Compact, intelligent primer on the New Testament from a renowned scholar In this coherent and integrated introduction to basic issues in the study of the New Testament, James Dunn has gathered texts from three sets of lectures that he gave in 2009 to Catholic and Jewish audiences in Italy, Spain, and Israel. Each of these lectures aimed to introduce otherwise well-informed people to topics that were new or unfamiliar to them ? making this book ideal for readers and students of various theological backgrounds both within and beyond the Christian community. Some of the topics illuminated by Dunn in this volume: * Where, why, and how the Gospels were written and what we should expect from them * The reliability and historicity of the Gospels * The continuing significance of the Apostle Paul and his teaching * Points of continuity and discontinuity between the teaching of Jesus and of Paul ? and how to bridge the two