I just finished reading a book called From Jesus Christ to Christianity: Early Christian Literature in Context. One of the editors of this book is Gerhard Van Den Heever, my supervisor for my D.Th. dissertation at the University of South Africa. This was a very good introduction to early Christian literature. There are some aspects that some would disagree with. They support the idea that Paul did not write 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians or the Pastorals. They discount the Gospel of John as a good historical source but give value to the Gospel of Thomas. Certainly the purpose of this book is not to defend the infallibility and inerrancy of the New Testament. The purpose of this book, which is accomplished very well, is to provide the cultural and religious context of the New Testament. The background in Graeco-Roman, Jewish and Gnostic thought is very helpful for understanding the world in which the New Testament appeared and Christianity developed. For that purpose, this book is a very valuable resource.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment