Free New Testament Survey & Introduction

New Testament Background

This is a group will contain books that give us the background of the New testament. It is still in development.

Malina, Bruce J. The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology. 2001. (Read on-line) Malina, a pioneer in the social-scientific criticism of the New Testament, utilizes cultural anthropology to reconstruct the social matrix of the 1st-century Mediterranean world. He introduces readers to critical, foundational cultural values that shaped the biblical writers and their audiences—such as honor and shame dynamics, dyadic (group-oriented) identity, kinship, clean/unclean distinctions, and the perception of limited good. For the conservative interpreter, this text is highly valuable as an advanced historical-grammatical tool, throwing a spotlight on the ancient social conventions that standard western readers overlook. However, the conservative scholar must approach Malina’s underlying methodology with caution, as social-scientific models run the risk of reducing the supernatural elements of divine revelation and the theological text down to mere socio-cultural phenomena. Used strictly as a background reference, it provides an invaluable framework for understanding the human context of the New Testament documents.

New Testament Surveys

In this group are books which present a general introduction to the New testament usually called surveys. Usually they introduce first the political, social and religious world by the time of the New Testament and then introduce the books of the New Testament but without going in deeper details. The purpose of surveys is to give the background not the details.

Strong, Augustus Hopkins. Popular Lectures on the Books of the New Testament. 1914. Strong, the towering 19th-century Reformed Baptist theologian famously known for his Systematic Theology, delivers an exceptionally accessible, pastoral survey designed for the layperson. Moving book-by-book through the New Testament canon, these lectures distill massive amounts of academic research into clear, practical expositions. Strong vigorously defends traditional authorship, historical reliability, and the divine inspiration of each book while keeping his primary focus on the spiritual edification of the reader. Stripping away heavy scholastic jargon without sacrificing theological depth, this work serves as an excellent early-20th-century model of high-caliber, conservative introductory lectures that bridge the gap between rigorous scholarship and the local church pulpit.

Tenney, Merrill Chapin. New Testament Survey. 1953, 1985. ( Read on-line ). This is a well written conservative textbook. It is about 370 pages. It starts with the political, social and religious world of the New Testament. Then it introduces the Gospels, the apostolic church, problems in the apostolic church and the New testament canon at last. It introduces every book in the New testament. Recommended!

Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament. 4th ed. 1970, 2003. ( Read on-line ) Gundry delivers what has long been considered a premier undergraduate and seminary introduction to the New Testament canon. Written from a firm evangelical perspective that upholds the inspiration and historical reliability of the text, Gundry begins with an extensive exploration of the intertestamental period to provide crucial political, social, and religious background. He then proceeds book-by-book through the New Testament, analyzing historical settings, structural outlines, critical intro problems (such as authorship and date), and overarching theological themes. This fourth edition features major updates in layout, full-color visuals, and visual maps, making it exceptionally functional for students. While Gundry’s broader academic career has sometimes stirred evangelical debate regarding specific literary genres (notably his controversial midrashic reading of Matthew), this textbook remains an intentionally balanced, highly pedagogical, and historically conservative standard for introductory biblical studies.

Marshall, Thomas. A Student's New Testament Survey. 2007. (Read on-line). This work is a special one that focuses on high-school students and laymen that do not have any theological education. It is only 133 pages in size.

Köstenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. 2009. ( Read on-line ). Although the title uses the word "introduction" this is a classic survey. This massive, highly praised volume stands as one of the most intellectually robust, thoroughly conservative introductions to the New Testament available for modern students. Written by three top-tier evangelical scholars, the text defends historic orthodoxy, the inerrancy of Scripture, and traditional authorship assignments across the entire New Testament canon. For every biblical book, the authors systematically apply a rigorous, three-part heuristic framework indicated by the title: the historical background (the cradle), the literary and structural analysis (the cross), and the theological and practical application (the crown). It is exceptionally thorough in its engagement with critical scholarship, offering a definitive conservative counter-argument to secular historical methodologies while remaining deeply pastoral and visually engaging.

New Testament Introduction

In this group are books which present a special introduction to the New Testament which is usually a general and an introduction to every book stating its author, date of writing, purpose of writing, plan and criticism. New Testament introductions are different from surveys in concentrating in details on every book and on critical problems with the text. However introductions are neither commentaries nor exegetical treatises but take the text as a whole.

Dods, Marcus. An Introduction to the New Testament. 1905. Dods, a prominent Scottish theologian and Principal of New College, Edinburgh, offers a concise, book-by-book introductory manual designed for students and interested laypersons. Written at a time when British scholarship was actively wrestling with German higher criticism, Dods adopts a moderately conservative, open-minded evangelical approach. He treats traditional introductory questions—such as authorship, date, destination, and literary integrity—with scientific honesty, occasionally granting minor concessions to critics while firmly preserving the core historical reliability and spiritual inspiration of the New Testament documents. The book stands as a classic, highly scannable example of early-20th-century Scottish biblical scholarship that aims to blend critical rigor with a reverent appreciation for the biblical text.

Zahn, Theodor. Introduction to the New Testament. 1909. Zahn’s massive, three-volume masterpiece represents the absolute pinnacle of conservative historic-grammatical scholarship from the golden age of German biblical criticism. Writing from a fiercely confessional Lutheran posture, Zahn deployed an unparalleled mastery of primary patristic sources and early Christian literature to systematically dismantle the radical, skeptical theories of the Tübingen School and Adolf von Harnack. Book by book, he builds an unassailable historical defense for traditional authorship, early canonical dating, and the pristine structural integrity of the New Testament documents. Though heavily dense and exhaustively detailed, this work remains a premier historical bulwark for evangelical academics, proving that a uncompromisingly high view of biblical inspiration can be married to the most rigorous scientific and historical methodology.

Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3

Allen, Willoughby Charles, and Laurence William Grensted.Introduction to the Books of the New Testament. 1913. Written by two prominent Oxford scholars at the height of early-20th-century British biblical criticism, this volume provides a compact, text-focused introduction to the New Testament canon. Allen and Grensted primary focus is on the literary and structural analysis of the text, interacting heavily with contemporary theories regarding source and redaction criticism—including the Synoptic Problem and the compilation of the Pauline corpus. While the authors lean into a more critical, moderately liberal British framework than traditional confessional works, their analysis remains reverent and deeply informative regarding the historical mechanics of textual transmission. For the conservative researcher, it offers an indispensable window into the evolving landscape of academic biblical studies during the Edwardian era, serving as a useful tool for evaluating historical-critical methodologies.

Berkhof, Louis. New Testament Introduction. 1915.. Berkhof, the legendary Reformed theologian best known for his definitive Systematic Theology, delivers an exceptionally crisp, masterfully structured introduction to the New Testament canon. Writing from an unyielding confessional posture that affirms the verbal-plenary inspiration and total inerrancy of Scripture, Berkhof systematically defends traditional authorship, early canonical dating, and textual integrity against the onslaught of late 19th-century higher criticism. For each book, he outlines the historical background, target audience, purpose, and detailed structural framework. Highly recommended for pastors and serious students, this manual serves as an incredibly useful blueprint for faithful biblical exegesis, directly linking the historical and literary context of the text to solid, systematic theology.

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Klijn, Albertus Frederik Johannes. An Introduction to the New Testament. 1967. ( Read on-line ) Klijn, a prominent Dutch New Testament scholar and expert on early Jewish Christianity, provides a concise, streamlined introduction to the New Testament literature. Written primarily from a mainstream, historical-critical European perspective, Klijn focuses intently on the complex literary history, oral traditions, and historical circumstances behind the composition of each book. While he departs from traditional conservative positions on matters of authorship (such as the Pastorals) and treats canonical formation as an evolving socio-historical process, his rigorous analysis of early textual transmission and intertestamental influences is highly informative. For the conservative scholar, this work serves as an excellent, clear window into mid-20th-century continental critical scholarship, requiring theological discernment but offering valuable insights into the historical development of the New Testament documents.

Aune, David E. Blackwell Companion to the New Testament. 2010. ( Read on-line ). This is a very scholarly work. It is a survey and special introduction. It starts with Hellenism, Judaism and the archaeological setting. Then it speaks of the language and text of the New Testament , it's reconstruction and canon. Then the author turns to historical, literary, form, feminist and rhetorical criticism. He then addresses the problem of the historical Jesus, the synoptic problem and the sources of sayings. Then makes an introduction to every book.