Written for a broad audience, John Drane's survey textbook provides a solid historical foundation for understanding the persons, events, and cultural context of the New Testament. Arranged historically, Drane's text takes readers through the world of the first Christians, the life and teaching of Jesus, the origins and growth of the Early Church, the life, mission and letters of Paul, how the Gospels were composed, Revelation, and how the New Testament was formed and has been interpreted and used by later generations.