Chapter One - Introduction to the New Testament
This chapter is divided into the following three major parts:
1. THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
1.1 The Importance of the New Testament
The New Testament continues the story begun in the Old Testament. It is the marvelous climax of God's inspired revelation to mankind. In the Old Testament, God had promised to bring blessing and redemption to man through the Messiah, and the New Testament is the record of God's doing just that. Without the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, there would be great uncertainty regarding the promises and purposes of God. And many significant questions would remain unanswered.
The New Testament is much smaller than the Old Testament and it covers a period of time far shorter than that of the Old. But the New Testament covers that most significant era in the history of man — those years when God became man and brought salvation to a lost mankind.
The New Testament is worthy of a lifetime of study, as it answers the most significant questions people have asked:
What is the purpose of life?
Is there any real hope?
What is God like?
Can I be freed from guilt and sin?
Am I loved?
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is the profound answer.
(Source: Survey of the New Testament - Everyman's Bible Commentary, Chicago: Moody Press, 1990 Revised Edition, p. 14, by Paul N. Benware)
Comparisons of the Two Testaments
| Old Testament | New Testament |
| 39 books | 27 books |
| 929 chapters | 260 chapters |
| Covers over 4,000 years | Covers about 100 years |
| About 21 authors | About 9 authors |
1.2 The Survey Method of Study
The Bible contains 3,566,480 letters. 810,697 words, 31,175 verses. 1,189 chapters, and 66 books. Therefore, it demands not only spiritual illumination but also the practical application of reverent and diligent study methods in order to master its diversified subjects, as well as its unified message.
The right approach to such an examination of the Bible is first to analyze and then to synthesize the contents. The New Testament Survey course is concerned with the first aspect of this approach, or seeing the Book as a whole. To put it another way, we might say that before showing us the street maps of the great cities of the world. We like a student of geography, takes us further back to see the countries to which these cities belong. In other words, this course directs our attention to the fact that like the world, the Bible has two hemispheres, and within those hemispheres continents, seas, islands, rivers, mountain ranges, and many other features of inspired "doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness."
1.3 Jesus Used the Survey Method
Long years ago, two sad and discouraged disciples of the crucified Christ were making their way back home across the hills of Judea. It had been a delightful dream while it lasted. They had known Christ well, had thrilled to His words and His works, had staked everything on Him. They had expected Him to sweep Jerusalem of its corruption, rid the Promised Land of the Romans, and extend His empire to the uttermost parts of the earth. It was all over now. Christ had been crucified on a Roman cross and had been buried in a Jerusalem tomb.
The dream was over! True, certain women were circulating a story of a resurrection and an empty tomb. There could be nothing to a tale like that! All they had left were memories, and dreams of what might have been. Then, on that weary road they were joined by Another. "Ought not Christ to have suffered?" He asked. Then, "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." By giving them a survey of the Scriptures, He gave them back their proper perspective. They had thought only of a sovereign Messiah. He showed them also a suffering Messiah. From bias He wooed them back to balance. To their view of a Christ coming to reign He added a view of a Christ coming to redeem.
This is one of the supreme values of seeing the Bible as a whole. Not only can the parts of the Bible be held in proper perspective but the student, exploring any given part, can have a proper sense of direction. So then, let us climb the heights.
1.4 The Purpose of this Survey Study
The purpose of this study is to assist the Bible student in seeing the content, unity, and progression of the New Testament Scriptures. In order to understand the content of the New Testament, each of the twenty-seven books will be studied, noting the themes and emphases found in them. Although a verse-by-verse study of each book will not be possible, there will be adequate time spent to discover the main ideas and unique features of each book.
In order to see something of the existing unity of the New Testament, some emphasis will be given to the New Covenant. The New Covenant is the great unifying theme of the New Testament (see below chart at Section 2.5). It should be noted that the term New Testament really means "new covenant."
It is also a purpose of this survey book to help the student see something of the logical progression of the New Testament. For many, the New Testament simply contains a large number of stories, sermons, and doctrinal letters that have no clear logical connection to them. Hopefully, this study will reveal something of the logical flow of the New Testament.
1.5 The Approach of this Survey Study
1.5.1 The historical background
The study of the New Testament books will be preceded by necessary background material. In order to have a better understanding of the gospels and the New Testament letters, there needs to be some familiarity with the political forces, institutions, movements, and ideas that were part of the Roman world of the first century. It is also important to reach back into the inter-testamental period and view some of the events that took place there that influenced life in New Testament times.
1.5.2 The life of Christ
The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven books. Four of these books (i.e. the four gospels) record the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. About one third of the total volume of the New Testament is found in these four gospels. It is important not only to understand the emphasis of each individual gospel, but also to combine the four gospels and see the pattern and progression of the life of Christ. Therefore, this survey will include a chronological study of the life of Christ, harmonizing the four gospels.
1.5.3 The life of the early church and the letters of the apostles
The book of Acts follows the four gospels in the New Testament. Acts is the one book of church history in the New Testament. Many of the New Testament letters find their historical roots in the book of Acts, and so this study will link these letters to the historical record of Acts. By linking the letters to the historical base whenever possible, the order and pattern of the New Testament will be seen more clearly.
1.5.4 The climax of God's work
This study of the New Testament will conclude (i.e. reach its climax) with the examination of the book of Revelation.
2. THE OVERVIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament is the story of God's efforts to redeem the lost, sinful human race. It is the record of establishing the New Covenant, which was God's way of saving lost mankind. In the Old Testament (e.g. Jeremiah 31:31-34), God had promised that He would make a "new covenant" with His people Israel. Israel's Messiah would be the One who would bring this covenant into existence. The New Covenant would focus on the spiritual life and redemption of Israel. However, as the New Testament unfolded, it became clear that the New Covenant would reach beyond Israel and include the rest of mankind (Genesis 12:3; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13). The New Covenant was God's provision of salvation for lost people who could not save themselves. Jesus Christ, Israel's Messiah, inaugurated the New Covenant with His sacrificial death on the cross.
2.1 The Four Gospels
The story of the New Testament begins with the four gospels, which tell of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. The gospels record His life and His ministry. His sinless life, authoritative reaching, and authenticating miracles proved that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. His life ended when He voluntarily gave up His life on the cross of Calvary. It was His sacrificial death on the cross that instituted God's "new covenant," making it possible for people to be free of their sin and to live in a right relationship with God.
2.2 The Book of Acts
After Christ's resurrection from the dead, He informed His followers of their mission to go throughout the world and tell of the New Covenant. They had the joyful task of announcing to both Jews and Gentiles that anyone could be redeemed and reconciled to God because of Jesus Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. The book of Acts records the spread of that good news during the first thirty years following Christ's resurrection.
2.3 The Epistles
The epistles (letters) of the New Testament record the doctrinal truth related to the New Covenant. These twenty-one letters give all the information needed for Christians to live as "new covenant" people. Christians living in the new age of the church would not be living under the requirements of the "old covenant" (the law code given by Moses). Rather, their rule of life would be found in the new revelation given by God in the New Testament letters. These letters record the commands, principles, and standards that are to govern the lives of those who claim to have entered into this "new covenant" relationship with God based on Christ's work on the cross.
2.4 The Book of Revelation
The New Testament concludes with the book of Revelation, which tells of the final, glorious application of the New Covenant. Revelation assures us that God is indeed sovereign and that He will completely fulfill His many promises to believing Israelites and to believing Gentiles. Those people who have received eternal life through the New Covenant will live forever with the LORD in the marvelous New Heaven and New Earth. However, those who have refused to enter into the New Covenant by faith in the Savior Jesus Christ will face Him as the sovereign judge and will be banished forever to the Lake of Fire.
2.5 The New Covenant
The New Covenant is an enlargement of the great Abrahamic Covenant. The New Covenant is one of three "sub-covenants" which further define the provisions originally given to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-22; 22:15-18).
The New Covenant is largely occupied with the matter of salvation. After The Fall of man and the entrance of sin into the world, it was God's declared purpose to bring salvation to people. The New Testament Scriptures are clear that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament could only cover ("atone") sin, but could never take away sin (e.g., Hebrews 9:11-15, 24-28; 10:4-14). It is only the blood of Christ that is capable of removing sin and setting men free from the penalty and the power of sin. It is only the blood of Christ that can remove sin and make it possible for sinful people (Israelite or Gentile) to have fellowship with a holy God. Jesus spoke of His death as the basis of the New Covenant (Luke 22:20).
Originally, in the Old Testament, Israel and Judah were the subjects of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). However, in this present church age, the New Covenant is primarily applied to Gentiles (2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Hebrews 8:8-13). But in the future, because of God's promises to Abraham and his descendants, Israel will become the focus of the New Covenant (cf. Daniel 9:24; Romans 11:25-27). During the days of the Great Tribulation, Israel's eyes will be opened, and many will come to faith in the Messiah, thus becoming partakers of the New Covenant.
(Source: Survey of the New Testament - Everyman's Bible Commentary, Chicago: Moody Press, 1990 Revised Edition, p. 20, by Paul N. Benware)
God's Covenants with Israel
3. THE HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS
3.1 The Original Autographs
The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were written over a period of about fifty years (A.D. 45-95), by eight or nine authors. All but a few words and phrases were written in Koine Greek, which was the marketplace vernacular of the first-century Mediterranean world (Note: At about ten placed in the originals the authors recorded Aramaic words or phrases and usually gave the translation in Greek. See Mark 15:34.). It was written in that universal language to make it initially accessible to world readership.
The writing material of most of the autographs was paper like papyrus. (Some autographs might have been written on animal skins, such as parchment or vellum.) Sheets of papyrus, usually about ten inches long, were attached together to make a long, rolled-up scroll, easy for reading. The Bible text was written in vertical columns with pen and ink, with no space between words, sentences, or paragraphs, and with no punctuation marks. Verse and chapter divisions were not made until centuries later.
Most of the New Testament books were letters (epistles) written to individuals (e.g., 1 Timothy 1:1-2), churches (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 1:11, or groups of believers (e.g., 1 Peter 1:1-2), Luke wrote a gospel and a historical book to share with a friend Theophilus (Acts 1:11, and it is very likely that the other three gospels were written to share with individuals or churches.
The present order of books in our New Testament is not the chronological order in which the books were written. Many scholars hold James to be the earliest book of the New Testament, written about A.D. 45. Aside from the question of the place of James, it is certain that some of Paul's letters represent the first written records of the early church. Galatians is regarded by some to have been written as early as A.D. 48. The Thessalonians Epistles are from the early ministry of Paul the missionary, written from Corinth before or during the time of Gallio (Acts 18:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-10), which would mean A.D. 52.
There are differing views concerning the dates of Matthew and Mark. Some scholars hold that Mark was the first gospel written.
In contrast to these writings, those of John the Apostle constitute the last of the books to be written. According to tradition, John's works reflects problems being faced by the church near the end of the first century.
Below table shows a suggested chronological order of writing for the New Testament books.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 20, by Irving L. Jensen)
A Chronological Order of the Writing of the New Testament Books
3.2 Transmission
Transmission is the process by which the biblical manuscripts have been copied and recopied down through the ages, by hand or machine. Copies of the New Testament books were handwritten by scribes until the middle of the fifteenth century A.D. when Gutenberg invented movable type for the printing press. Scribal errors have been made in the copies, but God has preserved the text from doctrinal error to this present time. Thousands of Greek and non-Greek manuscripts of all or part of the New Testament text, supportive of the text's purity, exist today.
So when you are holding a copy of the New Testament in your hands, you may rest assured that it is a wholly dependable translation, which represents the original, inspired autographs of the first century. As divine author, God wrote an infallible book (inspiration); as divine protector. He has preserved the text from doctrinal error (transmission).
3.3 Canonization
Canonization is the identification of a writing as being part of the Scripture. It was not enough that God inspired the writing of each book of the Bible. He also gave to His people, in a collective sense, the spiritual perception to recognize in each of these books genuine marks of divine inspiration and authority. With the Holy Spirit's guidance, they knew what spurious writings to reject, as well as what genuine writings to accept. It was a long human process over a few hundred years, many of the details of which are veiled in obscurity. The canon was not determined by any one person or council, or even at any point of time. The canon kept growing over a period of years, with God's people in that collective sense recognizing the signs of inspiration in the books that eventually would be grouped as one covenant (testament) of twenty-seven books. It is clear that God's supernatural hand, working through humans, brought His inspired writings into the canon and excluded other writings.
3.3.1 Order of the New Testament books
The canon of the New Testament is the list of all the New Testament books that God inspired. Although the last New Testament book was written by A.D. 100, for the next couple centuries questions persisted concerning whether some books, such as 3 John, were inspired. By the end of the fourth century A.D. the canon was solidified, being composed of twenty-seven books.
Five of the New Testament books are historical in content; twenty-one are epistles (letters); and one is apocalyptic (revelation of visions). The order in which they appear in our Bible is this:
History: Matthew. Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Epistles: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude
Visions: Revelation
The above order of the books in the list can be explained in a variety of ways. Refer to below table and observe the following:
Doctrine is grounded in fact, so the historical books (gospels and Acts) precede the epistles (where doctrine is prominent).
Revelation stands last because it is mainly about the end times.
Matthew, written especially with the Jew in mind, is a link between the Old Testament and the New and so appears first in the canon.
John is the gospel with much interpretation and reflection, written at the end of the first century, and so it fits best as the last of the four gospels.
Acts is the extension and fulfillment of the gospels, the proof that what Christ said and did was true and efficacious. It follows the gospels very naturally.
Paul wrote most of the New Testament books (at least thiriteen) and his books were among the earliest to be written. So his are the first of the epistles (Romans - Philemon).
The order of Paul's letters in the canon has various explanations. The first nine (Romans - 2 Thessalonians) were written to churches; the last four (1 Timothy - Philemon) were written to individuals. The key opening epistle, Romans, is the classic book on salvation and the Christian walk. The Corinthian letters and Galatians listed together, treat problems of the churches. Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians are usually kept together because all three were written from prison in Rome, and all three focus on deeper Christian living. The Thessalonian letters are last among the letters to churches; these look into the future, about Christ's second coming.
Paul's letters to individuals (1 Timothy - Philemon) appear last. They were among the last letters Paul wrote. In the canon his letters to Timothy appear first. Timothy was Paul's closest companion and was serving in the key city of Ephesus. Philemon is Paul's shortest letter and contains the least doctrine of all his writings. The message of his letter to Titus is similar to the message of the Timothy letters and follows them accordingly.
The last eight letters are non-Pauline. For that reason alone they would be placed after Paul's letters, because the apostle was looked up to as the key writer of Scriptures (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-16). They were the last books of the New Testament to be recognized as inspired writings by the church leaders and councils, and that late recognition also would explain why they were placed at the end of the list of New Testament books.
Hebrews and James are placed together because both are addressed to Hebrew Christians. If Paul wrote Hebrews it is interesting to observe that it is located next to the other Pauline epistles.
The last three epistles (2 John, 3 John, Jude) are short one-chapter books, which is one reason for their little exposure to the early church and hence their being placed near the end of the canon.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 23, by Irving L. Jensen)
Canonical Order of New Testament Books
3.3.2 Forming of the New Testament canon
The original writing (composition) of each inspired New Testament book was one thing. The way all twenty-seven were brought together into one volume (canonization) was a different work of God, but no less supernatural. The sovereign hand of God was in the canonization as much as in the composition. If that were not so, an inspired book might have been excluded from the canon, and an uninspired book might have been included in the group. In fact, both of those threats hung over the church for a couple hundred years. For example, there were strong objections by some about accepting the following books (also known as antilegomena, means literally "spoken against") as canonical:
Hebrews;
James;
2 Peter;
2 and 3 John;
Jude; and
Revelation.
At the same time, support was given by some church leaders to regard many other writings as Scripture, including books now within the:
Apocrypha: non-inspired writings regarded as canonical by some people (e.g., 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Ecclesiasticus); and
Pseudepigrapha: false writings (e.g., 1 and 2 Enoch, Martyrdom of Isaiah, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs).
Study carefully the accompanying charts to learn the highlights of the gradual forming of the New Testament canon. Relate the following to the charts:
The twenty-seven inspired books were written in the period A.D. 45-95. During and after those years non-inspired books were also being written.
The Gospel. The four gospels were brought together after the last one (John) was written, and they were called The Gospel.
The Apostle. In the same manner, the inspired writings of Paul "came together" soon after they were written, and they were identified under the one heading The Apostle.
Acts. Luke's Acts of the Apostles was early regarded by church leaders as a pivotal book, (the one that connected The Gospel with The Apostle), because it is the sequel to the gospel narrative and gives the historical background to the life and ministry of the apostle Paul.
Plus. The letters of other writers (Peter, James, Jude) and the Apocalypse of John (Revelation) were also recognized to bear divine authority.
The recognition of all twenty-seven (no more, and no less) books of the New Testament was not once-and-for-all. Questions, objections, and disputes over the canon were to arise from within and from without the Christian communities. So the period A.D. 100-400 was one of progressive defining of the canon. Concerning some of the New Testament books, there were few or no questions regarding their divine authority. The antilegomena books were the major cause for the extended delay of consensus by the Christian church (Period of Antilegomena).
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 26, by Irving L. Jensen)
Forming of the New Testament Canon
It is fair to ask, From the human standpoint who determined the extent of the New Testament canon? It is important to observe that the list is not the product of any single person or church council. The early church and the New Testament canon grew up together under the ministry of the Holy Spirit who inspired individual writers to compose the original Scriptures, and then He gave discernment and guidelines to the believing community to recognize which books He had inspired (For further information on the New Testament canon, see Section 7, Chapter 12: The Inerrancy, Canoncity and Interpretation of Scripture, of the course: Systematic Theology).
3.4 Translations
The original autographs of the New Testament, were written in Koine Greek, which was the vernacular of the entire Mediterranean world. If, during the succeeding centuries, translations had not been made into the languages of other nations of the world, converts of the evangelistic crusades would not have had Scriptures to feed upon for their Christian growth, and the prophetic command of Acts 1:8 involving the ends of the earth would have remained an enigma. But, purred on by the need for new Christians to have the written Word in their mother tongue, many translations were made during the next centuries. It was the natural outcome of Christianity's expansion to foreign lands via the spoken word.
3.4.1 Ancient versions
One of the key ancient versions was the Syriac Bible, which brought the written Word to lands east of Palestnine — eventually to China and India (See below Map, Syriac Version.). Translations of the gospels and Acts were made as early as the second century, and by A.D. 425 a standard edition of the Bible (called Peshitta, literally "simple") was being used by the Christians.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 29, by Irving L. Jensen)
Syriac Version of the New Testament
The Latin Vulgate was the most prominent of the ancient versions. It was the official Bible of Christendom in Europe for a thousand years. The earliest translations appeared in North Africa in the second century (See below Map), and Jerome made his standard version during the years A.D. 383-405. See below Map (Latin Version) shows later European versions that are traced back to the Latin Bible. Those versions are west of the dashed line on the map. Note that the first English (Anglo-Saxon) Bible was based on the Latin version.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 30, by Irving L. Jensen)
Latin Version of the New Testament
3.4.2 English Bible
The English Bible that you use for study has a long and fascinating history, which can be seen when the English text is traced back to its origins. You will appreciate your Bible more when you know the paths over which God has brought it to you. The next few pages are a survey of that history. Study it not just to learn facts of God's program but to enhance your regard for the large variety of English versions, past and present.
3.4.2.1 The earliest versions
The Christian message reached Great Britain by the beginning of the fourth century A.D., when the Latin Bible was the people's Scripture. When English became Britain's new vernacular with the arrival of Germanic-speaking Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in the course of the fifth century, the need for English Scriptures arose. Below chart shows some of the main partial or complete English translations of the Bible that were made from about A.D. 700 to 1539.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 31, by Irving L. Jensen)
Earliest Version of the English Bible
Note the three periods of the English language:
old;
middle; and
new.
The new English period extends from the time of the Reformation to the present.
Note the active program of translation during the first decades of the new English period, including work by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale. It was the Reformation that brought a revival of translation activity, spurred on by renewed interest in Hebrew and Geek Bible manuscripts, and by Gutenberg's invention of movable type for the printing press.
3.4.2.2 King James version
The King James Version (KJV), also called the Authorized Version, was the outcome of much translation activity beginning with Tyndale. See below chart the entry of the four major versions:
Great Bible;
Geneva Bible;
Bishops' Bible; and
King James Version.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 32, by Irving L. Jensen)
King James Version
The Geneva Bible excelled in accuracy and was very popular. It contained marginal notes with an interpretation of Reformed theology. For that reason it was rejected by the Church of England, and a new revision of the Great Bible, containing marginal notes of Anglican theology, was made by English bishops. That Bishops' Bible first appeared in 1568.
The tension and unrest over the two "competing" versions (Geneva and Bishops'), in addition to arguments over other versions, led King James I to call for a new version with no marginal notes of any theological interpretation. The version was made by fifty-four scholars over a period of seven years. It soon became the most popular English Bible, and it is still the most quoted and most memorized text.
Two important values of the King James Version are its literal rendering and literary style, which strongly support analytical study.
3.4.2.3 English versions after the King James version
The modern missions era of translation activity began around 1800. It is aptly called "modern" because the era has not yet ended. In fact, one of the brightest aspects of the Christian witness today is the unprecedented production of new Bible translations. Portions of Scripture are reaching people of many languages and cultures in the remotest parts of the world. And in America new English versions and paraphrases, written in contemporary style, are geared to such needy mission fields as homes without a church and campuses with drifting youth. For the serious Bible student who wants to analyze a Bible text that is virtually the same as the original (minus the translation factor), various excellent versions are available, such as the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the New International Version (NIV).
Revision of Bible versions is an important activity of this modern era. The first major revision, known as the English Revised Version, appeared in 1881. It was a revision of the King James Version. Below chart shows that and other highlights of the modern era.
(Source: Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press, 1978 Edition, p. 34, by Irving L. Jensen)
English Versions After the King James Version
Thus, the Bible has come a long way — from God to us. And the most thrilling part of it all is that, not counting the necessary translation difference, "we hold in our hands to-day a Bible which differs in no substantial particular from the originals of the various books as they came from the hands of their authors.
4. REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY