For For over thirty years C. K. Barrett's collection of background documents to the New Testament has served as a classic refer-ence for students of Christian origins. Carefully chosen from a wide range of sources, it brings the world of the first century vividly to life.

Now, in this revised and enlarged edition, Barrett takes account of the Qumran material and Gnostic literature, in-cluding the Nag Hammadi texts. These new sections, together with other significant changes throughout, bring this edition up to date with the latest discoveries in early Christian writ-ings and their various sources. The chapters on Josephus, the Targums, and Apocalyptic have all been enlarged, and there is new material on the Greek tragedies. A new generation of students will be as well served by this edition as their teach-ers were with the earlier version.

C. K. Barrett, professor of divinity at the University of Dur-ham, is vice-president of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The author of numerous books and articles, including The Epistle to the Romans, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, and The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, he has received numerous academic awards and degrees, including the Bur-kitt Medal for Biblical Studies.