The New Testament: History, Literature, Religion

There is no better book than this to introduce any reader to the New Testament. Gerd Theissen presents all the main issues straightforwardly, but with a depth of scholarship and brilliance of analysis that is unsurpassed: --Questions of theology: how could a human figure come to be worshipped as a deity in a monotheistic culture?--Questions of history: what was going on in the society in which such extraordinary events happened?--Questions of literature: how did the Gospels and letters come to be written and assume the importance they have? Gerd Theissen's approach is so interesting and illuminating that anyone considering the New Testament for the first time, and even experienced students, will value this book immeasurably.