Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament

by J. Julius Scott Jr.

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2000

Overview

This survey of intertestamental Judaism illuminates the customs and controversies that provide an essential background for understanding the New Testament. Helpful charts, maps, and diagrams are incorporated throughout the text.

The Logos Bible Software edition of this volume is designed to encourage and stimulate your study and understanding of Scripture. Biblical passages link directly to your English translations and original-language texts, and important theological concepts link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. In addition, you can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, scholars, and theologians have to say about the Word of God.

Key Features

• Outlines the historical framework of the Old Testament and intertestamental periods
• Discusses the period termed as “Intertestamental Judaism”
• Includes various maps, figures, and tables to help enhance study

Contents

• The Background and Setting of Intertestamental Judaism
• The Crises and Responses of Intertestamental Judaism
• The Religious Thought of Intertestamental Judaism: A Background for Christian Customs and Controversies

Praise for the Print Edition

To be recommended for its cautious approach to controversial subjects.

—International Review of Biblical Studies

This volume provides a wealth of practical information furnished in a tightly written style, which will make it a helpful basic reference for general discussion of the major tensions and trajectories within intertestamental Judaism. . . . Scott’s 30 years of teaching experience is evident in the way he has very compactly brought together an enormous amount of material about an area of biblical study that is constantly expanding. . . . Scott has served Christian students well by opening a door into the Jewish world and literature leading up to the development of Christianity.

—Catholic Biblical Quarterly

This . . . is an excellent one-volume introduction to the historical and cultural backgrounds of early Christianity. The layout of the book is very straightforward and easy to follow. In addition, the table of contents is more complete than most books published in the present day, and it serves the reader well. . . . An outstanding survey of the historical and religious developments in Second Temple Judaism as they relate to New Testament Studies.

—Review of Biblical Literature

This easy-to-read reference is a great help in understanding the New Testament.

—Conservative Theological Journal

Professor Scott has provided students and pastors with a first-rate study of intertestamental Judaism and how this period—its literature and institutions—serves as background for a better understanding of the New Testament. What makes this book especially useful is that it not only offers an accessible overview of the data (history, institutions, religious thought) but also engages with the ideas and controversies that emerged within the Judaism of this period. The reader is thus given an especially helpful entry into the complex and varied phenomenon called early Judaism—of which Jesus, Paul, and most of the other New Testament writers were a part.

—Gordon D. Fee, emeritus professor of New Testament studies, Regent College

Overall, the volume offers a very detailed yet readable treatment of its topic, clearly relevant for the Christian student yet valuable for numerous other readers as well.

—Themelios

I recommend this study to anyone who wants to become a better interpreter of the New Testament.

—Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Product Details

• Title: Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament
• Author: J. Julius Scott Jr.
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 416

About J. Julius Scott Jr.

J. Julius Scott Jr. received his PhD from the University of Manchester. He is an emeritus professor of biblical and historical studies at Wheaton College Graduate School.

Reviews