I recently read a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was James Jeffers’ The Greco-Roman World. A book on the Greco-Roman background of the New Testament could be easily very boring. This book was far from boring. Jeffers is able to present a very thorough and academic treatment of the biblical background in an extremely readable and interesting way. Just about everything is dealt with, including living situations, religion, political structures, weights and measures, history, status of women and so much more. One of the things that I appreciated was that Jeffers did not just present a monolithic picture of what life was like two thousand years ago. He deals with the differences between Roman, Hellenistic and Jewish culture and also shows where they overlap and influence one another. Readers of this book will never look at the New Testament, especially Paul’s letters, the same again. If you are looking for a book to help you understand the background of the New Testament, this is the one to read.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Greco-Roman World
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