Feature Summary

New Features

• A new chapter on historically evolving concepts of God (chapter 3: "The God of Israel: a Composite Portrait) enhances the book's value in studying the history of Judeo-Christian religion
• A second new chapter (chapter 11: "The Other Gospels: Additional Portraits of Jesus") not only surveys early Christian Gospels not admitted to the New Testament canon, but also reviews the latest work from scholars contributing to the ongoing quest for the historical Jesus
• Chapter 1 has been extensively rewritten to more effectively introduce students to essential facts about the origins and growth of biblical literature and to the critical techniques scholars use to study it
• Pertinent new material has been added to every chapter, providing more detailed examinations of biblical ideas and themes, and the bibliographies have been updated to reflect the inclusion of fresh information

Proven Features

• The text's organization follows the order of the canonical Hebrew Bible, Christian Gospels, Pauline Letters, General Epistles and a Vision of End Time, and the subsequent history of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
• Learning aids include lists of key themes and key questions at the beginning of each chapter, a complete glossary, review questions, bibliography, lists of key terms, and many visual aids, including attractive maps.
• The introductory survey of ancient history extends from early Mesopotamia to the Greek and Roman periods.