BIBLE HISTORY SURVEY 7 | BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

1. What is the Bible?

a) The Bible is the sacred Book, or collection of books, accepted by the Christian Church as uniquely inspired by God, and thus authoritative, providing guidelines for belief and behavior.

b) Many verses throughout the Bible attest to its divine origin (Genesis 6:9-13, Exodus 20:1-17, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Revelation 1:1-2, etc.) 

c) But the Bible was not simply dictated word-for-word by God; it is also the work of its many different human authors. The different writing skills, writing styles, personalities, world views, and cultural backgrounds of the human authors can be seen in their works. 

d) Many of the New Testament books were originally written as letters rather than as Scripture. Some Bible writings include the authors' own research and recollection of historical events (Luke 1:1-4) and their own opinions (1 Corinthians 7:12).

2. 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.