Introduction to the New Testament

Week 1 Examination Questions

Question 1. Try to define and describe the New Testament to someone who has never heard of it. Include in your response the following: the language used, the variety of literature, the message, and something about the formation of the New Testament canon.

The New Testament, sometimes referred to as the Greek Scriptures, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. The term is a translation of the Latin Novum Testamentum, which translates from the Greek meaning "The New Covenant" or Testament. It was originally used by early Christians to describe their relationship with God and later to designate a particular collection of 27 books. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek and was written by various authors at various times and places. Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament was written in a narrow span of time, over the course of around a century.

In the New Testament, the Bible teaches that forgiveness of sins is found through Jesus Christ alone. Jesus is the son of God in human form, sent to earth to bring us back into relationship with God and to save us from sin and God's judgment. The main theme of the New Testament is the long awaited fulfillment of God's promises from the Old Testament.

The New Testament books are divided into the Gospels, History, Epistles (General and Pauline) and Apocalyptic (Prophecy). The Gospels focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and include the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Acts of the Apostles focuses on the history of the early Christian church after the death of Christ with a significant portion documenting Paul's ministry.

The Epistles, including Hebrews, Ephesians and Thessalonians, are also referred to as the Letters, and consist of the earliest texts included in the New Testament. Written during the middle of the first century following Jesus' death, and written to the church at large, 13 of the 21 epistles are attributed to Paul and include many of his sermons delivered during his travels

Apocalyptic text in the New Testament includes the Book of Revelation. The final book of the New Testament has been attributed to the author of the Gospel of John and has been interpreted as the final battle between good and evil. Vivid imagery describes the return of Christ, the imprisonment of Satan for 1,000 years and the ultimate victory leading to the establishment of the kingdom of God.

The canon of the New Testament is the set of books most Christians regard as divinely inspired and constituting the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The process of canonization was complex and lengthy. The books of the New Testament were written mostly in the first century and finished by the year 150 AD. By the 2nd century there was a common collection of letters and gospels that a majority