Through this December, I’m preaching a series called Jesus and His World. I’m focusing on some of the different groups in Jesus’ world that the gospels highlight and what implications this has for today.

We’ll be thinking about religious rulers, Herod, angels, and more. Come join us or listen in.

There are a few resources that I’m relying on for historical background. I used Peoples of the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide by William A. Simmons a lot for my sermon on the Romans. It’s so great: lots of primary sources references with clear and interesting chapters.

I’m also regularly turning to these for general historical background:

  • Backgrounds of Early Christianity by Everett Ferguson
  • Dictionary of NT Background C. G. Kruse ed. Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter
  • Dictionary of Jesus & Gospels ed. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown, and Nicholas Perrin
  • Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary ed. David Noel Freedman