The New Testament: A Student's Introduction

Designed for students beginning their first systematic study of the Christian Scriptures, The New Testament: A Student's Introduction traces the New Testament's chronological, thematic, and literary development through thorough examination of each book. Through exploration of both canonical and non-canonical scriptures, as well as on-going debates and dialogues surrounding the historical Jesus, the text acquaints students with the goals and methods of important biblical scholarship. Now divided into six sections, the book incorporates the latest in New Testament studies and provides a clearer and more comprehensive overview of the historical, social, and cultural environment in which the New Testament authors worked and wrote.

Stephen L. Harris is Professor Emeritus of Humanities and Religious Studies at California State University, Sacramento, where he served ten years as department chair. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. A member of the Society of Biblical Literature, his publications include Understanding the Bible (8th edition, 2011); The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (with Robert Platzner); Classical Mythology: Images and Insights (with Gloria Platzner); Exploring the Bible; and Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes, a survey of volcanic hazards on the U.S. Pacific Coast; and for National Geographic Books, Restless Earth, a study of global earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. He contributed the chapter on “Archaeology and Volcanism” to the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Academic Press, 2000).