New Testament History

by F.F. Bruce

This book recounts the Roman and Jewish context of New Testament times...the lives of John and Jesus, and the history of the first two generations of the Church.

Genres: History, Theology, Biblical Studies, Church History, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian

462 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1982

About the author

Frederick Fyvie Bruce FBA was a Biblical scholar who supported the historical reliability of the New Testament. His first book, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (1943), was voted by the American evangelical periodical Christianity Today in 2006 as one of the top 50 books "which had shaped evangelicals".

Reviews

[Ellie Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful analysis of both the political and religious atmospheres of the world before and after the time of Jesus and the apostles. Frequent use of Biblical literature made for lots of cross-referencing (which was very fun!!)

[Jimmy]

Though this is an older work, I think it is still profitable since it gives alot of historical information concerning the background behind the New Testament. F.F Bruce strength's as a Classicist can clearly be seen, which can be his strength and also his weaknesses. As his strength, one can see that he is very familiar with the Roman and Greek materials that he presents, and for quite a depth into the book, he is still providing the political background of the Roman Empire. Another thing that was a delight was his emphasis that there were a lot of Hellenize Jews during the contemporary of the birth of the New Testament Church and also the reminder to us about the importance that Gentile "God fearers" play in Judiasm and early Christianity during their day. In light of the orientation of current scholarship that emphasizes more of the Jewish roots of Christianity, this book might seem to be more Greek and Roman driven. There were minor areas that I find myself cautious over and a few areas that I have to disagree with (again, it is Minor). Overall, a recommended book

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a great book. Bruce takes the centuries right before Jesus and goes through to the death of Justin Martyr. In the centuries before Jesus he goes through the ruling and waring factions in Judea and explains not just the history but the sociology of the various Jewish people groups entering into the time of Jesus which just add so much to the reading of Jesus. He then goes through the life of Jesus and brings tremendous insight into the perspective of the various groups of Jews and the history and perspective they brought to their understanding of Jesus. Perhaps the most valuable part of the book though is the timeline and extensive historical information he brings to the early Christian church over her first 150 years or so after after that Pentecost

[CJ Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent clear summary situating the NT in its history context. Bruce is restrained in his judgments, judicious in his acceptance or rejection of harmonizations, and writes quite well. Jewish religious parties and sects are clearly explained, the various Herods get their due, and the uneasy relationship between Rome and Christianity is helpfully explored. Bruce also gives a more chronological account of the ministries of Peter and Paul than the NT gives, and adds many helpful contextual insights explaining part of the motivations behind many scriptural passages. An outstanding resource.

[Chris Comis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most exciting book I've ever read, but good scholarly historical background stuff in here.

[King Haddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth examination of New Testament history: interesting and worth reading.

[Seth Channell · Rating 3 out of 5]

New Testament History is a book on the historical background of the New Testament. The book is not a page turner, but is a helpful one.

[David Sager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched but was just dull and boring.

[Josh Dockter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely helpful. Fills in the New Testament gaps and sheds light on the social and political happenings at the time. 3/5

[Dennis Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older book, first published in 1969, but still in print and generally well-reviewed. The author was Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester, England. This is a scholarly book with substantial critical apparatus and footnotes in Greek, German and Latin, but it is accessible to the general reader – that would be me!
Bruce illuminates the world of the New Testament by citing the contemporary works of Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, Tacitus, and Suetonius, thereby creating a synoptic chronicle of the Jewish kings, the Roman occupation of Palestine, Jesus’s ministry within that milieu, his trial and execution, the awakening of the Jerusalem church after the resurrection appearances of Jesus and the Pentecost experience, the apostolic age, Paul of Tarsus and the establishment of Christian communities throughout the eastern empire, the Jewish revolt and the ensuing destruction of the temple, and finally the first age of the Jewish diaspora and the contemporaneous growth of Christianity through the conversion of Gentiles.
It is a huge subject, and the author is up to the challenge. At every stage in the story, I was impressed by the wealth of detail and the author’s facility in ordering it and conveying it with style and easy authority.
I learned about the intermarriages and recurrent names (especially “Herod” and “Salome”) of the Jewish royalty. I read of the Roman administrative and military state, more deeply organized than I had imagined, a vast edifice of stakeholders all subordinated to one person, an emperor who might be crazed (Caligula, Nero) or responsible at a remove (Augustus, Hadrian). Even the most able and purposeful ones seem not to have really understood their subjects the Jews, and what seemed at first to be a sub-sect of Judaism, the Christians. To the Romans, these were people who could not demonstrate even a pro forma reverence for the emperor as a god –so they must be subversive to the maintenance of public order. I read then of the pervasive and callous cruelty of Roman punishments: beheadings, crucifixions, and exposure to wild beasts for the amusement of the populace.
In his account of Jesus’s ministry, Bruce does not reference the birth narratives at all, nor the Gospel resurrection stories. He sticks with what can be documented and cross-checked with other contemporary records. He illuminates especially the Book of Acts and the epistles, sometimes making modest speculation about the interactions of James, Peter and Paul, but mostly painting them with clarity against the backdrop of their tumultuous times.
The author was an authority on the life and work of Paul, and that apostle emerges as the towering figure of the early church. Nowadays, Paul gets grief from liberal and progressive Christians because of his remarks on women and sexuality. There is certainly much more to his story and his influence. Here, we get beyond the maps tracing Paul’s travels found in the back of our childhood New Testaments, and see how strenuous his life was, how dedicated he was to his mission, and how his mission was suffused with loving pastoral care for his Gentile converts. He seems a modern person in many ways.
I was amazed at the mobility of Paul, Peter and their colleagues in traveling throughout the eastern empire. How did they fund their travels? Did they take any pleasure in seeing new places and meeting new people, or were they simply consumed by the need to spread the Good News to every place blighted by the darkness of spiritual error? That would be a modern question, reflective of a post-evangelical age. For these Christians, there was an imperative to share a vision that would outlast the Empire, eventually replacing it with a new order

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a Bible commentary presented in chronological format, and you'll have something of what this book by F. F. Bruce is like. Bruce lays out the context in which the early Christian church came into being, first by discussing the Roman and Jewish social and cultural world of the time, then by telling how John and Jesus did their work, and then by following the early apostles in their work. Going into this book, I thought I'd be underwhelmed. After all, much of this information is in the scriptures themselves—or so I thought. But Bruce doesn't just follow the biblical line, giving information that readers could easily glean from their own Bibles. Rather, the contextual discourse set up in the first third of the book continues through the whole thing, such that one gleans a fuller understanding of each of the events presented in any scripture that Bruce touches on. Although much of this information was familiar to me, some of it was not, and I feel I could return to particular biblical passages with a greater understanding. That said, this isn't a book with a particularly strong thesis, so any arguments one might have for or against the work are likely to be with sections than with the work as a whole, which is instead rather encyclopedic.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was grouching to my accountant about historical inaccuracies in The Chosen. For example, women of that time period did NOT give birth on a table, their attending "medical professional" for this was most likely female and there's very little chance the doctor would tell them that they couldn't have any more kids after a miscarriage... not to mention that that much blood is indicative of a pregnancy much further along than 4 weeks. But I digress.

He suggested this book(again, I might add). Dallas seems to have read this book or consulted someone who had. It's chock full of information and written very well. Almost every chapter ends with a slight hook.There are still some mini gaps. But it's fascinating and includes almost anything you could want to know. And, yes, I feel much better about some of the choices made in the show.

Though I disagree with some interpretations, it's a solid entry. Just the chapter musing over the intersection of Peter and Paul was riveting.

[Kesia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough and researched. A good insight in the political and historical context of the new testament times. It starts already late BC and goes a bit past the time of the apostles.

It was written very factual, and that's all good, but some chapters were harder to stay engaged with than others. I guess it depends on ones interest as well.

Good resource for the bible nerd and scholar. I don't think I would recommend it for the "Sunday church bible reader", I think there would be other more easy to read books out there with the same purpose.

[Susanna Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

good but definitely some long dull stretches, don't remember much of it

[Jake Litwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholarly, well-written, and full of great insights. Highly recommend. Excellent read.

[David Runyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the relevant society, politics, and key figures during the time period leading up to and including the writing of the New Testament.

[Jason Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very dense book full of citations that provides readers with the historical context of early Christianity.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried several times to start this book and couldn't even get into the double digit pages. I suspect this would be a great read for any history enthusiasts out there but unless you are one of them you probably should pass. I was really looking forward to reading it based on the other comments that said it helped put the Biblical texts in context but it ended up being nothing like what I expected.

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the history of the first century and the church at the time of Jesus and after Jesus’ ascension. It is very helpful for reading the Bible better by more clearly understanding the historical context to which each of the books in the New Testament were written. It is very academic and not an easy book to read.

[Michael Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

F.F. Bruce is a legend. You would think a book about NT history by such a renowned and respected scholar would be inaccessible. However New Testament History is very accessible without being "dumbed down" too much.

I find myself looking for books that are below academic level yet above the popular, completely unacademic level. NTH is in that happy middle ground.

[David S. T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read to accompany my reread of the Gospels and Acts. Its loaded with lots of information and gives a better perspective on names of the Roman rulers often mentioned and the conditions which the Gospel was originally preached.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about as entertaining as reading a math text book but it is profoundly interesting.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding.

[Michael Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly and helpful book which gives much background for the New Testament and early church.

[Kingsley Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was both very helpful and very resourceful. However, not for the hard of thinking.

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a history book for the New Testament time period.

[Stephen Bigger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book from my youth, Fred (FF) taught me and I can still hear his voice when I read it. Still a pretty balanced account of New Testament scholarship. Bought for a penny.

[Charles Mckamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excellent--will continue to use as a reference.

[Dave Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite history of New Testament times. Very entertaining and informative.