The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide (Essential Guides) [Paperback]

Warren Carter (Author)

Book Description

Series: Essential Guides | Publication Date: August 2006

An indispensable introduction to Roman society, culture, law, politics, religion, and daily life as they relate to the study of the New Testament.
The Roman Empire formed the central context in which the New Testament was written. Anyone who wishes to understand the New Testament texts must become familiar with the political, economic, societal, cultural, and religious aspects of Roman rule. Much of the New Testament deals with enabling its readers to negotiate, in an array of different manners, this pervasive imperial context. This book will help the reader see how social structures and daily practices in the Roman world illumine so much of the content of the New Testament message. For example, to grasp what Paul was saying about food offered to idols one must understand that temples in the Roman world were not “churches,” and that they functioned as political, economic, and gastronomic centers, whose religious dealings were embedded within these other functions.Brief in presentation yet broad in scope, The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide will introduce students to the information and ideas essential to coming to grips with the world in which early Christianity was born.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (August 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0687343941
• ISBN-13: 978-0687343942
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History
  • #91 in Books > History > Ancient > Rome

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rome and the New Testament, July 19, 2009

By 

M. A. Oget "grittymar" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide (Essential Guides) (Paperback)

Carter's Introduction is really at a basic collegiate level, rather than at a graduate-school level. As a result, it can be a bit repetitious. Nevertheless, this is a clear, precise read that opens students' eyes to the role of Rome in the writing and background of the Greek New Testament.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great primer!, April 2, 2011

By 

Justin Hyde - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide (Essential Guides) (Paperback)

This volume is part of a larger collection of "Essential Guides" and serves as a great example of the rest of the series.

In this short book, Carter offers a very helpful primer and surveys a wide variety of first-century Roman dynamics including Imperial Officials, Demographics (urban and rural), Religious and Political Personnel, and Imperial Theology. Carter even devotes an entire chapter to the "Economics, Food, and Health" of the Empire.

As the series editors make clear, this volume is an introduction to the topic covered, not an in-depth analysis. Yet this book fits well along side other titles in a New Testament Survey course. Indeed, this book is important and helpful for all serious students of the Bible because as Carter notes, "the New Testament texts assume and engages Rome's world in every chapter" (1).

For those interested in biblical studies and ancient history this book comes highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read that was very informative, March 5, 2011

By 

P. Newell "euspane" (Dallas, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide (Essential Guide (Abingdon Press)) (Kindle Edition)

I found this to be a good read, very informative, and easy to understand. I'm just looking to learn. I don't need anyone to impress we with their scholarship. The author may be a great scholar (I don't know.) but what matters to me is that he communicated clearly.