To continue to familiarize yourself with the historical, political, and socio-cultural issues of early Christianity, you may want to consult the following works.
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English by
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judaean desert between 1947 and 1956 transformed our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism and the origins of Christianity. These extraordinary manuscripts appear to have been hidden in the caves at Quumran by members of the Essene community, a Jewish sect in existence before and during the time of Jesus. Some sixty years after the Scrolls' first discovery, this revised and much expanded edition of The Dead Sea Scrolls in English crowns a lifetime of research by the great Qumran scholar Geza Vermes. As well as superb translations of all non-biblical texts sufficiently well preserved to be rendered into English, there are also a number of previously unpublished texts, and a new preface. Since its first publication in 1962, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English has established itself as the standard English translation of the non-Biblical Qumran Scrolls and as giving an astonishing insight to the organization, customs, history and beliefs of the community responsible for them.
The Nag Hammadi Library in English by
First published in 1978, The Nag Hammadi Library was widely acclaimed by critics and scholars alike. Containing many of the writings of the Gnostics since the time of Christ, this was the work that launched modern Gnostic studies and exposed a movement whose teachings are in may ways as relevant today as they were sixteen centuries ago. Although some of the texts had appeared in other translations, the 1978 edition was the first and only translation of these ancient and fascinating manuscripts to appear in one volume.This new edition is the result of ten years of additional research, and editorial and critical work. Every translation has been changed or added to; many have been thoroughly revised.Unearthed in 1945 near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, the texts literally begin where the Dead Sea Scrolls end. Their discovery is seen as equally significant, bringing to light a long-hidden well of new information, sources, and insights into early Judaism and the roots of Christianity.Each text is accompanied by a new and expanded introduction. Also included are a revised general introduction and an afterword discussing the modern relevance of Gnosticism, from Voltaire and Blake through Melville and Yeats to Jack Kerouac and science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.The translations and introductions to the Nag Hammadi texts are by members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project, which includes such scholars as Helmut Koester, George McRae, and Elaine Pagels.
New Testament Background by
C.K. Barret's classic work presents 280 ancient writings that bring the spiritual world of first century vividly to life.
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha by
The writers of the Bible, like any other authors, were dependent on a vast array of literary sources from their time--the ancient world. Many of these documents are tragically lost, but what remains provides insight into the voluminous, fascinating, complex, and dynamic literary world that shaped the expressions of faith found in the Old and New Testaments. Part of these extant sources are known as the Pseudepigrapha. This collection of Jewish and Christian writings shed light on early Judaism and Christianity and their doctrines.This landmark 2-volume set includes all 65 Pseudepigraphical documents from the intertestamental period that reveal the ongoing development of Judaism and the roots from which the Christian religion took its beliefs. A scholarly authority on each text contributes a translation, introduction, and critical notes for each text. Edited by James H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigraphaincludes contributions from E. Isaac, B. M. Metzger, J. R. Mueller, S. E. Robinson, D. J. Harrington, G. T. Zervos, and many others. Originally published by Yale University Press, the leading critical translation of these ancient texts is now available from Hendrickson Publishers in paperback--and at a fraction of its original price.Available in a two-volume set, or as individual volumes: Two-volume set: ISBN 9781598564891 Volume 1: 9781598564914 Volume 2: 9781598564907 Volume 1contains "Apocalyptic Literature" and "Testaments" that reflect a wildly varying trend towards apocalypticism in ancient Judaism. Yet, despite the existence of this movement on the fringe of Judaism, the movement maintained a definitive influence, and produced amazing, if not disturbing, literary expressions. There can be no doubt that these writings shaped the apocalyptic imagination of the biblical authors and helped to shape the way early Christians interpreted the promised return of Jesus Christ.If the contents of Volume 1 were not enigmatic enough, Volume 2is, arguably, even more cryptic in its contents featuring expansions of the Hebrew Bible--legends and wisdom literature, prayers and psalms, and fragments of lost works. While these works are not so imaginative as Volume 1, they do much to aid our understanding how the religious life of Judaism was lived and practiced in the ancient world, after the Old Testament closed and Christianity began to emerge.As a unit, the two volumes, like no other collection of texts available, illuminates the literary, social, religious, and theological context in which the Bible was shaped. They are an indispensable tool providing great insight into how religion functioned and how it was expressed in both official and unofficial circles.Editor James H. Charlesworthis the George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. He also directs the Syrus Sinaiticus Project at St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai. Charlesworth is a world-renowned translator, particularly of pseudepigraphical material, and the author of Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Serpent: A Symbol of Life or Death?and The Historical Jesus.
