New Testament Survey

The book begins with an explanation of the relevance of the historical, political, social, and economic background of the first century to the proper understanding of the New Testament, taking into account all the possible historical sources — canonical and non-canonical, literary and archaeological. A survey of the world situation after the death of Alexander the Great includes a complete summary of the Maccabean revolt, crucial to the understanding of the messianic hopes of the Jewish people. Dr. Tenney sees three cultural tensions playing upon the embryonic church:
Judaism, Roman imperialism, and Hellenism