The volume introduces all the areas of the New Testament relevant for study. Alongside an introduction to the writings of the New Testament, it offers biographical portraits of the key figures of the New Testament. Separate chapters are dedicated to Jesus and Paul. The volume also presents the main methods of text analysis and central hermeneutical approaches to the New Testament. It also includes an overview of the religious environment, such as the historical context of the New Testament and the history of early Christianity. Finally it includes an insight into extra-canonical writings, thematic cross-sections through the New Testament and considerations of fundamental questions of New Testament ethics.