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Ancient Cultural Backgrounds

Contextualizing the Bible is essential to understanding it. Here, you'll find titles that shed light on the ancient cultures in and around which the Scriptures were written.

Reading Mark's Christology Under Caesar: Jesus the Messiah and Roman Imperial Ideology, By Adam Winn
Reading Mark's Christology Under Caesar
Adam Winn
New Testament Christological Hymns: Exploring Texts, Contexts, and Significance, By Matthew E. Gordley
New Testament Christological Hymns
Matthew E. Gordley
The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate, By John H. Walton and Tremper Longman III
The Lost World of the Flood
John H. Walton and Tremper Longman III
A Reader's Guide to the Bible, By John Goldingay
A Reader's Guide to the Bible
John Goldingay
The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest: Covenant, Retribution, and the Fate of the Canaanites, By John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton
The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest
John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton
Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?, By E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien
Paul Behaving Badly
E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien
Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch, By Gordon J. Wenham
Exploring the Old Testament
Gordon J. Wenham
Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials, By Jayson Georges and Mark D. Baker
Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures
Jason Borges and Mark D. Baker
Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms and Wisdom Literature, By Ernest C. Lucas
Exploring the Old Testament
Ernest C. Lucas
Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Historical Books, By Philip E. Satterthwaite and J. Gordon McConville
Exploring the Old Testament
Philip E. Satterthwaite and J. Gordon McConville
Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Hebrews, James and Jude, By Ben Witherington III
Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians
Ben Witherington III
Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1-2 Peter, By Ben Witherington III
Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians
Ben Witherington III
New Testament Theology and Ethics, By Ben Witherington III
New Testament Theology and Ethics
Ben Witherington III
New Testament Theology and Ethics, By Ben Witherington III
New Testament Theology and Ethics
Ben Witherington III
Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets, By J. Gordon McConville
Exploring the Old Testament
J. Gordon McConville
Scripture and Cosmology: Reading the Bible Between the Ancient World and Modern Science, By Kyle Greenwood
Scripture and Cosmology
Kyle Greenwood
Paul's Theology of Preaching: The Apostle's Challenge to the Art of Persuasion in Ancient Corinth, By Duane Litfin
Paul's Theology of Preaching
Duane Litfin
A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion, By Gary M. Burge
A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion
Gary M. Burge
The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate, By John H. Walton
The Lost World of Adam and Eve
John H. Walton
Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity
Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity
Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Titus, 1-2 Timothy and 1-3 John, By Ben Witherington III
Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians
Ben Witherington III
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, By Craig S. Keener
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
Craig S. Keener
The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority, By John H. Walton and Brent Sandy
The Lost World of Scripture
John H. Walton and Brent Sandy
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible, By E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien
The Life and Witness of Peter, By Larry R. Helyer
The Life and Witness of Peter
Larry R. Helyer