Backgrounds of Early Christianity

Rating:
Summary: Accurate, honest, easy to read
Review: Ferguson's research is impressive and the work certainly provides information on the period. That said, in truth what we have here is another Bible Dictionary, albeit one that casts a very wide net. However, the buyer should not order the book with the thought of reading it from cover to cover. A good read it is not; most dictionaries are not. As a study, the reader had been better served were the author to have developed the material suggested by the book's title. What we have tends more toward pastiche, a dictionary of sorts in which "Greek Entertainment" appears before "Greek Athletics." I pity the student who has to read this as a required text.

Rating:
Summary: Caveat emptor
Review: Ferguson's research is impressive and the work certainly provides information on the period. That said, in truth what we have here is another Bible Dictionary, albeit one that casts a very wide net. However, the buyer should not order the book with the thought of reading it from cover to cover. A good read it is not; most dictionaries are not. As a study, the reader had been better served were the author to have developed the material suggested by the book's title. What we have tends more toward pastiche, a dictionary of sorts in which "Greek Entertainment" appears before "Greek Athletics." I pity the student who has to read this as a required text.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and readable book for background studies of NT
Review: For study of the background of the New Testament, this is a great place to begin. It is readable and interesting. The material is well-organized as well. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate, honest, easy to read
Review: 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!!

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Understandable
Review: I read this cover-to-cover. It was easy to read, and mostly very interesting. It is written for a wide, general audience, and does not make assumptions about the beliefs of the reader. The articles are moderately long, with nice hierarchical subheadings. I am eager to learn more about the interpenetration of Judaism and Hellenism in the actual origins and formation of Christianity.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, readable
Review: I read this cover-to-cover. It was easy to read, and mostly very interesting. It is written for a wide, general audience, and does not make assumptions about the beliefs of the reader. The articles are moderately long, with nice hierarchical subheadings. I am eager to learn more about the interpenetration of Judaism and Hellenism in the actual origins and formation of Christianity.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Understandable
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A great survey of what the world was like when Christ came
Review: 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.