Christians Maligned as Perverts and Criminals - 313
      ... Box 19.3 The Thessalonians' Perplexity - 314
    • Conclusion: Paul the Apostle - 314
      ... Box 19.4 Thessalonians - 315
  20. PAUL AND THE CRISES OF HIS CHURCHES: 1 AND 2 CORINTHIANS, GALATIANS, PHILIPPIANS, AND PHILEMON - 316
    • 1 Corinthians - 316
      ... Box 20.1 Possibilities of Existence in the Afterlife1 - 323
      ... Box 20.2 1 Corinthians - 326
    • 2 Corinthians - 326
      ... Box 20.3 The Partitioning of 2 Corinthians - 329
      ... Box 20.4 2 Corinthians - 331
    • Galatians - 331
      ... Box 20.5 The Logic of the Opponents' Position in Galatia - 334
      ... Box 20.6 Cephas and Peter - 335
      ... Box 20.7 Why Does Paul Appeal to the Law to Dispute This View of the Law? - 336
      ... Box 20.8 Galatians - 339
    • Philippians - 340
      ... Box 20.9 The Christ Hymn of Philippians - 342
      ... Box 20.10 Was Paul Contemplating Suicide? - 343
      ... Box 20.11 Philippians - 344
    • Philemon - 344
      ... Box 20.12 Philemon - 347
  21. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL: THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS - 348
    • The Occasion and Purpose of the Letter - 349
      ... Box 21.1 The Beginnings of the Roman Church - 350
    • The Theme of the Epistle - 351
      ... Box 21.2 Paul's Gospel to the Romans - 352
    • Pauline Models for Salvation - 353
      ... Box 21.3 Two Different Ways of Salvation in Paul? - 354
      ... Box 21.4 Judicial and Participationist Models of Salvation in Paul - 357
    • The Flow of Paul's Argument - 358
      ... Box 21.5 Other Models of Salvation in Paul - 359
    • Conclusion: Paul and the Romans - 360
      ... Box 21.6 Romans - 360
  22. DOES THE TRADITION MISCARRY? PAUL IN RELATION TO JESUS, JAMES, THECLA, AND THEUDAS - 362
    • Paul in Relation to What Came Before - 363
      ... Box 22.1 Jesus and Paul: Some of the Similarities - 365
      ... Box 22.2 Jesus and Paul: Some of the Differences - 366
    • Paul in Relation to What Came After - 367
    • Conclusion: Pauline Christianities - 370
      ... Box 22.3 Paul in Relation to What Came Before and After - 371
  23. IN THE WAKE OF THE APOSTLE: THE DEUTERO-PAULINE AND PASTORAL EPISTLES - 372
    • Pseudonymity in the Ancient World - 373
      ... Box 23.1 Paul's Third Letter to the Corinthians - 374
    • The Deutero-Pauline Epistles - 376
      ... Box 23.2 The Resurrection of Believers in Paul and Colossians - 379
      ... Box 23.3 The "Household Rules" in Colossians and Ephesians - 380
      ... Box 23.4 The Vocabulary of Salvation in Paul and Ephesians - 383
      ... Box 23.5 The Deutero-Pauline Epistles - 385
    • The Pastoral Epistles - 385
    • The Historical Situation and Authorship of the Pastoral Epistles - 388
      ... Box 23.6 Church Hierarchy in Ignatius - 392
    • Conclusion: The Post-Pauline Pastoral Epistles - 393
      ... Box 23.7 The Pastoral Epistles - 394
  24. FROM PAUL'S FEMALE COLLEAGUES TO THE PASTOR'S INTIMIDATED WOMEN: THE OPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY - 395
    • Women in Paul's Churches - 396
    • Women Associated with Jesus - 397
      ... Box 24.1 Mary Magdalane - 398
    • Paul's Understanding of Women in the Church - 400
    • Women in the Aftermath of Paul - 401
      ... Box 24.2 Similarities between 1 Tim 2:11-15 and 1 Cor 14:34-35 - 402
    • Ancient Ideologies of Gender - 403
    • Gender Ideology and the Pauline Churches - 405
      ... Box 24.3 Women in Early Christianity - 406
  25. CHRISTIANS AND JEWS: HEBREWS, BARNABAS, AND LATER ANTI-JEWISH LITERATURE - 408
    • Early Christian Self-Definition - 409
      ... Box 25.1 Early and Diverging Views of Christians and Jews - 410
    • Continuity and Superiority: The Epistle to the Hebrews - 411
      ... Box 25.2 Divergent Views of Christ in Hebrews - 413
      ... Box 25.3 Hebrews - 417
    • Discontinuity and Supremacy: The Epistle of Barnabas - 418
      ... Box 25.4 Six Thousand Years and Counting - 420
      ... Box 25.5 Gematria in Early Christianity - 421
      ... Box 25.6 The Epistle of Barnabas - 421
    • Conclusion: The Rise of Christian Anti-Judaism - 422
      ... Box 25.7 Melito's Passover Sermon - 424
  26. CHRISTIANS AND PAGANS: 1 PETER, THE LETTERS OF IGNATIUS, THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP, AND LATER APOLOGETIC LITERATURE - 426
    • The Persecution of the Early Christians - 426
      ... Box 26.1 The Christian Disruption of the Family: The Case of Perpetua - 429
    • Christians in a Hostile World: The Letter of 1 Peter - 431
      ... Box 26.2 The Spread of Christianity - 432
      ... Box 26.3 1 Peter - 436
    • Christians Sentenced to Death: The Letters of Ignatius - 436
      ... Box 26.4 An Alternative View of Christian Martyrdom - 438
      ... Box 26.5 The Letters of Ignatius - 440
    • Christians before the Tribunal: The Martyrdom of Polycarp - 440
      ... Box 26.6 The Martyrdom of Polycarp - 441
    • Christians on the Defense: The Later Apologetic Literature - 442
  27. CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANS: JAMES, THE DIDACHE, POLYCARP, 1 CLEMENT, JUDE, AND 2 PETER - 445
    • The Epistle of James - 446
    • The Didache - 447
      ... Box 27.1 The Development of the Lord's Prayer - 449
    • Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians - 450
      ... Box 27.2 Polycarp and the Early Christian Tradition - 452
    • 1 Clement - 453
      ... Box 27.3 Birds Raised from the Dead and Other Problems in the Corinthian Church - 455
    • Jude - 455
    • 2 Peter - 456
      ... Box 27.4 Peter, the Smoked Tuna, and the Flying Heretic - 457
    • Conclusion: Conflicts within the Early Christian Communities - 458
      ... Box 27.5 Christian Internal Conflicts - 459
  28. CHRISTIANS AND THE COSMOS: THE REVELATION OF JOHN, THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS, AND THE APOCALYPSE OF PETER - 461
    • Introduction: The End of the World and the Revelation of John - 461
    • The Content and Structure of the Book of Revelation - 462
    • The Book of Revelation from a Historical Perspective - 464
    • Apocalyptic Worldviews and Apocalypse Genre - 464
      ... Box 28.1 The Book of Revelation as Underground Literature - 466
      ... Box 28.2 The Author of Revelation in the Early Church - 467
    • The Revelation of John in Historical Context - 468
      ... Box 28.3 Futuristic Interpretations of the Book of Revelation - 471
      ... Box 28.4 The Book of Revelation - 474
    • The Shepherd of Hermas - 474
      ... Box 28.5 The Shepherd of Hermas and the Muratorian Canon - 475
    • The Apocalypse of Peter - 476
  29. EPILOGUE: DO WE HAVE THE ORIGINAL NEW TESTAMENT? - 479
    • The Manuscripts of the New Testament - 479
    • Changes in the New Testament Text - 481
      ... Box 29.1 Citing Chapter and Verse - 482
      ... Box 29.2 Women in the Manuscript Tradition of the New Testament - 484
    • Criteria for Establishing the Original Text - 485
    • Conclusion: The Original Text of the New Testament - 487
      ... Box 29.3 The Text of the New Testament - 488
MAPS, TIME LINES, AND DIAGRAMS
  1. MAPS
    • Frontmatter - The Roman Empire: Central and Eastern Provinces - xxxiv
    • Figure 2.2 - The Journeys of Alexander the Great - 22
    • Figure 2.7 - The Spread of Roman Rule - 32
    • Figure 3.2 - Christian Churches in Existence by 100 C.E. - 50
    • Figure 5.2 - Palestine in New Testament Times - 73
    • Figure 9.1 - Paul's Missionary Journeys according to the Book of Acts - 136
    • Figure 16.1 - Jerusalem in the First Century C.E. - 261
    • Figure 18.2 - Places Associated with Paul in the New Testament - 297
    • Figure 20.5 - The Roman Province of Galatia in the Midst of Asia Minor - 332
    • Figure 26.1 - The Distribution of Christianity by 300 C.E. - 435
    • Figure 28.1 - The Seven Churches of Asia Minor - 462
  2. TIME LINES AND DIAGRAMS
    • Frontmatter - Master Time Line - xxxi
    • Figure 2.3 - The Divine Pyramid - 24
    • Figure 2.9 - Time Line of Keys Events in Hellenistic and Roman Times - 35
    • Figure 3.1 - Time Line of the Early Christian Movement - 49
    • Figure 6.1 - The Four-Source Hypothesis - 85
    • Figure 10.3 - Sources in the Farewell Discourse - 166
    • Figure 15.2 - Time Line of Key Events in the History of Palestine - 235


Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)
  1. Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2026
  2. Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)


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