Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament by
Scott looks at Jewish teaching and practices in the period between the Testaments.
Backgrounds of Early Christianity by
In this significant work, Ferguson looks at political history, society and culture, Hellenistic-Roman religions, Hellenistic-Roman philosophies, Judaism, and Christianity and the ancient world.
Invitation to the Septuagint by
A standard introduction to the Septuagint and its study - now revised.
Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible by
Sparks categorizes numerous Ancient Near Eastern texts.
Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies by
Evans gives helpful summaries of the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, Rabbinic Literature, early church fathers, and many other ancient writings.
The Gospels for All Christians by
From the publisher: "This volume challenges the current consensus in New Testament scholarship that each of the Gospels was written for a specific church or group of churches. These essays argue, from a wide range of evidence, that the Gospels were intended for general circulation throughout all the early churches and, hence, were written for all Christians."
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by
From the publisher: "Bauckham draws on internal literary evidence, the use of personal names in first-century Jewish Palestine, and recent developments in the understanding of oral tradition" to assert that the Gospels "were transmitted in the name of the original eyewitnesses".
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Set by
From the publisher: "Commentary based on relevant papyri, inscriptions, archaeological discoveries, and studies of Judaism, Roman culture, Hellenism, and other features of the world of the New Testament ."
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Genesis - Deuteronomy by 
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament by 
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by
Brief comments by a New Testament scholar on the historical/cultural setting behind the NT texts.