Session 6 - New Testament

Before delving specifically into the New Testament, it is important that you understand how the bible as we know it todaycame into being.  The writings of the old and new testament were at first preserved orally, then written on papyrus scrolls.  It wasn’t until the invention of the printing press in the 14th -15th centuries that we see the bible being contained in a single bound book.

There were  many writings in the BC era and in the time of Christ.  It was the Church that decided which books of the Old and New Testament would be in the Bible.  Even in Judaism, it was not completely set until after the time of Christ.   The Entire Church in council asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit determined which books would be included in the bible.  The Orthodox Bible as we know it today, was determined in the late 4th Century.   To date, a fun fact  while the New Testament is the same for all Christian Churches, the Orthodox Church’s Bible includes the most books of the Old Testament, The Catholic Church a few less and the Protestant confessions, the least  See Handout for a comparison.       

The New Testament. The New Testament is, also called the New Covenant,  and  gives us details about Christ's life and the teachings of the Early Church. It is a fulfillment of the prophecies  of the Old Testament and the most important  writing in the life of the Church. The New Testament consists of the Gospels, which detail Christ's earthly life, Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. The New Testament  was written by numerous divinely authors   30-100 Years after the death of our Lord.

The New Testament is comprised of 27 separate works: the four accounts of Jesus Christ's ministry, called "Gospels"; an account of the  Apostles' ministries after the death and resurrection of our Lord, written by  St Luke; Known as The Acts of the Apostles,  twenty-one early letters, commonly called "epistles" or letters which were written by various authors ( St Paul and the Apostles, Peter, James, John and Jude)  and consisted mostly of Christian counsel and instruction; and  a prophecy of the  Apocalypse, or the End Times, known as Revelation or the Apocalypse.

The Gospels         

Each of the Gospels  informs us about the ministry of Jesus Christ. The first three Matthew, Mark and Luke  tell us what Jesus said and did; John tells us who Jesus is

The  Gospel of Matthew,  was written by the  Apostle Matthew, son of Alphaeus, the tax collector. This gospel was written for people familiar with the Old Testament, both the Law of Moses and the prophets. Matthew makes more references to the Old Testament than any other gospel.

 The Gospel of Mark, was written by the Apostle Mark. It is believed to be the oldest of the Gospels. Mark's explanations of Jewish customs and his translations of Aramaic expressions suggest that he was writing for Gentile converts, probably especially for those converts living in Rome.

The Gospel of Luke, was written by the Apostle Luke, who wrote down the narrative given by the Apostle Paul, who was formerly called Saul. St Luke a Greek wrote to the Greeks.

The Gospel of John, traditionally the Apostle John, son of Zebedee.  It is known as the Theological Gospel  with a clear message that Jesus is God. Jesus’ divinity is the central message.

Acts

The Acts of the Apostles, also called the Book of Acts or just Acts, is an account of the Apostles' ministry after Christ's death and a sequel to the third Gospel. Holy Tradition says  that Acts and Luke have the same author, the Apostle Luke. Luke wrote down his narrative from the words of the Apostle Paul, with whom he travelled to Rome. It highlights four  missionary Journeys of St Paul in the Mediterranean sea basin.  

Epistles of St. Paul

St Paul’s Epistles were written to the various communities he established and visited.  They consist mainly of spiritual counsel and instructions on proper Christian behaviour. St Paul appears to have dictated the epistles to a scribe and some specifically mention his habit of adding a greeting in his own handwriting to the end of some epistles.

General epistles

The General or Catholic Epistles are those written to the church at large ("catholic" means "universal").

Epistle of James, was  written by James the Just, brother of Jesus and Jude Thomas. I Peter and II Peter, was written by the  Apostle Simon, called Peter. I John, II John, and III John, were written by  the Apostle John, son of Zebedee. Jude, was written by the Apostle Jude Thomas, brother of Jesus and James.

Prophecy

The Book of Revelation often called just Revelation, traditionally by the Apostle John, son of Zebedee. Revelation is sometimes called The Apocalypse of John. It is the only book of the New Testament which is not read during Orthodox church services, because of its potential for being misunderstood. .

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

  1. Not because it is an obligation but because it is food for our hungry souls.
  2. With an open mind and heart, with the understanding it is God’s love letter to us.
  3. Don’t need to understand everything, one word is enough to change your life for the better
  4. When reading try to apply what is being said to your own life, consider which character you might be like in parables or stories told by our Lord.
  5. Frequency, Daily if possible, read daily readings, online at acrod.org, or Sunday Epistle and Gospel Readings before Sunday.