"The author of this work has undertaken a formidable task and accomplished it in a masterful and quite balanced fashion, with a firm stamp of scholarly integrity. This is truly an introduction to the New Testament, with emphasis on the kind of world in which it took shape.

"The breadth of its topical cov coverage, combined with a strong bibliographic support base, makes this work an academic time-saver for both teachers and students. The former need not spend time on transmit-ting data that are now readily accessible within the covers of one book, and the latter will find their class hours more productive through explor-ation of problems and issues raised by Dr. Charles Puskas. The total effect is one of being taken into the author's own workshop, where all is patiently but unpatronizingly presented. I recommend this book not only for textbook use by college or seminary students, but also to any-one who simply wishes to be better informed about the New Testament, its origins, its literary forms, its reading publics, and its history of transmission, including modern texts and translations. I found especially interesting Puskas's discussion of dramatic features in the Gospels."

Frederick W. Danker