Each chaper ends with Questions to Ponder and Debate, Suggestions for Further Reading, and Key Terms.

Maps, Time Lines, and Diagrams
Boxes
Preface for Instructors
Acknowledgments
Notes on Suggestions for Further Reading
Credits
Master Time Line

Introduction

1. What is the New Testament and Why Should We Care?
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Why Study the New Testament?
Other Early Christian Writings
The Development of the Christian Canon
Implications for Our Study
Do We Actually Have the Original New Testament
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Intriguing Diversity of the New Testament
EXCURSUS 1: The Historian and the Believer
PHOTO ESSAY 1: Ancient Manuscripts of the New Testament

2. The Greco-Roman World of Early Christianity
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Problem of Beginnings
One Remarkable Life
The Environment of the New Testament: Religions in the Greco-Roman World
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The World of Early Christianity

3. The Jewish World of Early Christianity
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Monotheism: The Belief in the One True God
The Covenant: Israel's Pact with Its God
The Law: Israel's Covenantal Obligations
Temple and Synagogue: Israel's Places of Worship
Forms of Early Judaism
Political Crises in the Jewish Homeland and Their Ramifications
The Formation of Jewish Groups
The Jewish Context for the Traditions About Jesus
Jewish Apocalypticism
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The World of Early Judaism

4. The Traditions of Jesus in Their Greco-Roman Context
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Oral Traditions Behind the Gospels
The Gospels as Biographies of Jesus
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Traditions of Jesus
Some Additional Reflections: The Authors of the Gospels

5. Jesus, the Suffering Son of God: The Gospel According to Mark
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Synoptic Problem
Mark, Our Earliest Gospel
The Beginning of the Gospel: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God Who Fulfills Scripture
Jesus, the Authoritative Son of God
Jesus, the Opposed Son of God
Jesus, the Misunderstood Son of God
Jesus, the Acknowledged Son of God
Jesus, the Suffering Son of God
Jesus, the Crucified Son of God
Jesus, the Vindicated Son of God
Conclusion: Mark and his Readers
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Gospel of Mark

6. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah: The Gospel According to Matthew
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
A Redactional Approach to Matthew
The Importance of Beginnings: Jesus, the Jewish Messiah in Fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures
The Portrayal of Jesus in Matthew: The Sermon on the Mount as a Springboard
Jesus Rejected by the Jewish Leaders
Matthew and His Readers
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Gospel of Matthew

7. Jesus, the Rejected Prophet: The Gospel According to Luke
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
A Comparative Overview of the Gospel
The Preface to Luke's Gospel
Luke's Birth Narrative in Comparative Perspective
From Jew to Gentile: Luke's Portrayal of Jesus, the Rejected Prophet
Luke's Distinctive Emphases throughout His Gospel
Conclusion: Luke in Comparative Perspective
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Gospel of Luke

8. Jesus, the Man Sent from Heaven: The Gospel According to John
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Gospel of John from the Perspective of Genre Criticism
The Gospel of John from a Comparative Perspective
The Gospel of John from a Redactional Perspective
The Author of the Fourth Gospel
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Historical Methods for Studying the New Testament

9. The Life of Jesus and Its Aftermath
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Problems with Sources
Using Our Sources
Jesus in His Apocalyptic Context
The Beginning and End as Keys to the Middle
The Apocalyptic Teachings of Jesus
The Apocalyptic Deeds of Jesus
The Apocalyptic Death of Jesus
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Jesus, the Apocalyptic Prophet
Jesus's Resurrection from an Apocalyptic Perspective
Jesus's Death in Light of the Scriptures
Different Understandings of Jesus
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: From Jesus to the Gospels
PHOTO ESSAY 2: The Material World of Jesus and the Gospels

10. Luke's Second Volume: The Book of Acts
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Genre of Acts and Its Significance
The Thematic Approach to Acts
From Gospel to Acts: The Opening Transition
Themes in the Speeches in Acts
Conclusion: The Author and His Themes in Context
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Book of Acts
EXCURSUS 2: Methods of Ideological Criticism

11. Paul the Apostle: The Man and His Mission
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Story of Paul: Methodological Difficulties
The Life of Paul
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Paul and His Mission

12. Paul and His Apostolic Mission: 1 Thessalonians as a Test Case
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Founding of the Church in Thessalonica
The Beginnings of the Thessalonian Church: A Sociohistorical Perspective
The Church at Thessalonica after Paul's Departure
Conclusion: Paul the Apostle xxx
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: 1 Thessalonians

13. Paul and the Crises of His Churches: The Corinthian Correspondence
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
1 Corinthians
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: 1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: 2 Corinthians

14. Paul and the Crises of His Churches: Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Galatians
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Galatians
Philippians
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Philippians
Philemon
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Philemon

15. The Gospel According to Paul: The Letter to the Romans
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Occasion and Purpose of the Letter
The Theme of the Epistle
Pauline Models for Salvation
The Flow of Paul's Argument
Conclusion: Paul and the Romans
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Romans
PHOTO ESSAY 3: The Cities and Roads of Paul

16. In the Wake of the Apostles: the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Pseudonymity in the Ancient World
The Deutero-Pauline Epistles
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Deutero-Pauline Epistles
The Pastoral Epistles
The Historical Situation and Authorship of the Pastoral Epistles
Women in Paul's Church and Later
Paul's View of Women in the Church
Women in the Aftermath of Paul
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Pastoral Epistles
EXCURSUS 3: Ideologies of Gender in the Bible

17. Christian Conflicts with Jews and Pagans: Hebrews and 1 Peter
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Christians and Jews
Early Christian Self-Definition
Continuity and Superiority: Epistle to the Hebrews
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: Hebrews
Christians and Pagans
Christians in a Hostile World: The Letter of 1 Peter
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: 1 Peter

18. Christian Interactions with Christians: James, 2 Peter, Jude, and the Johannine Epistles
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
Christian Interactions with Christians
The Epistle of James
Jude
2 Peter
The Johannine Epistles
Understanding the Johannine Epistles
Reflections on the Contextual Method for Understanding the Johannine Epistles
Conflicts within the Early Christian Communities
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS
EXCURSUS 4: The Digital Bible

19. Christians and the Cosmos: The Book of Revelation
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CHAPTER
The Content and Structure of the Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation from a Historical Perspective xxx
Apocalyptic Worldviews and the Apocalypse Genre xxx
The Revelation of John in Historical Context xxx
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS: The Book of Revelation xxx

Glossary
Index