The First Christians in Their Social Worlds

An examination of how the New Testament was influenced by the social realities of the early Christian communities for whom the books were wtitten. It reveals an intimate connection between society and Gospel. By applying perspectives from sociology and anthropology to a wide range of biblical data, The First Christians in Their Social Worlds examines how the New Testament documents were influenced by the social realities of the early Christian communities for whom they were written, with the result that the texts reveal an intimate connection between society and Gospel. Overlaying this theoretical foundation, Philip Esler's book studies specific socio-political ideas in various texts of the New Testament, for example, charismatic phenomena, the admission of Gentiles into early Christian communities, sectarianism and millennarianism and its relationship to political oppression.

An examination of how the New Testament was influenced by the social realities of the early Christian communities for whom the books were wtitten. It reveals an intimate connection between society and Gospel.