New_Testament,_Summary_of_Each_Book

Research Notebook Religion 112 Mount Olive College Michael Olsen The Gospel According to Matthew While there are numerous theories about when this gospel was written, the Harper Collins Study Bible states that it was probably written between 80-90 A.D. Harpers Collins states that according to the Two Source Theory, one of the sources for the author of this gospel as the Gospel According to Mark, which was probably written in the late 60's to early 70's C.E. This means that it almost certainly was not written by the disciple Matthew, as he would probably be deceased by then. Since it is likely that Matthew was deceased, it leads to a question of who the writer of this gospel actually was. It is believed that a multilingual Israelite who has intimate familiarity with Jewish traditions wrote this Gospel, and that Matthew was honored within this writers circle (Duling, Dennis C. “The Gospel of Matthew”, in Aune, David E. (ed.) (2010). The Blackwell companion to the New Testament). The Gospel According to Matthew was written (likely) during the 1st century C.E. During that time, Palestine was still under Roman rule. People were set up within a hierarchical system, with a ruling “elite” and a lower (or common) class, with no middle class. Some of the elite included the Roman rulers (i.e., governors, centurions, local aristocrats) and the Jewish religious sects (i.e. Pharisees, Sadducees, the scribes). Lowers castes included (among others) prostitutes, tax collectors, and fishermen. The higher classes believed that a person that wished to be included in their ranks should act a certain way and only socialize with certain types of people. It appears as if Matthew was written to justify Jesus as the Messiah to the Jews. It tracks is ancestry from Abraham through David and all the following kings of Israel. He also includes a number of references back to his lineage, such as in Matthew 21:15, when Jesus was cleansing the temple and the children were crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David”. He also connected the virginal birth with the prophecy of Immanuel (Matthew 2:22-23). Matthew contains three major sections. The first is the account of Jesus' lineage, virginal birth, and beginning of his ministry. Matthew details Jesus' lineage all the back to Abraham, up to and through David and Solomon, and up to his birth. He then goes on to describe Jesus' immaculate conception and virginal birth, making sure to point out that Joseph does not abandon Mary, after he is visited by an agent of the Lord. After his birth, Joseph takes his family to Egypt, for fear of Herod's pronouncement to kill all the children in Bethleham under two years old. They moved to Nazareth after hearing of Herod's death. Later, Jesus meets John the Baptist, who has been prophesying Jesus' coming. John baptizes him, and as Jesus arises from the water, the Spirit of God descends on him like a dove and blesses him, saying “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus goes into the wilderness for forty days and nights, with no food or water. There he is tempted by Satan. Jesus resists the temptations, and exits the wilderness unscathed. The next section of Matthew details Jesus' ministry. He talks about how Jesus calls his earliest apostles, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John (not John the Baptist). He begins gathering followers, and gives the Sermon on the Mount, which increases his following. The Sermon on the Mount shows Jesus' main teachings, such as humility, obedience, loving your neighbor, forgiveness, proper prayer, and faith in God. Matthew tells about the miracles that Jesus performed, including curing lepers, blindness, paralysis, performing an exorcism, and bringing the dead daughter of a synagogue leader back to life. He also includes other miracles, such as stilling storms, walking on water, and feeding the masses with little food (twice). Matthew talks about Jesus sending out his chosen 12 disciples, telling them to preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, and to perform some of the same miracles Jesus did, such as healing and exorcism, without accepting money for these actions. Matthew breaks off his account of Jesus' actions to focus on Jesus himself, talking about his opposition and his response to that opposition, using the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the mustard seed. Matthew goes on to detail Jesus' further travels, to include the lack of faith of his disciples, expound on his beliefs, his further opposition, and finishes this section with Jesus in Jerusalem, foreseeing God's punishment of the wicked, and warning his disciples of the tribulations that are to come before the final judgment, but that the righteous will be saved. In the final section of Matthew, the Last Supper, the betrayal, and Jesus' trial, crucifixion, and resurrection are laid out for us. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the disciples that Judas will betray him and the others will flee except for Peter, who will also betray Jesus. Jesus then breaks bread and drinks wine, and has the others do so after him, providing the example for what will become the ritual of communion. After dinner, while Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas leads a mob to the garden, where he shows them Jesus by kissing him. Jesus is arrested, taken before the Jewish court, and convicted of blasphemy. He is taken to Pontius Pilate for for his final verdict, where Pilate asks the mob what they want him to with Jesus, and they cry for Jesus' crucifixion. Pilates accedes, and Jesus is crucified. After his death, Joseph of Arimathea buries him and places a guard on his tomb. Three days later, Mary Magdalene and another Mary go to his tomb, but find it empty. Jesus appears to them, and tells them to have his disciples meet him in Galilee. Jesus appears to them there, proving his resurrection, and giving the disciples the mission of teaching and baptizing unbelievers. Matthew 18:21-22: In this passage, Jesus teaches Peter about forgiveness, saying that he should forgive someone seventy-seven times. This is not meant to be an actual number, but representative of unlimited forgiveness. The reason for this is because if you cannot forgive someone else, that what expectation can you have of your own sins being forgiven' We cannot truly accept forgiveness for our sins if we are harboring ill feeling toward another, so it it in our own best interest to forgive other as often as necessary. The Gospel According to Mark The Gospel According to Mark was likely the first gospel written. It appears as if Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source for their material, and John was written much later. This means that Mark was written before 80-90, when Matthew was believed to be written, sometime in the late 60's to early 70's A.D. Since neither Jesus nor his first disciples left a written account of what occurred, this is the closest thing we have to a source document. This book was believed to be written by John Mark, who was a companion of the Apostle Peter. This probably happened in Rome, where he was an interpreter for Peter. It is believed that this account was written for non-Jewish Christians, as it doesn't contain a number of Jewish references, such as Jesus' lineage and virginal birth. He also explains a number of Jewish traditions (such as in Mark 7:1-4, when he explains the importance of the washing of hands and food from the market) that Jews would be expected to know. According to the Harper Collins Study Bible, Mark was written during or soon after the first Jewish war with Rome. During that time, it is possible that a number of Jews claiming to be the Messiah may have appeared, and that Mark was written to reassert the claim of Jesus' followers that he was and is the Messiah. Marks starts by talking about John the Baptist, and leads into when he baptizes Jesus in the Jordan, where the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus. He mentions that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert and was tempted by Satan, then go into the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the calling of the first disciples, and his early miracles. An important passage is Mark 1:22 “They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes”. This occurred in a synagogue, where Jesus was teaching. This is important because scribes only passed on the information they were taught, having no authority to add or take away anything, while Jesus spoke with the authority of God, given to him in his baptism. Like Matthew, Mark goes on to talk about Jesus' ministry. However, he does not have a Sermon on the Mount. In fact, where Matthew and Luke both go deeper into Jesus' teachings, Mark focuses more on Jesus' miracles and power. In Mark 5:1-21, where Jesus cleansed a man of his demons and sent them into a herd of swine, who then jumped off a cliff into the sea and drowned. The man was a town nuisance, almost like an animal, and after Jesus cleansed him, he went and proclaimed what Jesus did for him. In this story, Mark tells us that Jesus was able to exorcise not just one demon from the man, but so many that they called themselves Legion. The legion of demons also has to beg Jesus to put them in the swine instead of banishing them, further showing the great power that Jesus wields over them. In Mark 7-1:23, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees about his disciples eating with defiled hands, which goes against the Law. Jesus rebukes them, talking about how they have abandoned the spirit of the Law in favor of tradition. Jesus tells that obeying the spirit of the Law is more important than the traditions that man has built around the Law. He goes on to tell that what goes into a man cannot defile him, since it does not enter his heart. The feeling that a man has in his heart are what can defile him, if they are evil feelings such as adultery, deceit, and pride. In this Jesus gives us freedom from the minute details of Jewish Law, but not from its spirit, since we are still expected to live our live in accordance with God's will,. Mark contains many more miracles, such as feeding of the multitudes, quieting storms, walking on water, raising people from the dead, and prophecy, where Jesus foretells of his own death and resurrection three times. After this, Jesus goes to Jerusalem, where he is confronted by the priests and scribes multiple times, and each time fending them off with his teachings. One such is Mark 12:42-44, where the rich gave large sums, but a widow only gave two copper coins. Jesus tells us that the widow's contribution is greater, because she has given out of poverty instead of richness. The meaning is that while the rich gave a lot, they still have plenty left for themselves, while the widow is giving all she has, and her contribution is more of a sacrifice to God. In his final three chapters, Mark details the Last Supper, Judas' betrayal, and Jesus' trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the disciples that Judas will betray him and the others will flee except for Peter, who will also betray Jesus. Jesus then breaks bread and drinks wine, and has the others do so after him, providing the example for what will become the ritual of communion. After dinner, while Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas leads a mob to the garden, where he shows them Jesus by kissing him. Jesus is arrested, taken before the Jewish court, and convicted of blasphemy. He is taken to Pontius Pilate for for his final verdict, where Pilate asks the mob what they want him to with Jesus, and they cry for Jesus' crucifixion. Pilates accedes, and Jesus is crucified. After his death, Joseph of Arimathea buries him in a tomb. Three days later, Mary Magdalene, Mary (mother of James), and Salome go to his tomb, but find it empty. Jesus appears to them, and tells them to have his disciples meet him in Galilee. After this but before appearing to the disciples, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene alone. Later, Jesus appears to two disciples on the road. At the end, Jesus appears to the 11 disciples, proving his resurrection to them, and giving the disciples the mission of teaching and baptizing unbelievers. Mark 13:32-37. Jesus tells us to be prepared for the coming of the Master of the house. We are told that only the Father (Master of the house) knows the day that He will come again. Jesus warns us to stay alert, because we have no way of knowing when we will be called into account for our actions. We are warned to not be caught sleeping (sinning) by the Master when he returns. Therefore, we should prepare for his coming at all times. The Gospel According to Luke The Gospel According to Luke was written between 85-95 A.D. The Gospel According to Mark was probably written before Luke, as it appears to have been used as a source, along with the mysterious “Q” source. This means that it was written around the same time as Matthew, and like Matthew, the apostle Luke was likely deceased when this was written. The writer of Luke was not an eyewitness to the events surrounding Jesus' life and ministry. This is explained to us in Luke 1:1-2, where he says he wants to lay down “an orderly account of the events that have fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word”. Luke and Acts of the Apostles were written by the same author, who was likely a someone cultured and well educated, as evidenced by his literary works. According to the Harpers Collins Study Bible, Luke's audience is intended to be Greek speaking and acquainted with the old Testament, but mostly Gentile and already Christian. Luke shows how the fulfillment of God's scriptures leads to a church that includes both Gentile and Jew, shown by Simeon's praise to God when he saw the child Jesus in the temple. Specifically, Luke 2:30-32, “for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Like Matthew, Luke can be separated into three major sections, the first of which discusses Jesus' lineage, virginal birth, his baptism, and temptation in the desert. Luke also talks more than the other two Synoptic Gospels (Matthew and Mark) about Jesus' childhood. A good story about Jesus' childhood is when he is twelve years old, he and his family went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. After the festival, his family leaves, but after traveling for a day, they find Jesus is not with them. They go back to Jerusalem and look for him for three days, finding him in the temple, amazing the teachers there with his understanding and answers. Luke goes on to describe Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, his lineage all the way back to Adam, and the temptation of Jesus in the desert by Satan. The Gospel According to Luke contains two stories that are not in the other gospels; the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. In the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), the youngest of two sons asks his father for his inheritance early, which his father gives him. The son then travels to a distant country where he squanders all he has. He takes work as a pig feeder, then realizes that he would be treated better as a hired hand of his father's. He goes back, asking to be taken on as any other hired hand. His father rejoices, and gives him the best robe, puts a ring and sandals on him, and kills a fatted calf to celebrate his return. The older son hears of this and is angry, saying that he has obeyed his father faithfully, and has never received anything from his father, and yet the bad son comes home and a is celebrated. The father replies, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:31-32). The meaning of this parable is that God is going to do what he desires to, without worrying about the human feelings of equality, justice, and fairness. We are not able to understand why god does what he does, but we, as his obedient children, are to accept his ways. In the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus is asked how to inherit eternal life. Jesus asks back what is written in the law, and the man says to love god with everything you have, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus tells him to do this, and the man asks who his neighbor is. Jesus then tells the parable of the good Samaritan, where a man was robbed during his travels, stripped, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both saw him on the road as they were walking, and passed by on the other side of the road. A Samaritan (who is a Gentile) came upon him, treated his wounds, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he paid the innkeeper to take care of the wounded man, and told him that if more was needed, he would pay it back to the innkeeper when he returned. Jesus then asks who the neighbor to the robbed man was, and is told the man who showed mercy. Jesus tell him to do likewise. The meaning of this parable is that all people are our neighbors, and all should be loved as we love ourselves. The final section of Luke discusses the Last Supper, the betrayal, and Jesus' trial, crucifixion, and resurrection are laid out for us. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the disciples that Judas will betray him and the others will flee except for Peter, who will also betray Jesus. Jesus then breaks bread and drinks wine, and has the others do so after him, providing the example for what will become the ritual of communion. After dinner, while Jesus is praying at the Mount of Olives, Judas leads a mob to the garden, where he leads them to Jesus and attempts to kiss him. Jesus is arrested, taken before the Jewish court, and convicted of blasphemy. He is taken to Pontius Pilate for for his final verdict, but Pilate sends him to Herod, where he was questioned and sent back to Pilate. Pilate found no fault with Jesus, and was going to have him flogged and released, but the Jews wanted him to release Barabbas instead. and they cried for Jesus' crucifixion. Pilates accedes, and Jesus is crucified. After his death, Joseph of Arimathea buries him in a tomb. Of the first day of the week (three days later), the women who came with Jesus from Galilee went to his tomb and found it empty. Jesus appears to them, and the women told the apostles. Peter went to the tomb, and found Jesus' body missing. Jesus appears to two of the apostles while they are on the road, but the do not recognize him until they reached the village and broke bread with him at the table. Jesus vanished, and they went back to Jerusalem and told the rest of the apostles. Jesus appears to all of them there, and invites them to touch him. After speaking with them, Jesus ascends to heaven. Luke 15:1-7. When Jesus is found by the Pharisees eating with sinners and tax collectors, he tells the parable of the lost sheep. It says that a shepherd would leave his 99 sheep to find the one that is lost in the wilderness. When he finds the one, he rejoices with his friends and neighbors. Jesus explains that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than the 99 that do not need to repent. In this, we know that even though we are sinners and wander from God's design for us, he still rejoices when we return and will accept us back. The Gospel According to John According to to the Harpers Collins Study Bible, it is believed that the Gospel According to John was written in the last decades of the first century, or early second century. This makes John likely to be the last of the four Gospels written. This theory is somewhat supported by the fact that John leaves out a number of items in the Synoptic Gospels, such as the Transfiguration on the mountain. It's believed that these stories were omitted because John knew they were being contained in the Synoptic Gospels. The author of the Gospel According to John is unknown. According to John 21:20-24, this book was written by “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. This could be any of the disciples, as Jesus loved them all. It is also believed that it could have been written by a Johannine community, which traced its traditions to John the Apostle. During the time that this gospel was written, there was a growing hostility between the new Christians and the Jews. There were a number of instances of Christians being kicked out of synagogues. This is shown in John 12:42, “Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear they would be put out of the synagogue”. This shows of the early schism between believers of Christ and the Jews, and also shows the bitterness that is developing. The reason for this gospel being written is clearly stated in in John 20:31. “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” His writings back with up with long discourses on Jesus' divinity, such as John 4:1-42, when he asks her for a drink, and tells her that if she knew who he was, she would be given “living water”, meaning that she could have eternal life through him. John can be broken down into two halves. The first half can be considered the signs of Jesus' divinity, consisting of seven miracles and a number of “I statements”. The seven miracles are: turning water into wine, healing of the official's son, healing at Bethesda, feeding of the five thousand, walking of water, healing the man that was born blind, and raising Lazarus from the dead. During this last miracle, Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick, and even though he loved Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, Jesus decided to stay where he was for two more days, saying “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). He goes back to Judea, telling his disciples that Lazarus fell asleep, and he is going to wake him. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been entombed for four days. Jesus tells Martha that her brother will rise again, and Mary says she knows that he will rise during the resurrection. Jesus replies with “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). They went to Lazarus' tomb, and Jesus had them take away the stone in front of it. He thanked his father, God, and told Lazarus to come out, which he did. Jesus does this to show that his words are true, that through him there is no death, only life eternal. Also in the first half of the Gospel of John are the seven “I am” statements. Jesus says that he is the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate for the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and the true vine. These are important to us because they tell us who Jesus is, and what his relationship to us, and how he leads us to God. The second half of John tells of Jesus' glory through his crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus travels back to Jerusalem for Passover. Jesus prophesied that Judas would betray him and that Peter would deny him. Jesus goes on to preach about love, the new commandment he gives them, the Holy Spirit, and being hated by the world. After this, Jesus goes to a garden to pray, and is arrested there. He is questioned by the high priest Caiaphas, then handed over to Pontius Pilate, who also questioned him. Pilate finds no case against him, and offers his release to the Jews, who want Barabbas instead. Pilate offers a couple more times to release Jesus, but the Jews continue to cry for crucifixion, so Jesus is crucified. Jesus dies and is buried by Joseph of Arimathea. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb, sees the stone removed, runs to Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, and told them of the empty tomb. They go to see for themselves, and upon finding the tomb empty, the two disciples go home. Mary stays and see Jesus, who tells her to tell the disciples that he is ascending to his Father. Jesus appears to all the disciples except Thomas that evening. Jesus came to them again a week later, when Thomas was there. John 13:34-35. At his last Passover, Jesus tells the disciples to love one another has he loved them, and this will show others that they are his disciples. Jesus tells us that is we wish to show that we love Jesus, we must love others as he loves us, with patience, forgiveness, and without judgment. Acts of the Apostles Acts of the Apostles was written as a companion volume to the Gospel of Luke. It was probably written by the same author and around the same time as Luke. This is the best guess, since the dedication, literary style, and perspective are shared by the two books. This is only the best guess of scholars since neither book identifies an author. Acts of the Apostles is written for the same audience as Luke, that is Greek speaking Gentiles who are probably already Christian. It appears to have been written as a history of the early church after Jesus' martyrdom. It tells of the spread of early Christianity, the growing differences between Judaism and Christianity, and the triumph of the Christian message in the face of persecution. Acts starts with Jesus charging the 11 apostles with spreading the Gospel throughout the world. Jesus then ascends into heaven, and the apostles return to Jerusalem, where Matthias is chosen to replace Judas by the casting of lots. When it was time for Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon them and gave them the power to speak in other languages. Peter explains the miracle and gives a sermon about Jesus, and as a result three thousand people are baptized into Christianity. Peter and John cure a beggar, and after preaching about Jesus' persecution and resurrection, are called before the Sanhedrin, where they are released with only a warning not to speak anymore about Jesus, which they refuse to do. The apostles did “many signs and wonders” (Acts 5:12) among the Jews, when the Sadducees decided to arrest and imprison them out of jealousy. They are freed by an angel, and went to the temple to preach. The apostles are arrested again, and were to be executed until a Pharisee names Gamaliel convinced them not to kill them. The apostles are flogged and released, and continued to preach about the Messiah. The early Christian community contained two groups, the Hellenists and the and the Hebrews. The Hellenists were Christians that were born Jewish, but had a Greek cultural background. The Hebrews were Jews born into a Jewish culture. As a result of the Hellenists feeling discriminated against, the apostles decide that the community should select seven men to oversee their needs. One of them, Stephen, was arrested and brought before the council. He gives a long speech detailing the history of Jewish leadership in the Old Testament, ending with and accusation that the council has not kept the law. The angered them, and they took Stephen to the street and he was stoned to death. A young man named Saul looked on and approved. Saul ravaged the Christian community in Jerusalem, imprisoning both men and women. He does this because he believes that they are attempting to dismantle Jewish law. While on the way to Damascus, Jesus appeared to Saul and told him to wait for instruction in the city. Saul was blind for three days, and Jesus had a disciple named Ananias go return Saul's sight. Saul is baptized, and becomes a relentless and bold missionary. Acts them switches to talk about Peter's missionary work. He goes to the coast and cures a paralytic, then goes to Joppa and brings a women back to life. In an important vision, Peter receives a vision telling him that “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (Acts 10:15). Peter is also told to go to a man names Cornelius in Caesarea, who sent an escort for him. Peter goes with the escort, and relates his vision,then goes on to preach about Jesus and his resurrection, and the Gentiles are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Gentiles there are baptized, and the ministry begins to focus more on welcoming the Gentiles into the Christian community. Saul (who becomes known as Paul) and another disciple named Barnabas go and preach to the Gentiles. They perform miracles, convert people, and then are usually chased from whatever town they are in. They return to Antioch, where some were arguing that in order to be saved, you had to be circumcised. There is much debate about this in Jerusalem, where Peter states “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Acts 15:11). This extremely important, because it is the first indication that we are not bound to the law, being freed from it by Jesus. Paul starts doing missionary work in Greece, converting some people, but meeting with much more opposition. In Corinth, he turns away from the Jews in despair and focuses mainly on the Gentiles, with good results. He continues working his way through Greece after a brief return to Antioch, and establishes the church in Ephesus. Silversmiths start a riot there that forces Paul to leave. After reviving a dead man at Troas, Paul warns the Ephesians of the persecution that they will likely face. Paul returns to Jerusalem, where he is arrested at the temple, being accused of profaning the temple and preaching against the law. He tells them his story, and the crowd becomes so outraged they flog him. He is brought before the Sanhedrin, where he is sent to the governor of Palestine for his protection, after he almost starts a riot in the council. He is in jail for two years, until the governor dies and a new one brings him in for trial. Paul appeals to Caesar's judgment, and the governor agrees to send him to Rome. Arriving at Rome, Paul begins to spread the Gospel to the Roman Jews, who disbelieve him. He turns his emphasis again toward the Gentiles, and as Acts ends, Paul is in Rome, “teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31). Acts 11:5-18. Peter describes his vision of being told to eat unclean animals, and how it related to interacting with the Gentiles. Since Jewish law forbade interaction between Jew and Gentile, as the Gentiles were seen as unclean, this represents a major shift in view. Being able to preach to the Gentiles would allow a quicker expansion of the church, and allow it to expand into a far greater area. This also fulfilled the command that Jesus gave the disciples in the beginning of Acts to spread the gospel to the entire world. Romans Around 58 A.D., Paul was getting ready to head back to Jerusalem to deliver funds collected from his churches. At that time, he dictated this letter to his scribe, Tertius, and sent it to the church in Rome with a deacon named Phoebe. Paul has been preaching the word of Jesus for approximately 25 years now, and had been in contact with a number of new churches that had been set up in that time, though this is the first known contact between Paul and the church in Rome. This letter predates Mark, the earliest of the gospels. The Apostle Paul is attributed with writing fourteen books of the New Testament, of which Romans is one of. When this letter was written, Paul had never been to Rome, although he did have acquaintances there. This could account for the length and content of the introduction in this letter. That he was writing to a strange audience could also have compelled him to use language that is more restrained than what he used in some of his other letters. Paul wrote a letters to a number of churches, the content usually directed at some kind of problems that they are having at that particular church. Romans, however, seems to be more of a summary of Paul's thoughts, an overview of his beliefs. The Roman church at this time was having problems between the Gentile Christians, and the Jewish Christians, both misinterpreting Paul's mission. The Jews believed that Paul had turned his back on his own people, and the Gentiles believed that since the Jews rejected the gospel, then God rejected them. Therefore, Paul writes this letter to show that there is one gospel for all people. Since Paul had never been to Rome, he was writing to a church he had never been to, filled with people that he had never met. As a result, his introduction is longer and more flowery than the rest of the letters he wrote to other churches. The introduction also serves to justify Paul as a speaker for the word of Jesus. He then gives thanksgiving, and then a summary of his letter's theme, which is that the gospel shows “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Paul talks about how people were before Jesus, with Jews acting like hypocrites and Gentiles worshiping idols. Paul goes on to talk about how salvation is only possible through faith. He tells of Abraham, who received God's blessing and passed it on to his descendants, because of his faith. Jesus' sacrifice brought us eternal life, to offset Adam's fall bringing us sin. He goes on to explain how baptism gives us a new life, with the sinner symbolically dieing, and the person that comes out of the baptism is alive to God through Christ. Paul goes on to tell us that we are no longer bound by the law (meaning the Jewish law), but should be guided by holiness. Paul goes on to talk about how to reconcile salvation through faith in Jesus Christ with the Old Testament promise of Jewish salvation. He tells us how the Christian covenant of grace is not a betrayal of Abraham's covenant with God, but that those who have faith in Jesus are the spiritual children of Israel. Paul explains how the Jews have not been cast aside, even through they mistook Jewish law to be the path to salvation. Once the Jews are able to express their faith in Jesus, God will be able to keep his promise to them. After his explanation of Christian doctrine, Paul starts preaching about the proper ways to live a Christian life. He emphasizes that love should be genuine, referring back to Jesus' commands about loving god and your neighbor. This includes living in harmony with one another, . He urges Christians to show charity and to not judge others, again referring back to Jesus' teachings. Paul finishes his preaching with a few Old Testament verses that tell that the word of god should be spread to the Gentiles. Near the end of Romans, Paul talks about his own ministry, and discussed his credentials to prove his authority. Romans finishes with Paul warning Christians against people who cause dissension, saying that they do not serve Christ. Romans 12:9-21. In these verses, Paul tells us what it takes to be good Christians. He gives a number of instructions on number of subjects, such as love, prayer, persecution, humility, and peaceable living. In this, Paul gives us a few real life examples of the love that Jesus taught us to have in the parable of the Good Samaritan. 1 Corinthians The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians was written about 54 A.D. It was written before Romans, but later than some of Paul's other letters, such as Thessalonians. This tells us that Paul had been doing missionary work for about twenty years and had noticed problems in other churches. This is one of the fourteen books attributed to the apostle Paul. The congregation in Corinth was founded by Paul, so he would have had a very personal interest in this congregation succeeding. He likely knew many of the members of this church. The Corinthians church had only been around for about three to five years when they started to have major problems. Paul heard a number of things that lead him to believe that the members of this church had strayed from the path that Paul preached. Not only was the congregation in Corinth taking part in a number of un-Christian activities, but they were calling into doubt the authority of Paul. The people of the Corinthian church had apparently written to Paul for guidance on how to deal with a number of matters concerning marriage and belief. It is believed that this is not actually Paul's first letter to this church, but it is the first that we have a complete record of. As always, Paul opens his letter introducing himself, but it is short here, likely because the congregation at Corinth already know who Paul is and what his qualifications are. He greets the recipients of the letter, and offers thanksgiving to God. Paul immediately begins to tackle the problems in this particular church, starting with the ongoing struggle between factions. He stresses that all are servants of Jesus, and should be united in that service. He goes on to say that preachers should not establish themselves as leaders, but show themselves to be servants of Christ. Paul goes on to warn the congregation against sexual immorality, telling the members of the church to “Drive out the wicked person from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:13). He goes on to tell them that they must judge moral matters amongst themselves, and not take it to a court. He goes on to talk about marriage, and how husband and wife are to lie with one another, to not be tempted by Satan over a lack of self control. If a person in unmarried but unable to maintain their self control, they should marry so that they do not fall into sin. Answering their question about eating food that is sacrificed to pagan idols, Paul tells the Corinthians that while it may be fine to eat the food offered to idols, that they should beware that they do not become a stumbling block to weak believers, preventing them from believing in Christ. Paul goes on to talk about his own situation, and the things he has sacrificed in his work for the Lord. Paul states that he would rather die than make use of rights that he sees and preventing him from properly doing the work of Christ. Paul refers back to the Israelites of the Old Testament to show how worshiping idols and participating in sexual immorality is an offense to God. Paul urges the congregation to examine themselves when it is time for the Lord's Supper, and to eat before they come to make sure there is enough for everyone. He goes on to talk about gifts people have, such as speaking in tongues and prophecy, and how all gifts come from God. The gift of love, in particular, is what makes the other gifts given to people useful, for if they do not have love then they are nothing. In this, Paul refers back to Jesus' commandment about love. Near the end of Paul's letter, he reminds the Corinthians that the resurrection of Jesus is a core principle of Christian faith, because it is this resurrection that makes Christian sacrifice meaningful, giving us the promise of eternal life. He explains that the physical body is not resurrected, but that the immortality of the spiritual body signifies the victory of faith over death. Paul finishes with instructions to set aside extra money every week to benefit the saints. He tells them that he plans to visit them, and in the meantime, should Timothy come, they should make sure he is welcomed. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. Paul tells us in this chapter that in everything that we do, we should do it with love, and he also explains what love is. This goes back to the commandment that Jesus gave in disciples before being crucified, that they should love other as he loved them. Without love, all we do is for nothing, and with love, we will be working for the Lord. 2 Corinthians The date that 2 Corinthians was written is hard to pinpoint, because this book may be made up of multiple letters that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. Assuming that this is only one letter, rather than multiple ones, it would likely have been written a few years after 1 Corinthians, which would put it somewhere around 57 A.D. If it is made up of multiple letters, then the separate parts could have been written anytime in the 50's A.D. Once again, Paul's teaching are included in the New Testament. This is one of the fourteen books attributed to the apostle Paul. After Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, a disciple of Paul's named Timothy visited the church there, and found that the situation had not improved. Upon learning of this, Paul paid an emergency visit to the congregation there, which he refers to as painful. After leaving, he wrote another letter to the people there, one that has either been lost or has been included in this book, considered the letter of tears. After receiving this (possibly) lost letter, another disciple of Paul's visits the church there and finds the community repentant as a result of this letter. After hearing the news of this change of heart, this letter was written to the Corinth church. As always, Paul begins his letter with an introduction telling who he is, and going into a prayer of thanksgiving. He tells the Corinthians that his decision not to visit again, and write a letter instead (meaning the letter of tears), was a decision that was made through the grace of God. He says that he wrote the letter “not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love I have for you” (2 Corinthians 2:4). He urges forgiveness toward an unnamed offender, apparently someone who had caused a lot of grief to Paul while he was there. Paul goes on to talk about the characteristics that an apostle needs to have, possibly justifying his own calling. He tells that his competence comes from God, and not from the self. He explains that they do not proclaim for their own glory, but to the glory of Jesus. Paul talks about how even though we may lose everything, we still have “a building from God, a house not made with his hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1). Therefore, if everything is sacrificed, God's reward will still be waiting, and will be better than what is available in the flesh. Paul shares that his heart is wide open to the Corinthians, and he urges them to open their hearts in return. After warning the congregation against mingling with unbelievers, he tells them of his joy at their repentance. Because of his confidence in the church in Corinth, he asks them to take up a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. He tells them that “the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6) Chapters ten to thirteen of this book may have been from an earlier letter, when he needed to defend himself against the unnamed offender mentioned in chapter two. If this is part of the lost “letter of tears”, then it would have been written after his visit to the Corinthians, and before the letter that makes up the rest of this book. Paul talks of the hardships that he has endured, to include lashes, floggings, stoning, being beaten with rods, going hungry and cold, and the countless dangers of the road. He says that he is not inferior to the super-apostles (the original apostles appointed by Jesus), citing that he has shown all the signs and wonders of true apostleship. In this, he implies that should be be respected, and that the congregation should pay attention to his sermons. Paul ends his letter telling the people to tests themselves to realize that they have Jesus in them. He finishes by telling them that he has written this letter so that when he comes to see them, “I may not have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down” (2 Corinthians 13:10). 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. In this, Paul encourages the people to give bountifully, and when giving, to give cheerfully. He also reminds us that god has provided everything that we need, and will continue to bless us if we share his blessings. Galatians Ephisians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Revelation give a number of identifiers of when it was written, but some of them are contradictory. In Revelation 11:1-2, the writer talks about measuring the temple of God, meaning the temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 70 A.D. As a contradiction, Revelation uses Babylon as a code for Rome multiple times, yet the Jews did not start doing this until after the fall of the temple. That makes it likely that parts of this book were written before 70 A.D., and other parts later, with the entire book being compiled in the late 80's A.D. to early 90's A.D. According to the Harpers Collins Study Bible, it is unlikely that the apostle John was the writer of Revelation, as there is a different literary style and in the way he identifies himself, making him seem as one of the people. Since he refers to the Old Testament quite a bit, the writer is likely of Jewish descent. He also implies that he is a prophet, since he calls this book a prophetic work. This book was probably written by members of the Johannine community. Apocalyptic works seem to sprout when there is a lot of turmoil within a community, and this is no exception. During this time, there was a lot of Christian persecution happening in Rome under the emperor Nero. There was also turmoil in Asia Minor, with hostility between Christians and their Jewish and pagan neighbors. Like most Jewish apocalyptic works, this book shows that there will be salvation for a chosen few, while the majority of people will reap death for their evil ways. Revelation begins with John introducing himself as a servant of Jesus, and identifies this as a prophetic work. He greets the seven Asian churches as a group, John begins talking about his prophetic vision, of how he sees a shining Jesus, with seven stars and seven lamps representing the churches in the Near East. Jesus dictated seven letters to John, one for each church, that addressed the strengths and weaknesses of each of these churches. Some churches are given encouragement, while others are urged toward repentance because Judgment Day is coming. John is taken through a door, to see the future. He goes through the door, and sees a throne with God in it, and twenty-four other thrones, all filled with elders. Four living creatures with six wings and full of eyes are singing hymns of praise to God. God has a scroll with seven seals on it, and none but Jesus is worthy to break the seals. Jesus appears as a Lamb that had been slaughtered with seven horns and eyes. Jesus breaks the first four seals, releasing the four horsemen of the apocalypse (victory, war, famine, and death). At the breaking of the fifth seal, the voices of the people slain for the word of God cry out, but they are told to be patient. When the sixth seal is broken, a worldwide cataclysm takes place, forcing people to hide in caves. Before the last seal is broken, an angel placed the seal of god on one hundred forty-four thousand people (twelve thousand from each of the Jewish tribes) to show them as servants of God. A great multitude of people are placed under the protection of God, because “They are the ones who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). The final seal is broken and nothing happens for half an hours, then seven angels began to blow their trumpets, one at a time. The first three blow their trumpets, and fire is rained upon different thirds of the earth at each blow. When the fourth trumpet blows, a third of the light goes out of the universe. With the blowing of the fifth trumpet, a swarm of locusts was released from the Abyss, and were told to only torture those who did not have the protection of God's seal. Blowing the sixth trumpet released a vast multitude of cavalry, four angels, and each killed a third of humankind. The remainder of people refused to repent, despite everything that has happened. At this point, the prophet is told to eat a little scroll from the hand of angel, and he is told that here will be two witnesses who will prophesy for on thousand two hundred sixty days. When their testimony is finished, the beast from the bottomless pit will kill them. After three and a half days, God revives them and raises them to heaven, then an earthquake that destroys a tenth of Jerusalem, and kills seven thousand people. The final trumpet blows, and loud voices in heaven tell that the kingdom of God has come, and he will reign forever. A woman who is clothed in the sun, and has the moon under her feet, gives birth to a child that is taken to God for protection from a dragon that wants to eat it. The archangel Michael begins a war against the dragon, who is thrown out of heaven and revealed to be Satan. The dragon falls to earth and pursues the woman clothes in the sun, but the earth works to protect her, and the dragon decides to make war upon those who kept God's commandments. The dragon raises a beast from the sea, a beast that is able to get the whole earth to follow it. It was given forty-two months to exercise its authority, blaspheming against God and making war against the saints. A second beast arises, and it makes the earth and its people worship the first beast, and it marks all the people on their right hand or forehead. This is the mark of the beast, either its name or its number, six hundred sixty-six. The prophet see Jesus on Mount Zion, with the one hundred forty-four thousand at his side. He is told that the Day of Judgment is at hand, and that Babylon the Great has fallen. Seven bowls of plague are spilled upon the earth by seven angels, bringing suffering and destruction to the wicked. John is shown the whore of Babylon, and is told of what she and her surroundings represent. The fall of Babylon is predicted, and the faithful are warned to abandon the city. A wedding between Jesus and his bride is announced, and the prophet is told to write the wedding announcement. Jesus appears as a warrior called Faithful and True, and he and his army throw down the beast, and kill all his followers. Satan is sealed in the pit for a thousand years, during which Christ will reign over the earth. After the thousand years, Satan is released, and he gathers a great army and surrounded the saints and the beloved city. Fire from heaven consumes the army, and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur. The book of life is opened, and the dead are judged according to their works, and anyone not in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire, along with Death and Hades. John sees a vision of the new heaven and earth, and a new holy city that descends from heaven. John is told to publish his vision, because the time is near. Revelation 1:7. The second coming of Jesus is foretold, as is the suffering that goes along with it. It is an urging for all to repent, otherwise they will be part of the group thrown into the lake of fire.