An Introduction to the New Testament: History, Literature, Theology

by M. Eugene Boring

This thoroughly researched textbook from well-respected scholar M. Eugene Boring presents a user-friendly introduction to the New Testament books. Boring approaches the New Testament as a historical document, one that requires using a hands-on, critical method. Moreover, he asserts that the New Testament is the church's book, in that it was written, selected, preserved, and transmitted by the church. Boring goes on to explore the historical foundation and formation of the New Testament within the context of pre-Christian Judaism and the world of Jesus and the early church. He then examines the individual books of the New Testament, providing helpful background information and methods for interpretation, and revealing the narrative substructure found within each of the Gospels and Letters. This volume includes helpful illustrations, charts, notes, and suggestions for further reading. Sections are laid out in a well-organized manner to help students navigate the content more easily.

Genres: New Testament, Christianity

722 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2012

Reviews

[Carl Jenkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very long, drawn out, and well, boring. I get that an introduction to the New Testament might not be the most exciting read, and perhaps it would be better to read on a need to know basis about the books rather than straight through like I had to do, but it wasn't doing it for me. That, and while I don't consider myself the typical evangelical, Boring's book was more of just a collection explaining more current academic beliefs within classic liberalism.

[Aldon Hynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Danny Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic work that introduces any reader into the context of the New Testament. It gives great background to each of the books and works as a commentary as your read the text.

[John Kight · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Introduction to the New Testament: History, Literature, Theology by M. Eugene Boring is a unique achievement in the field of New Testament studies. It is the fruit of a lifelong pursuit into the world and literature of the New Testament, and the result of decades of thorough research by a well-respected New Testament scholar.

An Introduction to the New Testament begins with a substantial introduction at over 200-pages. It is here that the New Testament is introduced to the reader as the Church’s book. For Boring, the Church wrote it, selected it, edited it, preserved and transmitted it, translated it, and interpreted it (p. 12). It is within this persuasion that Boring is able to comprehensively guide the reader through issues of New Testament composition, transmission, translation, interpretation, etc.

Following the establishment of the New Testament as the Church’s book, Boring positions the conversation historically as he guides the reader through the Hellenistic World and into the various facets of Palestinian Judaism and early Christianity. This section provides a helpful overview of the historical context of the New Testament literature and better prepares the reader for the investigation that follows.

As the introductory material comes to a close the reader encounters roughly 80-pages of discussion on Jesus and Paul. Boring provides a well-written, but brief summary of the quest for the historical Jesus, and a more substantial overview of the earthly ministry of Jesus and its overlap with that of Paul. Lastly, Boring sketches a more detailed portrait of the life and ministry of Paul and prepares the reader for his unconventional approach in the following chapters with an introduction to the epistles.

In the shadows of the introductory material Boring directs the attention of the reader to the literature of the New Testament. The reader may be surprised to discover that Boring begins with the Pauline epistles—specifically 1 Thessalonians, Philippians, and Philemon—before discussing other New Testament epistles and the gospels. This approach is intentional and appropriate for the critical mindset that Boring is seeking to cultivate. Boring is thus able to construct critical thought around Paul and the other epistles in a way that better positions for the reader, his critical approach to the gospels and Jesus.

I found Boring to be both clear and comprehensive throughout. Aside from the usefulness of the content found within the book, I also found the layout and organization of the book to be extremely helpful and easy to use. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of a “For Further Reading” section at the end of each chapter. Boring provides a number of excellent suggestions for the interested reader looking to investigate more deeply. However, I did notice that his suggestions are typically, and more often than not, those that align with his own critical approach.

I often found myself in contention with the conclusions and assumptions that Boring propagates throughout the book. However, with that said, I greatly appreciate Boring’s scholarship, and his willingness and desire to cultivate a mindset within the reader that looks to think through the issues rather than simply be told what to believe is admirable. It is here that Boring has truly provided the Church and academy something special and unique.

An Introduction to the New Testament: History, Literature, Theology by M. Eugene Boring is a comprehensive engagement into the deepest corners of the New Testament and New Testament studies. While this is not the first New Testament introduction that I will pull from my bookshelf, nor the first New Testament introduction that I will recommend, it will be off my bookshelf often and I would certainly recommend it to others. If you are a serious student of the New Testament looking for a critical engagement therein that is easy to read and useful for reference, this present volume is an excellent resource that will fulfill your needs well.

I received a review copy of these books in exchange for and honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Introduction is certainly non-tradition both in content in format, but still a helpful resource. Unlike some intros, Boring does not interact as explicitly with other scholars as much as he is dialoguing with the "stream" of academic perspectives.

Boring makes so many points in this text that one certainly will not agree with all of them and possibly not even Boring himself. One of the weaknesses of this work is the inconsistencies of Boring's treatment of Acts: unfavorable when dealing with the epistles, yet respectful when studying Luke-Acts/Gospels. He occasionally used Acts to support some of his positions which seems to fly in the face of his buy-in to the Goodspeed/Knox view of Acts.

Overall this book is a helpful summary of liberal protestant Pauline scholar's position on the NT that is common in certain circles. This is a necessary reference work for students of the NT. Professional church-workers or laypersons may not find this work helpful unless they are interested in alternative perspectives on NT issues.

[G. Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An academic from the Disciples of Christ, Boring approaches the text in what could nearly be described as a cynical fashion. The book provides an excellent look at present trends of higher (biblical) criticism. Ultimately it falls short because of its inconsistency. Nearly all of the traditional views concerning Scripture and its authorship are seemingly tossed out without a second glance; miracles are reasoned away, but the resurrection is real! This failure to achieve a consistent balance between faith and the accepted standard among current criticism really damages Boring's credibility as an author.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough, helpful overview of the NT. Long and detailed. I would have not read it if it weren't assigned for class...but I did read the non-assigned parts later, which I wouldn't do if it weren't interesting and worthwhile.