The New Testament and the People of God Volume 1 (Christian Origins and the Question of God) [Paperback]

N. T. Wright (Author), N.T. Wright (Author)

Book Description

Series: Christian Origins and the Question of God | Publication Date: September 1992

Part of a five-volume project on the theological questions surrounding the origins of Christianity, this book offers a reappraisal of literary, historical and theological readings of the New Testament, arguing for a form of "critical realism" that facilitates different readings of the text.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 535 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers; 1st North American edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800626818
• ISBN-13: 978-0800626815
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

N.T. Wright is Bishop of Durham and was formerly Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey and dean of Lichfield Cathedral. He taught New Testament studies for twenty years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities. Wright's full-scale works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God, and The Resurrection of the Son of God are part of a projected six-volume series entitled Christian Origins and the Question of God. Among his many other published works are The Original Jesus, What Saint Paul Really Said and The Climax of the Covenant. He is also coauthor with Marcus Borg of The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions and the volume on Colossians and Philemon in The Tyndale New Testament Commentary series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

134 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making a Revolution, May 12, 2003

By 

Sam Simpson IV (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Testament and the People of God Volume 1 (Christian Origins and the Question of God) (Paperback)

The first of Wright's projected six books in the series. I do not recommend reading out of sequence as you will find yourself overwhelmed by Wright's material. He is carefully constructing an argument that is complex, but the reader will find it rewarding. NTPG is footnoted extensively in the second book of the series, Jesus And The Victory Of God, so reading this book will save the time required to cross reference.

Wright offers a one stop veiw of previous NT research, and expalnation of methodology (both his and other's), and a comprehensive analysis of first century Palenstine. The material lays the ground work for his belief that current NT scholarship is missing the forest in its focus on the trees.

Wright rebuts the current work of the Jesus Seminar, Form Criticism, and other popular researchers that seek to deconstruct the NT in an effort to make the material easier to digest rationally. Ironically, it is Wright's arguments that offer the most credible explanation for the origin of the NT material.

This book is not an easy read, and may require a refresher course in history, methodology, and some of the social sciences. I found myself dusting of books not read since college to familiarize myself with some of Wright's references. But the whole experience is well worth the effort.

This book calls into question most of the liberal scholarship and much of the "traditional orthodox" research. I believe it will change the focus of NT Studies once the series is complete.

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CLASSIC ARGUMENT FOR JEWISH ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY, December 13, 1999

By 

Terry B. Cullom (Memphis, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Testament and the People of God Volume 1 (Christian Origins and the Question of God) (Paperback)

Any attempt to characterize this book is like trying to bottle a whirlwind--it is a massive, heavily documented, and well argued case for a historical understanding of the origin of Christianity. Basically, Wright argues for: 1) a proper historical methodology, 2) a 2nd-temple Jewish background for Jesus & the N.T., and 3) a Jewish Messianic understanding of earliest Christian community.

According to Wright, there is no such thing as a totally "objective" neutral view of reality; and while the N.T. offers an "interpretation" of Jesus, it is precisely the historical Jesus who is presented to us--rather than distorting Jesus, or creating a figure, to express their own private perspective, their witness brings out the "real" significance of the historical Jesus. Thus Wright argues for a "critical realism" methodology. Next Wright argues for a common worldview of 2nd temple Judaism, via an examination of its typical praxis, symbols, and beliefs. Then he argues that we can best understand Jesus, the N.T., and the earliest Christian community against this background. In all of these arguments, Wright draws upon numerous extant Jewish sources and references to other scholarly works.

Wright's treatment is comprehensive, massive, detailed, compelling, and original. His treatment of Jesus, the N.T., and the early Christian community against the Jewish background brings them to life, is believable and convincing; and throughout his book he critiques other scholarly positions and demonstrates how his offers a more probable accurate historical point of view. In the process, he destroys numerous traditional critical theories and sets the direction for all future discussion.

111 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars deep waters, August 22, 2001

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Testament and the People of God Volume 1 (Christian Origins and the Question of God) (Paperback)

Part of me wants to give N.T. Wright's "The New Testament and the People of God" five stars. Another part is leaning towards three. I'm gonna split the difference and give this monolith of a book four stars.

Wright is one of my favorite authors. This does not mean I agree with him all of the time. His critiques of those he disagrees with theologically are masterful. He lays careful foundations for his own work. His methods are generally quite solid. A lot of his conclusions are insightful. However, there are some things about Wright's work that leave me puzzled. For instance, I cannot understand his insistence that Jesus didn't really "know" know that he was the Son of God.

This notwithstanding, "The New Testament and the People of God" is an excellent first volume in what will no doubt be Wright's magnum opus: "Christian Origins and the Question of God ." This first volume sees Wright laying out the principles he uses while doing his work, discussing the history of much of the work that was done preceding him, and examining the world Jesus was born into.

The length of five hundred pages is deceptive. "The New Testament and the People of God"is a very dense read. It is heavily (though not too heavily) footnoted. Its ideas take adequate time for reflection to digest. I would even go so far as to suggest that reader either unfamiliar with Wright's work or not used to reading theology or books about the historical Jesus start with one of Wright's more popular books in preparation for reading this series. I would recommend starting with a book such as "The Way of the Lord," "The Challenge of Jesus," or "The Crown and the Fire" instead of starting cold on a massive undertaking like "The New Testament and the People of God." Wright is a great writer. You don't want to turn yourself off to him by jumping into the deep waters before you're ready.

I recommend this book highly.