The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide

by Warren Carter

An indispensable introduction to Roman society, culture, law, politics, religion, and daily life as they relate to the study of the New Testament.The Roman Empire formed the central context in which the New Testament was written. Anyone who wishes to understand the New Testament texts must become familiar with the political, economic, societal, cultural, and religious aspects of Roman rule. Much of the New Testament deals with enabling its readers to negotiate, in an array of different manners, this pervasive imperial context. This book will help the reader see how social structures and daily practices in the Roman world illumine so much of the content of the New Testament message. For example, to grasp what Paul was saying about food offered to idols one must understand that temples in the Roman world were not “churches,” and that they functioned as political, economic, and gastronomic centers, whose religious dealings were embedded within these other functions.Brief in presentation yet broad in scope, The Roman Empire and the New An Essential Guide will introduce students to the information and ideas essential to coming to grips with the world in which early Christianity was born.

Genres: New Testament, Theology, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Religion

148 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2006

About the author

Warren Carter is Professor of New Testament at Brite Divinity School. He came to Brite in 2007 after teaching for 17 years at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. His scholarly work has focused on the gospels of Matthew and John, and he has focused on the issue of the ways in which early Christians negotiated the Roman empire. In addition to numerous scholarly articles, he is the author of ten books including Matthew and the Margins (Orbis Books), Matthew and Empire (Trinity Press International/Continuum), The Roman Empire and the New Testament (Abingdon), John and Empire (T&T Clark/Continuum), and What Does Revelation Reveal? (Abingdon). He has also contributed to numerous church resources and publications such as contributing 15 studies on Matthew in The Pastors Bible Study Vol 1 (Abingdon). He is a frequent speaker at scholarly and ecclesial conferences.

Degrees
Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, 1991
Th.M., Melbourne College of Divinity, 1986
B.D., Melbourne College of Divinity, 1985
B.A., Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, 1976

Reviews

[Zach Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly grateful for the context this book provided. I was pleasantly surprised at its readability and its length, yet it makes the most of its 116 pages. I will never read the New Testament without thinking about the impact of the Roman Empire on its authors and characters. What keeps this from being a 5 is that the last two chapters lose a little steam and seem to be less relevant (to me) than its previous chapters.

[Ross Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct and helpful guide to recognize the context of the Roman Empire in the New Testament. Covers everything from food to military power. Probably best utilized as an additional resource when studying specific biblical texts.

[Richard Worden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insight to the world of the New Testament in Roman times.

[F.C. Shultz]

I’m working on a new project and this is exactly what I needed to start the research. It is exactly what the title suggests, an essential guide to the Roman Empire and the New Testament.

[anna faith adair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers so much context that changes the way I read the New Testament. Everyone who engages with the New Testament should read this book.

[Trinki Brueckner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and easy to understand. It examines various NT tests in the context of the Roman Empire. It's a good historical background for NT study.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a straightforward book. Slightly dry but not as boring as some other textbooks. I find it so interesting that I finished the portions that were not assigned for my class. I happened to read this around the same time that I read Hunger Games and the Kairos Document, and the three went together really well. Like, I almost wondered if Suzanne Collins had read this book or something like it. This is the kind of information people need today, when Christian faith is so closely aligned with the values of empire. That's not how it started!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd be interested in learning about the Roman Empire. This book was not something I chose to read but a required read for an advanced 4000 level Theology course. I would not have picked it up otherwise. This book helped me see the New Testament in a whole new light. It brings the historical & cultural context of New Testament times to life. I'd heard the term rose colored glasses (or lenses) before and never quite understood what that phrase meant until this book. I still have the book if anyone local wants to borrow it.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is 5 lbs. of book in a 1 lb. package, and it is very worthwhile!

Intended for a lay audience, it brilliantly shows how the New Testament shows many different (sometimes contradictory) ways of responding to the Roman Empire. The summary chapter gives a glimpse of how we might use the insights of the early Christians in responding to what is happening in our world today.

RECOMMENDED!