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An accessible introduction to the New Testament, offering up-to-date historical-critical scholarship and diverse critical perspectives
The New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction presents a concise account of the emergence of Jesus traditions in the broader context of ancient Mediterranean history. Incorporating established historical approaches and alternative academic analyses, this innovative textbook helps students understand the historical and political contexts of the authors and their audiences, and how different social identities and lived experiences influenced the formation of the Bible and its later interpretations.
Accomplished scholar Colleen Conway emphasizes the cultural and literary context of the New Testament while drawing from historical, postcolonial, gender, feminist, and intersectional analyses of biblical texts. Throughout the book, students explore how issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and power dynamics contributed to the production of the New Testament texts and continue to inform their interpretation in the 21st century.
Through twelve chronologically organized chapters, this book examines Paul's mission to the Gentiles, unity and conflict in Paul's communities, the four Gospel narratives, the Revelation to John, Hebrews, 1 Peter, the New Testament canon, early Christian writings, and more. The New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction:
Designed for undergraduate students with varying levels of biblical knowledge, The New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction is an ideal textbook for one-semester religious studies courses on the Bible, the New Testament, or early Christianity, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in history, sociology and philosophy.
Colleen M. Conway is Professor of Religion at Seton Hall University in South Orange, and Executive Editor of the journal Biblical Interpretation. She has published widely in the areas of gender criticism, biblical masculinity studies, the Gospel of John, and reception history of the Bible. Her recent publications include A Contemporary Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts, Second Edition, co-authored with David M. Carr (Wiley Blackwell, 2021) John and the Johannine Letters (2017), Sex and Slaughter in the Tent of Jael (2016).
List of Figures xi
List of Maps xiii
List of Boxes xv
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
Timeline xxi
Prologue: Orientation to the Academic Study of the New Testament 1
Chapter Overview 1
A Contemporary Introduction to the New Testament 1
Different Designations and Different Bibles 4
The Contents of the New Testament 6
Abbreviations, Translations, and Annotations 7
New Terminology for Old Texts 13
Prologue Review 15
Resources for Further Study 15
Appendix: Translation and Paraphrase Comparison of John 1:18 15
1 The New Testament Writings in Multiple Contexts 17
Chapter Overview 17
A History of Trauma under Imperial Rule 17
The New Testament Writings in their Ancient Literary Context 21
The New Testament Writings in their Ancient Social Context 22
Focus Text: Acts 16:11-40 25
Conclusion: The New Testament in a Complex World 27
Chapter One Review 28
Resources for Further Study 28
2 The Jesus Movement in the Context of the Roman Empire 29
Chapter Overview 29
Rome Comes to Jerusalem 29
Searching for the Historical Jesus: Problems and Proposals 33
The Earliest Jesus Traditions 39
Chapter Two Review 43
Resources for Further Study 43
3 Introducing Paul and His Letters 45
Chapter Overview 45
Introduction to the Study of the Pauline Letters 46
Paul's Earliest Surviving Letter: 1 Thessalonians 51
Paul's Letter to the Philippians 54
Paul's Letter to Philemon 57
Chapter Three Review 59
Resources for Further Study 60
4 Reading Paul within Judaism: Galatians and Romans 61
Chapter Overview 61
Paul's Gentile Problem in Galatia 62
Paul on his "Earlier Life" (Gal 1:13) 64
Why and Why Not Circumcision in Galatia? 65
Paul's Letter to the Romans: The Righteousness of God in Relation to Jews and Gentiles 69
The Problem of Israel and the Place of the Gentiles (Romans 9-11) 75
Chapter Four Review 77
Resources for Further Study 77
5 Conflicts with the Corinthian Christ Group 79
Chapter Overview 79
The Urban Setting of Corinth 80
Status Problems in Corinth 83
Conflicts over the Body and Sexuality in Corinth 85ii
Conflicts over Meat Consumption in Corinth 87
Disputing Ritual Practices in Corinth 88
Afflictions and Accusations in 2 Corinthians 90
Disputes Regarding the Collection for Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8-9) 92
Paul's Self-Defense
against Gendered Status Attacks 93
Focus Text: 2 Cor 11:16-12:13 94
Chapter Five Review 95
Resources for Further Study 95
6 Claiming Pauline Authority: Later Trajectories of Pauline Traditions 97
Chapter Overview 97
Ancient Pseudonymity and the New Testament Writers 98
Three Deutero-Pauline Letters: 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, and Ephesians 99
Conforming to Roman Imperial Values: The New Testament Household Codes 104
More Deutero-Pauline Letters: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus 105
The Paul of Legend: The Acts of Paul and Thecla 108
From Local Letters to Scriptural Authority 109
Chapter Six Review 111
Resources for Further Study 111
7 The Gospel of Mark: Suffering and Trauma under Imperial Rule 113
Chapter Overview 113
The Jewish War (66-70 ce) 114
Clues to the Dating and Context of the Gospel of Mark 115
The Story of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark 118
The Rising Popularity of Jesus and Rising Conflict with the Authorities 118
Teaching and Misunderstanding "on the Way" 122
Mark's Suffering Messiah 126
An Enigmatic Ending 129
Focus Text: Mark 12:1-12 130
Chapter Seven Review 132
Resources for Further Study 132
8 The Gospel of Matthew: Defining Community in the Wake of Destruction 133
Chapter Overview 133
The Synoptic Problem 134
The Structure of the Gospel of Matthew 136
The Matthean Jesus and Jewish Tradition 138
The Matthean Jesus, Righteousness, and Torah Obedience 140
The Matthean Jesus, Wisdom, and Torah 142
Matthew's Apocalyptic Vision and the Kingdom of Heaven 143
The Matthean Polemic against the Pharisees 146
Focus Text: Matt 25:31-46 150
Chapter Eight Review 152
Resources for Further Study 153
9 The Gospel of Luke: Legitimizing the Jesus Movement in the Midst of Empire 155
Chapter Overview 155
Reading the Clues in the Lukan Prologue 156
The Lukan Jesus in Continuity with Israel's Past 158
God's Plan of Salvation for Israel and the Gentiles 160
The Lukan Jesus and Imperial Imitation 160
The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Lukan Narrative 164
The Travel Narrative and Lukan Parables 165
Focus Text: Jesus's Sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30) 168
Chapter Nine Review 170
Resources for Further Study 170
10 The Spread of "the Way" in the Roman Empire: The Acts of the Apostles 171
Chapter Overview 171
Salvation to Israel and to the Gentiles in Acts 171
The Role of the Spirit in Acts 174
The Acts of Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles 175
Looking Beyond the Leading Men of Luke-Acts 177
Paul and the Spread of "the Way" in the Roman Empire 179
Focus Text: Acts 8:26-40 180
Conclusion: Luke-Acts' Ambivalent Response to Empire 183
Chapter Ten Review 183
Resources for Further Study 184
11 The Gospel of John and the Johannine Letters: Turning Inward as a Strategy for Life in the Empire 185
Chapter Overview 185
Who Is the Johannine Jesus? 186
The Johannine Prologue: Jesus as Pre-existent Logos Made Flesh 186
The Johannine Jesus as God's Divine Agent in the World 189
The "I Am" Sayings in the Gospel of John 191
Knowing and Believing in the Johannine Jesus 192
Opposition from the World 194
The Problem of "the Jews" in the Gospel of John 196
Focus Text: John 17 200
The Johannine Letters 201
Chapter Eleven Review 203
Resources for Further Study 203
12 Following Christ in the Empire: Diverse Approaches in the New Testament 205
Chapter Overview 205
The Revelation to John: Visions of "Conquering" Roman Power 206
Focus Text: Revelation 17-18 213
Hebrews: Platonic Perspectives on Christ 214
1 Peter: Living as Aliens and Accommodating to the Empire 218
Conclusion: Three Different Relationships to the Roman Empire 221
Chapter Twelve Review 222
Resources for Further Study 222
Epilogue: The Final Formation of the New Testament Canon 223
Glossary 227
Appendix: A Brief Overview of Some Interpretive Approaches to the Bible 233
Index 237
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