The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too

by James F. McGrath

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2023

Overview

So you think you know the New Testament?

Did you know that Jesus made puns? Did you know that Paul never calls himself or the churches he writes to “Christian?” Did you know that we don’t know who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews, or if it’s even really a letter?

James F. McGrath sheds light on these and many other surprising realities of Scripture in The A to Z of the New Testament. Cutting through common myths and misunderstandings of problematic bible passages, James F. McGrath opens up expert knowledge to laypeople in his friendly introduction to New Testament studies. Each chapter in this fresh, accessible volume begins with a provocative anecdote or fact and then pulls back the curtain to inform curious readers about how scholars approach the issue. Along the way, McGrath explains unfamiliar terminology and methodology to nonspecialists with humor and clarity.

You’ve graduated from Sunday School. Ask the hard questions. Take Scripture on its own terms. Invigorate your Bible study with The A to Z of the New Testament as your guide.

Key Features

• Informs readers about how scholars approach issues
• Addresses common myths and misunderstandings
• Sheds light on the surprising realities of Scripture

Contents

• Introduction: The ABCs of New Testament Study
• Born In A Barn?!
• Camels, Critters, and Calculations
• Dead Men Walking
• Eat Whatever is Set Before You
• Fulfilling or Failing: Would Matthew Get an “F” in Biblical Interpretation?
• Greasy Jesus?
• Hate Your Enemies
• Intent, Interpretation, and Intertextuality
• Joking Aside
• Keep On Keeping the Commandments
• Language, Please (What the…Hell?)
• Mud In Your Eye
• Naked Truth: Jesus Didn’t Wear Pants
• Only One God: The First Christians Were Monotheists
• Plagiarism in the Gospels?
• Quotation Marks Required
• Revelations is NOT in the Bible
• Scribes and Secretaries: Who wrote the Letters of Paul?
• Telephone Game?
• Unmentionables: “Christians” and Other Things Paul Doesn't Mention
• Variations and Variants
• Women With Authority
• X Marks the Spot: How Do We Know the Shape of the Cross?
• Y Chromosome?
• Zacchaeus, Zebedee, Zechariah
• (Conclusion)

Praise for the Print Edition

If you’re looking for an engaging yet deep introduction to New Testament studies for about the cost of a brat and beer at a ball game, look no further. Over twenty-six brisk chapters, James McGrath leads you through the ins and outs of New Testament criticism, covering topics like where Jesus was born (in a barn?), and whether Jesus had a Y chromosome or believed in hell. An enlightening, learned, and fun book.

—Pete Enns

Product Details

• Title: The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know that Everyone Else Should Too
• Author: James F. McGrath
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 304
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. › Introductions
• ISBNs: 9780802882301, 0802882307
• Resource ID: LLS:ZNWTSTMNTLSHLDT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-10-03T17:59:17Z

About James F. McGrath

James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in Indianapolis. He has published widely on the New Testament and early Christianity as well as on religion in popular culture, especially science fiction. He is the author of What Jesus Learned from Women (2021) and Theology and Science Fiction (2016). He is also the editor of Religion and Science Fiction (2011), and the coeditor of Religion and Doctor Who: Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith (2013).