June 13, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS – In Paul and His World: Interpreting the New Testament and Its Context, Helmut Koester, one of the most erudite New Testament scholars of our time brings insight from a career of interpretation and a wealth of archaeological, historical, and cultural data to illuminate Paul's place in his world. Paul and His World is the first of two volumes of landmark essays in New Testament interpretation from Koester. This volume presents critical essays on theology and eschatology in Paul's letters, the apostle's religious and cultural context, and the interaction of early Christianity with its Greco-Roman environment, as reflected in ancient literature and archaeological remains.

Charting the religious and philosophical currents of the Greco-Roman world in which Paul and the early Christians moved, Koester explores:
    · Paul's Thought and the Pauline Legacy
    · The Religious Environment of the Roman Mediterranean
    · Currents in and around Early Christianity

In a final essay, Koester looks back over a career in interpretation that spans the decades from the exciting theological atmosphere of post-war Germany to archaeological discoveries today.

"Koester's monumental volume of essays spans a whole generation of his work on the Pauline letter corpus, the interpretation of Pauline theology, the locations where Paul worked, and the archaeology of these sites, which he has year after year himself examined on site. It is a must for anyone working on Paul and his churches." – James M. Robinson, Claremont Graduate University Emeritus and Institute for Antiquity and Christianity

Helmut Koester is John H. Morison Research Professor of Divinity and Winn Research Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard Divinity School, and Chair of the New Testament Board of the Hermeneia commentary series from Fortress Press. He is the author or editor of numerous works, including Cities of Paul: Images and Interpretations from the Harvard New Testament and Archaeology Project on CD-ROM (2004, 978-0-8006-3673-9).

Paul and His World, By Helmut Koester, Item Number: 978-0-8006-3890-0, Price: $39.00 / CAN $47.00 / UK £22.99, Specs: 6" x 9," hardcover with jacket, 320 pages.

To order Paul and His World call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press