This short but highly significant study is the first real sequel to Professor Martin Hengel's classic and monumental work 'Judaism and Hellenism'. It demonstrates from a wealth of evidence, much of it made readily available here for the first time, that in the New Testament period Hellenization was so widespread in Palestine that the usual distinction between Hellenistic Judaism and Palestinian Judaism is not a valid one and that the word Hellenistic and related terms are so vague as to be meaningless. The consequences of this for New Testament study are, of course, considerable.

Martin Hengel gathers an encyclopedic amount of material, ancient and modern, to present an exhaustive survey of the early course of Hellenistic civilization as it related to developing Judaism. The result is a highly readable account of a largely unfamiliar world which is indispensable for those interested in Judaism and the birth of Christianity alike. An extensive section of notes and bibliography is included.

This work significantly advances the critical discussion of New Testament Christology. Hengel examines the titles Son and God. He points toward an inner consistency and dynamic in the development of the doctrine of Christ in primitive Christianity as the movement proceeded from the Gospels' account of the death of Jesus to the high Christology present in the Pauline writings. Historical scholarship and theological -- one might even say dogmatic -- questions must not stand in unresolved contradiction. On the contrary, the historian misunderstands the nature of New Testament Christology if he does not grasp its theological concern and its inner consistency, while a dogmatic approach that does not take seriously the historical course of Christianity is in danger of becoming no more than abstract speculation. It is therefore vitally important to unite historical research and the theological search for truth.

Hengel...here marshals a vast body of learning to illuminate brilliantly a few specific questions about the New Testament.... For anyone who has read much in contemporary European New Testament scholarship, this wise little book will come as a tonic. And for the beginning adult student of the New Testament, the book will serve as an excellent introduction to the question of historicity in early Christian writings. 'Review for Religious' The book is extremely well written and gives evidence of an astonishing command of ancient literature. 'Journal of the American Academy of Religion'

This work significantly advances the critical discussion of New Testament Christology. Hengel examines the titles Son and God. He points toward an inner consistency and dynamic in the development of the doctrine of Christ in primitive Christianity as the movement proceeded from the Gospels' account of the death of Jesus to the high Christology present in the Pauline writings. Historical scholarship and theological -- one might even say dogmatic -- questions must not stand in unresolved contradiction. On the contrary, the historian misunderstands the nature of New Testament Christology if he does not grasp its theological concern and its inner consistency, while a dogmatic approach that does not take seriously the historical course of Christianity is in danger of becoming no more than abstract speculation. It is therefore vitally important to unite historical research and the theological search for truth.

In the wake of suggestions that the doctrine of the atoning death of Christ did not come into being in the earliest stages of Christianity, Martin Hengel forcefully argues with impeccable scholarship that the doctrine can be traced back to the earliest church, indeed to the sayings of Jesus himself. In the first part of this examination, Hengel explores a wide area of classical antiquity. Would it have made sense to Greeks and Romans of the first century to say that Jesus had died for them? Were there points of contact in their traditions? Surveying Greek and Latin literature, Hengel shows just how widespread the theme "dying for actually was, from Homer, through the Greek tragedians and orators, to Plutarch, Livy, and Caesar. The second part of the book is devoted to tracing the doctrine of atonement, moving back from the letters of Paul, through the pre-Pauline tradition, to Jesus.

More happened in the period between Jesus and Paul, Professor Hengel argues, than in the whole of the next seven centuries, up to the time when the doctrine of the early church was completed. Certainly these decades are crucial to our understanding of the development of earliest Christianity. However, they are very much a "tunnel" period, and there is little to shed light on it. This volume does something to pierce the darkness. Among other issues, it considers the origins of the Christian mission, the role of the Hellenists, the reliability of Luke as a geographer when he is dealing with events in Palestine in the Acts of the Apostles, and the development of christological belief, particularly in Christian worship. Those familiar with Professor Hengel's work will know that they will find here a wealth of valuable insight based on painstaking examination of all available sources.