New Testament
Overview
Keywords: bible tools, bible, genesis bible, Jesus Christ, epistle, epistles of Paul, online bible, bible versus, bible verses, bible study, bible gateway, bible online, holy bible, New testament, gospel
New Testament Overview
The New Testament: A Brief Overview
by
Mikael Knighton
Christians Standing with Israel
Twenty-seven books comprise the biblical "canon" known as the New Testament. Many biblical scholars differ in their assertions as to the original language in which the New Testament was written. As they were the common languages spoken at the time of Yeshua, many biblical scholars believe the books found in this twenty-seven book canon were originally composed in Aramaic and Hebrew and thus were translated to the Greek language. Moreover, other contemporary scholars maintain they were directly composed in the Greek language and needed no translation. However, the commonly-held opinion is that the original text that would become known as the books of the New Testament, otherwise known as the New Covenant, was most likely written in "common Greek", also known as Koine Greek.
Traditionally, the New Testament is divided into 3 sections: the Gospels, the Epistles, and Revelation--the apocalyptic and final book of the Holy Scriptures. Each section, with the exception of Revelation, contains numerous subcategories. First, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are commonly referred to as the "Synoptic Gospels". Each of the three, synoptic Gospels represent a unique emphasis and account of the life, ministry, passion, death and, in Luke and Matthew, the Resurrection of Christ. The fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, is set apart as unique, in and of itself. The Gospel according to John focuses more on Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the mystery therein. Known for referring to Christ as "The Word" (in Greek, "Logos"), John is the only Gospel author to open with the following: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
While not considered an "Epistle" or a "Gospel", the Acts of the Apostles, otherwise known as the book of Acts, was written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. In the book of Acts, Luke--a physician from Macedonia widely accepted as the only Gentile author in the Holy Scriptures--tells the story of the first Christian church and begins with an account of the brief period of time in which Christ was among the apostles following the Resurrection.
The second section of the New Testament is known as the Epistles. Much like the Gospels, the Epistles are divided into 2 categories: the Pauline Epistles and General Epistles. The Pauline Epistles are the first fourteen epistles that follow the book of Acts and assume the name of their author, the apostle Paul. Included in the Pauline Epistles are the Epistle to the Romans, the First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians, the Epistle to the Galatians, the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Epistle to the Philippians, the Epistle to the Colossians, the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, the First and Second Epistles to Timothy, the Epistle to Titus, the Epistle to Philemon, and the Epistle to the Hebrews.
The General Epistles, also known as the Catholic (read: universal) Epistles, are comprised of the seven epistles that follow. These are epistles written not to one singular region, but to the universal body of Christ. They include the Epistle of James, the First and Second Epistles of Peter, the First, Second and Third Epistles of John, and the Epistle of Jude.
The final section of the New Testament consists of one book--the Revelation of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as Revelation. This book is also known as the Revelation to John, and the Apocalypse of John. A common error, among Christians and non-Christians, is the pronunciation of the book's title in the plural tense ("Revelations"). 100% apocalyptic in scope, the book of Revelation is believed to have been written by the apostle John whilst in exile on the Greek island of Patmos. Scholars contend that John wrote the book of Revelation sometime between 68 A.D. and 92 A.D., with the former being the more popular choice. The book of Revelation is widely regarded as one of the most controversial, yet intriguing books in all of Scripture.
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