Exploring The New Testament, Vol. 1: A Guide to the Gospels and Acts

After having read most of better than a dozen books on NT survey, background, introduction, etc. Over the past few years this is perhaps the very best. If I were building a church library and could afford only one book of this kind, I would without a doubt choose this book. It has a great balance of background material and commentary, but leaves the reader with essay and research questions that are challenging, yet "doable". If you wish to LEARN about your faith and really grapple with the issues involved in understanding the Gospels, this is a book that will quench your thirst.

This book is wonderfully detailed, and reader friendly. I enjoyed it so much that I am purchasing its companions for both the Old & the rest of the New Testament.

This book is an excellent introduction to the world of New Testament scholarship. Having gone to Christian schools my entire life, including college, I have seen "New Testament Survey" type books. I thought there couldn't possibly be any benefit from going through yet another New Testament survey as I'd heard it all before. But this rises above the rest. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of biblical studies that I had no idea existed. Set up like any survey of the gospels and Acts, it delves deeper as it interacts with current scholarly debates and introduces you to the major players and important terminology used by scholars. After reading this book, you feel as if something has been hidden from you your whole life. As if they thought you were too dumb to be able to handle serious research into the historical Jesus and the early church. This book isn't like that as it brings you into the conversation. I now have a voracious appetite for biblical scholarship and have read some of the greatest books of my life since reading this one. This book book started me on an incredibly influential path theologically and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a bridge from the basics you learn through church, your own reading, and Sunday school to the gigantic and helpful world of NT scholarship.