The 'Dictionary of New Testament Background' joins the 'Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels', the 'Dictionary of Paul and his Letters' and the 'Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments' as the fourth in a landmark series of reference works on the Bible. In a time when our knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world has grown, this volume sets out for readers the wealth of Jewish and Greco-Roman background that should inform our reading and understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity. 'The Dictionary of New Testament Background', takes full advantage of the flourishing study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and offers individual articles focused on the most important scrolls. In addition, the Dictionary encompasses the fullness of second-temple Jewish writings, whether pseudepigraphic, rabbinic, parables, proverbs, histories or inscriptions. Articles abound on aspects of Jewish life and thought, including family, purity, liturgy and messianism. The full scope of Greco-Roman culture is displayed in articles ranging across language and rhetoric, literacy and book benefactors, travel and trade, intellectual movements and ideas, and ancient geographical perspectives. No other reference work presents so much in one place for students of the New Testament. Here an entire library of scholarship is made available in summary form. The Dictionary of New Testament Background can stand alone, or work in concert with one or more of its companion volumes in the series. Written by acknowledged experts in their fields, this wealth of knowledge of the New Testament era is carefully aimed at the needs of contemporary students of the New Testament. In addition, its full bibliographies and cross-references to other volumes in the series will make it the first book to reach for in any investigation of the New Testament in its ancient setting.

This one-of-a-kind reference volume provides focused study on the often-neglected portions of the New Testament: Acts, Hebrews, the General Epistles, and Revelation. Expert contributors present more information than any other single work—dealing exclusively with the theology, literature, background, and scholarship of the later New Testament and the apostolic church.

Exploring the major themes and issues of the Pentateuch, this encyclopedic work offers authoritative overviews, detailed examinations and new insights from the world of the ancient Near East. Edited by T. Desmond Alexander and David W. Baker.

Edited by Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight and I. Howard Marshall, this reference work encompasses everything relating to Jesus and the Gospels.

"The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books presents articles on numerous historical topics as well as major articles focused on the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. Other articles focus on the Deuteronomistic History as well as the Chronicler's History, the narrative art of Israel's historians, innerbiblical exegesis, text and textual criticism, and the emergence of these books as canonical. One feature is a series of eight consecutive articles on the periods of Israel's history from the settlement to the postexilic period, which forms a condensed history of Israel within the DOTHB.". "Syro-Palestinian archaeology is surveyed in one article, while significant archaeological sites receive focused individual treatment. Other articles delve into the histories and cultures of the great neighboring empires - Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia and Persia - as well as lesser peoples, such as the Ammonites, Edomites, Moabites, Philistines and Phoenicians. In addition there are articles on architecture, agriculture and animal husbandry, roads and highways, trade and travel, and water and water systems."--Dust jacket.

The New Testament is a fascinating collection of documents containing an amazing number of details in its texts that can be easily lost on the modern mind. New Testament Background Commentary is both a commentary and a dictionary of words, phrases and situations that shed light on the key points of the Bible text.

This unique commentary provides historical, social and cultural background for each passage of the Old Testament. From Genesis through Malachi, this single volume gathers and condenses an abundance of specialized knowledge, and includes a glossary, maps and charts, and expanded explanations of significant background issues.

This guide to the New Testament, like its companion volume, A Guide Through the Old Testament, combines the background information of a textbook with the format of a workbook to create a unique resource for studying the New Testament. By eliciting as much active response from the reader as possible, Celia Sinclair provides the basis for personal hands-on study, direct reading of the scripture (including Old Testament references where appropriate), and a study guide for group discussion.

Craig S. Keener presents fascinating, wonderfully useful information on the historical and cultural backgrounds of nearly every verse in the New Testament.