Backgrounds of Early Christianity

A wealth of information regarding the background of the early church. As the author says in it's preface: "Since I consider Judaism the principle context of early Christianity, the chapter on Judaism is the longest... moreover, my intention is to provide the background for Christianity not only in the New Testament but also in its early centuries when it moved farther from its Jewish roots into the wider Greco-Roman world." As such, the author "aims to introduce as many primary sources as possible... the emphasis throughout will be on the wider body of material and not the Christian literature itself."

This is an excellent reading and resource for anyone seeking to advance his studies to understand early Christianity.

This is the one of the most useful, interesting books I own. It has lots of encyclopedia-like articles on a whole bunch of interesting topics related to the world in which Christianity began. Pagan philosophies and mystery cults, Jewish culture and religious practices, education, literacy, society, &c., all accompanied by extensive bibliographies for further research.

Having long served as a standard introduction to the world of the early church, Everett Ferguson's Backgrounds of Early Christianity has been expanded and updated in this third edition. The book explores and unpacks the Roman, Greek, and Jewish political, social, religious, and philosophical backgrounds necessary for a good historical understanding of the New Testament and the early church. New to this edition are revisions of Ferguson's original material, updated bibliographies, and fresh discussions of first-century social life, of Gnosticism, and of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Jewish literature.

An excellent resource for understanding the Greco-Roman and Jewish backgrounds of the New Testament.

An extensive review of the background to the early church.

NO OF PAGES: 611 SUB CAT I: First Century Judaism SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: Widely used as a textbook since its publication in 1987, this work provides an analytical and systematic introduction to the Roman, Greek, and Jewish political, social, literary, and religious backgrounds necessary for a historical understanding of the New Testament and the early church. This revised edition contains updated bibliographies, rewritten and added sections, and incorporating many of the critical suggestions received from professors who have used this book.NOTES: SUBTITLE: Second Edition

0802802923