BIBLE: THE NEW TESTAMENT

Context
The New Testament is the second, shorter part of
the Christian Bible. Unlike the Old Testament,
which covers hundreds of years of history, the New
Testament only covers several decades, and is a
collection of the reliious teachins and beliefs of
Christianity. The New Testament is not a sinle
book written by one person, but, rather, a collection
of twenty!seven books written in "reek by people
from various places. There are many ways to
interpret the New Testament. #illions of people
view it as absolutely true scripture, and use its
teachins as the basis of their belief systems. $ome
biblical scholars interpret it as a work of literature
that uses beautiful poetry to describe reliious
myths. Others study its ethical and philosophical
ideas, as its stories of the faithful attempt to instill
certain values and outline an appropriate way to
live.
The books of the New Testament were written in
first! or second!century %alestine, a reion that at
the time was under the rule of the &oman 'mpire.
#any of the stories are based on the rituals and
beliefs of (udaism, as (esus Christ and his disciples
were all (ews. )s a result, both "reco!&oman
culture and (udaic traditions dominate the political,
social, and economic scene of the New Testament.
(udaism at that time was not a sinle tradition or set
of beliefs, but contained many different divisions
within itself. These divisions fiure prominently in
New Testament stories. The strictest (ews, the
$adducees, were the upper class of priests. They
interpreted scripture literally and adhered to rituals
strictly. They were opposed to oral tradition and to
the concept of eternal life, since the latter is not
discussed in the *ebrew Bible, or Old Testament.
The %harisees, in contrast to the $adducees,
interpreted (ewish law for laypeople and established
(ewish life outside of the temple. They were more
liberal in their acceptance of scripture, reardin
oral tradition and the words of prophets as scriptural
as well.
(udaism at the time of Christ involved a riid social
hierarchy. The temple and the hih priests who
worked there were considered to be pure, holy, and
closer to "od than anyone else. The hierarchy
continued with people who were (ews by birth,
followed by converts to (udaism. "entiles, or non!
(ews, were considered by (ews to be ritually impure
and not in the service of "od. The New Testament
documents a shift in this hierarchy. Christians
challened the system in which birth into the
+sraelite community determined a person,s level of
purity. They said, instead, that repentance and
acceptance of the teachins of (esus Christ
determined a person,s purity.
The writers of the books that now comprise the
New Testament did not intend for their writins to
replace or rival the Old Testament. The Christian
scriptures were oriinally intended to be utilitarian
documents, respondin to specific needs of the early
church. +t was only with the passae of more than a
hundred years after (esus,s death that Christians
bean to use the term -New Testament. to refer to
the scriptures that the fledlin church was
beinnin to view as a sinle sacred unit. 'arly
Christians viewed the New Testament as the
fulfillment of promises made in the Old Testament,
rather than as the replacement of the (ewish
scriptures.
The historical context of the New Testament reatly
influences the way we interpret it as literature.
#any of the speakers in the Bible address issues
and problems uni/ue to their moment in history,
and a knowlede of the various cultural forces of
biblical times provides a basis for understandin the
characters, motivations and reactions. 0urthermore,
the New Testament,s role as influential reliious
doctrine is another context. (ust as historical
situations shaped the development of the New
Testament, the New Testament has also influenced
the proress of history. &eadin reliious
documents as literature re/uires an unusual
understandin of the events surroundin the writin
of the text.
Structure and Composition
Only in the second century ). 1. did Christians
bein to use the term -New Testament. to refer to
their collection of scriptures. The New Testament as
we now know it is comprised of twenty!seven
books, but it was not oriinally written as a coherent
whole. (esus himself did not produce any written
record of his work. The books that comprise the
New Testament were mostly written in the century
followin his death, in response to specific needs of
the early church and its leaders. )t the time of
(esus,s crucifixion in approximately 23 ). 1. , most
of the first eneration of Christians believed that the
end of the world was imminent. They therefore
considered it unnecessary to compose records of
(esus,s life. By the mid!43s ). 1. , however, most
Christians who had known (esus and witnessed his
actions firsthand were dyin. +t became necessary,
then, to produce works that would testify to (esus,s
life. )s it became clear that the second comin of
(esus would be delayed, the leaders of the church
bean to compose works that would enable the
nascent Christian Church to survive.
The books that comprise the New Testament can be
separated into three broad cateories. 0irst are the
four "ospels5 #atthew, #ark, 6uke, and (ohn.
-"ospel. literally means -ood news.. The -ood
news. to which these ospels refer is the life,
teachins, crucifixion, and resurrection of (esus of
Na7areth. The "ospels usually appear first amon
the texts of the New Testament, with #atthew
placed first of all. But the order of the New
Testament is based on importance, not chronoloy.
The "ospels were probably written between 48 and
993 ). 1. , with #ark written first and (ohn last.
The second cateory of texts in the New Testament
are the letters from %aul. %aul of Tarsus was an
early church leader and eneretic missionary who
spread the "ospel of (esus across the &oman
'mpire, preachin to "entiles as well as to (ews,
who were the earliest tarets of missionary activity.
%aul wrote many letters to various Christian
communities throuhout the #editerranean, settlin
points of doctrine and instructin new Christians in
matters of faith. By the end of the second
century ). 1. , Christian communities had collected
thirteen letters that they attributed to %aul, and each
letter became known by the name of the community
or individual to whom it was addressed5 &omans, 9
and : Corinthians, "alatians, 'phesians,
%hilippians, Colossians, 9 and : Thessalonians, 9
and : Timothy, Titus, and %hilemon. ) fourteenth
letter, *ebrews, lon accepted by 'astern churches,
was accepted by ;estern churches in the fourth
century ). 1. The actual authorship and date of
composition of many of these letters is seriously
disputed, but it is enerally areed that %aul wrote
some of them in the 83s ). 1. , makin them the
oldest existin Christian texts.
Other books in the New Testament are somewhat
harder to classify. )cts of the )postles <known
simply as )cts= is a continuation of the "ospel
)ccordin to 6uke, ivin the history of the church
in the years after (esus,s crucifixion. )cts traces the
expansion of the church, as it moves out from
(erusalem and spreads throuhout the "entile
world. The protaonists of the book are %eter, the
chief of the Twelve )postles, who were (esus,s
closest disciples, and %aul of Tarsus, the reatest
early Christian missionary. )lso included in the
New Testament are seven letters, known as the
6etters to all Christians, or the Catholic>in its
literal sense, meanin -universal.>6etters, which
resemble extended homilies. These letters are
enerally understood to have been written after the
%auline letters5 (ames, 9 and : %eter, 9, : and 2
(ohn, and (ude. 0inally, the Book of &evelation,
written in the closin years of the first century, is an
extended vision predictin the events of the end of
the world and the second comin of (esus.
+n its early centuries, the church was hihly
decentrali7ed. 'ach individual church community
collected its own sacred documents. The
framented nature of the church was complicated
by the difference in intellectual tradition between
the 'ast, which spoke "reek as its scholarly
lanuae and was ruled from By7antium followin
the division of the &oman 'mpire, and the ;est,
which spoke 6atin and was centered in &ome. The
process by which individual church communities
came toether to decide on a canon of sacred works,
and the process by which they preserved those
works, is not entirely clear. Criteria that seem to
have been important in canoni7ation include the
authorship of the texts>texts presumed to have
been written by apostles, such as #atthew, or by
those who witnessed (esus,s revelation firsthand,
such as %aul, were iven priority>and the
importance and wide acceptance of the doctrine
expressed in the texts. +t is known that in the
decades ?ust before and after :33 ). 1. , church
leaders widely accepted the sacred nature of a
collection of twenty works, includin the four
"ospels, thirteen %auline letters, )cts, 9 %eter, and
9 (ohn. The remainin seven works>*ebrews,
&evelation, (ames, : and 2 (ohn, (ude, and : %eter
>were cited from the second to the fourth centuries
and accepted as scripture in some, but not all,
churches. 0inally, by the late fourth century, there
was wide, but not absolute, areement in the "reek
'ast and the 6atin ;est on a canon of twenty!seven
works.
+t is enerally areed that the books of the New
Testament were oriinally written in "reek, the
scholarly lanuae current at the time, and divided
into chapters and verses. +t is possible that a few
books of the New Testament were oriinally written
in )ramaic, a dialect popular amon the (ews of
%alestine, and most likely the lanuae that (esus
himself spoke.
%lot Overview
The New Testament is a collection of twenty!seven
books centered on the fiure of (esus of Na7areth.
'ach of these books has its own author, context,
theme, and persuasive purpose. Combined, they
comprise one of history,s most abundant, diverse,
complex, and fascinatin texts. The books of the
New Testament are traditionally divided into three
cateories5 the "ospels, the 'pistles, and the Book
of &evelation.
The Gospels and Acts of the Apostles
The "ospels of #atthew, #ark, and 6uke are
known as the synoptic>meanin -at one look.>
"ospels because each one tells a similar story,
differin only in some additions, special emphases,
and particular omissions accordin to the interests
of the author and the messae the text is tryin to
convey. 'ach of the synoptic "ospels tells the story
of (esus of Na7areth, includin his ministry,
atherin of disciples, trial, crucifixion, and, in the
case of #atthew and 6uke, his resurrection. (ohn is
also a "ospel, thouh it is not placed with the
synoptic "ospels because his story is so different.
&ather than recordin many of the facts about
(esus,s life, the "ospel accordin to (ohn focuses
on the mystery and identity of (esus as the $on of
"od.
)cts of the )postles follows (ohn, althouh it was
intended to be the second volume of a sinle unit
beinnin with 6uke. The same author wrote 6uke
and )cts consecutively, and while 6uke is a "ospel
about (esus, )cts picks up the story at the
resurrection, when the early disciples are
commissioned to witness to the world. )cts is a
chronoloical history of the first church of Christ.
The Epistles
The twenty!one books followin )cts are epistles,
or letters, written from church leaders to churches in
various parts of the world. The first fourteen of
these letters are called the -'pistles of %aul. and are
letters that tradition has accorded to $t. %aul in his
correspondence with the earliest churches in the
first and second century. *istorians are fairly
certain that %aul himself, Christianity,s first
theoloian and successful missionary, indisputably
composed seven of the letters, and possibly could
have written seven others.
The seven letters followin the 'pistles of %aul are
called the Catholic 'pistles, because they are
addressed to the church as a whole rather than to
particular church communities. These letters
identify as their authors oriinal apostles, bioloical
brothers of (esus, and (ohn the 'vanelist, althouh
it is thouht that they were actually written by
students or followers of these early church
luminaries. The first of the Catholic 'pistles is the
6etter of (ames, attributed to (ames, the brother of
(esus and leader of the Christian church in
(erusalem. Next are the 0irst and $econd 6etters of
%eter, which identify themselves as letters from the
apostle %eter. The 0irst, $econd, and Third 6etters
of (ohn attribute their authorship to (ohn the
'vanelist, and the 6etter of (ude attributes itself to
(ude, the brother of (ames, who is elsewhere
identified as one of (esus,s brothers.
The e!elation to "ohn
The last book in the New Testament is the
&evelation to (ohn, or Book of &evelation, the New
Testament,s only piece of literature in the
apocalyptic enre. +t describes a vision by a leader
of a church community in )sia #inor livin under
the persecution of the &oman 'mpire.
Character 6ist
"esus of Na#areth ! The central fiure of the New
Testament, whose life, death, and resurrection are
chronicled in the books. The four "ospels describe
(esus,s life until his resurrection, and the remainder
of the New Testament concerns itself with the
community of followers of (esus that steadily rows
after his death.
$aul of Tarsus ! #ore than half of the books in the
New Testament have been attributed to %aul of
Tarsus, the reat missionary who directs the spread
of Christianity after the death of (esus. +n these
books, %aul uses his keen mind and robust intellect
to develop Christianity,s first sophisticated
theoloy. +n the period immediately followin
(esus,s death, he is an active persecutor of (esus,s
followers, but he later converts and becomes the
most active proponent of Christ,s disciples.
$eter ! The first of (esus,s disciples. 'xtremely
devoted to (esus and his mission, $imon is able to
reconi7e (esus as the #essiah before the other
apostles. )s a result, (esus makes him the -rock.>
renamin $imon -%eter,. which means rock>on
which his church would be built <#atthew 945 92@
:3=. )lthouh %eter denies his association with
(esus after (esus,s arrest, %eter later becomes one of
the leaders of the church in (erusalem.
&ead an in!depth analysis of %eter.
"ohn the Baptist ! The forerunner to (esus,
spreadin the word of (esus,s imminent arrival.
(ohn the Baptist is an old ascetic who lives in the
desert, wears a loincloth, and feeds on locusts and
honey.
Mar% Ma&dalene ! ) female follower of (esus
since the time of his "alilean ministry, when he
exorcises her of seven demons <6uke A5 :=. #ary
#adalene is a close friend of (esus. $he is one of
the women who discover that (esus,s body is not in
his rave. 0ollowin this event, she witnesses the
resurrected (esus. $he is also known as #ary of
#adala.
$ontius $ilate ! )s prefect, %ontius %ilate overns
(udea by the authority of the &oman 'mpire durin
the time of (esus,s trial in (erusalem. The "ospels
differ on the extent of %ilate,s responsibility for
(esus,s crucifixion. ;hat is clear, however, is that
%ilate holds the ultimate authority to determine
whether or not (esus should be executed.
Barna'as ! %raised early in )cts for his enerosity
toward the church, Barnabas later becomes one of
%aul,s travelin companions and fellow
missionaries, ?oinin %aul in spreadin the "ospel
amon the "entiles.
"udas Iscariot ! One of the Twelve )postles,
(udas betrays (esus to the authorities in exchane
for thirty pieces of silver. )ccordin to #atthew,
(udas commits suicide out of remorse
<#atthew :B5 2@93=.
Stephen ! ) leader of the *ellenists, a faction of
the (ewish Christians, in (erusalem durin the years
after (esus,s ascension. $tephen preaches aainst
the temple <)cts 4@B=. ;hen brouht for trial
before the (ewish court, $tephen seals his fate by
issuin a rinin condemnation of the (ewish
leadership.
Timoth% ! The travelin companion and fellow
missionary of %aul. Timothy coauthors letters with
%aul>such as 9 Corinthians and %hilippians>and
serves as his emissary throuhout the Christian
communities of the #editerranean.
Mar%( Mother of "esus ! 6uke,s narrative of
(esus,s infancy focuses heavily on the courae and
faith of #ary, who becomes imprenated by the
*oly $pirit. $he is also one of the only people who
remains with (esus throuh the crucifixion. "ospel
writers who have a hih esteem for the female
leaders in the early church community point to
#ary as a model of discipleship.
"oseph ! #ary,s husband. (oseph is a direct
paternal descendent of the reat Cin 1avid, which
makes (esus an heir to the 1avidic line. This
heritae reinforces (esus,s place in the (ewish
tradition.
Lu)e ! ) travelin companion of %aul. Christian
tradition datin back to the second
century ). 1. claims that 6uke is the author of the
"ospel that bears his name and of )cts of the
)postles.
Caiaphas ! The hih priest who presides over
(esus,s trial. Thouh it is %ilate who declares the
verdict of (esus,s uilt, the "ospel writers are
insistent that Caiaphas is also responsible for the
crucifixion.
Herod the Great ! The Cin of %alestine
from 2B to D B. C. )ccordin to #atthew, *erod
hears of (esus,s birth and decides to kill the child,
who is prophesied to become kin of the (ews. To
evade *erod,s orders, (oseph takes (esus and #ary
to 'ypt.
)nalysis of #a?or Characters
"esus
(esus,s identity is complex and chanin throuhout
the "ospels of the New Testament. (esus is at once
a -briht mornin star. <&ev. ::5 94= and a small
child who worries his mother sick because he stays
at the temple for three extra days <6uke :5 D4=.
(esus is called a -lutton and a drunkard. by those
who dislike him <#atthew 995 9E=, and he breaks
social boundaries by associatin with women and
the poor. (esus tells a man seekin eternal life to
-o, sell what you own, and ive the money to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heavenF then
come, follow me. <#ark 935 :9=. ;hile (esus
blesses the peace!makers, the meek, and the pure in
heart, he overturns the tables of the money chaners
in the temple, yellin that they have made "od,s
house -a den of robbers. <#ark 995 9B=. *e is
simultaneously a -$avior. <6uke :5 99= and a
servant who lowers himself to the round, washin
the feet of his disciples <(ohn 925 8=. (esus is bread
<(ohn 45 28=, liht <(ohn E5 9=, and water
<(ohn B5 2A!2E=. *e is also Cin of Cins, 6ord of
6ords <&ev. 9E5 94=, and tells a disciple, -G(Hust as
you did it to one of the least of these . . . you did it
to me. <#atthew :85 D3=.
$eter
$imon %eter is one of the most sympathetic
characters in the entire New Testament. %eter is
determined to be (esus,s best disciple, but
prematurely thinks he understands what it means to
follow (esus. %eter does not believe (esus,s
prediction that he will deny havin known (esus,
but %eter,s eaerness is immature, and he does end
up denyin his friendship to (esus durin the
terrifyin series of events surroundin the trial and
crucifixion. %eter reali7es his mistake and weeps
bitterly. *e is foriven, and remains the rock upon
which (esus says he will build his church. %eter is a
model of faithful discipleship. To this day, the
Catholic Church claims apostolic succession from
this very %eter, whose faith was as solid as a rock,
but who was also at times overeaer, afraid, and all
too human.
$aul
%aul, an extremely well!educated (ew, is livin in
%alestine when he receives a vision of (esus and
becomes a follower. %aul, however, continues to
call himself the -(ew of (ews.. Christianity is
indebted to %aul,s tireless toil for the "ospel in the
first century, and to his robust intellectual prowess,
which brins Christianity from a small handful of
frine!society disciples to a church with a
sophisticated theoloy treatin such complex issues
as the relationship between faith and works, and the
balance between unity and diversity. +t is clear that
%aul, whom some have called -history,s first
ealitarian,. develops an enormous rane of church
leaders, includin many women, in his household
churches that peppered the hillsides of the &oman
'mpire and the coast of the #editerranean $ea.
Themes, #otifs I $ymbols
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal
ideas explored in a literary work.
The New Testaments Relation to the Old
Testament
'ach of the books of the New Testament has a
uni/ue relationship to the Old Testament and to
(udaism as a whole, ranin from the very (ewish
"ospel of #atthew to the "ospel of 6uke, which
makes little or no reference to the (ewish scriptures.
This rane is larely due to the location and
audience of the different authors of the New
Testament. #atthew,s "ospel was written for a
larely (ewish roup to convince them that (esus
was the hoped!for #essiah, and so he interprets
(esus as someone who relives the experience of
+srael. 0or #atthew, everythin about (esus is
prophesied in the Old Testament. The Old
Testament narratives to which #atthew refers
served as ways in which early followers of (esus
could make sense out of his birth, death, and
resurrection. +n contrast, 6uke makes little or no
reference to the *ebrew scriptures because they
would have been unfamiliar to his larely "entile
audience.
%aul introduces yet another perspective on the
*ebrew $criptures with his theoloy of -faith
versus works,. which states that throuh Christ we
are saved -throuh race alone,. not throuh doin
ood works. %aul contrasts Christianity,s emphasis
on the race of "od and the faith of the believer
with the (ewish insistence on the law as the
necessary means for salvation. %aul,s theoloy
inauurates a stron anti!(ewish tradition in
Christianity, which claims that Christianity is a
hiher, more spiritual tradition than (udaism. This
claim is called Christian supercessionism because it
is based on the idea that the New Testament
supercedes the Old Testament. $upercessionists
believe that the laws laid down in the Old
Testament are external, in the sense that they
reulate human behaviors rather than spiritual
states, and that these laws become unnecessary
throuh Christ. $upercessionism simplifies the rich
and subtle theoloy of the Old Testament, which
makes no such distinction between faith and works.
Salvation for Social Outcasts
$ome scholars have arued that the New
Testament,s references to sinners actually referred
to those who were marinali7ed, poor, cast out,
orphaned, diseased, or widowed. (esus not only
promises salvation to such sinners, but oes so far
as to call their poverty itself -blessed. throuhout
the "ospels. )t many points in (esus,s ministry, he
shocks mainstream (ews by associatin with,
ministerin to, and healin people who are cast out,
poor, and sick. $ome have arued that a prominent
theme in the "ospels is (esus,s ood news to such
people and an invitation to the rich to ?oin them.
Salvation Through Faith in Christ
+n his final letter to the new churches in &omans,
%aul summari7es his lifelon /uestion about the
relationship between (ewish law, which re/uires
certain observances and actions, and faith in the
race offered by "od throuh (esus Christ, which is
iven freely and without reard for ood works.
This issue was particularly problematic in &ome
because the early church consisted both of (ewish
followers of Christ, who observed the law, and
"entile followers, to whom the law was relatively
unknown. %aul concludes that the law is a ift from
"od, and can help people become more faithful, but
ultimately we are ?ustified by faith alone, and the
race of "od is available to both (ews and "entiles.
+n the end, %aul declares that only minimal
observance of (ewish law is necessary to be a
follower of (esus>who himself, interestinly
enouh, was a law!abidin (ew.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and
literary devices that can help to develop and inform
the texts major themes.
Geography
The "ospel of #ark takes us on a vivid ?ourney
throuh the roads of first!century %alestine, from
the small "alilean villaes to (erusalem, where
(esus,s trial and crucifixion take place. The shifts
from location to location in the narrative are often
abrupt and hasty, but these movements serve an
important purpose in that they teach believers that
Christian discipleship means followin in the
footsteps of (esus. Believers are to follow his
proress in their imainations, as one follows a
character in a story, sympathi7in with him in his
proression to the cross. (esus,s trail toward the
cross offers a warnin to potential followers that
discipleship may involve persecution and sufferin,
and will call for unremittin faithfulness on the part
of the disciple.
S%m'ols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Kingdom of eaven
The lonest section of #atthew,s "ospel is his
-proclamation. <#atthewD5 9B@945 :3=, in which
he issues a number of declarations about the
kindom of heaven. #atthew likens "od,s kindom
to a small mustard seed, which has in it the potential
to row into a -tree so that the birds of the air come
and make nests in its branches,. somethin
startlinly different in si7e and appearance from its
humble beinnins. #atthew,s proclamations about
the kindom of "od symboli7e the tantali7in fruits
yielded by a life lived in obedience to the
commandments of Christ. *is use of the phrase
-kindom of heaven. also discloses #atthew,s
(ewish roots, as in (ewish custom one could not
utter "od,s name.
The Good Samaritan
+n one of the New Testament,s most well known
parables, 6uke tells us that (esus used this story as
the answer to a man,s /uestion, -;ho is my
neihborJ. (esus describes a man lyin on the road,
dyin. Neither a passin priest nor a 6evite helps
him, because touchin a dead body was considered
utterly impure. The $amaritan, however, rescues the
man, thereby breakin two social conventions>
associatin with what could be a corpse, and
crossin the border between the rival communities
of (ews and $amaritans. The $amaritan can be
understood to symboli7e both Christ,s messae that
the poor and outcast are blessed, and that Christ,s
messae is for "entiles as well as (ews.
!ater" #read" $ight
+n (ohn,s "ospel, (esus is symboli7ed by the life!
ivin matter of everyday existence5 water, bread,
liht, and words. ;ater and bread, in particular, are
used repeatedly. ;hile speakin with a $amaritan
woman at the well, (esus tells her, -water that + will
ive will become in them a sprin of water ushin
up to eternal life.. $he says in reply, -G$Hir, ive me
this water so that + may never be thirsty or have to
keep comin here to draw water.. (ohn uses this
symbol of water to illustrate that (esus,s ift is
abundant and life!ivin.
The Olive Tree
+n &omans 995 9B@:D, the olive tree symboli7es
the salvation of the "entiles and of +srael. The tree,
includin the root and branches, is +srael. The
branches broken off are the (ews who do not
believe in (esus Christ, while the branches rafted
on are "entiles who believe in Christ. *avin been
made part of the tree only because of faith>rather
than birth, obedience to the law, or works>the
"entile believers have no reason for pride, since the
"od who has rafted them on has the power to cut
them off.
The #ody
+n 9 Corinthians 9:5 9:, %aul writes about the
variety of spiritual ifts that exist usin the imae of
the human body to convey that each of these
different ifts is needed, ?ust as every part of the
body is needed. The church is Christ,s body. %aul
writes, -0or ?ust as the body is one and has many
members, all the members of the body, thouh
many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 0or in the
one $pirit we were all bapti7ed into one body>
(ews or "reeks, slaves or free>and we were all
made to drink of one $pirit.. %aul uses this symbol
as a way to deal with the difficult issue of balancin
unity and diversity in his early churches, sayin that
thouh we are all uni/uely ifted individuals, we
are also all parts of the one united body of Christ.
$ummary of the New Testament Books and their
enre.

Matthe*
The Book of #atthew is of ospel enre. #atthew
beins with the enealoy of (esus. #atthew retells
of (esus, birth and /uotes +saiah B59D reardin the
prophecy of the virin birth. The #ai asks Cin
*erod of the newborn kin. Cin *erod orders all
babies two and under in Bethlehem and vicinity to
be killed. This fulfilled the prophecy of (eremiah
29598. (esus escaped to 'ypt. 6ater after returnin
to Na7areth, (esus is bapti7ed by (ohn the Baptist.
(esus called on his disciples and bean preachin
about the kindom of heaven. (esus came to fulfill
the 6aw not abolish it. *e reiterates the 6aw. +n *is
preachin, (esus heals many. (esus uses parables to
teach the "ospel. 1urin *is teachins, *e is
/uestioned by authority. #atthew tells of (esus,
crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. (esus
ives *is "reat Commission by tellin his disciples
to -o and make disciples of all the nations..
<:A59E=

Mar)
The Book of #ark is ospel enre. #ark beins
with two /uotes from the Old Testament reardin
the comin of (esus5 #alachi 259 and +saiah D52.
#ark tells of (esus bein bapti7ed by (ohn. )fter
the baptism, (esus is sent to the desert for D3 days
and was tempted at that time by $atan. Then (esus
proclaimed the ospel. *e started callin on his
disciples, first was $imon and )ndrew. Then *e
called on (ames and (ohn to follow and learn from
*im. (esus healed many people. )s (esus teaches
the ospel, crowds follow *im. *e appoints the
twelve disciples. (esus uses many parables to teach
the ospel. (esus predicts *e will be killed, and then
rise three days later. +n chapter nine, #ark tells of
the transfiuration of (esus. #ark describes the 6ast
$upper and (esus predictin %eter,s denial of *im.
(esus prays at "ethsemane. (esus is arrested and
taken before the $anhedrin. There %eter denies
(esus, ?ust as predicted. (esus is taken before %ilate.
(esus is made to carry *is cross to the site of his
crucifixion after *e has been beaten. (esus dies, is
buried and then resurrected.

Lu)e
The Book of 6uke is of ospel enre. )fter a small
introduction, 6uke tells of how Kechariah was told
of the birth of (ohn the Baptist by the anel,
"abriel. "abriel was sent to Na7areth to #ary and
told her of (esus, birth. 6uke tells of the birth of
(esus and that *e was presented in the Temple on
the eihth day after *is birth. (ohn the Baptist is
already preparin the way of the ospel. ;hen
(esus was about thirty years old, *e was bapti7ed
by (ohn. 6uke then lists (esus, enealoy. 6uke
tells of (esus, temptation while *e was in the desert
for forty days. The people of Na7areth drove (esus
out of town. (esus heals many and calls for *is first
disciples. (esus teaches many people the ospel. +n
*is teachins *e uses parables and healins. (esus
feeds five thousand people out of five loaves of
bread and two fish. (esus warns *is disciples,
especially %eter, not to tell the people that *e is
The Christ. %eter, (ohn, and (ames went with (esus
up onto a mountain. (esus, transfiuration occurred
there. (esus teaches the 6ord,s %rayer. (esus ives
many warnins and encouraements. 1urin the
6ast $upper, (esus tells %eter that he will deny
knowin *im three times. (esus prays on the #ount
of Olives and then is arrested. %eter does indeed
deny (esus three times. (esus is taken before %ilate
and *erod. (esus is crucified, dies, is buried and
then resurrected. (esus appears to *is disciples and
then ascended to heaven.

"ohn
The Book of (ohn is of ospel enre. (ohn opens
with a description of the ;ord becomin flesh.
(ohn the Baptist denies bein the Christ. (ohn the
Baptist declares it is (esus who is the 6amb of "od.
(esus calls on *is first disciples. (ohn describes
(esus turnin water into wine at a weddin. (esus
teaches the kindom of "od to Nicodemus. (ohn the
Baptist ives testimony about (esus. (esus has a
conversation with a $amaritan woman. (ohn tells of
(esus healin many people and feedin of the five
thousand. (ohn tells of when (esus walks on water.
(esus went to the 0east of Tabernacles and tauht
there. There was discussion about (esus as the
Christ. The (ewish leaders did not believe that *e
was the Christ. (esus tried to validate *is testimony
to the %harisees. 6a7arus dies and then is brouht
back to life by (esus. (esus predicts *is 1eath. The
(ews continue in their disbelief. (esus predicts
(udas, betrayal and %eter,s denial. (esus tells
Thomas that *e is the way to the 0ather. (esus
prays for *imself, *is disciples, and for all
believers. (esus is arrested and taken to )nnas.
%eter,s denies (esus three times. (esus is taken to
before %ilate. %ilate sentenced (esus to be crucified.
(esus is crucified, dies and then is buried. (ohn tells
of the empty tomb. (esus first appears to #ary
#adalene and then to *is disciples. (esus has
breakfast of fish and bread with *is disciples. %eter
is then told to take care and feed (esus, sheep.

Acts
The Book of )cts is of narrative and ospel enre.
The book beins with a recount of (esus, life riht
before and riht after *is crucifixion. Throuh
prayer, #atthias was chosen to replace (udas as a
disciple. The day of the %entecost, the *oly $pirit
filled the apostles. %eter addresses the crowd, and
they devoted themselves to the teachins of the
apostles. %eter heals a crippled bear and then
speaks to the onlookers reardin The "od of
)braham. ;hile speakin, %eter and (ohn were
arrested for their disturbance. The next day, %eter
and (ohn went before the $anhedrin. They were
warned not to keep teachin, but let them o. They
o back to their own people who then pray and
share their possessions, so no one is need. The
apostles heal many people, but are persecuted by
others. The apostles chose seven men to help
mediate amon the (ews. One of the seven,
$tephen, was sei7ed and brouht before the
$anhedrin. $tephen spoke out aainst them and was
stoned to death, all the while $tephen prayed.
Beinnin that day, the church was persecuted,
causin the church to scatter. %eter started teachin
to the "entiles after the (ews refused to listen to
him. Cin *erod arrested %eter, but %eter was able
to escape. There are many chapters on the different
locations the apostles traveled and preached. The
book ends with %aul preachin in &ome while bein
held by uards.

omans
The Book of &omans is epistle enre. +n %aul,s
introduction, he tells the people of &ome that is not
ashamed of the ospel and wants to visit &ome.
%aul explains "od,s wrath and ?udment. %aul
continues his letter advisin the &omans about
"od,s rihteousness, and the rihteousness of all
who have faith in (esus Christ. %aul states that
)braham was blessed because of his faith in "od.
%aul explains death came because of )dam, and
eternal life comes throuh (esus Christ. %aul asserts
in his letter that he is speakin -the truth in Christ..
<E59= %aul explains that rihteousness does not
come by works, but by faith. %aul assures the
&omans that throuh (esus Christ, they are iven
endurance and encouraement. %aul then ministers
to the "entiles. %aul ends the letter by sendin his
personal reetins to many.

+ Corinthians
The Book of 9 Corinthians is of the epistle
enre. %aul writes this letter to the church of
Corinth. *e beins by tellin the church he thanks
"od for *is race. *e appeals to the church in
hopes that they may stop /uarrellin. %aul discusses
the causes and solutions to the /uarrels. %aul writes
in depth about dealin with immorality, lawsuits
amon each other, and sexual immorality. %aul tells
the church what "od wants out of a marriae. %aul
then states his own opinion on marriae. %aul talks
about food sacrificed to idols. %aul ives warnins
about +srael,s past. %aul writes about (esus,
resurrection and what that means to believers. *e
tells the people of Corinth that he will be visitin
them after his visit in #acedonia. *e asks for a
favorF take of Timothy if is able to visit. %aul ends
the letter with his personal reetins.

, Corinthians
The Book of : Corinthians is epistle enre. This
letter is written a few months after the first letter.
%aul affirms that when troubled, "od will comfort.
%aul advises the people of Corinth that his plans
have chaned. %aul stresses the need for
foriveness. %aul talks about the new covenant with
the livin "od. %aul discusses our heavenly
dwellin after death, and Christ came to reconcile
man,s sins to *im. %aul writes about his hardships
and his ?oy in Corinth,s repentance. %aul
encouraes the people of Corinth to sincerely ive
to the people of #acedonia. %aul lets them know
that Titus will be visitin Corinth. %aul defends his
ministry. *e ends his letter with some final
warnins about believin him followed by his final
reetins.

Galatians
The Book of "alatians is epistle enre. %aul writes
this letter to the churches of "alatia. %aul
reprimands the churches for desertin Christ. %aul
asserts he has been called by "od to preach the
ospel. %aul retells how the )postles accepted him.
%aul retells how he opposed %eter in forcin the
"entiles in followin the (ewish customs. %aul uses
)braham to prove his point that faith is more
important than the observance of the 6aw. ;hen
you have faith in (esus Christ that5 -you are all sons
of "od.. <25:4= %aul writes about his concerns for
the "alatians. *e tells them that in Christ they have
freedom. ;hen the $pirit is in livin inside of you,
you must try to treat others with ood intentions.
%aul advises the "alatians that it does not matter if
you are circumcised or not, what matters is that
(esus Christ.

Ephesians
The Book of 'phesians is epistle enre. %aul opens
this letter to the 'phesians with blessins from
Christ. %aul lets the 'phesians know he has kept
them in his prayers. %aul reminds them that from sin
they were dead, but made alive throuh (esus. *e
also reminds them that the "entiles and the (ews are
members of "od,s household. %aul preaches to the
"entiles. %aul advises the 'phesians what his prayer
is for them. *e advises them that throuh Christ
they are of one body and one spirit. Throuh Christ,
they are made new in their attitudes of their minds
and they need to resist any bitterness, aner and
malice. %aul advises them to live like "od, with
love. %aul ives the 'phesians advice on different
relationships5 husband and wife, children and
parents, as well as slaves and masters. *e tells them
to be stron in "od. The letter ends with his final
reetins.

$hilippians
The Book of %hilippians is of epistle enre. %aul
tells the people of %hilippi that he is thankful that
they believe in (esus. %aul tells them that they are in
his prayers. %aul tells the %hilippians that because
of his imprisonment, the ospel has spread. *e
states that he is -in chains for Christ.. <9592= %aul
advises the people of %hilippi to have the same
attitudes of (esus5 humility, love, compassion. %aul
talks about Timothy visitin %hilippi. *e then talks
about 'paphroditus, the messener. %aul states the
'paphroditus was ill and almost died, but feelin
better will return to %hilippi. %aul ives the
%hilippians a warnin of men who do evil. *e ures
them to press on towards the ospel of (esus Christ.
%aul ends his letter with a thanks for the
%hilippians, ifts and then his final reetins.

Colossians
The Book of Colossians is epistle enre. %aul opens
his letter to the people of Colosse with a
thanksivin and prayer. %aul emphasi7es the
ospel of Christ. %aul relates his labors and
strules for the ospel. %aul advises the Colossians
that throuh a life with Christ, they are filled with
strenth and thankfulness. %aul warns of deceptive
human traditions, false humility, and worship of
anels. %aul advises the people of Colosse to not set
their minds on earthly thins. *e also advises
aainst sexual immorality, reed and idolatry. %aul
ives some commands for husbands, wives,
children, fathers, slaves and masters. %aul then
advises the Colossians to pray, to be thankful and
watchful. %aul ends his letter with some final
reetins.

+ Thessalonians
The Book of 9 Thessalonians is of epistle enre.
%aul opens his letter to the people of Thessalonica
by lettin them know he thanks "od for their faith
(esus. *e lets them know they are in his prayers.
%aul writes about his visit to Thessalonica. 'ven
thouh he had to leave them, he wants to visit aain.
%aul ives an account of Timothy,s report after
visitin Thessalonica. The report is ood news
about their faith and love. 'ven thouh they are
demonstratin faith and love in (esus, %aul ures
them to do so more and more. %aul reminds the
Thessalonians that "od will come down from
heaven and those who believe in Christ will o with
*im to live with *im forever. %aul instructs the
people to live in peace with each other, to be ?oyful,
pray, and avoid evil.

, Thessalonians
The Book of : Thessalonians is epistle enre. %aul
opens his letter to the people of Thessalonica with
thanksivin and prayer. %aul warns the people to
not be deceived of the time when "od will return.
*e will not return until the -man of lawlessness is
revealed. <:52=, and when man proclaims that he is
"od. %aul clarifies that lawlessness is the work of
$atan who will display false miracles and sins.
%aul advises the Thessalonians to stand firm and to
remember the teachins of the ospel. %aul asks the
people to pray for the spread of the ospel, and for
deliverance from wickedness and evil. %aul warns
aainst idleness. %aul ends the letter with his final
reetin.

+ Timoth%
The Book of 9 Timothy is of epistle enre. %aul
opens his letter to Timothy with a warnin aainst
teachers of false doctrines. "od,s work is by faith.
%aul tells Timothy that he is thankful the strenth
from (esus. %aul advises Timothy that prayers,
intercession, re/uests, and thanksivin be made for
everyone. "od wants everyone to be saved. %aul
expresses his wishes for women to dress modettstly
and to be submissive to her husband. %aul advises
what /ualities an overseer must possess. %aul
addresses what the 1eacon,s attributes should be
like. %aul advises Timothy on deceivin spirits.
%aul reminds Timothy that everythin "od created
is ood. %aul instructs Timothy on bein a ood
minister means havin nothin to do with odless
myths. *old onto the promises for the present and
future. %aul then ives advice about widows, elders
and slaves. %aul warns of love for money that leads
to temptation. %aul tells Timothy to fiht for faith,
command people to be rich in ood deeds, and turn
away from opposin ideas.

, Timoth%
The Book of : Timothy is epistle enre. %aul writes
to Timothy to ive him encouraement on bein
faithful. %aul encouraes Timothy on his teachins
and to avoid odless chatter. %aul writes about the
last days bein terrible. %eople will be out of
control, conceited, disobedient and filled with evil
desires. These people will have re?ected (esus and
not et far. %eople believin in (esus will
persecuted, but must stand stron in their faith. %aul
instructs Timothy to preach the ;ord with patience.
%aul tells Timothy it is time for him to depart this
life. %aul tells Timothy that even thouh everyone
deserted him, the 6ord stood by his side. %aul asks
Timothy to try to visit him before winter and ends
the letter with his blessin.

Titus
The Book of Titus is of epistle enre. %aul beins
his letter to Titus with a synopsis of the mission in
Crete. Titus was to appoint elders. %aul ives the
attributes the elders must possess. %aul instructs
Titus on what should be tauht to different roups
of people. %aul instructs Titus to teach the people to
be obedient and peaceful to authorities. %aul
reminds Titus throuh (esus, the people of faith
have *is race and hope of eternal life. %aul warns
Titus of foolish controversies and aruments about
the law. %aul asks that Titus visit him soon.

$hilemon
The Book of %hilemon is epistle enre. )s a
prisoner, %aul writes to %hilemon. %aul beins the
letter with prayer and thanksivin. %aul asks
%hilemon to welcome Onesimus back as a brother
in Christ. %aul hopes to visit %hilemon soon. %aul
ends the letter with reetins from fellow believers.

He're*s
The Book of *ebrews is of epistle enre. The letter
opens with a reminder of (esus came for the
purification of sins. The author ives warnin to
pay attention to not drift away from the ospel.
(esus brouht about salvation throuh *is
sufferin. (esus, honor is reater than #oses.
(esus is the hih priest. The author writes of
warnins and then reiterates "ods, promise to
)braham. The author recounts about #elchi7edek,
the priest. The author then compares (esus to
#elchi7edek. (esus is the hih priest of the new
covenant. Christ was sacrificed to take away the
sins of people. Christ,s sacrifice was for all sin. The
author recounts what "od has done for the people
of +srael because of faith. ;arnin is iven about
refusin "od. The book concludes with instructions
to keep lovin others, marriae should be honored,
and keep lives free from the love of money. #ore
instructions follow on obeyin leaders, and praise
(esus.

"ames
The Book of (ames is epistle enre. (ames beins
his letter by explainin that facin trials develops
perseverance. 1on,t be deceived, "od does not
tempt anyone. (ames advises that everyone should
be /uick to listen, but slow to speak. (ames
addresses his fellow brothers in Christ that
favoritism are forbidden. (ames advises faith and
ood deeds o hand in hand. (ames instructs how
important it is to watch the tonue. (ames tells that
to submit to "od, *e will come nearer to you.
(ames warns about boastin and rich people. *e
encouraes his brothers to be patient and to pray.

+ $eter
The Book of 9 %eter is epistle enre. %eter,s letter
starts with praise to "od. Throuh the resurrection
of (esus Christ, there is a new birth of livin hope.
%eter tells the people to be self!controlled and set
their hopes on the race iven by Christ. Because
the people come to (esus, they are the chosen
people who now receive mercy. %eter advises the
people to submit to authorities and rulers, wives to
submit to their husbands. *e advises all to live in
harmony with each other. +f the people suffer for
what is riht, they will be blessed. %eter instructs
the people to love each other and offer hospitality.
%eter also acknowledes that there will be painful
sufferins for bein a Christian, but do not be
ashamed and praise "od. %eter then addresses the
elders and the youn men.

, $eter
The Book of : %eter is epistle enre. %eter instructs
the people to make every effort to add to their faith,
perseverance, and self!control. %eter reminds the
recipients of his letter the prophecy of scripture.
%eter then warns them of false prophets. %eter
insists that the day of the 6ord will come and *is
promise of a new heaven and a new earth will be
kept. %eter advises the people to be on their uard,
and to row in their race and knowlede of the
6ord and $avior (esus Christ.

+ "ohn
The Book of 9 (ohn is of epistle enre. (ohn
encouraes believers with a reminder of the ;ord
of life. The ;ord is the messae from "od how to
walk in the liht. (ohn states that (esus is the
atonin sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
(ohn advises aainst lovin anythin in or of the
world. (ohn warns aainst antichrists. (ohn declares
that all people who believe in (esus are children of
"od, therefore to love one another. (ohn advises
that the spirits need to be tested to see if they are
from "od. (ohn reminds the recipients of the letter
that everyone who believes in (esus is born of "od,
and bein born of "od means that you can
overcome the world. (ohn concludes by statin that
anyone born of "od will be safe from evil.

, "ohn
The Book of : (ohn is of epistle enre. (ohn warns
of deceivers who do not acknowlede (esus in the
flesh. (ohn advises not to let the deceivers into your
home. (ohn kept the letter short as he was hopeful
to visit soon.

- "ohn
The Book of 2 (ohn is epistle enre. (ohn writes a
letter to "aius to thank him for his faithfulness in
truth. (ohn critici7es 1iotrephes for his ossip. (ohn
reminds "aius that anyone does what is evil has not
seen "od, so do not imitate evil. (ohn then states his
letter is short because he plans on visitin soon.

"ude
The Book of (ude is of epistle enre. (ude warns his
readers of immoral men slippin secretly amon the
people of faith. (ude reminds the people the power
of "od. (ude tells the people to remember what
'noch prophesied about "od ?udin the unodly
acts of sinners. (ude instructs the readers to
persevere by prayer and faith. (ude also advises to
show mercy to those who doubt.

e!elation
The Book of &evelation is apocalyptic enre. (ohn
introduces himself and explains his vision. (ohn
addresses seven churches. (ohn then describes the
throne in heaven. (ohn ives a description of the
sealed scroll that only the 6amb could break. (ohn
watched the 6amb open the seals. )fter openin the
sixth seal, four anels described the 9DD,333 that
were sealed as servants of "od. The 6amb opened
the seventh seal and starts the seven trumpets. 'ach
trumpet represents a catastrophe. ;ith the seventh
trumpet, (ohn sees 9DD,333 sealed with the 0ather,s
name written on their forehead. *e also saw three
anels proclaim ?udment and then reap the harvest.
$even anels have seven bowls filled with seven
plaues which is "od,s wrath. Babylon is
destroyed. The reat multitude in heaven bean
celebratin because the salvation and lory belon
to "od. )fter a thousand years, $atan will make
war, but is defeated. The dead are ?uded. New
heaven, new earth and new (erusalem will exist.
(ohn concludes with a warnin that anyone who
adds to or takes away from the prophecy will be
dealt with.