This work has established itself as a classical text in the field of New Testament studies. Written in a readable, non-technical style, it has become an indispensable textbook and reference for teachers, students, clergy, and the educated layperson interested in a scholarly treatment of the New Testament and its background in the Judaic and Greco-Roman world.

Helmut Koester is John H. Morison Professor of New Testament Studies and Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Emeritus, at Harvard University

Illustrations	p. xvii
Preface to the Second Edition	p. xix
Preface to the First Edition	p. xxi
Acknowledgments	p. xxv
Abbreviations: Serial and Journal Titles	p. xxvii
Short Titles of Works Often Cited	p. xxxiii
Introduction	p. xxxix
The Sources for the History of Early Christianity
Survey of the Sources and Their Traditions	p. 1
The Formation of the Earliest Christian Writings
The Canon of the New Testament
The Lord and the Letters of Paul
Peter, Thomas, and John
The Twelve Apostles
Marcion
The Reaction to Marcion
The Muratorian Canon
Noncanonical Writings of Early Christianity
The Apostolic Fathers
Gnostic and Manichean Collections
The New Testament Apocrypha
Extra-Christian Testimonies
The Text of the New Testament	p. 16
Problems of the Transmission of New Testament Texts
The Papyri
The Uncials
The Minuscules
The Ancient Translations
The Syriac Translations
The Latin Translations
The Coptic Translation
The Gothic Translation
The Armenian Translation
The Ethiopic Translation
The Printed Editions of the Greek New Testament
Principles of New Testament Textual Criticism
Source Criticism	p. 44
General Remarks
The Synoptic Problem and the Sources of the Gospels
The Acts of the Apostles
Composition and Literary Problems of the Letters of Paul
The Second Letter of Peter and the Epistle of Jude
The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch
Problems of Form, Tradition, Narrative, and Rhetorical Criticism	p. 59
The Synoptic Tradition
Early Traditions in the Letters of the New Testament
Traditional Materials Preserved in the Apostolic Fathers, the Apocrypha, and the Apologists
Narrative and Rhetorical Criticism
From John the Baptist to the Early Christian Church
John the Baptist	p. 75
Life and Message
The History-of-Religions Background
The Effects of John's Ministry
Jesus of Nazareth	p. 78
The External Data of His Life
Jesus as Prophet, Wisdom Teacher, and Exorcist
The Proclamation of the Rule of God
The New Human Situation
The Resurrection
The Earliest Christian Communities	p. 94
The Earliest Gatherings of Jesus' Followers
The Hellenists and Stephen
The Christian Church of Antioch
Other Christian Communities in East and West
Paul
Life and Ministry to the Apostolic Council	p. 105
Origin and Education
Paul's Call
The First Period of Paul's Mission; Chronology of Paul's Ministry
The Apostolic Council
From Antioch to Ephesus	p. 113
The Conflict in Antioch
Mission in Anatolia and Macedonia
From Thessalonica to Corinth
The First Letter to the Thessalonians
Paul's Stay in Ephesus	p. 120
Missionary Activity in Ephesus
Judaizing Propaganda and the Letter to the Galatians
The Spiritual People in Corinth and the First Letter to the Corinthians
New Opposition in Corinth: The Second Letter to the Corinthians
Ephesian Imprisonment; Letters to the Philippians and to Philemon
The Ephesian Imprisonment
The Letters to the Philippians
The Letter to Philemon
The Collection; Paul's Last Visit to Corinth
Corinth--Jerusalem--Rome	p. 142
The Last Stay in Corinth; Letters to the Romans and to the "Ephesians"
The Journey to Jerusalem and the Fate of the Collection
Paul's Trial and His Journey to Rome
Palestine and Syria
The Tradition of the Message of Jesus	p. 151
Eschatological Interpretation
The Synoptic Sayings Gospel
The Synoptic Apocalypse
The Collection of Parables
Jesus as Teacher of Wisdom
The Gospel of Thomas
The Dialogue of the Savior
Order of Life and Organization of the Church
The Epistle of James
The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Didache)
From the Kerygma of the Resurrection to the Gospels of the Church	p. 165
Traditions under the Authority of Peter
Peter
The Gospel of Peter
The Kerygma of Peter
Other Writings under Peter's Authority
The Oldest Gospel of the Church: The Gospel of Mark
Jesus' Ministry as the Canon of the Church: The Gospel of Matthew
The Johannine Circle	p. 182
The Development of the Johannine Tradition
Dialogues of Jesus
Traditions of the Johannine Church
Papyrus Egerton 2
The Passion Narrative
The Source of Signs
Eschatological Traditions
Exaltation on the Cross as Gospel: The Gospel of John
The Ecclesiastical Reception of the Johannine Tradition
The First Epistle of John
The Third Epistle of John
The Second Epistle of John
The Gnostic Inheritance of John
Jewish Christianity	p. 204
The Fate of the Jerusalem Church
Jewish Christianity as a Branch of the Development of the Catholic Church
The Jewish-Christian Gospels
The Gospel of the Nazoreans
The Gospel of the Ebionites
The Fight against Paul
The Judaizers
The Book of Elkasai
The Pseudo-Clementines and the Kerygmata Petrou
Syria, the Country of Origin of Christian Gnosticism	p. 212
Summary of Previous Observations
The Texts from Nag Hammadi and Syrian Gnosticism
The Apocalypse of Adam
The Hypostasis of the Archons
The Apocryphon of John
The First and Second Apocalypse of James
Gnostic Hymns and Songs
Prologue of John's Gospel and Hymn of the Dance
Hymns in the Apocalypses of James
Hymns in the Acts of Thomas
The Odes of Solomon
Egypt
The Beginnings of Christianity in Egypt	p. 225
The Problem of Sources and Evidence
Syrian Traditions in Egypt
Egyptian Jewish Christianity
The Gospel of the Hebrews
The Apocryphon of James
Egyptian Gnosticism	p. 231
The Testimony of the Writings from Nag Hammadi
Pre-Christian Gnosticism in Egypt
Eugnostos the Blessed and the Sophia of Jesus Christ
The Gospel of the Egyptians (Sethian)
Vernacular Gnostic Christianity: The Gospel of the Egyptians
The Formation of Gnostic Schools
The Naasenes
The Carpocrations
Basilides
Valentinus
The Beginnings of Catholicism	p. 240
Vernacular Catholic Christianity: The Second Letter of Clement
The Controversy with Gnosticism: The Epistula Apostolorum
The Establishment of an Ecclesiastical Organization
Asia, Macedonia, Greece, and Rome
The Renewal of Apocalypticism	p. 247
Apocalypticism in the Pauline Churches: The Second Letter to the Thessalonians
Apocalypticism and Gnosticism: The Epistle of Jude
Criticism of the Apocalyptic Expectation: The Revelation of John
Apocalyptic Ordering of Christian Life: The Shepherd of Hermas
The Transformation of Pauline Theology into Ecclesiastical Doctrine	p. 266
The Conflict with Syncretism: The Epistle to the Colossians
The Struggle against Gnosticism: The Epistle to the Ephesians
Apocalyptic Gnosis as Legacy of Paul
The Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle of Barnabas
Ignatius of Antioch
Peter and Paul as the Authorities of Ecclesiastical Order: The First Epistle of Clement
The Letters of Peter and the Legacy of Paul
The First Epistle of Peter
The Second Epistle of Peter
Church Order in the Name of Paul: The Pastoral Epistles
Polycarp of Smyrna
Christianity in Its Encounter with Its Social World	p. 310
Gospel and History as Victory in the World
The Lukan Writings
The Gospel of Luke
The Acts of the Apostles
The Miracle-Working Apostles in Conflict with the World: The Acts of Peter and the Acts of Paul
The Pauline Gospel as Renunciation of the World: Marcion
The Position of the Roman Authorities
The Earliest Christian Apologists
Beginnings and the Apology of Aristides
Justin Martyr
Martyrs: The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Glossary	p. 351
General Index (Names, Places, Subjects)	p. 355
Biblical, Jewish, and Early Christian Writings	p. 371
Authors Discussed in the Text	p. 375
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