Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints

by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

This important reference for any home library is the perfect guide to New Testament culture, language, history, and teachings. Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament is richly illustrated with hundreds of images, including original artwork, artifacts, maps, and timelines. Uncover the origins of the books of the New Testament and learn how stories of Christ’s life and teachings were preserved after His death. Explore the relationships between Greek, Roman, and Jewish culture that explain much about how the gospel was shared and recorded. Examine scriptural issues that have been debated by scholars throughout the ages. Nearly 300 topics provide valuable context to understanding New Testament times, from the role of women and families, to portraits of key personalities, to controversial legends that have persisted to our day. This unique resource is sure to enrich New Testament studies as never before!

Genres: Religion, Lds, History, Nonfiction, Church, New Testament, Unfinished

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2006

About the author

Dr. Richard Holzapfel is a Professor of Church History in the Religious Education Department at BYU. He attended BYU, Hebrew Union College, and the University of California, Irvine (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.) emphasizing in Middle Eastern Studies, Jewish History, Ancient History. Dr. Holzapfel began teaching at Brigham Young University in 1993, and has taught in the Church History, Ancient Scripture, and History departments. He is currently the Managing Director of Religious Studies Center Publications and the Editor-in-Chief of the center’s periodical The Religious Educator. In addition, he serves as an Editorial Board Member for BYU Studies. Dr. Holzapfel has received various awards and honors for his teaching, including Continuing Education Faculty Teaching Award in 2006. In 2008 he was named the BYU Honors Professor of the Year. Along with his teaching and university appointments, Dr. Holzapfel remains one of the most rigorous and widely published writers on campus.

Reviews

[David Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. Everyone should read this. So many useful charts, graphs, and pictures. The survey covers all of the bases. Fantastic introduction to the background and content of the NT.

My only gripe is that the authors frequently seem to be leveraging apologetics towards minority scholarly positions (e.g. pre-canonical dating of Gnostic gospels), and not steelmanning the scholarly majority. This volume is a tad bit too conservative for my liking. Nevertheless, I may just be a godless liberal. This is a book fit for LDS readers of all ages.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this more than 6 months ago, during a time I was more closely studying the new testament. This volume has excellent material, both scholastic as well as spiritual to inform the study of the new testament. For me, it lended itself to piecemeal reading (which resulted in my taking longer than usual to read) and it was well worth the time and effort. I heartily recommend it!

[Brad Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great companion book to the New Testament, bringing in many historical, archeological, geographical, artistic and doctrinal ideas to enrich one's study. It also has great graphics and photos. I also recommend the companion book by the same author - Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book is a bit misleading. The main focus of the text is about the origins of the books in the New Testament, with a discussion of their contents taking second place. The culture and history surrounding the events in these books is a tertiary subject. It is mostly covered in sidebars and short chapters injected between the chapters about the books of the New Testament.

Still, it was very interesting to learn about current scholarship on the origins of the New Testament and how it affects the interpretation of the contents. The historical and cultural asides, while shorter than I would have liked, were also very interesting.

[Susie, · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got out this book, all ready to (finally) read it. However, the author, Richard N Holzapfel, recently spoke at Carma deJong Anderson’s funeral. Carma has been accused by four of her granddaughters of sexually abusing them for years. It’s a highly publicized case in Utah county. So, Richard, supporting your writings about Jesus while you support women who sexually abuse kids? That’s a no from me, dawg.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars might be a little low. I got this through inter-library loan, so I wasn't able to get through all of it due to the shortened borrowing period. Beautiful, informative, well-sourced. I wasn't a huge fan of the organization, though. Had a difficult time finding what I wanted.

[Louise Hartvigsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is out of print, but was available at the county library - yeah! It was on a list of recommended books for New Testament study. I checked it out twice to get through it. Full of information, scholarly quotes, maps, illustrations and pictures.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great companion to my study of the NT this year. Lots of historical context. Very interesting and easy to read.

[Tamra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just bought this because I'm teaching New Testament this year. Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament was so good, I feel like I can't live without this one. Certainly I don't want to teach without it anyway.

*update: I'll be reading this all year. It's great stuff!

*update: Marking this as read, even though I won't finish it in full for potentially a long, long time.

This is an excellent, well-rounded resource for any LDS person wanting to get more information about life in the New Testament times. It's a nice blend of history, scholarly scriptural commentary (if you're looking for a story-by-story commentary, you'll have to look elsewhere. Might I suggest Jesus the Christ?), and straight-up information about life then.

Whole-heartedly recommend.

[Bonnie Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous addition to the many commentaries already in most believers' homes. The addition of new scholarship (as textual finds continue to accumulate and provide added insight into early Christianity) and lush images is indispensable for making these insights accessible to teachers and home educators.

I am still in awe that these volumes, with their wise consideration of which scholarship to include and their expansion of the frontier of collaboration with many faiths on scriptural evaluation, are so affordable and nicely presented.

Far from merely a coffee table text, this is a staple in my library (though it does have a place of honor with its companion "Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament" ... on the coffee table!)

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by this over-sized book full of gorgeous color pictures. This is NOT a coffee-table book (although, I'd be fine with letting it sit on our coffee table). This is a fantastic, incredibly informative book written by three LDS scholars. I've been listening to a NT Scholar's podcast (NTPod by Mark Goodacre -- it's great, by the way), and many times, as Dr. Goodacre pontificates on some question in NT scholarship, I wonder what an LDS Bible scholar would say about the issue. This book definitely addresses many of those things: the priority of Mark's gospel, the striking difference between John's gospel and the "synoptics," Paul's authorship of Hebrews, the "Messianic Secret," all from an LDS point of view.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm on page 293 of 327 of this book. It has increased my understanding of the New Testament, the societies and governments that affect the story, why the authors wrote what they did, and the meaning behind the messages. As never before I appreciate their sacrifices and the depth of their testimonies, though I cannot appreciate it fully at this point in my life. This is a great book. I understand a companion volume has or will soon be published (Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament) and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

[Blair Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to New Testament scholarship for LDS audiences. It has excellent research, a little bit of homily, beautiful paintings and photographs, and reads like a breeze. You need not agree with all of the authors' conclusions to recognize what a great book this is, especially considering its being published by the conservative Deseret Book. Next year's SS focuses on the NT. It's a perfect time to read this book.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading chapters of this book while studying the New Testament and I really love this book. It is extremely well written and brings the world of the New Testament to life. I love all the pictures, cataloging items from antiquity with corresponding scriptures, the authors also provide pictures of archeological sites to go along with the scriptures. The chapters about The apostle Paul are definitely worth a read. You won't regret checking out this book!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of relevant, interesting, and mind-widening knowledge about the Greek/Roman/Jewish world of Jesus' time and also about the books of the New Testament themselves. It helps to give scope to the New Testament and meaning and clarity to beliefs. It was written by my old BYU New Testament professor Holzapfel. Helped me to see through confusion. A worthwhile read!

[Joshua Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like its companion volume on the Old Testament, this is one of the very best books on the background of the New Testament geared toward a Latter-day Saint audience. The textual commentary is up-to-date and does a fine job balancing critical scholarship with LDS perspectives, and the beautiful artwork opens up the first-century world in a wonderful way.

[Laurel Wicke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific companion to the New Testament. It really opened my understanding of scriptures I've read many times. It provides the historical context for the writing and gives a better understanding of its intended purpose. Lots of great pictures. Well researched; well organized; well done.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this one was okay, but if you have read Jesus the Christ, this seems repetitive and a bit lacking. I guess I gained a lot more insight from Talmage, so this just did not have the same spark.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book with equal amounts of pictures and text covering all aspects life in New Testament times. Impressively written and researched. The format is varied and allows for searching out topics easily. A little pricey: $40.00. But well worth it.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides very interesting background to the authors, books, and times of the New Testament. Beautiful illustrations and insightful explanations to the time and background of the New Testament. Highly recommended.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this so interesting and full of background information that brings the time period to life, but it is a beautiful book. I have been reading this all year along with our study in Sunday School class of the New Testament. It has been a great enrichment and I highly recommend it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and full of information. Sometimes the writing is less than lucid, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Lots of beautiful pictures. Lots of background information. A wonderful reference book for Latter-day Saints.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book to read along with the New Testament. It has intriguing pictures to go along with each book of the New Testament. A great read!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful pictures and insights.

[Kurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific light research volume for anyone interested in better understanding the world Christ lived in.

[Bryan Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good info. Tough read. It was kind of like reading a textbook.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous resource that i use over and over again.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the political, cultural, and religious environment in which Christ and his adherents lived and proselyted. A long read best done over time, and well worth it.

[Michael]

This is a beautiful reference book. I am reading it for both personal edification and (primarily) research for a fiction book I am writing.

[Layle]

Wonderful!