John W. Drane on The Religious Background of the New Testament

The following article is now on-line in PDF:

John W. Drane, "The Religious Background," I. Howard Marshall, ed., New Testament Interpretation: Essays on Principles and Methods, 1977. Carlisle: The Paternoster Press, revised 1979. Pbk. ISBN: 0853644241. pp.117-125.

John Drane points out, with a number of helpful examples, why knowledge of the religious backlground of the First Century is important for accurate interpretation of the New Testament.