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Bible Introduction – The New Testament - Part 4 of 4

 This four part series is based on the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church

By DeLisle Callender & Ivo Corazza

The New Testament

There are 27 books that most Christian denominations agree as comprising the “canon” of the New Testament writings.  The Catholic Church accepts and venerates as inspired these 27 books which can be grouped as follows:

·        Four Gospels whose authorship has been ascribed to the four Apostles - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

·        The Acts of the Apostles which was also written by the author of the Gospel of Luke.

·        Twenty-one letters or epistles - attributed to Paul (14), John (3), Peter (2), James, and Jude; and

  • The Revelation to John. 

The four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their center.  The unity of the two Testaments proceeds from the unity of God’s plan and his Revelation. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two sets of inspired writings shed light on each other; both are true Word of God.[1]

The Books of the New Testament reflect three distinct stages of its formation. 

  • The words and deeds of Jesus Christ during His public ministry (28 A.D. to 30 A.D.)
  • The first communities beginning to learn about Jesus and live the Gospel.  St. Paul's preaching and letters (30 A.D. to 70 A.D.)
  • The Gospels being put into writing (70 A.D. to 100 A.D.)

When God revealed Himself to Abram (Abraham), “The Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.  I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.[2] 

The first promise of “land that I will show you” was fulfilled through Moses.  Moses led the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land even though he himself died before the Jews entered the promised land.  God made a covenant with Moses and the twelve tribes of Israel in Exodus and Deuteronomy. [3]  The covenant was a blessing if the Israelites were faithful to God, but a curse if they were not.

The second promise was fulfilled through King David.  Israel became a great nation under David.  Again, God made a covenant with David and promised to establish his royal throne forever. [4] 

The third promise to Abraham and the promise to David were both fulfilled in Jesus Christ, from the tribe of Judah, descended from the royal line of David whose kingdom will stand forever.[5]

The Gospels

The four Gospels were written by men who were among the first to have the faith and wanted to share it with others.[6]  What is written is a true testimony of what was seen and experienced by those who were with Christ during His public ministry.[7]  What is written in the Gospels was set down there “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”[8]

The four Gospels are actually four different presentations of the “Good news of the Kingdom of God,”[9] as told and inaugurated by the life, works, teachings, passion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Three of the Gospels are called Synoptic because they contain a large amount of similar content.  Thus the core of those three Gospels seem to derive from the same source.  Matthew and Luke also contain material from a source labeled “Q” that Mark did not use.[10]

The Gospels were written in different decades after the death of Christ.  Mark was written around the year 70 A.D.; Matthew and Luke were written between the years 80 and 90 A.D.; John was written between the years 95 and 100 A.D.  The gospels were written for different audiences. 

Matthew was written for a Jewish audience in Palestine, Mark was written in Greek to a non-Jewish audience in Rome, Luke was written in Greek to Gentile converts, and John reflected the theology on the divine nature of the mission of Jesus that was developing around the turn of the first century.  It was addressed to the early Christian community. 

Jesus

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.”[11]  Jesus’ birth, his public ministry, and his suffering and triumphant death were all part of God’s plan of salvation and were foretold in the Old Testament.  From the covenant with Abraham,[12] the Old Testament pointed forward to Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah spoke centuries earlier about the birth of Jesus; “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.”[13]  In the Gospel of Matthew, the angel spoke to Joseph about Mary’s pregnancy and said, “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”[14]

Of his public ministry the prophet Isaiah foretold, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.  Upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations.  He will not cry out, nor shout, nor make his voice heard in the street.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.  He will faithfully bring forth justice.  He will not grow dim or be bruised until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.”[15]

Jesus the Christ was born of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth around 6 B.C. and died around 30 A.D.  Jesus was a member of the tribe of Judah and was descended from the royal line of David.  His coming was announced by the angel Gabriel to His mother Mary when she was betrothed to Joseph.  The angel Gabriel said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.”[16]

Jesus was conceived by the Virgin Mary when the Holy Spirit came upon the virgin Mary and “The power of the Most High” overshadowed her.  Mary was also told that “the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”[17]  Mary was obedient and accepted God’s will for her.[18]  Jesus was both fully Divine and fully human, born of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus began his public ministry after he was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan at approximately 28 years of age.[19]  Through many signs and miracles, He established Himself as the Son of God and preached about the Kingdom of Heaven.  He spoke in parables using imagery from his day and encouraged all who heard him to follow the spirit of the Mosaic Law and not just the letter of the law. 

Jesus’ deeds, miracles, and words all revealed that, “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”[20] and that he was the Son of God as attested to by God Himself.[21]  When he raised Lazarus from the dead it showed that he had power over death.[22]  When he healed a paralytic it showed that he had the power to heal and forgive sin.[23]  He showed that he had power over nature when he quieted the storm,[24] and walked on water.[25]

It was the Son’s task to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation in the fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for him being sent. “The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Reign of God, promised over the ages in the scriptures.”  To fulfill the Father’s will, Christ ushered in the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The Church “is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery.”[26]

The Ten Commandments (The Decalogue) was given to the Israelites by God during the Exodus from Egypt.[27]  The Levites, the priestly class anointed by God, wrote many more laws explaining how God wanted His laws to be fulfilled.[28]  But over time the essence of the Laws of God sometimes became distorted.[29]  Jesus told His followers, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”[30]

From His life and His teaching, Jesus directly and indirectly bestowed on us grace to strengthen us on our journey of faith.  “His words and deeds, his silences and sufferings, indeed his manner of being and speaking —is Revelation of the Father.”[31]  For Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”[32]  He gave us the Beatitudes,[33] the seven Sacraments,[34] the Virtues,[35] Works of Mercy,[36] and the Gifts and fruits of the Spirit,[37] all of which strengthen us to lead a holy life through God’s grace.

In the Gospel of John in the Bread of Life Discourse,[38] Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”[39] Before His suffering and death, Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper; “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.[40] 

“The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves,[41] when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist.”[42]  The Eucharist is the center of the Catholic Church’s life[43] with essentially the same structure as it had in the time of Christ.  The Church spiritually feeds thousands every day with the Body and Blood and blood of the risen Christ. 

Through the Paschal Mystery, Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, death, burial, descent among the dead, resurrection, and ascension,[44]  Jesus allowed us to be reconciled to God, our Father, as He bore the sins of the whole world on the cross in our place.[45]  It is through this selfless act that God showed His love for us[46] and Jesus showed His obedience to God.[47]  Jesus’ obedience was in direct contrast to Adam’s disobedience.[48]  Adam’s disobedience damaged our relationship with God while Jesus’ obedience repaired the damage and resulted in our salvation.  Man’s nature was raised to something even greater than that of Adam’s.[49]

The Prophet Isaiah, speaking of Jesus’ suffering and triumphant death said, “See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.  Even as many were amazed at him—so marred were his features, beyond that of mortals his appearance, beyond that of human beings—So shall he startle many nations, kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it.”[50]

The Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles was the second book written by Luke[51] and it tells of the acts of Jesus during the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension.[52]   After the ascension of Jesus, Acts chronicles the beginning of the Christian Church and the difficulties some of the first communities experienced. 

Acts tells of the birth of the Christian Church when the Holy Spirit that was promised by Jesus[53] came upon the Apostles at Pentecost.  And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.  Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.[54]

Acts tells us how the first Christian community lived[55] in anticipation of the second coming of Christ who would preside over the Last Judgment and the end of the world. Chapters one through nine tell of how Peter took the lead in spreading the Christian religion among the Jews.  We are also told about the first Deacons of the Christian Church who were needed to assist the Apostles so that they would not have to neglect preaching the word of God to attend to administrative matters.[56] 

We are told about Saul of Tarsus, a devout Pharisee, who persecuted the early Christians.[57]   He was on his way to Damascus to find those who belonged to the Way to bring them back to Jerusalem in chains[58] when, “A light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”  The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.  For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.[59]

After Saul’s conversion, he fervently began to preach about Christ and Acts chapters 11-28 give us details about how he spread the Christian religion among the Gentiles.  Saul was his Semitic name, but his Greco-Roman name was Paul.[60]

In writing the Acts of the Apostles, Luke records the spread of the Church after Pentecost and refers to the apostolic evangelization by the apostles and Paul as “they”.  In Chapter 16 of the Acts, Luke speaks as “we”, indicating the he was now accompanying them in the mission of spreading the faith.

The early Christian Church was not without its share of controversy.  Some of the Jews were demanding that the Gentile converts observe fully the Mosaic Law. Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to meet with Peter, the Apostles and the Presbyters.  The first council was convened.[61]  The council concluded that, “‘It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right.’”[62]

The Epistles

There are twenty-one documents that take the form of letters or epistles in the New Testament canon.  Paul’s letters were written before any of our gospels, though the sayings and deeds of Jesus stand behind all the New Testament writings.  The dates of the other New Testament letters are more difficult to determine, but for the most part they belong to the second and third Christian generations rather than to the first.[63]

The basic format of the letters uses the conventions of letter writing common in the ancient world with modifications by the Christian writers.  The general form is usually as follows: [64]

·        A greeting

·        The names of the sender(s) and recipient(s)

·        A prayer

·        Teaching on the issue that led to the letter

·        Conclusion

The letters usually addressed specific situations encountered in the early Christian Churches.  Some were systematic and doctrinal, as in Paul’s Letter to the Romans; some were forceful, as was Paul’s Letter to the Galatians in which he said, “O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you,”[65]. 

Fourteen of the twenty-one letters have been traditionally attributed to Paul.  Four of the letters were written while Paul was in prison and three were of a pastoral nature.  Like the prophetic writings in the Old Testament, the letters are arranged primarily in descending order of length.

Revelation

The Book of Revelation was addressed to, “The seven churches in Asia,”[66] and is a revelation given to John in a series of visions in symbolic and allegorical language borrowed from the Old Testament.  The symbolic descriptions are not meant to be taken as literal descriptions and the symbolism is not meant to be pictured realistically.[67]  The reader does not know if the author experienced real visions or if the visions were simply literary conventions.

The literary style is apocalyptic and, even though it is difficult for modern day readers to understand, the early Christian communities would have understood it because that style of writing was popular between 200 B.C. and 150 A.D.  The early Christian communities that were being persecuted would have understood the underlying spiritual message of hope.

Apocalyptic literature is a literary genre that foretells supernaturally inspired cataclysmic events that will transpire at the end of the world.  A product of the Judeo-Christian tradition, apocalyptic literature is characteristically pseudonymous; it takes narrative form, employs esoteric language, expresses a pessimistic view of the present, and treats the final events as imminent.[68] 


[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 138-140

[2] Gen. 12:1-3

[3] Ex. Chap. 24; Deut. Chaps. 29 & 30

[4] 2 Sam. 7:8-17

[5] Heb. 7:14-17

[6] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 515

[7] Jn. 21:24; Mark 1:1

[8] Jn. 20:31; Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 514

[9] Lk. 8:1

[10] Gigot, F. (1912). Synoptics. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved August 29, 2016 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14389b.htm

[11] Gal. 4:4-5

[12] Gen. 12:2

[13] Is. 7:14

[14] Mt. 1:21-23

[15] Is. 42:1-4

[16] Lk. 1:31

[17] Lk. 1:35

[18] Lk. 1:38

[19] Mt. 3:16; Mk. 1:10; Lk. 3:21-22; Jn. 1:32

[20] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para.515

[21] Mt. 3:17

[22] Mt. 8:23-27; Mt. 14:22-33, Jn. 11:32-44

[23] Mk. 2:3-12

[24] Mt. 8:23-27

[25] Mk. 6:45-52

[26] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para.763; Mt. 4:17; Mk. 1:15

[27] Ex. 20:2-17

[28] Lev. Chapters 11 to 26

[29] Mk. 7:13

[30] Mt. 5:17

[31] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 516

[32] Jn. 14:9

[33] Mt. 5:3-12

[34] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 774

[35] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 798; 1266; 1844.

[36] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 2447

[37] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 1830; 1845

[38] Jn. 6:22-59

[39] Jn. 6:34

[40] Mt. 26:26-30; Mk. 14:22-26; Lk. 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26

[41] Mt. 14:13-21; Mk. 6:34-44; Lk. 9:10-17; Jn. 6:1-13

[42] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 1335

[43] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 1343

[44] Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 512

[45] 1 Pet. 2:24; Is. 53:5; Isa. 53:12

[46] Jn. 3:16

[47] Phil. 2:8

[48] Gen. 3:17

[49] Rom. 5:20; Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 412

[50] Isa. 52:13-15

[51] Acts 1:1

[52] Acts 1:3

[53] Acts 1:4

[54] Acts 2:2-4

[55] Acts 2:42-47

[56] Acts 6:1-7

[57] Acts 8:3

[58] Acts 9:2

[59] Acts 8:3-9

[60] Acts 13:9

[61] Acts 15:1-35

[62] Acts 15:28-29

[63] Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. (2010). New American Bible (Revised ed., p. 1251). Totowa, NJ: Catholic Book Publishing Corp.

[64] Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. (2010). New American Bible (Revised ed., p. 1251). Totowa, NJ: Catholic Book Publishing Corp.

[65] Gal. 3:1

[66] Rev. 1:4

[67] Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. (2010). New American Bible (Revised ed., p. 1401). Totowa, NJ: Catholic Book Publishing Corp.

[68] Lerner, R. E. (2008, May 28). Apocalyptic literature. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 30, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/art/apocalyptic-literature

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