The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity

by James S. Jeffers

What was life like for first-century Christians?

Imagine a modest-sized Roman home of a well-to-do Christian household wedged into a thickly settled quarter of Corinth. In the lingering light of a summer evening, men, women and children, merchants, working poor and slaves, a mix of races and backgrounds have assembled in the dimly lit main room are are spilling into the central courtyard. This odd assortment of gathered believers--some thirty in number--are attentive as the newly arrived and travel-weary emissary from Paul reads from the papyrus scroll he has brought from their apostolic mentor.

But if you were to be transported to this scene you would perhaps be overwhelmed by a flood of unexpected difference. The voice of the reader recedes as through open windows the din and clamor of the city assault your ears. Hooves clunk and cart wheels grind and echo from the street while drivers shout, vendors call and neighbors gather and converse. And later, as you accompany a family through darkened and dangerous streets to their third-story tenement apartment, you might try to mask your shock at the cramped and unsafe conditions.

In The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era James Jeffers provides an informative and scenic tour of daily life during the time of Jesus and the apostles. He affords "you-are-there" glimpses of everything from legal codes to dinner foods, from social hierarchy to apartment living, from education to family dynamics. His eye-opening book will advance your understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity and enrich your reading and application of the Bible.

Genres: History, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Christian, Church History, New Testament, Theology

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Darryl Burling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you're interested in background information on the Greco-Roman world. It is well organized and well written, so you can read it in full or just read selections. Chapters 2-3 are less captivating than the rest of it, but the chapters on Roman citizenship, slavery and class structure is not only interesting, but important for understanding how the New Testament builds on these basic elements of the first century world.

[Ethan Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super helpful survey of Greco-Roman backgrounds to the New Testament. It is extremely thorough and is perhaps better used as a reference text. Jeffers references the New Testament often, thus the index is extremely valuable. The chapters also are broken up into specific topics so that one can easily find a general topic they are looking for. I had minor differences here and there with Jeffers understanding of some texts, but nothing major. Will keep this close at hand for NT backgrounds.

[Dewayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffers provides a nice overview of daily life in the world of the first century. Most of the book deals with life in the early Roman Empire, but he does occasionally bring in elements from the time of the Republic and of the Empire after the first century. Where helpful, he contrasts Roman attitudes with those of the Greeks, showing some of the complexity of life in the time of the New Testament. He also points out how at times attitudes toward wealth, slavery, and various occupations differ from our notions today; clearly, interpreting the New Testament takes a bit more work (especially in terms of a knowledge of first century history and culture) than some might generally assume. He does not generally deal with theological concerns, although he does include quite a few references to the New Testament when appropriate to the topic under discussion.
Overall, Jeffers' work is both informative and a great read. It is helpful for those who want a clearer picture of the world in which the New Testament was written.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful work for getting a grip on the cultural background of the New Testament era. Clear and well-written, with useful notes and bibliographies for further explorations. Definitely recommended.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a concise, well-organized, clearly-written overview of the cultural context within which the New Testament documents were written. While it can be a dry reading experience at times, the sheer amount of information covered in such an accessible package is astounding. Each chapter also includes relevant quotations and a simple, helpful biography for the topic being discussed.

In short, this is an amazing reference tool, which I am thrilled to have on my shelf. Each chapter can be read easily on its own, and even the appendices are interesting! I'm so thankful Jeffers put this book together, and will be leaning on it heavily in my own studying, teaching, speaking and ministry work moving forward.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, user-friendly description of life in the Roman world during the time of Christ and the early Christian church.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great info but a tad dry. The book’s marketing copy indicates it has a “you are there” vibe. And for five pages it does. The remaining 315 or so pages... not so much.

[A.J. Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource book for academic Christians wanting to understand the background of the society in which we received the New Testament documents. The purpose for this book (and the many within similar topics) is succinctly stated on the first page of the first appendix:

"Why should someone interested in the New Testament study the history of the Greco-Roman world? This history is important because the key to understanding the New Testament is context. The various books of the New Testament were written to real people who knew their own history and culture. If we do not try to put ourselves into the context of the original readers of the Scriptures, we can very easily read our own culture into a passage and reach wrong conclusions about what it meant to the author and therefore what it should mean to us" (293).

Jeffers does a brilliant job tailoring the various writings from authors such as Juvenal, Tacitus, Suetonius, etc. to give the reader a taste of what was common for Roman/Hellenistic economics, demostics, and politics. Though I did long for a more thorough intermingling with Greco-Roman culture and passages given to us in the New Testament, I am sure Jeffers did not intend to attach every New Testament passages with a cultural point. Nevertheless, a helpful resource.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Gavin Meeples · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book giving the history, culture, conflicts and politics of the inter-testament and New Testament periods. It sheds light and gives more nuanced meaning to the events of the Gospels, Acts and the epistles. It helps Bible readers not to read our modern culture into the biblical text. Rather, this book reminds us that we need to know what’s happening in those places (e.g., Corinth or Tarsus) in order to better appreciate the biblical text.

The book is easy to read with photographs, maps and charts.

[Amy Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book for people who want to begin to dive deeper into the historical contexts of Biblical passages. I probably didn't love it because I had to read it for class, but it was still really interesting to read. I really like how accessible Jeffers made the content, reallt focusing on people.who may just want to dive deeper in their own personal study, not for any kind of literature review.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know why Paul used the words he did or what Jesus mean by the narrow door this is the book for you to read. Mr. Jeffers writes about that was going on in the world around Jesus and how that relates to the rise of the Christian church. He talks about the whys of Paul's directions on church and family relationships.

[Jon Stallings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the easiest read but it is loaded with Roman culture and history. The author does a great job making the connection to Scripture when applicable. I recommend it for any history enthusiasts and / or student of the Bible.

[Zak Metz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dull but good information.

[Jan Petrozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was riveted with this book! Fascinating and hard to put down! Was suggested as supplemental reading at the Masters level, but does not read like a dry textbook. Thoroughly enjoyed!

[Timothy Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for undergrad or lay level text. But it compares everything with 'Merica restricting its usefulness beyond the US.

[Abbey Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential New Testament backgrounds

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful!

[Luke Roscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good information presented in an orderly fashion.

[Matt Daq · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good look at how people lived in the first century. Super boring in parts but a god insights into the world of the reomans in 0-100AD

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offered a lot of context that illuminated what was going on in the New Testament.

[Alfie Mosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read this book for the second time and was reminded how important understanding the historical and cultural context of the first century Roman empire is to understanding the New Testament. Jeffers offers a clear and readable overview of the first century Roman Empire and clear analysis. Here is just a taste. "The Roman attitude toward Judaism exemplifies this policy of toleration. In 161 B.C. the Jewish leader, Judas Maccabee, requested Roman protection from the ravages of the Seleucid monarch, Antiochus IV. Wanting to weaken the Seleucids, Rome agreed to a declaration of friendship with Judea. In the following century, the Jews gave both Julius Caesar and Octavian valuable military assistance. This led to a series of official edicts and letters to Greek cities in the East, instructing them to permit resident Jews to observe their traditional religion. Jews were allowed to pay the Jewish temple tax rather than the normal Roman taxes and to worship and organize freely. Even more important, they would not be required to participate in emperor worship. These privileges were not altered until after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (p. 105). Overall a great reference book.

[Bret James Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

James S. Jeffers has done a good job with this book. The cover art is attractive, the book is laid out well, and he includes a number of photographs, charts, and tables that augment the text. He has a couple of appendices and indices for Scripture verses and subjects, which are needed for a scholarly book.

The beauty of the book is that it provides a context for the New Testament Scriptures. This greatly adds to the understanding of the Bible. In attempting to provide a snapshot of what life was like in the post-Alexander Greco-Roman world, he includes chapters about the history of the region, lifestyles, burial rituals, belief systems, economic and social tropes, the law, and more. Taken as a whole, this really shines light on how this portion of the world would have worked on the general level. He makes the error of believing in the “branches” of Christianity concept, which is false, and I deduct a star for this as it contributes to misunderstanding of the material covered.

This is a good book for scholars, though it is also helpful to the general Christian as it provides contextual information for the New Testament. It would also benefit those who are interested in the Greco-Roman period without necessarily having the Christian context as a goal. Thus, it would appeal, I think, to any readers wanting to learn more about this interesting period in the areas where Greece and Rome ruled, directly or indirectly via the provincial system.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this book immensely. Fascinating read, worth every minute. I'm about 2/3rds of the way through and will read it again. It covers every aspect of Greco-Roman culture during the Apostolic era & presents a well rounded view that helps the reader understand the historical and cultural context of the NT>

Post read post: This is a must read for any student of the NT

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Jeffers provides a fantastic addition to any library. After purchasing this book I had some concerns that I may be in for what would be a necessary, but boring disquisition. Imagine my surprise when the information provided in this book was concise and readable.

[Cory Shumate]

Solid book to prepare for a visit to the ancient sites in Greece and Turkey, following the footsteps of Paul and John. Jeffers combines academia with imagination and accessibility, making this a great read for students, laymen, or professors.

[Cassie]

I started reading this, and got up to page 126 before having to give it back to the person I borrowed it from...really enjoyed what I did read though, so hopefully I'll be able to get it and finish it some other time.

[Kenneth Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, solid work, offering enough minute detail to keep interest up, and yet progressing at a pace that the reader won't likely get bogged down by those details.

[Andy Mater · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like history, and you desire to see how the New Testament fits within the history in which it was written, this book is worth reading.

[Julie Sederholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. It gives the background and culture of the New Testament times so that you can better understand what the verses better and find deeper meaning behind what they say.