The Dictionary of New Testament Background is your guide to the world behind the text—Jewish traditions, Greco-Roman culture, and everything in between. As scholarship on the ancient Mediterranean world has expanded, this volume brings together the key insights that help make sense of the New Testament and the rise of early Christianity.

This resource dives deep into Second Temple Judaism, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocryphal texts, rabbinic writings, and more. You’ll find articles on purity laws, family life, temple practices, and messianic hopes, alongside in-depth looks at Greco-Roman culture—covering topics like rhetoric, honor and shame, patronage, education, and religious beliefs of the time.

Whether you’re studying Scripture or teaching it, this book puts an entire library of background material at your fingertips. It stands strong on its own or works seamlessly with the other volumes in IVP’s series. Each entry is written by an expert and backed by thorough bibliographies to help you go deeper.

If you want to understand the world the New Testament emerged from, this is where to start.