Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies
Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies is a 10-volume series that introduces key ancient texts that form the cultural, historical, and literary context for the study of the New Testament. Neither too technical to be used by students nor too thin on interpretive information to be useful for serious study of the New Testament, this series provides a much needed resource for understanding the New Testament in its Jewish, Greco-Roman, and early Christian contexts.
The several volumes that make up the Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies series provide introductions to the diverse bodies of literatures that are in various ways cognate to biblical literature, especially to the New Testament. These volumes have been written to serve the needs of advanced students who aspire to become New Testament interpreters, as well as the needs of veteran scholars who lack expertise in some of the fields these volumes treat.
The last two generations have witnessed the discovery and publication of a remarkable amount of ancient literature that in various ways is relevant to New Testament interpretation. Scholarly research has made it abundantly clear that much of this material proves to be contextually and exegetically helpful in the interpretation of the writings that make up the New Testament. But the sheer magnitude and diversity of this material have also proven to be intimidating to many students. Indeed, there are many scholars and teachers of biblical literature who are not sure exactly what makes up this literature, how it is relevant, and how it is to be accessed. It is the purpose of Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies to address this challenge.
The editors and contributors believe that if one is to interpret New Testament literature in full context, one must know something of these diverse writings and their relevance for the New Testament. Some of these writings are vital for understanding the literature of the New Testament, some much less so. But all are referred to in scholarly discourse. Thus, intelligent reading of New Testament scholarship more broadly requires familiarity with these writings.
Planned Volumes
1. The Apocrypha and Septuagint—Bruce W. Longenecker, Marieke Dhont, and James K. Aitken†
2. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha—Loren T. Stuckenbruck
3. The Dead Sea Scrolls—Cecilia Wassén
4. The Apostolic Fathers—Paul Foster
5. Philo and Josephus—Honora Howell Chapman, Zuleika Rodgers, and Justin M. Rogers
6. Greco-Roman Literature— Joseph Emanuel Sanzo and Michael C. Sloan
7. Targums and Rabbinic Literature—Bruce Chilton and Alan J. Avery-Peck (Available Now)
8. Gnostic Literature—Christian Askeland
9. Early New Testament Apocrypha—J. Christopher Edwards (Available Now)
10. Inscriptions, Papyri, and Other Artifacts—James R. Harrison and E. Randolph Richards (November 2024)
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