This second edition of An introduction to the New Testament provides readers with pertinent material and a helpful framework that will guide them in their understanding of the New Testament texts. Many new and diverse cultural, historical, social-scientific, sociorhetorical, narrative, textual, and contextual studies have been examined since the publication of the first edition, which was in print for twenty years. The authors retain the original tripartite arrangement on 1) The world of the New Testament, 2) Interpreting the New Testament, and 3) Jesus and early Christianity. An appropriate book for anyone who seeks to better understand what is involved in the exegesis of New Testaments texts today.

Synopsis: Studying the New Testament requires a determination to encounter this collection of writings on its own terms. This classic introduction by Charles B. Puskas, revised with C. Michael Robbins, provides helpful guidance. Since the publication of the first edition, which was in print for twenty years, a host of new and diverse cultural, historical, social-scientific, socio-rhetorical, narrative, textual, and contextual studies has been examined. Attentive also to the positive reviews of the first edition, the authors retain the original tripartite arrangement on 1) the world of the New Testament, 2) interpreting the New Testament, and 3) Jesus and early Christianity. This volume supplies readers with pertinent primary and secondary material. The new edition carries on a genuine effort to be nonsectarian, and although it is more of a critical introduction than a general survey, it is recommended to midlevel college and seminary students and to anyone who wants to be better informed about the New Testament. Endorsement: "This second edition of An Introduction to the New Testament by Puskas and Robbins is a literarily sensitive, historically oriented volume. It provides a framework to the New Testament that will help readers appreciate the complex world out of which the New Testament arose and gain an understanding of what is involved in the exegesis of New Testament texts today. I recommend this text for use in undergraduate and seminary classes that offer an academic approach to the New Testament." --Mark Reasoner Associate Professor of Theology Marian University Author Biographies: Charles B. Puskas has extensive experience in college and university teaching, religious publishing, and parish ministry. He is the author of The Conclusion of Luke-Acts (Pickwick Publications, 2009), The Letters of Paul (1993) and with David Crump, An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts (2008). C. Michael Robbins is an adjunct professor of religion and philosophy in the Haggard School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University. He is the author of The Testing of Jesus in Q (2007) and with Steven Johnson has helped revise James Allen Hewett's New Testament Greek, with CD-ROM (2009).

In this book Charles Puskas and David Crump provide a solid, student-friendly introduction to the four Gospels and the book of Acts. Leading students through the texts, highlighting the various literary devices and themes, and pointing out the historical and cultural contexts, An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts is a fruitful collaboration between a mainline scholar (Puskas) and a more evangelical scholar (Crump), who clearly articulate their own opinions while charitably engaging a wide spectrum of scholarship.

The coverage of the Gospels and Acts throughout is clear, comprehensive, and well documented. Maps, charts, outlines, and tables round out the wealth of information offered here. Evenhanded and nonpolemical, this text will be valuable both for students with a previous foundation of biblical study and for those with little or no Bible background.