Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46532 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 648 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780802822215
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Customer Reviews

Accurate, honest, easy to read
I bought this one on a whim, thought it might have an interesting section or two. I ended up reading the thing cover to cover.

In a field where lots of books are hard to read because they're poorly written, this one is exceptionally well organized, clearly written and easy to read.

It also covers all the subject, from Greco-Roman political history, through Hellenistic-Roman religions and philosophies, on to an excellent section on Judaism and another on early Christianity. Even if you're not an early Church buff, the book is a good introduction to ancient culture.

It's honest. It's written by a proff at a Christian university, but it doesn't slant the scholarship. For eg it gives a good accounting of both sides of the modern scholarship on the contributions of pagan Mystery Religions to the Church, and the _testimonium Falvianum_ is treated fairly -- and dismissed as a later interpolation.

Each section lists a number of books for further reading -- very useful.

A great book!!

Comprehensive and Understandable
This book is an excellent introduction to the historical, cultural, social, economic, and political backgrounds of the times before, during, and after the beginnings of Christianity, i.e., from 330 B.C. to A.D. 330, from Alexander the Great to Constantine. It superbly complements the study of the New Testament. It has helped me attempt to make concepts in the Gospels concrete which, at first, seemed to be abstact.

A great survey of what the world was like when Christ came
This isn't the easiest reading book in the world. But it is a wonderful bird's eye view of the cultural, political, religious, and social world in which Christianity came into being. You learn about the Romans, the Greeks, the Jewish people, and a myriad of other peoples who populated the Roman empire. This book is essential toward an understanding of the backgrounds of early Christianity.