I don’t know how long it lasted, but it had to be at least twenty years. Famed Wheaton professor Merrill C. Tenney’s two books on the historical context and the contents of the New Testament were standard textbooks. I got them in college, marked them up, and referred to them for years. But so much has been learned about the historical context that those books fell by the wayside in the 80s or 90s. There have been attempts to replace them, but no textbook has really fit the bill … until three more Wheaton professors decided to get the job done.

Congratulations to Gary Burge, Lynn Cohick and Gene Green. Our thanks to all three for this splendid, colorful, chart-filled introduction to the New Testament in its historical context. They’ve called it The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Context
. Here is a complete introduction with attention to historical context; it takes standard evangelical views on all issues — the apostle John wrote the Gospel of John and Paul wrote (through a secretary/amanuensis) the Pastorals, etc..

Excellence marks this book everywhere: sound discussions, alert both to the kind of detail that makes points concrete; incredible photography of places and coins; useful maps and charts everywhere and anon; and an abundance of sidebars that set things in historical context. Chps end with questions and with bibliography.

A beautiful book that I predict will become the standard textbook for more than a decade.