In this engaging introduction to the New Testament, Professor Dale B. Martin presents a historical study of the origins of Christianity by analyzing the literature of the earliest Christian movements. Focusing mainly on the New Testament, he also considers nonbiblical Christian writings of the era.
Martin begins by making a powerful case for the study of the New Testament. He next sets the Greco-Roman world in historical context and explains the place of Judaism within it. In the discussion of each New Testament book that follows, the author addresses theological themes, then emphasizes the significance of the writings as ancient literature and as sources for historical study. Throughout the volume, Martin introduces various early Christian groups and highlights the surprising variations among their versions of Christianity.
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About the Author
Dale B. Martin is Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies, Yale University. His previous books include The Corinthian Body and Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in Pauline Christianity, both published by Yale University Press. He lives in New Haven, CT.
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Publisher : Yale University Press; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
Language : English
Paperback : 447 pages
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4.8 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
Carol
5.0 out of 5 stars The book is even better than the Yale on-line lecture series.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
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Dale Martin is a teacher par excellence. And his writing is even better.. I watched the on-line version of this course. The best on-line course I have ever taken. The book is his print version -- but better. He studies the New Testament in the context of its time and cultures. As a result, this collection of ancient books reveals so much more to us than what we learned in church. His writing style is clear, organized, and to the point. He not only presents the results of his own work and research, but also points out what other scholars think about the topic at hand. Excellent footnotes. If you are interested in New Testament studies or ancient history, this is a book for you.
12 people found this helpful
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ItsMe
5.0 out of 5 stars For Bible readers
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014
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I bought this book after viewing the course online. There was so much information in the videos that I wanted to have it in print for future reference. It is strictly about the history of the Bible and its origins, and not about the meaning of scripture. Being familiar with the New Testament through the church liturgy, I was curious about the authors of the gospels - who they were and what their qualifications were to write what they did. The lectures and the book present information from Biblical scholars about the authorship of the gospels, as well as the relevance of the gospels to the times in which they were written. It was interesting to learn that there were many diverse beliefs about Jesus and his teaching for several centuries after his death and that, even today, not all Bibles contain the same books for the same reason.
7 people found this helpful
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J. Rodriguez Cano
5.0 out of 5 stars A very readable book
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2013
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After following Professor Martin's interesting lectures on video (an OpenYale course on the web), I assumed this book would be a transcription of those lectures. I was wrong: it is totally rewritten. Fortunately, it follows the lectures' sequence and succeeds in keeping the immediacy of the video lectures. Dale Martin's style and historical-critical approach (what the Bible and other Christian literature meant to the people at the time) make this book very readable. For those interested in the history of that crucial period of humanity -the hundred and fifty years after the birth of Jesus, when the mixture of Greek culture, Judaism, and the beginning of Christianity determined to a great length our Western culture- this is the book to read. (Bart Ehrman's 'The New Testament' has a similar orientation and is also very commendable.)
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Charles
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2021
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Great companion to the video lectures
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jeffery b. howell
5.0 out of 5 stars Good place to start
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2017
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I watched Dr. Martin's Yale lectures on youtube. This is the book form of these lectures. It is a great introduction to the study of the New Testament and Christianity. He deftly demonstrates the complexity and variety of early Christianity. I highly recommend the book and the lectures.
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pcsnake
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good and very honest. I liked this book and the course it goes with.
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016
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I watched the entire lecture series for the course that goes with this. Dale Martin is good--very good. A rare and gifted, refreshing
professor who teaches an honest course and authored an honest book.
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Mel Tungate
5.0 out of 5 stars Professor Martin is great
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2016
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Martin is great. And, look at the Yale videos as you read each chapter. They're free.
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william eckersberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016
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very pleased
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will1957
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying to accompany his Yale lectures.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2017
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I bought the Kindle version of this book on the strength of watching Martin's Yale lectures on YouTube. The book follows the format of the lectures, which is useful and you can use one to supplement the other. For people with degrees in Theology or New Testament studies, Martin does not provide anything particularly new. He is sceptical about the historical reliability of the Gospels and Acts; a common view. However, this should not put off who hold differing views from buying and reading this work. Having watched Christine Hayes' lectures on the Old Testament and bought its accompanying book I would say I did not find Martin as engaging as she is, but this is a matter of taste and opinion and not a criticism of Martin's book.
Taking everything into account this is a good introduction to the New Testament, it covers all the important areas, and is worth reading.
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2018
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Excellent book. Dale had a very open and honest view of the NT. I have really enjoyed reading it. A great stand alone book or to be used with the online resources.
I'm working in ministry and this has been a huge asset to me.
I love it!
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PEDRO ALMEIDA
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2016
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Came in time and as good as promised
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M Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent release from the OpenYale Courses series
Reviewed in Germany on May 7, 2013
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this is the second from this series that I have read and was very impressed. Both were so good, I am inspired to read more.
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New Testament History and Literature
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New Testament History and Literature
by Dale B. Martin
4.28 · Rating details · 88 ratings · 7 reviews
In this engaging introduction to the New Testament, Professor Dale B. Martin presents a historical study of the origins of Christianity by analyzing the literature of the earliest Christian movements. Focusing mainly on the New Testament, he also considers nonbiblical Christian writings of the era.
Martin begins by making a powerful case for the study of the New Testament. ...more
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Paperback, 464 pages
Published April 24th 2012 by Yale University Press (first published January 1st 2009)
ISBN0300180853 (ISBN13: 9780300180855)
Edition LanguageEnglish
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Average rating4.28 · Rating details · 88 ratings · 7 reviews
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محمّد فؤاد
May 09, 2021محمّد فؤاد rated it really liked it
Shelves: اساطیر-ادیان, انگلیسی, کتاب-صوتی
https://oyc.yale.edu/courses
دانشگاه ییل برای کرونا چند تا از دورههای آموزشی خودش رو رایگان در اختیار عموم گذاشته. این دوره و دورههای دیگه با موضوعات مختلف رو از آدرس بالا میتونید دانلود کنید. از لحاظ کیفیت آموزش حرف ندارن. ...more
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Mike Day
Dec 31, 2018Mike Day rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: church-history, new-testament, christianity
I loved these lectures by Dale Martin. There were some things I had not considered before, and if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, knowing some of historical issues surrounding the construction of the New Testament, the different Christologies that were disseminating during the formulation of these texts, will help students to see why certain things were included in these documents and how early Christians had divergent beliefs about Jesus.
You probably will not agree with all of Martin's conclusions, but he will make you think! (less)
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Jean Cutshall
Feb 01, 2020Jean Cutshall rated it it was amazing
I had to read this in short segments. Lots to learn!
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Jamie Anderson
Jan 23, 2019Jamie Anderson rated it really liked it
Dale Martin is a knowledgeable professor and an entertaining writer. I enjoy his work without always agreeing with his conclusions.
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Ci
Mar 17, 2015Ci rated it it was amazing
Shelves: re-read-books
Excellent course materials to accompany the Open Yale course offered on itune. The material is immense and complex, requires much reading and collating of facts. Yet Prof. Martin has a lively and engaging lecturing style imparting his scholarly knowledge of New Testament in the scholar-historical method approach. An extremely useful course. Bart Erhman's books are good supplement for this course. (less)
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Ryan
Aug 16, 2013Ryan rated it it was amazing
Shelves: sunday-reading
Fascinating. This book is filled with many insights that brought new life to the NT for me. I only wish I'd written notes as I went along. I didn't finish it before the end of 2013, largely because I tried to read the NT text concurrent with each chapter. Anyway, I'm on to reading the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible for Sunday School. I'll have to come back to this next year. (less)
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New Testament History and Literature Quotes
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New Testament History and LiteratureNew Testament History and Literature by Dale B. Martin
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New Testament History and Literature Quotes Showing 1-2 of 2
“Imagine that you are a seamstress who works in a cloth shop in the city of Corinth, in Greece, in the year 56. Eutychus, a guy who lives next door to you and works in a leather workshop nearby, has just joined a new club, and he tells you about it. First, they don’t meet in the daytime, but either early, before light, or after dark. There are only enough of them to fill a decent-sized dining room, but they call themselves the “town meeting.” You’re not quite sure what they do at these meetings. They don’t appear to worship any god or goddess that you can see. They use the term “god” sometimes, but this god doesn’t have a name, and to you that would be bizarre. Remember, you are pretending that you’re a Greek living in the year 56 in Corinth. To you, these people look as if they don’t believe in gods at all; they look like atheists. The people in this new club have a very high respect for a criminal Jew who led some kind of guerrilla war and was executed long ago, somewhere in Syria. Eutychus says, though, that this Jew is still alive somewhere. In fact, Eutychus says that the Jew “bought” him, although you didn’t know that Eutychus was ever a slave. In fact, you’re pretty sure he wasn’t a slave. So what does it mean that this guy bought him? At these town meetings they eat meals—which is not unusual since most clubs in your society eat meals—but they call the meals the “boss’s dinner,” or sometimes “the thank-you.” Some people say they eat human flesh at these dinners, but you doubt that because for some reason they seem to be vegetarians. You doubt whether vegetarians would eat human flesh. Eutychus says that to initiate new members into their club, they “dip them,” naked, and then they “get healthy.” Once you’re in the club, they call you “comrade,” and you have sex with anyone and everyone, because it doesn’t matter anymore whether you’re a man or a woman; in fact, they kind of figure you’re neither—or both.”
― Dale B. Martin, New Testament History and Literature
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“Paul follows precisely the same strategy in dealing with the problem of eating food sacrificed to idols. Meat was a precious and rare commodity in an ancient city. Most people could not afford to buy it in the market. The main time they would eat meat would be at a sacrificial festival provided either by the city or more often by a wealthy individual who paid for the festival and its expenses out of his own pocket in return for the honor he and his family would then gain. The sacrifices would be made, some of the materials would be burned for the god, some would be given to the priests or other officials of the cult, and then the rest would be distributed to the people for their own feasting with their families and friends. But of course, any participation in these activities was precisely what Jews and early Christians considered idolatry. The poor Christians at Corinth would have had to attend a sacrificial setting in order to eat meat, and it would have been meat that had been sacrificed to a deity. The more “superstitious” Christians, no doubt, probably believed that the god, perhaps in the form of a “demon,” could have “possessed” the meat, and that by eating it, they could endanger themselves with demonic possession. They did believe, in at least some contexts and in some sense, that when they ate the “body and blood” of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, they were ingesting Christ himself. Why wouldn’t a similar process take place if they ate the sacrificial foods of Apollo or Aphrodite, two of the most important and powerful gods of Corinth? Even meat sold in a marketplace likely would have come from some kind of sacrificial practice. The officials or priests who were given portions of the sacrificed animal—often choice portions—had the liberty of making a bit of money by selling their portions to a butcher, who would then process the meat and resell it to people. In other words, unless one were rich enough to buy an animal and have it butchered and prepared, one could scarcely avoid eating meat that had been part of a sacrifice. The poor could hardly do so if they ate meat at all.”
― Dale B. Martin, New Testament History and Literature
