New Testament History

by F. F. Bruce

Publisher:

Doubleday

, 1980

Overview

The story of the New Testament is best understood when it is set in its historical context, which is what F.F. Bruce does brilliantly in this book. He begins by explaining the political, social, intellectual, and religious aspects of the Jewish people after their return from exile. The life and ministry of Jesus is then set within that culture. After the crucifixion of Jesus, “none of the authorities . . . could have reckoned with the event that confounded all their calculations,” says Bruce—“Jesus’ rising from the dead and appearing to his disciples. . . . It took [his followers] quite by surprise. But it transformed them from a crowd of demoralized and frightened people into a band of men with a mission and purpose which, without delay, they proceeded to translate into action.” The second half of New Testament History is given to the actions of the followers of Jesus—the story of the early church, and the expansion of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Bruce’s details make the story come alive. For instance, in the New Testament Pilate is mentioned, condemns Jesus to death, and disappears from the story. Bruce, however, quotes Philo as describing Pilate as “naturally inflexible, a blend of self-will and relentlessness” and then Professor Bruce paints a fuller picture of the prefect of Judaea through additional stories and details about the man.

Endorsements

The first third of the book recounts the Roman and Jewish context, then fifty pages survey the lives of John and Jesus, and the last half is a history of the first two generations of the Church. The Best Aavailable treatment by an evangelical.

Christianity Today

Product Details

• Title: New Testament History
• Author: F. F. Bruce
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Print Publication Date: 1980
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 462
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. › History of Biblical events; Bible. N.T. › History of contemporary events
• ISBNs: 9780385025331, 0385025335
• Resource ID: LLS:NEWTESTAMENTHST
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-11-30T20:42:45Z

About F. F. Bruce

F. F. Bruce (1910-1990) was known worldwide as the "dean of evangelical scholarship"—a reputation earned by a lifetime of scholarship, teaching, and writing. Trained in classics at the University of Aberdeen and Cambridge University, he taught at the Universities of Edinburgh, Leeds, and Sheffield before serving for nearly twenty years as the Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester in England. During his distinguished career, he wrote many outstanding commentaries and books, including Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free; Israel and the Nations; New Testament History; The Books and the Parchments: How We Got Our English Bible; Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament; and The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? He also served as general editor of The New International Commentary on the New Testament.