THE

WORLD

OF THE NEW

TESTAMENT

Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts

JOEL B. GREEN

LEE MARTIN MCDONALD

EDITORS

a division of Baker Publishing Group

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 2013 by Baker Publishing Group

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

http://www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The world of the New Testament: cultural, social, and historical contexts / edited by Joel B. Green and Lee Martin McDonald.

pages cm

Summary: “A team of distinguished specialists introduces the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman backgrounds necessary for understanding the New Testament and the early church”—Publisher’s summary.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8010-3962-1 (cloth)

1. Jews—History—586 B.C.–70 A.D. 2. Jews—Palestine—Social life and customs—To 70 A.D. 3. Judaism—History—Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.–210 A.D. 4. Civilization, Greco-Roman—Social aspects. 5. Bible. N.T.—History of biblical events. 6. Bible. N.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 7. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600. 8. Palestine—History—To 70 A.D. 9. Greece—History—146 B.C.–323 A.D. 10. Rome—History—Empire, 30 B.C.–476 A.D. I. Green, Joel B., 1956–editor of compilation. II. McDonald, Lee Martin, 1942–editor of compilation.

DS122.W67 2013

225.95—dc23

2013003341

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled CEB are from the Common English Bible © 2011 Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.zondervan.com

Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Contributors

List of Abbreviations

1. Introduction

Joel B. Green and Lee Martin McDonald

2. New Testament Chronology

Lee Martin McDonald

Part 1: Setting the Context: Exile and the Jewish Heritage

3. Exile

Nicholas Perrin

4. The Hasmoneans and the Hasmonean Era

Larry R. Helyer

5. The Herodian Dynasty

Everett Ferguson

6. Monotheism

Nathan MacDonald

7. The Scriptures and Scriptural Interpretation

Lidija Novakovic

Part 2: Setting the Context: Roman Hellenism

8. Greek Religion

Moyer V. Hubbard

9. The Imperial Cult

Nicholas Perrin

10. Greco-Roman Philosophical Schools

John T. Fitzgerald

11. Civic and Voluntary Associations in the Greco-Roman World...