The Original Language
The
New Testament consists of 2 separate books, most of which were
initially penned as letters to the early Christian churches. All of
them were written in Greek, which was the international language
throughout the eastern half of the Roman empire, even in Rome itself.
Greek was used as a second language even by ordinary people in
Palestine, once part of the empire of Alexander the Great.
It
is significant that all of the early writings are in Greek,
particularly when we consider that nearly all of the writings from the
Dead Sea caves, produced by the Qumram community at about the same
time, are in Hebrew. Neither of these was the language of the people,
which was Aramaic, of the same family of languages as Hebrew. Jesus
spoke Aramaic, but of course He did not personally write any of the
books of the Bible.
Manuscripts
The
New Testament, therefore, was originally composed in the Greek
language. Before the invention of the printing press, books were copied
by hand, and a handwritten book was known as a manuscript. There are
more than 5,000 manuscripts still in existence that contain all or part
of the New Testament. Although none of the originals are known to
exist, there are some very early copies. The New Testament was written
from about A.D. 50 to A.D. 90, and the earliest fragment dates to about
A.D. 120.
This
may seem like a long time, but it isn't really. The earliest copy of
Caesar's The Gallic Wars was made a thousand years after the author
penned the work, and the earliest copy of the Odyssey by Homer was made
2,200 years after it was written.
F.F.
Bruce observes, The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so
much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors,
the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning.
He
also states that, if the New Testament were a collection of secular
writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all
doubt.
Books of the New Testament
The Gospels
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John |
The four Gospels tell of the birth, life, ministry, teachings, death and resurrection
of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark was written around 70 A.D., about 40 years after Jesus was crucified. Matthew and
Luke were written between 80 and 90 A.D. Finally, the Gospel of John appeared in its final form around 95 A.D.
Matthew, Mark and Luke are very similar. It is commonly believed that Matthew and Luke incorporated much of the
material in Mark and another common source that is now lost. Each author then added some unique material.
The Gospel of John is quite different. It is much more of a spiritual and theological work, although it relates
many of the same events as the other three Gospels. |
| Acts of the Apostles |
Acts of the Apostles is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke, written by the same author.
It tells the history of the first 30 years of the Christian Church. The story is mostly centered on the apostles
Peter and Paul who were the preeminent leaders of early Christianity. |
The Letters of Paul
Romans
1st Corinthians
2nd Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1st Thessalonians
2nd Thessalonians
1st Timothy
2nd Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
|
Many of the New Testament letters (also known as epistles) are traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul. 1st Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians,
Galatians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon are undisputed genuine letters of Paul. There is less certainty about
the authorship of 2nd Thessalonians, Colossians, Hebrews, Ephesians, 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus. Paul probably
wrote 1st Thessalonians and Galatians around 50 A.D., and they are the oldest books in the New Testament.
Paul wrote his letters to various Christian communities to instruct and encourage them in the faith and to address
specific problems and disputes that had arisen in those communities. Many of the beliefs and practices of Christianity
originated from Paul's teachings in these letters. |
Other letters
The catholic letters
James
1st Peter
2nd Peter
1st John
2nd John
3rd John
Jude
Revelation |
These letters were also written to encourage, instruct and correct the early Christians.
The catholic (meaning universal)
letters were circulated among the various Christian communities and read at their meetings. Throughout the letters
we see the need to put our faith and trust in Christ and to put that faith into action through Christian love (kindness
and respect) for all people.
Revelation is also a letter, but it is in the form of apocalyptic literature, which tells a story through symbols,
images and numbers. Revelation offers comfort and encouragement to Christians of all ages that God is firmly in
control. When the time is right, the forces of evil that seem to dominate our world will be utterly destroyed,
and God's eternal kingdom will come into its fulfillment.
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