C. K. Barrett's selection of background documents to the New Testament has been an essential reference book for students of Christian origins for nearly forty years. Carefully chosen from a wide range of sources, and annotated with the impeccable scholarship for which Professor Barrett is renowned, this collection brings the world of the first century vividly to life. Now Professor Barrett has revised and enlarged the book, taking account particularly of the Qumran material and Gnostic literature, including the Nag Hammadi texts. The addition of these new sections, together with other significant changes throughout, bring the book right up to date. The chapters on Josephus, the Targums and Apocalyptic have all been enlarged, and there is new material from the Greek tragedians. A new generation of students will be as well served with this edition as their teachers were with the first. The book includes selections from: Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha (including 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra, 1 & 2 Maccabees): Dead Sea Scrolls: Eusebius: Gnostic Literature (including Hermetic, Mandaean & Nag Hammadi Texts): Greek & Latin authors (including Aristotle, Suetonius, Tacitus & Zeno): Inscriptions: Josephus: Old Testament (including Septuagint & Targums): Papyri: Philo: Rabbinic Literature (incluidng Midrashim, Mishnah & Talmuds)
