Testament. Each chapter comprises, an updated translation of the gospel,an introduction that sets the text in its ancient and historical contexts and discusses the overall structure and central themes,notes that explain important translation issues, supply necessary background information, offer guidance to difficult passages, and honestly indicate problems in the text or in our understanding of them,cross references to parallel passages, intratextual indicators, and thematic parallels so the reader can see how the individual passages of a gospel fit into the rich tapestry of Jewish and early Christian texts