Friday, December 21, 2012

Introductory Book Recommendations? - Le Donne

In comment to Dr. Keith's "five books you should read" post, Ken asks:
What would you recommend for the non-theology student with a hunger for a deeper knowledge and understanding of the history, interpretation and context of the New Testament and it's origins? I have read many of Ben Witherington's books with great satisfaction but some of them are way beyond me. I have added several of your recommendations to my Amazon wish list hoping they are good for the serious but uneducated believer.
Any suggestions for books that cover "history, interpretation and context of the New Testament and it's origins" at a very basic level?

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11 comments:

  1. ThatjeffcarterDecember 21, 2012 at 9:26 AM

    I recently read - and was impressed by - Raymond E. Brown's Introduction to the NT.

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  2. ErlendDecember 21, 2012 at 9:36 AM

    "A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus: Reading the Gospels on the Ground".

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  3. dannyyencichDecember 21, 2012 at 9:46 AM

    Though not a broad introduction to NT studies, I thought your _Historical Jesus_ would be a fine intro book to pass to folks looking for an entry into historical Jesus studies (I swear I'm not ass-kissing). LTJ's NT Intro worked well for me in the past. I also enjoyed Barr's _New Testament Story_. Hubbard's _Christianity in the Greco-Roman World_ is an imaginative work that fleshes out NT introduction/contextualization of the first century world with fun (and at times quite moving) narrative. In fact, Hubbard's is probably at the top of my list for basic intro works for that reason.

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  4. Anthony Le DonneDecember 21, 2012 at 1:54 PM

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  5. Anthony Le DonneDecember 21, 2012 at 1:55 PM

    I quite enjoyed Hull's The Story of the New Testament Text: Movers, Materials, Motives, Methods, and Models... but it is probably too heady to be considered a very basic intro-level text.

    -anthony

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  6. AnonymousDecember 21, 2012 at 3:00 PM

    Anthony, check out my new work "Entering the Fray: A Primer on New Testament Issues for the Church & Academy".

    here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Entering-Fray-Primer-Testament-Academy/dp/1620323281/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356130746&sr=8-1&keywords=entering+the+fray+halcomb

    and here's a link to it's companion site: http://enteringthefraybook.blogspot.com/

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  7. PaulDecember 22, 2012 at 12:58 AM

    Something like John Drane's Introducing the New Testament (now in its fourth edition) is excellent as an introductory primer.

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  8. Chris KeithDecember 22, 2012 at 1:48 AM

    For readers at a very basic level, I think some of the best intros are Reading the Bible Wisely by Richard Briggs and The Drama of Scripture by Bartholomew and Goheen.

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  9. UnknownDecember 22, 2012 at 11:57 AM

    "What Saint Paul Really Said" by N.T. Wright is a nice introduction to the study of Paul.

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