Offering an introduction to the New Testament, the author presents an historical study of the origins of Christianity by analyzing the literature of the earliest Christian movements. Focusing mainly on the New Testament, he also considers non-Biblical Christian writings of the era.

Dale B. Martin is Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies, Yale University. His previous books include The Corinthian Body and Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in Pauline Christianity, both published by Yale University Press. He lives in New Haven, CT.