Warren Carter

Carter's overview of the New Testament and its relationship to the Roman Empire is an excellent summation of the cultural influence at the time the texts were written. His scholarship focuses on how the NT speaks to its cultural context and illuminates some interesting arguments about the meaning of certain books and passages. While a bit dry, this book is a good resource for someone looking to engage the NT in its historical context and consider how this context can speak to our current social and political state of affairs.… (mehr)

this is a book that i was supposed to read in seminary (or read parts of in seminary) and i never finished it. i enjoyed being able to read it at my leisure and take the time to absorb the book. carter does a study of the gospel of matthew read in light of the roman empire. i appreciated this book for its insights into how roman society worked and for the parallels it drew within matthew's gospel. it helped to highlight things that i would have missed otherwise. i also appreciated the conclusion of the book where carter lays out some of the ways in which matthew can be read in light of the current political context. he doesn't draw conclusions, instead he raises the questions that the gospel should always be forcing us to ask. this book was incredibly helpful although occasionally dense and repetitive. i am teaching through the book of matthew with the senior high at the church and this book has been very valuable to that endeavor.… (mehr)