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Title: Introduction to the New Testament: History and Literature of Early Christianity by Helmut Koester ISBN: 3-11-014970-2 Publisher: Aldine de Gruyter Pub. Date: 12 May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.14 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Reference
Comment: This book provides an excellent reference source on the background of the NT. It is not the sort of book meant to be read straight through, but one which I have found myself returning to again and again to look up this or that name, movement, or event. A must have for students and pastors.
Rating: 5
Summary: finest introduction to the New Testament on the market
Comment: The academic community is extremely well served with several excellent introductions to the New Testament. The standard introduction is still the one by Kummel which is written in the old style of author, date of writing, etc. Helmut Koester's two-volume introduction to the New Testament is of a different kind and of a different class. Although described as an introduction, it is really for those who already understand the critical issues surrounding New Testament scholarship. Koester writes with unparalleled erudition. His is the only introduction to the New Testament currently available which does full justice to the large body of noncanonical writings that come from the same period as the New Testament. Koester is unapologetic for his rigorously critical approach, inherited from his teacher Rudolph Bultmann. Although the work was originally written in German, the second edition has been completely revised in English and reads like an English work. Those who are interested in New Testament studies will find this an absorbing, complex, satisfying account even if they find themselves disagreeing with Koester at significant points. The best part of the work is that it is written so well that one cannot put it down. In short, the finest introduction to the New Testament on the market.
Rating: 1
Summary: presuppositions, self-contradictions, and bias
Comment: I was disgusted upon reading this book to the point that I could not concentrate. Helmut Koester is obviously an intelligent man, but his writing on the New Testament is blatantly skewed. Almost every page has some sort of unsubstantiated claim that he states as fact (the most common seemed to be: "This is legendary"). This leaves his arguments without legs to stand on. If he has evidence to back up his claims, he should present it; otherwise, I do not know how we can be expected to accept his statements at face value.
Koester also discredits himself by frequently taking quotations out of context. It is absolutely imperative to read this book with a copy of the Bible next to you, in order to check every reference he makes. A number of times, I found that the chapters and verses he quoted had little, if anything, to do with what he was discussing; and if they did, a quick reading of the text preceding or following the citation would often reveal that his interpretation of a particular phrase or sentence failed to take the context into account. This often changed the meaning so much that I wondered how he could even take himself seriously.
To me, it seemed clear that Koester made up his mind about the meanings and history of the New Testament and THEN went to the text in an effort to prove his ideas, instead of using the text to form his opinions. For someone considered a serious scholar, this work is embarrassing.
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Title: Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development by Helmut Koester ISBN: 0334024501 Publisher: Trinity Pr Intl Pub. Date: December, 1992 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity by Walter Bauer, Robert A. Kraft, Gerhard Krodel ISBN: 0962364274 Publisher: Sigler Pr Pub. Date: October, 1996 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: The Formation of Christian Biblical Canon: Revised and Expanded Edition by Lee Martin McDonald, Helmut Koester ISBN: 1565630521 Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: 01 December, 1995 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament by Bart D. Ehrman, Brad D. Ehrman ISBN: 0195102797 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: December, 1997 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: What Is Gnosticism? : by Karen L. King ISBN: 067401071X Publisher: Belknap Pr Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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