The New Testament: An Introduction to its Literature and History

by J. Gresham Machen

A most helpful book, which succeeds in bridging the gap of twenty centuries to bring the history of the New Testament alive today in a fascinating way.

Genres: Theology, New Testament, History, Christianity, Reference, Biblical Studies

387 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

John Gresham Machen was an influential American Presbyterian theologian in the early 20th century. He was the Professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary between 1915 and 1929, and led a conservative revolt against modernist theology at Princeton and formed Westminster Seminary as a more orthodox alternative. This split was irreconcilable, and Machen led others to form the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Reviews

[Nathan Chattaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! Very clear, very concise and very useful for mental retention and practical application. Most highly recommended to anyone seeking a better understanding of the teaching and history of the New Testament and that mysterious revelation, the church of Jesus Christ.

[Bilbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of content and themes. Would be as useful for a seasoned bible reader as for a new Christian.

[Bendick Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent book I have read so far providing a survey of the New Testament. The first section of 6 chapters paints the Roman, Greek and Jewish background in an extensive yet simple and readable way. The content proper of the survey begins with Acts which provides the historical fishbone of all the epistles covered in the next two sections of 20 chapters. Having done that, the 4th section then looks at the gospels and Christ, some epistles and the book of Revelation using 13 chapters, before ending with a last section on application to our church today - another 13 chapters addressing 13 different issues. The writer's delivery is simple and impactful, the vantage point enlightening and apt. The questions provided after every chapter create a good platform for even more in-depth discussion and meditation.

[Trudy Pomerantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this book. Machen provides background to each of the books of the New Testament based on the belief that we need an historical framework in which to place Scripture if we are going to get the most out of it. When I get to the New Testament as I am reading through the Bible this year, I plan to read Machen's comments on each of the books again. While I would like to have time to answer the questions, this is not going to be the year to do that. This book is a definite keeper.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A posthumous combination of two sets of notes/papers by Machen. Together, they present a classic example of turn-of-the-century conservative biblical studies, but much of the historical material is now dated.