The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #229

by Luke Timothy Johnson

As ancient literature and a cornerstone of the Christian faith, the New Testament has exerted a powerful religious and cultural impact. But how much do we really know about its origins? Who were the people who actually wrote the sacred texts that became part of the Christian Bible? The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction authoritatively addresses these questions, offering a fresh perspective on the underpinnings of this profoundly influential collection of writings.
In this concise, engaging book, noted New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson takes readers on a journey back to the time of the early Roman Empire, when the New Testament was written in ordinary Greek (koine) by the first Christians. The author explains how the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation evolved into the canon of sacred writings for the Christian religion, and how they reflect a reinterpretation of the symbolic world and societal forces of first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish life. Equally important, readers will find both a positive and critical reading of the New Testament—one that looks beyond its theological orientation to reveal an often-surprising diversity of viewpoints. This one-of-a-kind introduction engages four distinct dimensions of the earliest Christian writings—anthropological, historical, religious, and literary—to provide readers with a broad conceptual and factual framework. In addition, the book takes an in-depth look at compositions that have proven to be particularly relevant over the centuries, including Paul's letters to the Corinthians and Romans and the Gospels of John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke.
Ideal for general readers and students alike, this fascinating resource characterizes the writing of the New Testament not as an unknowable abstraction or the product of divine intervention, but as an act of human creativity by people whose real experiences, convictions, and narratives shaped modern Christianity.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History, Theology, Christianity, Philosophy, Faith

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Luke Timothy Johnson is an American New Testament scholar and historian of early Christianity. He is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Candler School of Theology and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.

Johnson's research interests encompass the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Epistle of James.

Reviews

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all the VSI books I have read, this one was academicially rigorous but also engaging and entertaining. It is organized in a straightforward way. It begins with the Synoptic Gospels, then proceeds to Paul’s letters, and then considers the Johanine writings. There is a penultimate chapter about canonization that I think was too brief. I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about how the New Testament was constituted. I was expecting that element to be central to the book. It was only obliquely treated. The final chapter, about the relevance of the New Testament, was beautifully written and structured around a compelling literary analogy. It was thoughtful but also noticably delicate about the controversial aspects of Christianity in modernity.

[Samrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

great intro to things that always felt disconnected. helpful to situate.

[Roderick Vonhogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the more recent knowledge we have of the way the various components of the New Testament came to be, how they differ from one another in origin, audience and purpose and why they were ultimately canonized.

[Rob O'Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really solid, short introduction to the writings contained within the New Testament. Johnson provides an accessible volume that does not get lost in academic jargon or scholarly debate over authorship or location of the writing. He realizes that this is not the place for these (necessary) conversations.

The purpose here is to "introduce" the writings of the New Testament, while also speaking to how these writings and arguing successfully for the theme of Jesus' resurrection being the central event upon which the New Testament is based. The one bit of scholarly argumentation that is included is his chapter on canonicity, how the New Testament was formed.

If you are looking for something heavier than this volume, then I would recommend Johnson's larger, fuller introduction The Writings of the New Testament.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The appropriate response to the critics [of the New Testament] is much the same as it would be for Shakespeare’s plays. Yes, they are performed poorly and without understanding…But look at what escapes all that mangling by readers and actors! Look at all the beauty, grandeur, profundity, wisdom, humor, sheer humanity that remains when all the objections have been made. Look at all the gorgeous verse, the immortal lines that still stun the unwary reader. Look at the way in which his plays elevate the spirits and enhance the humanity of those who parse and perform them.”

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnson considers the New Testament through the lenses of anthropology, history, literature, and religion. Rather than provide a summary, he focuses on overall themes, then looks at specific subsets: the Synoptic Gospels, Paul and his letters, the other letters, and the apocalyptic writings of the school of John. Johnson emphasizes the impact of the New Testament without forcing the reader to accept or reject its religion.

[J]

Clear and informative. The most provocative and memorable take was that the tale of Christ's resurrection and the interpretation of his death as a sacrificial act were animated by early Christians' psychological need to make sense of Jesus's humiliating, helpless death on the cross. A sort of closing of the cognitive dissonance -- he was in fact powerful, not powerless.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provocative text on the New Testament. The book is historically skeptical to the point of cynicism, but manages to pull back from the brink with an admiration and astute level of analysis that still manages to show respect for the New Testament. It felt like a book that focused on the author's preferences rather than one that introduced the New Testament.

[R-mig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for one of my university classes last semester to prepare myself for the final exam. It is pretty straightforward and refers to the Bible for every explanation.
It made studying enjoyable and bearable.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and helpful overview. Reminder of cultural elements - Roman rule, Mediterranean culture, Greek language + culture, Judaism; along with impact of Resurrection on the people writing them (real, immediate). Then useful overview of different parts of it and how it was put together.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good primer on the New Testament, bit dull and one-damn-fact-after-another style; for a quick overview of the structure and function the very short introduction serves its purpose; as for a modern superb translation of the New Testament straight from the original koine greek please refer to David Bentley Hart's magisterial The New Testament and the classic companion guide by asimov isaac; Asimov's Guide to the Bible: The Old and New Testaments.

[Vince Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best VSIs I have read. Clearly constructed, well written and engaging. Highly recommended.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. Fantastic summaries. No oversimplification and yet I still learned thing even after having earned an MDiv. Readable by all levels of Bible experience.

[maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

exactly what you think it is

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for EFM. Lost interest with last two chapters

[Robert Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always open to insights on scripture. Some people have good ideas and some don't. The point is that there are still things to learn from the text even as ancient as it is.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved both this book and the Very Short Introduction series. I will definitely be reading more of both.

Probably my key insight is to consider the audience of each book and what that tells us about early Christianity. For instance, Matthew's audience was likely still worshipping in synagogues with Pharisees and scribes, debating over interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. Therefore, Matthew emphasizes Jesus' critiques of Pharisaic Judaism and shows how Jesus-as-Messiah fulfills the Torah. Similar insights for the other gospels.

I also loved how Johnson reconciled in one sentence Pauline and Jamesion faith: "Paul contrasts faith and ritual observance; James contrast verbal profession and action.... both insist that belief must be spelled out in behavior (p. 91)."

I need to read this again, and probably at the start of every NT curriculum year.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: I like the idea of Very Short Introduction books, but the reality of them is very mixed. The thing I like least is the tendency of some of them to talk about the academic research into the thing without talking about the thing itself. The VSI book on the Bible did this.

But the majority of this book actually talks about the content of the New Testament. There is an introduction on history and a conclusion on the cannon, but basically the rest is about the synoptic Gospels, Paul or the Johnanine books. And I think he made a good decision to talk about Paul and then look at two books more deeply. This, of course, is just an introduction, but at about 150 pages of main content, it is a very good introduction.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-new-testament-a-...

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, yes, LTJ... a very talented New Testament scholar who seems to be a scapegoat for pretty much every faction: liberals don't like him because he's Catholic, Catholics don't like him because he's liberal, evangelicals don't like him for both of these reasons. N. T. Wright has said he disagrees with him so much he's not even sure that he's writing in English.

Oh, I am being rather unfair/exaggerating/generalising. For what it's worth, I don't really see eye to eye with him on many things, but this introuduction is still reasonably good, and even balanced, as far as anything about as explosive a field as New Testament studies can be balanced. Perhaps it's just too short to say anything controversial.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those familiar with Luke Timothy Johnson's Writings of the New Testament, the content of this Very Short Introduction will sound familiar. But what a gift to be able to articulate in such a focused manner the essence of the most influential writings for billions of people! This is a book both for beginners and for the more advanced who want to once again get in touch with the heart of the New Testament.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good overview of the texts of the NT, and some of the issues at stake. It might be a good addition to a class on religions in the Roman Empir, a class on extra-canonical Christian writings or a class on Judaisms in antiquity. If you really want an introduction to the NT, you're better off reading a full-sized introduction (such as those by Ehrman, Duling, or Johnson's full textbook).

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suggested reading for Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University's Seminary Lite course "Introduction to the New Testament".

Nice short intro to the New Testament, including the canonization process, authorship issues, chronology, and audience.

[W. Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked reading it. The writer approaches scripture from a distant, historical point of view.
Many times I disagreed with the author’s opinion but that didn’t stop me enjoying the read. We can agree to disagree.

[Timothy Klob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent brief New Testament survey. Luke Timothy Johnson is one of my favorite authors and speakers on the New Testament and the historic creeds of Christianity. Highly recommend both this short book as well as his longer treatments on these subjects.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, though short, introduction to the writings of the New Testament. You should check it out, its well worth your time.

[Wilbur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice up-to-date intro to the message, and development of the New Testament. A very manageable book, easy to understand and a quick read.

[reyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 / 5 ★
read for one of my theology classes. very concise, interesting and informative!!! overall a good overview, especially for those newer to the subject