Life and Death in the First Century

I have been reading and re-reading James S. Jeffers’ book The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity. It is an informative and thoroughly enjoyable book — I highly recommend it. In his chapter on “Life and Death in the First Century” he recommends the following books for further reading:

Labor and the Economy

  • The Social Context of Paul’s Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship, by Ronald F. Hock

Leisure and Games

Travel

Dining

Paul: Missionary of Jesus

Book CoverPaul: Missionary of Jesus, by Paul Barnett

“This wonderful book puts together Acts and Paul’s own writings in a fashion that is believable, attentive to the texts themselves, and full of life and vitality. …Insights into the biblical material leap from many pages.  I hope this volume will circulate widely.”
~ D.A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Book recommendations of Michael B. Kelly

Michael B. Kelly, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books for every pastor’s library:









Nijay K. Gupta’s bibliography on the Old Testament in the New

Nijay K. Gupta has published a helpful bibliography on the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament. I copy below the portion of his bibliography on Paul’s use of the Old Testament. You can find the complete bibliography and additional resources on his website by CLICKING HERE.


Paul’s Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament (Background, Hermeneutics, etc…)

Aageson, J.W. Written Also for Our Sake: Paul and the Art of Biblical Interpretation. Louisville: JK, 1993.

Ellis, E.E. Paul’s Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981 [original printing 1957].

Evans, C.A. and J.A. Sanders, Paul and the Scriptures of Israel. Sheffield: JSOT, 1994.

Hanson, A.T. Studies on Paul’s Technique and Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Hays, R.B. Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul. New Haven: Yale UP, 1989.

_______. Conversion of the Imagination. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.

Koch, D.A. Die Schrift als Zeuge des Evangeloums: Untersuchungen zur Verwendung und zum Verstandnis der Schrift bei Paulus. Tuebingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1986.

Silva, M. ‘Old Testament in Paul’. In Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Edited by G.F. Hawthorne, R.P. Martin and D.G. Reid, 630-42. Downer’s Grove, Ill.: IVP, 1993.

Stanley, C.D. Paul and the Language of Scripture: Citation Technique in the Pauline Epistles and Contemporary Literature. Cambridge: UP, 1993.

Watson, F. Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith. London: T & T Clark, 2004.

Romans – Gordon Zerbe

The following textbooks were required for the course on Paul’s Letter to the Romans taught by Gordon Zerbe at Canadian Mennonite University.

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Romans – J. Knox Chamblin

The following textbooks and video were required for the course on Romans taught by J. Knox Chamblin at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Acts and Pauline Epistles at Reformed Theological Seminary

The following textbooks were used by Daniel MacDougal in his class on Acts and Paul at the Atlanta campus of Reformed Theological Seminary during the Spring semester of 2005.

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Acts and the Pauline Epistles at Westminster Theological Seminary

The following textbooks are being used by Richard Gaffin in his class on Acts and the Pauline Epistles at Westminster Theological Seminary.