Introduction to the New Testament

I
N
T
E
R
A
T
S
I T
O
N U
A
L
D
Y
C
H
U
R C
C E
H
N
O
F T
P
R
R E
A
G
U
E
t he
g , de clares
comin w
me is e a ne
T he t i I w i ll mak o f
, whe
n house
LORD n t w ith the w in their
a my la
coven ll put ear ts.
a e l ...I w i
i t o n their h
Isr rite
and w :31-33
minds eremiah 31
J
Contents

Introduction! 1
The Course Programme! 1
Reading! 1
What is the New Testament?! 2
Where Am I?! 2
The New Testament Books! 3
Difficulties in Understanding the New Testament! 4
Map of Israel in New Testament Times! 4
Seeing Things One Way - Part One! 5
Introduction! 5
Different Sources! 6
Q?! 8
Dating the Gospels! 8
Eyewitnesses! 9
Conclusion! 10
Seeing Things One Way - Part Two! 11
Introduction! 11
Mark! 11
Matthew! 12
Luke! 13
Harmonising the Gospels! 14
That You May Believe! 15
Introduction! 15
Date and Authorship ! 15
Purpose! 15
Differences! 16
Structure! 17
Discussion! 18
Conclusion! 18
The Spreading Flame! 19
Introduction! 19
Date and Authorship ! 19
Purpose! 19
Audience! 21
Structure! 21
Living the Faith – Paul's Letters to Churches! 23
Introduction! 23
History! 23
Purpose! 23
Paul and Jesus! 25
Judaism and Christianity ! 26
Peter and Paul! 26
Other Themes! 27
Living the Faith – Paul's Letters to Individuals! 28
Introduction! 28
History! 28
Purpose! 28
Living the Faith – Other Letters! 31
Introduction! 31
The Letters! 31
Hebrews and James! 32
2 Peter and Jude! 33
John! 34
The Returning King - Revelation! 35
Introduction! 35
Author and Time! 35
Genre! 35
Message! 36
Structure! 36
Conclusion! 37

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION and are copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, a
member of the Hodder Headline Plc Group. All rights reserved.
 Introduction to the New Testament

Introduction
This course will take place over 8 weeks and The New Testament documents
will give a basic introduction to the message, form [gave rise to] one of the most
and relevance of the various types of literature remarkable… movements the
found in the New Testament. world has ever seen… The
The course will start with a general introduction twenty-seven books… contain
to the New Testament after which we will study stories of [the first Christiansʼ]
various types of literature that we find there. The d e e d s , a c c o u n t s o f t h e i r
format for the sessions will be a mixture of lecture, activities, together with letters
discussion and exercises.   In order to gain the and other occasional writings
most from the course, some work during the week produced… in the process of
will be needed. taking their message to the
The aim of the course is not simply to impart furthest reaches of the world as
knowledge, but to encourage all of us to a deeper they knew it.
understanding of Godʼs Word so that we may be Introducing the New Testament, 9
transformed in our everyday lives to be more like
Jesus.
While not essential, you will gain more from the course if you read the core book
and perhaps one or two of the other recommendations.

The Course Programme

Week 1:! What is the New Testament?
Week 2:! Seeing Things One Way - Matthew, Mark and Luke
Week 3: ! That You May Believe - John
Week 4:! The Spreading Flame - Acts
Week 5:! Living the Faith - Paul's Letters to Churches
Week 6:! Living the Faith - Paul's Letters to Individuals
Week 7:! Living the Faith - Other Letters
Week 8:! The Returning King - Revelation

Reading
While we do not have a set book for this course, you will find it
very useful to have a reasonable introduction to the New Testament.
There are a number around to choose from, one which is easily
accessible and covers most of the ground is Introducing the New
Testament; J. Drane. Lion 2000.
Other books which you may find useful are:
• New Testament Introduction; D. Guthrie. Tyndale Press
• The New Testament: Its Background, Growth and Content; B.
Metzger. Abingdon Press
• Making Sense of the New Testament; C. L. Blomberg. IVP
• The Message of the New Testament; F. F. Bruce. Paternoster Press
• New Testament Theology: D. Guthrie, IVP
• The New Testament Documents Are they Reliable? F. F. Bruce. Eerdmans

1
Introduction to the New Testament

What is the New Testament?

Where Am I?
How would you describe your own understanding of the New Testament as you
begin this course?

What major questions do you have which you hope this course will help answer?

1. Put these events in historical order:

1. The birth of John the Baptist
2. The crucifixion
3. The martyrdom of Stephen
4. The feeding of the 5000
5. The death of Herod the Great
6. Paulʼs letter to the Galatians
7. Paulʼs arrival in Rome
8. The Council of Jerusalem

2. Who or what were the following?

1. Golgotha
2. Ananias
3. Akeldama
4. Areopagus
5. Barnabas
6. Antioch

3. Put the following books in the order they may have been written:
1. Luke
2. Mark
3. Galatians
4. Revelation
5. 2 Timothy

2

The New Testament Books
Write out the New Testament books with a
short description of what type of book each of If the New Testament were a
them is and what they are about.
Introduction to the New Testament
collection of secular writings,
their authenticity would generally
be regarded as beyond doubt. It
is a curious fact that historians
have often been much readier to
trust the New Testament records
than have many theologians.
The New Testament Documents,
10
3
Introduction to the New Testament

Difficulties in Understanding the New Testament

Questions
• What difficulties do you think there are in reading and understanding the Old
Testament?

• How can we overcome these, at least partially?

MAP
Map of Israel OF Testament
in New ISRAEL INTimes
NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

Lake Huleh
IA
PH YRO-
NIC
GAULANITIS
OE
S
SEA

Chorazin
Acco Bethsaida
(Ptolemais) Capernaum
Magdala

Ga Sea
e
GALILEE Gennesaret
EA N

lile
Tiberias
Cana
Nazareth
RAN

ON

Nain
AR
ITER

F SH

Caesarea
Pella
MED

Aenon
IN O

(Salim)
SAMARIA
PLA

Sebaste
Sychor

Antipatris
Alexandrium
Joppa
(Japho) Arimathaea PERAEA
Lydda Ephraim Philadelphia

Emmaus Jericho
Jamnia Khirbet
Qumran Bethany
Ashdod Jerusalem
Bethany
Bethlehem
JUDAEA
Ashkelon Herodium
Dead
Sea Machaerus
Hebron (Salt
Gaza
Sea)

0 Miles 20
Masada
Roads
Beersheba
I D U M A E A
Bible History Online
4
 Introduction to the New Testament

Seeing Things One Way - Part

One The form of the Gospel appears
to have been shaped by the
Introduction mission proclamation of the early
The first three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Christian community. Here for
Luke, are generally referred to as the Synoptic the first time the words and
Gospels because they are so similar - especially deeds of Jesus were
in contrast with John. Within this similarity, remembered and proclaimed in a
though, each gospel maintains a distinctive written form. It is therefore
perspective and theological emphasis, which we appropriate to label Mark a
will consider in more detail next week. witness document that found its
The gospels are, of course, fundamental to our creative impulse in the early
faith as it is in them that we meet Jesus. But we apostolic preaching of salvation
might want to ask the question, “What is a through Jesus Christ. It is
gospel?” They obviously display something of the intended to be neither a formal
characteristics of a biography - a life of Jesus. historical treatise nor a biography
Though, as neither Mark nor John has a story of of Jesus, but proclamation.
the birth of Jesus, they cannot be seen as simply
The Gospel of Mark, W.L. Lane 1
biography. Another aspect which needs to be
taken into account is that each of the gospel
writers clearly selects events, stories and teachings and does not give a complete
record of all that Jesus said or did. Finally, the gospels emphasise the final week or
so of Jesusʼ life - and especially his death - so that this takes up by far the largest
section of each account.
Discussion
• Read Mark 1:1, Matthew 1:1 and Luke 1:1-4. What do these short passages tell
us of the purpose of the three gospels, and perhaps of the gospels in general?

• Read William Laneʼs comment in the box above. How does this help us
understand the purpose of the gospels?

One of the things that should be clear from the verses in Luke that we have just
read is that the writers used various sources for their gospels. How these sources
interact, and what the relationship between them is - especially in terms of the
synoptics - has long been debated.

5
Introduction to the New Testament

Different Sources
Jesus and Beelzebub
Matthew 12:22-32! Mark 3:20-30! Luke 11:14-23

Then Jesus entered a

house, and again a crowd
gathered, so that he and his
disciples were not even able
to eat. When his family heard
about this, they went to take
charge of him, for they said,
“He is out of his mind.”
Then they brought him a Jesus was driving out a
demon-possessed man who demon that was mute. When
was blind and mute, and the demon left, the man who
Jesus healed him, so that he had been mute spoke, and
could both talk and see. All the crowd was amazed.
the people were astonished
and said, “Could this be the
Son of David?”

But when the Pharisees
heard this, they said, “It is
only by Beelzebub, the prince
of demons, that this fellow
drives out demons.”
    And the teachers of the
law who came down from
Jerusalem said, “He is
possessed by Beelzebub! By
the prince of demons he is
driving out demons.”
But some of them said, “By
Beelzebub, the prince of
demons, he is driving out
demons.”
Others tested him by
asking for a sign from
heaven.

      So Jesus called them

Jesus knew their thoughts
and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided
against itself will be ruined,
and every city or household
divided against itself will not
stand.
and spoke to them in
parables:
“How can Satan drive out
Satan? If a kingdom is
divided against itself, that
kingdom cannot stand. If a
house is divided against itself,
that house cannot stand.
Jesus knew their thoughts
and said to them:
“Any kingdom divided
against itself will be ruined,
and a house divided against
itself will fall.

If Satan drives out Satan, And if Satan opposes If Satan is divided against
he is divided against himself. himself and is divided, he himself, how can his kingdom
How then can his kingdom cannot stand; his end has stand?
stand? come.

6

And if I drive out demons
by Beelzebub, by whom do
your people drive them out?
So then, they will be your
judges. But if I drive out
demons by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God has
come upon you.
Or again, how can anyone
enter a strong man's house
and carry off his possessions
unless he first ties up the
strong man? Then he can rob
his house.
He who is not with me is
against me, and he who does
not gather with me scatters.
And so I tell you, every sin
and blasphemy will be
forgiven men, but the
blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven. Anyone
who speaks a word against
the Son of Man will be
forgiven, but anyone who
speaks against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven, either in
this age or in the age to
come.”
Discussion
• Read through these three accounts of the same incident and make a note of
anything which strikes you as interesting or important about the way they relate to
each other.
In fact, no-one can enter a
strong man's house and carry
off his possessions unless he
first ties up the strong man.
Then he can rob his house.
I tell you the truth, all the
sins and blasphemies of men
will be forgiven them.
whoever blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit will never be
forgiven; he is guilty of an
eternal sin.
He said this because they
were saying, He has an evil
spirit.
Introduction to the New Testament
I say this because you
claim that I drive out demons
by Beelzebub.
Now if I drive out demons
by Beelzebub, by whom do
your followers drive them out?
So then, they will be your
judges. But if I drive out
demons by the finger of God,
then the kingdom of God has
come to you.
When a strong man, fully
armed, guards his own
house, his possessions are
safe. But when someone
stronger attacks and
overpowers him, he takes
away the armour in which the
man trusted and divides up
the spoils.
He who is not with me is
against me, and he who does
not gather with me, scatters.
But
7
 Introduction to the New Testament

Q?
The general view of how the synoptic gospels relate to each other is that Mark
was written first and was then used by Matthew and Luke as one of their sources.
Both these other writers had other sources they referred to. This can be seen in
the different nativity accounts that Matthew and Luke have, for example. But it is
also thought that Matthew and Luke had another collection of sayings of Jesus
which was not available to Mark. This other source has been given the name
ʻQʼ (from the German, Quelle which means ʻsourceʼ). So, we find Matthew and
Luke both recording certain sayings that are missing from Mark; sayings which they
seem to have added independently of each other and are thought to come from Q.
Examples of this can be seen in the passage above.

Sources

MARK

MATTH
LUKE
EW

Sources Q Sources

Dating the Gospels

One question that often arises is just how reliable the gospels are as records of
Jesusʼ life, death and resurrection. An important part of answering this question
concerns the date that the gospels were written. The recent consensus has been
that Mark was written between A.D. 64-70; Luke between A.D. 70-80 and Matthew
between A.D. 80-100. Some scholars in the early part of the last century were
arguing for dates in the second century - something you will still hear in television
programmes! However, I would suggest that even the more modern consensus
places the gospels, in general, too late.
In dating the gospels it is helpful if there is some way of saying that they must
have been finished before a certain date. I think there is just such a date in the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This was one of the most important events in

8
 Introduction to the New Testament

the history of the early church and of Judaism but is not mentioned in any of the
gospels except as a prophecy by Jesus (see Matthew 24:1-2, Mark 13:1-2 and
Luke 21:5-6). Those who hold to the traditional dates which place the writing of the
gospels after A.D. 70, see these statements by Jesus as added by the writers as
ʻprophecy after the eventʼ. However, if you believe that God - through Jesus - can
predict the future there is no difficulty in believing that Jesus was able to prophesy
concerning the fall of Jerusalem. This lack of any reference to A.D. 70 suggests
that all three gospels were written before the destruction (but see Matthew 22:7).
A second such date may well be found in Acts, which concludes with Paulʼs
arrival in Jerusalem in A.D. 62-3 and makes no reference to Paulʼs martyrdom in
A.D.66-7. This strongly implies that the book was finished, and probably distributed
before Paul died, and, therefore, that his gospel was finished even earlier.
If we hold to the view (which is generally accepted) that Mark was the first gospel
written, Luke the second and Matthew the third, we get dates which look something
like this:
Mark! 55-65
Luke! after Mark and before 66
Matthew ! after Luke and before 70
Having said this, these dates are very tentative and much debate - even amongst
evangelical scholars - continues. Some still date the gospels much later - as above
- some have even suggested that Mark was written before A.D. 40! One of the
great New Testament scholars, F. F. Bruce, puts the dates of the gospels as, Mark
64-65, Luke 68-69 and Matthew immediately after 70 (The New Testament
Documents, 7). However, whether we take the early or late dates for the gospels,
there can be little doubt that they were written within 70 years of the resurrection.
Discussion
Why do you think the dates the gospels were written might be important?

Eyewitnesses
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-11, Paul argues that what he taught the Corinthian
Christians was what he himself had heard from those who were eyewitnesses to
the resurrection. So how far are the gospels to be seen as eyewitness accounts of
the life of Jesus?
One way of beginning to get to the heart of this topic is to ask questions about
why people who occur in stories which are found in more than one gospel are
sometimes named and sometimes not. Two examples will have to suffice.
Discussion
Read Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:22-43 and Luke 8:40-56.

9
Introduction to the New Testament

• What immediately strikes you about the

difference between Matthew and the other two
gospels? One reason the Gospels were
written was to maintain [the]
accessibility and function of the
eyewitnesses beyond their
lifetimes… In other words, the
• Why do you think the woman is anonymous in Gospels stepped into the role of
all three accounts? the eyewitnesses, which they had
vacated through death.
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses,
R. Bauckham 308-9

• Why do you think Jairus is mentioned by name

in Mark and Luke and not in Matthew?

Read Matthew 27:32-33, Mark 15:21-22, Luke 23:26.

• What do you notice about these three accounts?

• Why might Markʼs account be different? See also Romans 16:13.

Conclusion
While it is unwise to be dogmatic about things, the evidence can be understood
to show that the gospels preserve eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus and that
they were written to ensure that these accounts did not die with the eyewitnesses
themselves. There are also strong arguments for placing the writing of the gospels
- whatever sources they may have used - within 40 years of the resurrection of
Jesus.

10
 Introduction to the New Testament

Seeing Things One Way - Part

Two The four Gospels are our earliest
records of Jesusʼ life and
Introduction ministry. In thinking about their
Having considered some of the background use today, our starting point must
issues to the gospels last week, we now turn to be that they are associated with
the three synoptic gospels individually and look, the disciples whom Jesus himself
briefly, at what makes them distinctive. We will authorised to represent him.
also consider some of the difficulties that we find Christians have accordingly seen
in harmonising the gospelʼs by looking at the them as having the inspiration
accounts of Jesusʼ resurrection. and authority of Jesus behind
them.
Mark
Traditionally, Markʼs gospel is said to have been Exploring the New Testament
written by John Mark (see Acts 12:12,, 1 Peter Volume 1, 120
5:13) and that he recorded Peterʼs accounts of his
time with Jesus (see Mark 1:35-37 for an example). This tradition is unbroken back
to the early 2nd century and there seems no good reason not to believe it. The
gospel exhibits some striking examples of eyewitness detail which the other
synoptics do not have (Mark 6:39; contrast with Matthew 14:19 and Luke 9:14).
It is generally agreed that Mark was writing for Roman Christians - therefore
predominantly Gentile Christians - who were undergoing persecution, or for whom
persecution was on the horizon.
Markʼs purpose is made clear in the very first sentence of his gospel: that he is
proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The gospel can be
seen as describing the journey of faith that his disciples, and others around him,
travel to the point where they arrive at this understanding of who Jesus is.
Discussion
• Read Mark 1:1; 8:27-30 and 15:38-39.
• What do these short passages tell us of the journey of faith that is described in
the gospel?

• What other message may they be giving about the scope of the gospel?

• Read Mark 8:22-26. What do you notice about this miracle when thinking of the
way Jesusʼ disciples came to understand who he was?

11
Introduction to the New Testament

Peterʼs confession of Jesus as the Christ, comes at the turning point of Markʼs
gospel. We might split the gospel into two sections:
1! 1:1-8:30! Who is this man?
2! 8:31-16:8! Why will he die?
Another way of seeing structure in the gospel is to consider where various events
took place.
1! 1:1-1:8! Introduction
2! 1:9-9:50! Galilee
3! 10:10-11:11! Journey to Jerusalem
4! 11:12-16:8! Jerusalem
It is here that we can see that Mark has constructed his gospel around theology
rather than chronology. It is unlikely that Jesus only went to Jerusalem once during
his ministry - John has him going three times - but Jesusʼ journey to Jerusalem
becomes a picture of his journey to the cross, as the aim and fulfilment of his life
and ministry. The importance of the death of Jesus can be seen by the fact that
over one third of the gospel is concerned with this final week in Jerusalem.
One of the most striking aspects of Markʼs gospel is its ending. In modern
translations it is made clear that the best manuscripts end at 16:8. Earlier
translations of the Bible had a longer ending, through to verse 20. There has been
much discussion about whether Markʼs original ending has been lost, but the
abruptness with which the gospel ends can be seen as part of Markʼs style: to get
us as readers to engage with the story and draw our own conclusions. The women
may be said to have told no-one, but by recording this they are in fact telling us.
Another example of where Mark expects us to fill in the blanks, as it were, is in
4:41, where the disciples ask who Jesus is. The answer is not given, but we give it
as readers.

Matthew
As we saw last week, it is generally thought that Matthew had Markʼs gospel in
front of him as one of his sources when composing his account of the life of Jesus.
One reason for this belief is that about 90% of Mark is found in Matthew and that he
follows Markʼs structure very closely. The four sections mentioned above make up
four of the sections of Matthewʼs gospel:
1! 1:1-3:12! Introduction
2! 3:13-18:35! Galilee
3! 19:1-20:34! Journey to Jerusalem
4! 21:1-28:15! Jerusalem!
5! 28:16-20! Galilee
The differences are in terms of the content of the introduction (see below) and
the fact that Matthew brings Jesus and the disciples back to Galilee for Jesusʼ final
words. Like Mark, Matthew is also concerned to show that the good news is
universal in scope. He starts with Israel (1:1) and ends with the world (28:19-20).
And also like Mark, the turning point in the gospel comes at Peterʼs confession of
faith (16:16).

12
 Introduction to the New Testament

However, there are quite clearly differences of emphasis and content in Matthew.
One of the most striking is the amount of teaching that he includes in his gospel,
the vast majority of which is missing from Mark. These occur in five teaching
blocks that each has its own characteristics.
Chapters 5-7! The manifesto of the kingdom of God
Chapter 10! Mission
Chapter 13! Parables
Chapter 18! Life in the church
Chapters 24-25! The future1
It is generally thought Matthew was writing for a Jewish Christian congregation,
probably in Palestine itself.
Discussion
• Read Matthew 1:22-23; 2:3-6; 2:14-15; 2:23ʼ 5:17; 8:17; 21:4-5. What do you
notice about each one of these passages which might help us see how Matthew
views Jesus?

• If you have time in the coming week, read Matthew 27:11-61 and make a note of
all the times where Matthew alludes to Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.

Luke
As with Matthew, Luke follows Markʼs general pattern of following Jesusʼ ministry
from Galilee to Jerusalem and the cross.
1! 1:1-3:38! Introduction
2! 4:1-18:30! Galilee
3! 18:31-19:27! Journey to Jerusalem
4! 19:28-24:53! Jerusalem!
Luke introduces his gospel by making it clear he is writing for Theophilus.
Whether this was the real name of a person, or a title given to someone, or to be
seen as a generic title for a ʻlover of Godʼ is not clear. However, it does seem that
Luke was writing for Gentiles, perhaps Gentiles who were God-fearers (see as an
example Acts 16:11-15) who were considering faith in Christ rather than actual
Christians. The tradition that Luke, the companion of Paul, was the author is
another with a long history and no competing tradition, and can be relied upon.
Luke is the first of a two-part history of Jesus and his disciples, the same writer
having compiled Acts.
We saw last week how Luke and Matthew appear to have some material in
common that Mark did not, and the majority of this being blocks of teaching. Luke,

1 Taken from Exploring the New Testament Volume 1 212

13
Introduction to the New Testament

however, does not put his teaching in the same places in the story as Matthew
does. For example, Matthew places the Sermon on the Mount very near the
beginning of Jesusʼ ministry. Luke uses the same teaching, but distributes it
throughout the gospel. So, for example, while Matthew has the Lordʼs Prayer as
part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:5-15), Luke places this later in his
gospel (Luke 11:1-4). This reminds us that Lukeʼs statement that he was writing “an
orderly account” does not mean a chronological order but, as with the other writers,
a theological one.
Lukeʼs major theme appears to be salvation. “He uses the language of salvation
more than other evangelists: the noun ʻsalvationʼ is found seven times (never in
Mark or Matthew; God and Jesus are ʻsaviourʼ (… never in Mark or Matthew).”2 It is
also worth noting that Luke emphasises the universal nature of this salvation,
referring often to Gentiles in his account. See, for example, 2:14, 32; 4:25-27;
7:2-10; 13:28f; 9:52-53 where some of these accounts are unique to Luke.

Harmonising the Gospels

Throughout history, there have been attempts at harmonising the gospel
accounts. Whether or not this is a useful exercise is open to discussion. However,
it does raise the issue that has to be addressed of what we do with the various
discrepancies that seem to exist in the different gospels. Some of these can easily
be explained as simply the different perspectives of the writers and their specific
theological concerns. Others are more problematic and we may have to simply
admit that we do not have a reasonable explanation for what appears a
contradiction - though one may yet be found. An example of where we still await a
totally plausible explanation is in the differences between the two genealogies of
Jesus in Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 2:23-38; and, indeed, the fact that these two
writers produce very different accounts of the birth of Jesus.
Discussion
• Read the following accounts of the resurrection: Matthew 28, Mark 16:1-8, Luke
24. Write down the main events and people involved in each account and
compare them.

• What similarities and differences do you see and how might you explain them?

2Exploring the New Testament Volume 1 235

14
 Introduction to the New Testament

That You May Believe

Introduction
Even a cursory reading of Johnʼs gospel
reveals that it is remarkably different from the
other three gospels. There is much debate, in this
context, as to whether John had Mark or any of
the other synoptics available to him when writing
his gospel. It is probably impossible to be certain
on this, though I suggest that he had Mark, at
least. This week, we will look at some of the
differences between John and the synoptics and
the difficulties that arise from them, as well as try
to understand why John may be so different.
“But that John, last of all,
conscious that the outward facts
had been set forth in the
Gospels, was urged on by his
disciples, and, divinely moved by
the Spirit, composed a spiritual
Gospel.”
Clement of Alexandria quoted in
The Gospel According to John
D. A. Carson, 27

Date and Authorship

It is generally agreed that John was the last gospel to be written, and depending
on your position concerning the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, it was written either at
the very end of the 60s or between 70 and 90. There is also general agreement
that the author was John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James (though, once
again, there is much debate about this). This is the tradition that goes all the way
back to the early 2nd century and - as with the traditions concerning the synoptics -
there seems little good reason to dismiss it. Whether John is also ʻthe disciple
whom Jesus loved,” who is often referred to in the gospel, is another issue about
which there is debate.
Discussion
• Read John 21:20-24. What do you think this says about who ʻthe disciple whom
Jesus lovedʼ is?

• Why do you think this may also suggest the gospel was written after A.D. 66?

Purpose
• Read John 20:30-31. What does this tell us about Johnʼs purpose in writing his
gospel?

15
Introduction to the New Testament

Linked to the purpose of the gospel is debate concerning who the original
readers were expected to be. Once again, there is considerable debate, ranging
from Gentile Christians to Jewish ones! I think there is good reason to believe that
the original readers were Jews who were not yet Christians; written to persuade
them that the Messiah was Jesus of Nazareth.

Differences
Missing synoptic material
John has left out a lot of material from the synoptic No narrative parables;
gospels, see box. Little mention of the
Includes material not in the synoptics Kingdom;
No transfiguration;
John includes, though, a large amount of material that is
No institution of the
not found in the synoptics. As an example, read through
Lordʼs Supper;
chapters 2-4 and make a note of all the material that is not
No casting out of
found in the other gospels. Especially striking in this context
demons;
is the turning of water into wine and the raising of Lazarus.
No mention of the
One important aspect of this is that it is only in John that
temptation of Jesus.
Jesus is explicitly identified with God. In the other gospels
this is implicit.
No growth in faith
The synoptics all show how the disciplesʼ understanding of who Jesus is grows
with time. In Johnʼs gospel, while he acknowledges that the disciples did not
always understand, confessions of who Jesus is are to be found from the very first
chapter (e.g. 1:33-34).
Chronology
It is here that some of the very real difficulties arise and we have to admit that in
many ways we do not have totally satisfactory solutions to all of them at the
moment.
• Read John 2:14-22 and Mark 11:15-17. What do you notice about these two
accounts?

• Are they the same, or different events? Why?

• What might be the reason that John and Mark have put the cleansing of the
Temple where they have?

16
 Introduction to the New Testament

In general, the chronology of the final week of Jesusʼ life is where the most
issues arise, from the time of the Last Supper to that of Jesusʼ death.
• Read John 19:13-6 and Matthew 27:44-46. What issues do you see here?

• How would you deal with this in conversation with a non-believer?

A more general point concerning the various chronologies of the gospels is that
of how much time Jesus spent in ministry and how often he went to Jerusalem.
The synoptics all present their story of Jesus as leading up to a single visit to
Jerusalem which results in Jesusʼ crucifixion. John, on the other hand, has three
visits to Jerusalem. The synoptics also spend most of their time in Galilee until the
journey south, John has much more concerning Jesusʼ ministry in Judea and,
indeed, Samaria.
One of the consequences of this is that by putting the various accounts together
we can answer some questions that arise when reading just one of them. For
example, in Mark 10:32-34 we read of Jesus predicting his death when in
Jerusalem but with little - if any - real reason being given. If, however, we link this
with John 11:45-57, following on from the raising of Lazarus, we can see that
opposition in Jerusalem had been building for some time. John provides the
answer to a question raised in the synoptics.
Harmonising John with the synoptics is a tricky thing. Usually, the effort is done
by trying to fit John into the timescale of the other three. This may be the wrong
way around; it may be better, and more profitable, to fit the synoptics in to Johnʼs
overall scheme.

Structure
In many ways, John is harder to describe in structure than the synoptics.
However, a basic pattern may look like this3:
Prologue! 1:1-18
Public Ministry! 1:19-12:50
Passion! 13:1-20:31
Epilogue! 21:1-25
Another way of seeing the gospel is in terms of the seven ʻsignsʼ (John uses this
term, not miracles) or in the seven ʻI Amʼ sayings (see box over the page).
One suggestion that has been made as a way to understand both the structure
and the style of John is that the gospel is a collection of evangelistic sermons that
John had worked on over the years. This may help explain why, even from the
beginning, the reality of Jesus as the Son of God is so clear: each message needed

3 Adapted from The Gospel According to John, D. A. Carson, 105f and John G. R. Beasley-Murray, vii-viii
17
Introduction to the New Testament

to be ʻcompleteʼ. It may also explain why it is The Seven Signs

often so difficult to tell when Jesus stops speaking
Water to wine (ch. 2);
and John starts commenting. He has worked and Healing the noblemanʼs son (ch.
reworked the material in such a way that the 4);
stylistic differences which are so clear in the Healing the lame man (ch. 5);
synoptics are rare in John. Feeding the 5,000 (ch. 6);
• Read John 3:10-21. Where would you end Healing the man born blind (ch.
Jesusʼ words and why? 9);
Raising Lazarus (ch. 11);
The resurrection (chs 20,21).
The Seven ʻI Amʼs
Bread of life (6:35);
Discussion
Light of the world (8:12);
• What are the most important points you can take
Door (10:9);
away from our look at all four of the gospels?
Good shepherd (10:11)
Resurrection and the life (11:25);
Way, the truth and the life (14:6);
True vine (15:1).

Conclusion
As with the other gospels, John is concerned with presenting us with the person
of Jesus, and reading the gospels, and applying them to our lives, is an exercise in
Christology. They can only be read - should only be read - with an attitude of
humility and expectancy as God reveals himself through the person of his Son.
Only as we respond to who Jesus is, the Messiah, and believe on him can we truly
have life (John 20:31).

18
 Introduction to the New Testament

The Spreading Flame 4

Introduction “Acts provides the narrative
Acts forms an important bridge between the background against which the
story of Jesus, as portrayed in the Gospels, and writings of Paul can more readily
the letters. As Bruce says (see box) it is a book be understood, and – more
that gives the background to what we read in the important still – Acts provides
rest of the New Testament, and helps give an clear and convincing evidence for
historical context to the writing of the various the validity of the apostolic claim
letters. It also introduces us to the person of Paul which Paul makes for himself in
whose missionary activity was so important in the his letters.”
spread of the gospel in the first century. The Book of Acts F. F. Bruce, 16

Date and Authorship

There seems no good reason to doubt the unanimous testimony of history that
the writer of Acts was the same person who wrote the third Gospel. The
introduction to Acts makes it clear that its purpose is to serve as the sequel to the
gospel that bears Lukeʼs name. It is, perhaps, a shame that, as John is a different
type of Gospel, his book comes between Lukeʼs two volumes and thus we
sometimes forget that they were conceived as two parts of a whole.
Dating the book is a matter of some considerable debate. The book ends with
Paul under house arrest in Rome in the early 60s. I would suggest that the book
was written soon after the gospel and just before Paulʼs martyrdom in 66-7. This is
for two major reasons: Firstly, it seems strange that if the book were written after
Paulʼs martyrdom that this is not mentioned. Secondly, the book is generally very
positive towards Roman authority, something which would seem less likely if the
book were written during or soon after Neroʼs persecution of Christians. Neither of
these is conclusive, and both are arguments from silence, but do seem to me to
suggest that an early rather than late date is more likely.

Purpose
The book seems to have a number of different purposes and we will look at one
or two of them in this session. We will start at the beginning of the book and
compare the two accounts that Luke gives of the ascension of Jesus to see if we
can discern any themes or ideas that he may develop in the book.
Discussion
• Read Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-11 (these are in parallel over the page).
• Compare and contrast the two passages and how Luke presents each of them.

4This is the title of a book by F. F. Bruce which traces the rise of Christianity from its beginnings to the
conversion of the English. Well worth a read.
19
Introduction to the New Testament
• What important different emphases do you see here?
Luke 24:44-53
He said to them, “This is what I told
you while I was still with you:
Everything must be fulfilled that is
written about me in the Law of Moses,
the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then
he opened their minds so they could
understand the Scriptures.
He told them, “This is what is written:
The Messiah will suffer and rise from
the dead on the third day, and
repentance for the forgiveness of sins
will be preached in his name to all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You
are witnesses of these things. I am
going to send you what my Father has
promised; but stay in the city until you
have been clothed with power from on
high.”
When he had led them out to the
vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his
hands and blessed them. While he was
blessing them, he left them and was
taken up into heaven. Then they
worshiped him and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy. And they
stayed continually at the temple,
praising God.
20
Acts 1:3-11
After his suffering, he presented
himself to them and gave many
convincing proofs that he was alive. He
appeared to them over a period of forty
days and spoke about the kingdom of
God.
On one occasion, while he was
eating with them, he gave them this
command: “Do not leave Jerusalem,
but wait for the gift my Father
promised, which you have heard me
speak about. For John baptised with
water, but in a few days you will be
baptised with the Holy Spirit.” 
Then they gathered around him and
asked him, “Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to
know the times or dates the Father has
set by his own authority. But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of
the earth.”
After he said this, he was taken up
before their very eyes, and a cloud hid
him from their sight. They were looking
intently up into the sky as he was
going, when suddenly two men dressed
in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of
Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand
here looking into the sky? This same
Jesus, who has been taken from you
into heaven, will come back in the
same way you have seen him go into
heaven.”
 Introduction to the New Testament

The Relationship to the Letters

As mentioned before, Acts gives the
background to the letters that Paul wrote and Some major themes in Luke/
which we have preserved in the New Testament. Acts
• Fulfilment of Scripture;
This relationship is not totally unproblematic and
there are debates about where and how the two • Godʼs Direction of History;
link. One of these would be, for example, when• Teachings and Example of
Jesus;
the letter to the Galatians was written and how it
• Resurrection, Exaltation and
tallies with Paulʼs recored visits to Jerusalem in
Acts 9 and 15. However, reading the letters and Authority of Jesus;
• Blessings for Israel through
relevant parts of Acts together can help explain
some of the points Paul makes in the letters andJesus;
helps give a context to their writing. • Forgiveness of Sins;
• Blessings to the Gentiles.
Audience Adapted from Exploring the
See the comments on Lukeʼs gospel (page 13) New Testament, Volume 1 D.
about who he might be writing for. Wenham and S. Walton, 267/8

Structure
There are various ways to see a structure in Acts. We will look at just two of
these.
Acts 1:8
The first of these is to see the book as a working out of Jesusʼ command to be
witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” This gives the following possible breakdown of the book:
1:1-8:1a! Jerusalem
8:1b-11:18! Judea and Samaria
11:19-28:31! Ends of the earth.
Peter and Paul
Another way of seeing the book is as a comparison of Paulʼs ministry with
Peterʼs. This may have been as a defence of Paulʼs apostolic status, which we
know was an issue for some, or it may be for other reasons. Whatever the truth
may be, Luke has clearly given parallel accounts of events which suggest that a
comparison is at least part of what he is doing.
Discussion
• Read the following passages and note down comparisons:
Acts 2:1-4 and 13:1-3
Acts 5:15 and 19:11-12
Acts 9:36-41 and 20:7-12

21
Introduction to the New Testament

• Then read the following passages from Lukeʼs gospel and compare them with the
Acts 9 and 20 passages above: Luke 7:11-17 and 8:50-56.
What do you think Lukeʼs purpose might be here?

• Now read 1 Kings 17:17-23 and 2 Kings 4:32-37. What similarities and contrasts
do you note? What reasons might there be for these?

Paul’s Conversion
This event is recounted three times by Luke (9:1-22; 22:3-21 and 26:2-23). It
clearly is of great importance to what Luke is aiming to do in his book. Read these
three accounts and compare them. What differences do you notice? Why might
this be? Why does Luke give three accounts and not just leave it at one?

The ‘We’ Passages

One of the fascinating aspects of the book is that some of the accounts are
written in the first person. Many reasons for this have been put forward, but the
simplest seems to be the most likely: that Luke himself was with Paul at these
times. Note, for example, the way the narrative changes from “Paul and his
companions…” (16:6) to “From Troas we…” (16:11). This eyewitness nature of the
book fits well with what we know about Luke from elsewhere as a companion of
Paulʼs (e.g. Colossians 4:14).
22
 Introduction to the New Testament

Living the Faith – Paul's Letters to Churches

Introduction Generally Accepted as Pauline
Nine of the 21 letters in the New Testament Romans
claim to have been written by Paul (and his 1 and 2 Corinthians
companions) to various churches in Asia and Galatians
Europe. These nine letters make up the largest Philippians
section of the New Testament letters, with 1 Thessalonians
Romans and 1 Corinthians being the longest and
Debated Letters
only Hebrews being longer than 2 Corinthians.
Ephesians
History Colossians
Paulʼs letters to the churches were written over 2 Thessalonians.
a fairly short period of time, possibly only twenty
years, and while there is debate amongst scholars as to the actual dates each
letter was written (for example some argue Galatians was written about 48 A.D.,
others about 54 A.D.) for those who believe Paul wrote all of those letters that bear
his name, they clearly had to be written before his martyrdom in 67/8 A.D 5.
There has been debate about whether Paul really wrote all the letters attributed
to him. There is particular disagreement about the pastoral letters; but even with
the letters to churches, scholars differentiate between those that are widely
accepted as being Paulʼs and those that are thought to be written later, and by
someone else (see box). We will be working on the traditional view - for which there
is ample evidence - that Paul did write all the letters to the churches that bear his
name.
Even among scholars who accept Pauline authorship, there is debate as to the
order the letters were written. In our New Testament the letters are arranged
broadly in terms of size and relationship. Thus 2 Corinthians follows 1 Corinthians!
And Romans comes first (as it is the longest). The exact chronology probably does
not make much difference to our understanding of the letters. As mentioned last
week, Acts gives the historical and cultural background to the letters and, while
difficulties exist and should not be underestimated, it is possible to come to some
idea as to the chronology of Paulʼs life and letter writing. (See box over the page.)

Purpose
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the letters were written to answer
questions we have now, or to present a cohesive theology or handbook on ethics.
This, of course, is not the case; they were written in response to specific situations
or occasions which the writer felt were necessary to comment upon. To understand
them, therefore, we need to read them as though listening to one side of a
telephone conversation. However, what Paul writes in these letters remains
relevant for us today and God still speaks despite the fact that we are separated by
nearly 2 000 years of history and many cultural barriers.

5For more on the letters, their history, purpose, and how to study them effectively see the Study Centre
course, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.
23
Introduction to the New Testament

Exercise
A Possible Chronology
Reading the letters as though we are hearing
only part of the story is - or can be - frustrating. 30! Crucifixion of Jesus
Take these examples and note what it is that 31-2! D e a t h o f S t e p h e n a n d
Paulʼs original readers would have know and conversion of Paul.
which we do not. 45! Paul visits Jerusalem with
• 2 Thessalonians 2:5-6 famine relief – Acts 9:20f
! First missionary campaign in
Galatia
! Galatians
! Council in Jerusalem – Acts
• Galatians 4:13 15
! Second Missionary
campaign in Macedonia and
Achaia
50! Paul arrives in Corinth
• 1 Corinthians 15:29 ! 1 and 2 Thessalonians
! Paul returns to Antioch
! Third missionary campaign
in Asia
! 1 and 2 Corinthians
What the original readers understood and 55! Paul leaves Ephesus and
what we understand is also to do with culture. visits Macedonia and Achaia
Read the following passage from the ! Romans
autobiography of a famous English cricketer ! Return to Jerusalem
and write down what you would need to ! Arrest and imprisonment in
research if you were to understand it properly6. Jerusalem and Caesarea
I took seven wickets in the morning session 59! Paul leaves for Rome
as their last eight wickets fell for 43, to complete 60! Paul arrives in Rome - two
the best return by an England bowler since Jim years under house arrest
Laker had taken 9 for 37 and ten for 53 against ! Philippians
Australia at Old Trafford in 1956. ! Philemon and Colossians
! Ephesians
! 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus

Adapted from Exploring the New

Testament Volume 2, 43

6Taken from Exploring the New Testament Volume 2, 216

24
 Introduction to the New Testament

Paul and Jesus

One area that has caused much controversy -
Some major themes in Luke/
at least in the past - has been the relationship
Acts
between Paul and Jesus. Since there are no
• Fulfilment of Scripture;
explicit references to Jesusʼ life in Paulʼs letters
• Godʼs Direction of History;
and little reference to his teaching, it was argued
• Teachings and Example of
that Paul was uninterested in Jesus and set about
Jesus;
founding the church that he felt like! This position
• Resurrection, Exaltation and
is no longer as fashionable, though will still be
Authority of Jesus;
trotted out in some television programmes.
• Blessings for Israel through
This problem owes much of its existence to a
Jesus;
misunderstanding of the purpose of the letters,
• Forgiveness of Sins;
but also to taking insufficient note of references to
• Blessings to the Gentiles.
Jesusʼ teaching that are actually found in the
Adapted from Exploring the
letters.
New Testament, Volume 1 D.
Exercise7 Wenham and S. Walton, 267/8
Read 1 Corinthians 7:10-13
• What do you notice here about Paulʼs reference to Jesusʼ teaching?

• What do you think the purpose of his “I, not the Lord” is in verse 12?

Read the following passages in Romans and see if you can identify the teaching
of Jesus that lies behind each instruction.
• Romans 12:14-21

• Romans 13:8-10

• Romans 14:14

• Romans 13:1-7

7 These comparisons are adapted from Introducing the New Testament , 280
25
Introduction to the New Testament

Judaism and Christianity

One of the recurrent themes in Paulʼs letters (especially Romans and Galatians)
is the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. The cultural shift of the
church from being Jewish to being predominantly Gentile is something that the
Book of Acts documents and is the background to much of Paulʼs writing to what
are churches where Jew and Gentile had come together in Christ.
Questions
• What difficulties do you think a recent Jewish convert to Christianity may have
encountered in a predominantly Gentile church?

• What parts of Paulʼs teaching might be addressing this type of issue?

• If you were a Gentile convert to Christianity, what wrong attitudes might you have
to Judaism?

• What parts of Paulʼs teaching might address that issue?

Peter and Paul

We have seen how one way to understand Acts is to see it as a comparison of
the ministries of Peter and Paul, and thus a defence of Paulʼs apostleship.
Galatians is a particularly relevant letter in this debate.
Exercises
Read Galatians 2:11-21.
• What is the core of Paulʼs disagreement with Peter?

• Why do you think Paul is so firm on this issue?

26
 Introduction to the New Testament

• Why do you think Peter acts as he does?

Read the following comparison between Paulʼs and Peterʼs ministries as Paul
writes them in Galatians 2:7-9.

I had been given the task of Peter had been given the task of
preaching the gospel to the Gentiles preaching the gospel to the Jews

God … was also at work in my God … was at work in the ministry of

ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles Peter as an apostle to the Jews

They agreed that we should go to They agreed that … they [should go]
the Gentiles to the Jews

• What do you notice about how Paul draws these comparisons?

Other Themes
Other themes in Paulʼs letters to churches that you may want to explore include:
• The nature of the gospel;
• The return of Christ;
• The nature of the church.
However, one recurrent theme that needs to be emphasised is one that is seen
perhaps most clearly in Romans 12:1-2. Paulʼs concern is always that Christians
live out their beliefs. The Christian faith is never merely a question of what you
believe, it is also, and always, about how you behave.

27
Introduction to the New Testament

Living the Faith – Paul's Letters to Individuals

Introduction Timothy
Four of the letters which the New Testament • Came from Lystra (Acts 16:1)
ascribes to Paul were written to individuals. • Came from a believing family (2
Three of them, those to Timothy and Titus, are Timothy 1:5)
known by the general term of Pastoral Letters; the • Joined Paul on his 2nd
one to Philemon stands alone but should be read missionary journey (Acts 16-20)
together with Colossians (see Colossians 4:17). • Paulʼs emissary to Corinth to
History settle problems there (1
All four of these letters were written towards the Corinthians 4:17; 16:10)
end of Paulʼs life, 1 Timothy and Titus suggest • Led the church in Ephesus (1
that he is free to move around but 2 Timothy Timothy 1:3)
appears to have been written during his • Named as co-writer with Paul of
imprisonment in Rome (2 Timothy 4:16-18). Many three letters (1 Thessalonians
scholars - including some evangelicals - doubt 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1;
that Paul was the writer of these letters and we Philemon 1
will look at one or two of those issues below. Titus
However, the evidence of the early Church • Gentile co-worker with Paul
Fathers is unanimous that they were written by (Galatians 2:1-3; 2 Timothy
Paul and there seems little reason not to go along 4:10)
with that position. • Paulʼs emissary to Corinth (2
Corinthians 2:13; 7:8; 12:18)
Purpose • Worked in Crete (Titus 1:4-5)
The purpose of Philemon is to persuade him to
be reconciled to his slave, Onesimus, who had,
probably after running away, come into contact with Paul. Paulʼs appeal seems,
though, to go even further than this (12-14) and hints, not just at Philemonʼs freeing
Onesimus but that Onesimus should join Paulʼs team. An interesting footnote to
this is that the church Father, Ignatius, In a letter to the church in Ephesus (about
100 A.D.) says this, “In Godʼs name I have received from your whole multitude in
the person of Onesimus whose love passes utterance and who is moreover your
bishop.” “It is a not unreasonable suspicion that he is referring to the same
person.”8
Exercise
Read Philemon through quickly.
• What do you notice about how Paul tries to persuade Philemon?

• How do you react to this?

8Exploring the New Testament, 147

28
 Introduction to the New Testament

• What guidelines might you take from this story to help in ethical situations today?

The other three letters, known collectively as the “Pastoral Letters”, have two
main purposes. Firstly, to remind the readers (who may well have been the
churches Timothy and Titus led, not just the individuals themselves) of the
importance of sticking to the true faith. Secondly, of what it means to be a
Christian, in behaviour both inside and outside the church. With this, we learn
something of how churches - at least these two churches - were governed.

Exercises
Glance through 1 Corinthians 14
• What guidelines does Paul lay down for worship?

• What ʻleadersʼ does he mention?

Read 1 Timothy 2 and 3.

• What guidelines and leaders are mentioned here?

• What differences do you notice?

• Why do you think some people have argued that these differences suggest Paul
did not write the Pastoral Letters?

29
Introduction to the New Testament

Read Titus 2:1-10.

• Note down the words used by Paul that are related to teaching, and how often
they are used.

• Some suggest Paul goes too far in emphasising the intellectual over the
experiential and practical sides of our faith. How far do you agree with this?

Read 1 Timothy 3:1-13.

• What types of church leaders are mentioned here?

• How would you describe each of their roles?

• What are the various qualifications?

30
 Introduction to the New Testament

Living the Faith – Other Letters

Introduction
The remaining eight books of the New
Testament that are generally described as letters
were written by a variety of authors and to a
variety of recipients. These range from the
anonymous ones of Hebrews, to Gaius in 3 John.
As with the letters of Paul, we need to remember
that these were written for specific purposes and
at a specific time. The fact that some are not
addressed to specific churches does not make
this any less true, it simply makes the task of
discovering the ʻother part of the conversationʼ just
that little bit more difficult.
As the years passed, the
church had to change and adapt
itself to deal with the new threats,
and take advantage of new
opportunities. But it never forgot
that its thinking and behaviour
must always be firmly anchored
in the experiences and outlook of
those first followers who had
actually known Jesus.
Introducing the New Testament,
457

The Letters
Hebrews
• Author: Anonymous
• Location: Perhaps Rome
• Readers: Probably a Christian congregation of Jews
• Date: Before A.D. 64
• Synopsis: The superiority of the new covenant in Christ over the Mosaic covenant,
and to build up the fainthearted believers
• Unique or unusual: No other NT writer refers to Jesus as High priest or gives such
a detailed explanation of his death as a sacrifice
James
• Author: James, the brother of Jesus (some suggest James, the brother of John)
• Location: Probably written in Jerusalem
• Readers: Jews and Christians living outside Jerusalem
• Date: Before A.D. 62 (death of James) or 44 if the other James
• Synopsis: The spiritual blessings of the Christian faith mean little unless they
issue in practical expressions of human love
• Unique or unusual: Has links with Jewish Wisdom literature.
1 Peter
• Author: The apostle Peter
• Location: Possibly written in Rome
• Readers: Christian churches of Asia Minor
• Date: Unknown but probably after A.D. 64 (Neroʼs persecution) and before 67/8
(death of Peter)
• Synopsis: Strengthen and reassure the Christian believers in the midst of their
suffering under Roman persecution
• Unique or unusual: Living as resident aliens

31
Introduction to the New Testament

2 Peter
• Author: The apostle Peter - disputed
• Location: Unknown
• Readers: Unknown - perhaps the same as 1 Peter
• Date: Unknown
• Synopsis: Remind his readers of the trustworthiness of the message and to warn
about false teachers
1 John
• Author: The apostle John - disputed
• Location: Probably written in Ephesus
• Readers: Unknown - possibly to the churches near Ephesus
• Date: Unknown
• Synopsis: Combat the growing beliefs that denied either true humanity or true
deity to Jesus, and to set forth the meaning of Christian fellowship
2 John
• Author: The elder - traditionally identified with the apostle John
• Location: Probably written in Ephesus
• Readers: “The chosen lady”
• Date: Unknown
• Synopsis: To warn against those who either insist on trying to "improve" the
gospel, or else deny that Jesus had any reality as a human being
3 John
• Author: The elder - traditionally identified with the apostle John
• Location: Probably written in Ephesus
• Readers: Gaius, probably a leader of a nearby church
• Date: Unknown
• Synopsis: To commend Gaius for taking care of visiting missionaries and to point
out the inexcusable behaviour of Diotrephes
Jude
• Author: Jude, the brother of James and thus of Jesus
• Location: Unknown
• Readers: Unknown
• Date: 50s?
• Synopsis: To warn against and criticise false teachers who were creeping into the
early church and spreading corrupt doctrine
• Unique or unusual: Written instead of a planned letter because of an outbreak of
false teaching (1:3)

Hebrews and James

Both of these letters are very Jewish in character. Hebrews seems to have been
written to a church that had a predominantly Jewish congregation, some have even
suggested that it as the Jerusalem church (though Rome seems more likely).
James, in character, is much like Jewish wisdom literature and appears to have
been written at a time before the church became mainly Gentile.
32
 Introduction to the New Testament

Exercises
Read Hebrews 1:1-4. Jesusʼ Teaching in James
Some parallels taken from Matthewʼs
• What do you notice about these verses Gospel, adapted from Exploring the New
compared with the opening of, for example, 1 Testament, 254
Corinthians?
Matthew! James
5:11-12! 1:2
5:48! 1:4
7:7-11! 1:5, 17; 4:2-3
10:22; 24:13! 1:12
• What might be the reason for this? 5:20,22! 1:20
7:24,26! 1:22-23
5:3,5! 2:5
22:36-40! 2:10-12
7:1! 2:13
• Read Hebrews 5:1-10 and 7:1-10:18. List how 25:34-35! 2:14-16
Jesus, as High priest differs from the OT High
7:16-18! 3:12
Priests and how his sacrifice differs from the OT
6:24! 4:4
sacrifices.
5:8! 4:8
23:12! 4:10
6:19-21! 5:1-3
5:11-12! 5:10
5:33-37! 5:12
• Read Romans 3:20, 28; Romans 4 and James 18:15! 5:19-20
2:14-26. Pay particular attention to the way Paul
and James deal with Genesis 15:6.

• Are Paul and James in agreement or disagreement? Why?

2 Peter and Jude

These two letters are two of the least read in the New Testament. They are also
letters which have dismissed as not worthy of being in the canon! Even a cursory
reading of the letters shows some very real similarities in ideas, and even phrases
(see box over the page). This raises questions of authorship and of relationship
between the two. We might explain it this way:
• 2 Peter and Jude were written by the same person
• Jude copies 2 Peter
• 2 Peter copies Jude
• Both use a common oral tradition
• Both use a common written tradition.
33
Introduction to the New Testament

There is no easy answer to this, but the final one seems

to be as reasonable as any other. Some parallels in 2
Even who wrote them is a source of great debate. Many Peter and Jude
scholars argue that, 2 Peter at least, because of the Adapted from Exploring the
New Testament, 276
difference in style from 1 Peter, is pseudonymous. That is,
it was written by someone claiming to be Peter but not by Jude! 2 Peter
Peter himself. :4! 2:1-3
The claim of Jude is that it was written by “a brother of :6! 2:4
James” (1:1). The only James this could logically refer to is :7! 2:6
James, the brother of Jesus. While people deny Judeʼs :8! 2:10
authorship, there seems to real reason to do so. :9! 2:11
Exercise :10! 2:12
:11! 2:15
• Read 2 Peter and Jude and, using the box on the right,
:12! 2:13
write down the phrases and ideas that both of them use.
:12! 2:17
:13! 2:17
:16! 2:18
:17! 3:1-2
:18! 3:3

John
The first verses of 1 John deal with familiar themes if you have read Johnʼs
Gospel. This similarity has been one of the reasons why many think this was
written by the same person - though he is not named in the letter. The writer is not
named in 2 and 3 John either. Here he is simply referred to as ʻthe elderʼ, which
has led some to argue it is a different John from the apostle.
Exercise
Read 1 John 1:1-4
• Is this the beginning of a letter or of something else? Why?

• What similarities do you see between this and John 1:1-18?

• List the times John uses ʻknowʼ in 1 John. What are we supposed to know?

34
 Introduction to the New Testament

The Returning King - Revelation

Introduction As literature, it is perhaps the
We come to the final book of the New most complex and sophisticated
Testament, Revelation. A book which seems to piece of writing the world has
fascinate, intrigue and frustrate in almost equal ever seen. As theology, it has
measure. It has been an inspiration for some been the inspiration of a wide
wonderful art and some amazingly wacky ideas; range of ideologies... Through it
from complicated explanations of the meaning of all, it has been a source of
666 to the glorious vision of the New Jerusalem. strength for millions of believers
as an assurance that ʻthe
Author and Time Almighty reignsʼ.
The book claims to have been written by John
Exploring the New Testament,
who describes himself as a servant of God, a
305
brother to his readers and a prophet. Traditionally
he has been identified with John the Apostle, but
modern scholarship is much less certain of this. There is little evidence one way or
the other, but we do have to recognise that the book is very different in style from
the Gospel of John.
The date of composition is one that continues. Estimates vary from the time of
Nero in 60s A.D. to the time of Domitian (81-96). Whichever of these is correct,
Revelation is seemingly written to Christians who are beginning to suffer
persecution and, John argues, will suffer more persecution.
Questions
• What is your experience of Revelation?

• What have you enjoyed or found difficult?

• How have you met the book before?

Genre
One of the difficulties we face when trying to understand Revelation is its genre.
The opening of the book mentions three: apocalypse, prophecy and letter. In fact,
the first nine verses of the book shift between four different genres! The one genre
that gives the greatest difficulty is that of apocalypse. This way of using imagery is

35
Introduction to the New Testament

not one with which we are overly comfortable or familiar with in the 21st century. To
understand it, then, needs some work.
Exercises
Read 7:8-14.
• How would you describe these verses?

• What is their purpose?

• Read Mark 13:24-27. What similarities and differences can you see here with
Daniel 7?

• What does this tell you about apocalyptic literature?

Message
Part, at least, of Johnʼs message is that Christians need to remain faithful in their
witness as a worshipping people even through suffering for they know that behind
the scenes God is in control. Seeming defeat, be that suffering or death, is to be
reinterpreted in the light of Jesusʼ sacrifice as victory.
Exercises
• Read Revelation 5:5-10. What is striking about this passage?

• How does this fit with the theme of victory?

Structure
The structure of Revelation is very complicated - and very little agreement can be
found among commentators. We will look at just one way of understanding the
36
 Introduction to the New Testament

book, or rather one way of partially understanding it, and in the process see some
of the important aspects of apocalyptic literature.
This structure works around the central word, ʻservantʼ.

A! 1:1! Recipients of revelation

! B! 2:20! Unfaithfulness condemned
! ! C! 6:9-11! Martyrs call for vengeance
! ! ! D! 7:3! ! Servants sealed
! ! Cʼ! 19:1-2! Martyrs are avenged
! Bʼ! 19:5-8! Faithfulness rewarded
Aʼ! 22:3!Recipients of the fulfilment of revelation

Exercise
• What do you notice about this structure?

• Use the space below for notes from our discussion.

Conclusion
Whatever the difficulties, Revelation is a book that deserves close and devotional
reading. As a book that includes a blessing for all those who read it and act upon it,
as Godʼs people we should study it in humility to hear the voice of God as he
speaks today.

37
 Study Centre
International Church of Prague
Box 91, ℅ IBTS, Nad Habrovkou 3
Jenerálka, 164 00 Praha 6
dorit.marshall@icprague.cz
simon.marshall@icprague.cz
(420) 296 392 338
www.icpstudycentre.cz
40