Introduction to the New Testament

Introduction to the New Testament provides the historical background, social context, and other relevant information for the volumes of The Bible: An Islamic Perspective series about the stories of the New Testament. After a survey of the sources and nature of Islamic traditions about these stories, from the time of the Prophet and the Quran to the Middle Ages (represented by the Commentary of Surabadi), we next turn to Palestine in New Testament times and the complex societal situation of the Jews under Roman occupation. We then explore the history of the canon and text of the New Testament and consider its authenticity as a source for the life and teachings of Jesus. We also review extra-Biblical writings such as the Gospel of Barnabas, the works of Josephus, and the references of Jesus and Christians in early Graeco-Roman, Jewish, and Patristic writings for their testimony. This volume provides the foundation for the examination of the individual stories in the other New Testament volumes, but may stand on its own as short survey of early Islam and the New Testament.