The editors of this book contend that one of the world's best-known and most influential bodies of literature is one of the least understood. This is due both to the proliferation of modern hermeneutical approaches and to the lack of understanding of the historical backgrounds of the New Testament. In their sequel to their earlier work, New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Black and Dockery present essays on current issues and methods with the purpose of enhancing New Testament interpretation, teaching, and preaching, and providing a useful means of learning what the New Testament is all about.