As one of the primary preparations for a NT (or Patristics) PhD, I recommended focusing on primary text background sources. I got an email question about which specific sources I would recommend, in order of importance. These are the lists that I drew up. Am I missing anything? Would you recommend a different order? Other thoughts?
Jewish*
- OT Apocrypha
- DSS
- OT Pseudepigrapha (esp. 1 Enoch)
- Josephus: Jewish Antiquities, Jewish War
- Philo: ??? (Recommendations on 2-3 works on where to start?)
*Need it be said that you read the OT itself first (possibly even from the LXX): Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Daniel, etc.?
Greco-Roman
- Cicero: De Natura Deorum, De Finibis (both read like a 3 views on theology and ethics, respectively)
- Plato: Timaeus, Phaedo, Symposium (longer works like The Republic will also repay attention given)
- Epictetus and/or Seneca
- Histories: Herodotus, Suetonius, Tacitus
- Homer (which was the “Bible” of Hellenism)
- Rhetorical handbooks by Quintillian or Aristotle
Mike Bird has a list here which has a similar focus, but also points to key secondary sources.
Christian
- Apostolic Fathers
- NT Apocrypha
- Nag Hammadi
- Justin Martyr and Irenaeus
Thursday, 20 May 2010 at 9:21 am
For the Greco-Roman context (and just plain fun), see Dio Chrysostom’s Orations, Plutarch’s Moralia, and the Younger Pliny’s Epistles.
Thursday, 20 May 2010 at 10:33 am
I like this list a lot. For Philo, might I suggest Legum Allegoriae, De Fuga et Inventione, De Vita Moysis, and De Opificio Mundi.
I though also for the Christian side, perhaps the addition of Tertullian’s Apologia, as well as maybe Books 3 and 4 of Clement’s Stromata, which are highly concerned with scriptural interpretation and with everyone’s favorite–refuting Gnostics. And are all available in English…
Thursday, 20 May 2010 at 12:09 pm
[…] Posted in patristics by Alex Poulos on May 20, 2010 Ben, over at Dunelm Road, has created a list of recommended background reading for the NT and Patristics study. I’m quite thankful for the […]
Wednesday, 26 May 2010 at 5:55 am
Good ideas. Thanks!
Wednesday, 26 May 2010 at 6:02 am
[…] it would help so much more to have a good idea of some of these writings in advance.[Update: I did a post ranking various texts in order of priority. See also Mike Bird's recommendations for getting up to speed on Greco-Roman […]
Wednesday, 26 May 2010 at 10:56 am
Great list Ben – I wish someone had told me this before starting my doctoral work – I’ve got all these things now, but it took me five years to realise that and collect them all…
I’d want to add Stern’s Greek and Latin Authors on Jews and Judaism.
On Philo… of course it depends on what you want Philo for. Personally, working on Jewish social contexts of the NT, I found Books VI-VIII and X of the Loeb series most helpful and in any case they contain a good spread of Philo’s genres. The latter has the Embassy to Gaius (and a handy index!) which is a classic piece of Jewish apologetic and the others contain three complelmentary types of typical Philo material: Lives – Abraham, Joseph, Moses; Legal – summaries which betray so much contemporary appropriation of ancient law eg. Special Laws (the most useful bit to me) and the Ethical/philosophical/biblical – on Virtue etc.
Mark
Tuesday, 1 June 2010 at 4:54 am
[…] Background Reading Recommendations […]
Wednesday, 23 June 2010 at 7:12 am
[…] especially German, sooner than later, and do plenty of primary text background reading (see here for recommendations). I got to do background reading as part of my work for Wright and the […]
Tuesday, 28 February 2012 at 6:17 pm
[…] on reading Graeco-Roman literature (two excellent reading lists for this subject are provided HERE and HERE). In the course of this reading, I think it’s time to tackle Homer. I’m having […]
Tuesday, 21 October 2014 at 12:10 pm
[…] came across this article at Dunelm on important Greco-Roman and Jewish primary sources to read as background for New Testament […]