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Backgrounds of Early Christianity (Paperback)

by Everett Ferguson (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

Review
"The vast scope of the book and the labor involved reflect the author's commendable erudition.... Imaginatively and painstakingly executed." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
This revision of a popular textbook provides an analytical and systematic introdution to the Roman, Greek, and Jewish political, social, literary, and religious backgrounds necessary for a historical understanding of the New Testament and the early church.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 632 pages
  • Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; 2nd edition (September 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0802806694
  • ISBN-13: 978-0802806697
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #190,733 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, honest, easy to read, February 3, 2002
By A Customer
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!!

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39 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great survey of what the world was like when Christ came, November 16, 1999
By Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
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.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and Understandable, May 26, 2003
By A Customer
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "Backgrounds" Delivers
Today I finished reading Ferguson's well rounded and extensive collection of perspectives into the culture leading up to the writing of the New Testament (620 pages). Read more
Published 4 months ago by T. Havlik

5.0 out of 5 stars Background To New Testament Times
This work, now in its third edition, remains the best and most comprehensive textbook available about the world in which the New Testament was born. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Steve Jackson

4.0 out of 5 stars good, factual reference work.
This is a fact filled book that will be a good study tool to learn about the new testament background. Read more
Published on May 11, 2007 by David Stump

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise and intuitive
Ferguson does a great job at presenting the information in such a way that the reader is able to understand and still gather a considerable amount of information. Read more
Published on January 11, 2007 by aphatchipmunk

5.0 out of 5 stars Aboslutely the best
This is THE book on NT backgrounds. Ferguson gives you a broad sweep of nearely everything you need to know when studying hte NT and an extensive bibliography of additional... Read more
Published on November 3, 2006 by Anthony J. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, general introduction
Very good general introduction to the social, political, and religious background of early Christianity. Read more
Published on April 13, 2006 by Jeri Nevermind

2.0 out of 5 stars As a source of protestant view on the 4th century BC to 4th century AD, YES, otherwise NO
I had hard to find anything about the veneration of saints, which I think would be important to include with a comparison to other religions of the period and earlier. Read more
Published on August 1, 2005 by hetero

5.0 out of 5 stars I read every page.
This book is a great reference book, and also a great read. I read every page of the book and created a careful outline of it (which will be available at davidritsema.com). Read more
Published on July 14, 2005 by David S. Ritsema

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, readable
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... Read more
Published on March 28, 2002 by Michael Hoffman

2.0 out of 5 stars Caveat emptor
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... Read more
Published on September 25, 2001 by Ted Olsen

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