That the New Testament is literary is not a case for argument. Any piece of writing must be, in some way, seen as literary. The New Testament is also decidedly historical; even scholars who doubt the historical accuracy affirm that the New Testament is historical. Its events and descriptions are from the past, and they were written in the past. Therefore, to view the New Testament as both literary and historical is not only justified, it is required. Viewing the New Testament as literary and historical actually elevates the text to a new scholastic and academic level. However, to view it as simply or solely literary, or simply or solely historical, does it a great injustice, for it forgets (or ignores) the unique role that the New Testament (and the Old Testament) played (and continues to play) in the life of the Church.
That is why the authors of this book chose to look at all three aspects of the New Testament (literary, historical and scriptural). They feel that a combination of all three will make the New Testament come alive again in our time, and help it to regain its relevance. Therefore they look at each book of the New Testament with literary, historical and scriptural glasses, and provide an insightful look at the social, cultural and religious background that made the New Testament what it is.
The ultimate goal of this book is to make the message of the New Testament understandable and livable for contemporary readers. The authors explain the nature of the New Testament and how it came to be. They also look at the types of literature found there, and describe how to reach each type. Description of the content and message of each book is provided in a manner both insightful and inspirational. This book is accessible, easy-to-use, and jam-packed with information. It is destined to become a standard for all Christians as they look at the New Testament, whether they be scholars or laypeople.
