Chapter 1

An Overview of the New Testament

Key Topics/Themes

New Testament: twenty-seven documents Four Gospels A church history Letters An apocalypse Other Christian documents Diversity of early Jesus movement

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What Is the New Testament?

The New Testament as “scripture” Appreciating the cultural world of the New

Testament A society far different from ours The Jewish world of Jesus: Palestine An agrarian, peasant society Interaction of Palestinian Jewish and Greco-

Roman cultures

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The New Testament and the Hebrew Bible Relationship between the New Testament

and the Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible as Scripture for early

Christians

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Testament and Covenant

The nature of the covenant with Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible

The promise of a “new covenant” (Jer. 31:31)

Jesus’ declaration of a New Covenant

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The Septuagint

Written in Alexandria, Egypt Beginning about 250 BCE Legend in the Letter of Aristeas Abbreviation: LXX Standard biblical text for Jews in New

Testament period Version most frequently quoted in New

Testament

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Language and Literature of the New Testament Koinē Greek New Testament literary forms

Gospel Church history Letters, or epistles Apocalyptic literature Subgenres within New Testament books

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Diversity and Unity in the New Testament Documents Early Christians ethnically and theologically

diverse Gentile Christians Jewish Christians Community of the Gospel of John Pseudonymous works Diverse views toward Roman authority

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Other Early Christian Literature Struggle for orthodoxy and contents of the

New Testament Diverse interpretations of importance of

Jesus in God’s plan The Gospel of Thomas

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Scholarly Approaches to the New Testament Scholarly vs. devotional approaches Development of analytical methods for

biblical research Biblical criticism Coordinating critical methodologies and

spiritual concerns

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The New Testament Read from Different Social Perspectives A reader’s individual experience and

viewpoint inform the meaning. Much of our biblical heritage contains

disparate elements that are almost inextricably blended.

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Summary

New Testament Greek documents Written c. 50-140 CE

Hebrew Bible (Tanak) Other Christian documents Diversity of early Christianity Importance of scholarly analysis

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