Reviewed by:

• Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey by M. A. Powell
• Cornelia van Deventer

Powell starts his book with the exclamation, “Welcome to the New Testament!” (11). This phrase succinctly encapsulates the goal and target audience of this mammoth volume. Introducing the New Testament is an updated version of the first edition published in 2009. The book is an introductory companion to entry-level students, or as Powell identifies the ideal reader, “a student at a college, university, or seminary” (11). Powell, a professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, is a prolific writer, well-known for his scholarly contributions on literary criticism and the Matthean Gospel. Powell is no novice in the authoring of textbooks. His previous publications in this genre include What is Narrative Criticism? (1990) and Fortress Introduction to the Gospels (1998).

The book at hand consists of thirty chapters. Chapter 1, “New Testament Background: The Roman World,” and chapter 2, “New Testament Background: The Jewish World” both serve to orient the reader to the socio-historical climate of the NT events and writings. This is [End Page 414] followed by chapter 3, “The New Testament Writings,” in which Powell provides an overview of the NT, the formation of the canon, and various methodologies for studying the NT. Chapter 4, “Jesus,” launches into a discussion of the various portraits of Jesus. Chapter 5, “The Gospels” introduces the concept of the Gospels’ genre, variety of content, and the synoptic puzzle. These five introductory chapters are followed by individual chapters on the four gospels and the book of Acts (chapters 6–10). The chapters on biblical books all have the same scope and layout. First, Powell provides a high-level overview of the content of the book. Second, he delves into the historical background, addressing issues of authorship, date, occasion, and audience. Finally, he summarises the major themes of the book. The last section also includes allusions to the Wirkungsgeschichte of the book at hand.

Chapter 11 “The New Testament Letters,” which provides an overview of the structure and content of NT letters as well as the issue of pseudography, and chapter 12, “Paul,” which provides an overview of the apostle’s life and theology, take a step back and serve to orient the reader before launching into chapters on Paul’s letters. In the same format as the Gospels and Acts, chapters 13–23 function as surveys of the Pauline Letters (undisputed and disputed), with the Pastoral Letters grouped into one chapter. This is followed by a survey of Hebrews (chapter 24), the General Letters (chapters 25–29, with the Johannine Letters grouped together in one chapter), and Revelation (chapter 30). Serving his target audience well, Powell includes a glossary after the last chapter (553–575).

Being one of many NT introductions, questions regarding the uniqueness and necessity for yet another book of this sort rightfully arise. In anticipation of this, Powell (12) spends three pages highlighting what makes this offering unique. In this section, he notes that the book can be read in any order as the chapters do not follow one another chronologically. This can be said of many NT introductions or textbooks (especially those written by more than one contributor). The second feature that Powell describes is that the book does not attempt to resolve disputes. Whilst Powell is deliberate about highlighting theological debates and controversial passages, he simply leaves his readers with various opposing views on these matters. This, Powell (12) argues, makes for more effective learning, as students (and lecturers) need to make their own informed decisions on such matters. Powell (13) also mentions the inclusion of diverse Christian artwork as a unique feature of the book. He adds that, while the artwork is not always explicitly theological, its [End Page 415] inclusion serves to stimulate reflection on the content of the book. As one would expect of a scholar with an appreciation for narrative, Powell holds that the book was written to facilitate an experience that...

审核人：

• 介绍新约：马·鲍威尔（MA Powell）的历史，文学和神学调查
• 科妮莉亚·范·德文特（Cornelia van Deventer）

鲍威尔以惊叹号“欢迎来到新约！”开始了他的书。（11）。这句话简明扼要地概括了这一庞大内容的目标受众和目标受众。《新约简介》是2009年出版的第一版的更新版本。该书是入门级学生的入门伴侣，或者如鲍威尔（Powell）所指定的理想读者，即“大专，大学或神学院的学生”（11 ）。鲍威尔是俄亥俄州哥伦布市三一路德学院的新约教授，是一位多产的作家，以其在文学批评和《马太福音》上的学术贡献而著称。鲍威尔在编写教科书方面不是新手。他以前在该类型的出版物中包括什么是叙事批评？（1990）和福音要塞简介（1998年）。

本书包括三十章。第1章“新约背景：罗马世界”和第2章“新约背景：犹太世界”都可以使读者适应新约事件和著作的社会历史环境。这是[End Page 414]其次是第3章“新约著作”，其中鲍威尔概述了新约圣经，经典的形成以及研究新约圣经的各种方法。第4章“耶稣”开始讨论各种耶稣画像。第5章“福音”介绍了福音的体裁，内容的种类以及天气难题。在这五个介绍性章节之后，依次介绍了四本福音书和使徒行传（第6-10章）。圣经各书的章节都具有相同的范围和布局。首先，鲍威尔（Powell）提供了本书内容的高级概述。其次，他深入研究了历史背景，探讨了作者身份，日期，场合和受众等问题。最后，他总结了本书的主要主题。最后一部分还包括对手头上的书的Wirkungsgeschichte。

第11章“新约书信”概述了新约信的结构和内容以及伪字问题，第12章“保罗”概述了使徒的生活和神学，退一步并帮助读者定位，然后再介绍保罗的书信中的各章。第13–23章与《福音书》和《使徒行传》的格式相同，是对Pauline信（无争议和有争议的）的调查，而田园信则分为一章。接下来是对希伯来书的调查（第24章），通函（第25-29章，将约翰内信编成一章）和启示录（第30章）。鲍威尔为目标客户提供了很好的服务，在上一章（553–575）之后提供了一个词汇表。

作为许多NT的介绍之一，有关这种另一本书的独特性和必要性的问题理所当然地出现了。为此，鲍威尔（Powell）（12）花费了三页重点介绍了该产品与众不同的原因。在本节中，他指出，由于各章没有按时间顺序排列，因此可以按任何顺序阅读这本书。可以说这是许多NT新手入门或教科书（尤其是由多个贡献者撰写的内容）。鲍威尔描述的第二个特征是，本书没有试图解决纠纷。鲍威尔虽然有意强调神学辩论和有争议的文章，但他只是让读者对这些问题持不同的反对意见。鲍威尔（12）认为，这有助于更有效的学习，因为学生（和讲师）需要在此类事情上做出自己明智的决定。鲍威尔（13）也提到将多样化的基督教艺术品作为这本书的独特特征。他补充说，尽管艺术品并非总是神学明确的，但其[结束页415]包含有助于激发对书内容的反思。正如人们期望对叙事表示赞赏的学者一样，鲍威尔认为这本书的编写是为了促进一种……的体验。