This was an assigned text for an introduction to New Testament class in seminary. It served its purpose appropriately but didn't inspire me with any great new insights. ( )

A thorough and extensive introduction to all aspects of the New Testament: historical context, text, literary conventions, etc.

The author has clearly devoted his life to New Testament studies and brings much research to bear upon his analysis. Each section is replete with a full bibliography. The author is conversant with all the major issues involved in New Testament studies; his textual comments do betray a strong emphasis on the Gospel of John and Revelation.

While there are many interesting themes to be explored based on the book, on the whole, the author's adherence to modern assumptions regarding textual authorship and literary criticism make it impossible to recommend the book as a great resource for NT studies unless one is interested in seeing the arguments made by modern scholars against the integrity of the New Testament in terms of its own claims. It should be noted that the author does attempt to preserve an "ecclesial" concept of the NT as the Word of God, as expressed in the epilogue, but only after he has shown contempt for any who wish to honor the integrity of the NT and thoroughly humanizing the NT to the point of being a rag-tag collection of texts reflecting intra-communal quarrels among the "Pauline", "Petrine", and "Johannine" communities. If the "historical Jesus" and the "Jesus of faith and the church" are so different, one might as well dispense with the entire facade and find some more productive matter regarding which to study.

Then again, that has been the challenge for liberal Protestantism for years, and why liberal Protestantism is dying.

**--book received as part of early review program. ( )