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See New Covenant for the concept translated as "New Testament" in the KJV.

The New Testament (Καινή Διαθήκη), sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and sometimes also New Covenant, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written by various authors c. AD 48–140 and gradually collected into a single volume over the next few centuries. Messianic Judaism commonly refers to the New Testament as the B'rit Chadashah, Hebrew for New Covenant, or the Apostolic Writings.

Books of the New Testament

The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven separate works: the four narratives of Jesus Christ's ministry, called "Gospels"; a narrative of the Apostles' ministry, which is also a sequel to the third Gospel; twenty-one early letters, commonly called "epistles" in Biblical context, which were written by various authors and consisted mostly of Christian counsel and instruction; and an Apocalyptic prophecy, which is also technically the twenty-second epistle.

The Gospels

Summary of Matthew. Jesus was adopted by a descendant of the kings of Israel. When he grew up, he went around doing faith healing and giving a speech on morals. He opposed: anger, insults, lust, divorce, worry, and criticizing. He favored: good deeds, apologizing, forgiveness, generosity, good will, friendliness, sincerity, charity, praying for things, God's will, and forgiveness, and faith in God but the possibility of the punishment of evil. Poor, he sent 12 disciples ahead of him to get people to show up. Then, he and some others barged into a priest's house and ate up the priest's food. His grouchy interpretations of some parables offended people but he did faith healing. He also divided a few loaves of bread into tiny pieces to give to a crowd and the pieces miraculously got bigger, and he walked on a wavy lake out to a boat. Yet, he insulted people a lot and suddenly vandalized a temple's gift shop and yelled at the Rabbi and threatened to mess up the temple even more. Worried, he later toasted the forgiveness of sins. Still, a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was put to death, but he rose from the dead, then told his disciples to teach his teachings. Jesus's sermon is in Matthew 5, 6, & 7.

Summary of Mark. Jesus traveled around preaching and doing exorcisms and healing's in synagogues. When the crowds got bigger they sat on a lake's shore and he stood on a boat. He put short stories about ordinary things into sermons to give the crowds something nice to listen to. One time when he said "calm down" the storm stopped. He sent 12 apostles around to advertise. He broke a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish into tiny pieces and they distributed them to a crowd of over 5,000 people and the pieces got bigger and fed them all. He walked to a row boat that was in the middle of a wavy lake. When some Rabbis criticized him, he criticized them back. He opposed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. He continued doing exorcisms and healing's and miraculously feeding crowds bread and fish. Then, on the way to Jerusalem, he told his disciples he planned on getting in trouble. When they got there, he vandalized the gift shop of a temple. The next day, he and a crowd went into the temple and he preached without permission to use the temple. As he was leaving, he said the temple would be thrown down. An apostle said, "When?" and he said, "Someday; keep preaching no matter what." At the passover dinner, he told an apostle to turn him in for the money and he gave his apostles his bread and wine. After he was arrested, he admitted to the soldiers he was born king of the Jews. So, he was put to death, but he rose from the dead. After he lived the rest of his life, it was still preached he rose from the dead and that God can save you also.

Summary of Luke. Although Jesus was a prince, he was born in a shepherd's barn. He decided to travel around his country preaching after a dove landed on him when he was baptized. He did healings and exorcisms and started getting large crowds. He stood on a boat with his audience on the lake's shore. He favored forgiveness, generosity, kindness, mercy, and peace. He also read minds and raised people from the dead. He said 'calm down' and a storm stopped. He sent 12 apostles around to advertise. He miraculously fed over 5,000 people by dividing 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish among them. He appointed 72 missionaries and sent them around to say something like, "Don't worry; remember the kingdom of God." Yet, he yelled at a respected minister at a dinner. In fact, he yelled at many who criticized him because he considered himself to be a prince. Then, he started raising an illegal army and telling stories that slandered God. He vandalized the gift shop of the temple in Jerusalem and started holding his services in the temple without permission. One day, as he left the beautiful temple, he said he was going to have his army tear it down. So, one of his apostles decided to have him arrested. At Passover, he told them to eat bread and grape juice. He was charged with treason and put to death. After his father buried him in a tomb, somebody raised him from the dead. He magically appeared to his apostles and told them to be peaceful and to preach repentance and forgiveness.

Summary of John. A dove landed on Jesus when he was baptized, so he went into a temple and forced them to close the shop selling doves. He then threatened people who don't believe in him. At a well, he claimed God is a spirit. Jesus healed people and allowed working on Saturday. He divided a few loaves of bread and a few fish among a huge crowd. Later, he was mobbed. Upset, he called them cannibals, so they left. Another time, guards were sent because Jesus started arguing with someone in a temple courtyard, but they decided to let him speak. He considered Moses laws such as stoning to be figures of speech. He continued traveling around doing healings and defending his short, poetic sermons. After Jesus dramatically raised his friend from the dead, so many people joined his army a warrant was issued for his arrest. On passover, Jesus sent Judas on an errand; then told his apostles he was going to hide out at his parent's and would contact them by a trusted messenger, who he sent asking if they could stay there to. However, the police brought Judas, and Jesus was arrested, charged with treason and put to death. A couple of days later, he rose from the dead. He visited his apostles and told them, "Be peaceful and forgiving," and he showed them his injuries. Later, he returned and asked them to stop fishing and help him feed his sheep.

Acts

Summary of Acts. The Apostles escaped a burning building and a crowd gathered. Peter said to them, "God raised Jesus from the dead. Don't worry. Get the Holy Spirit." So, they started a commune to help the poor. It closed because Saul was investigating a murder. When Saul was struck by lightning, Jesus helped him stand up. So, Saul became a preacher using his other name, Paul. Like Peter, he preached that Jesus taught to use forgiveness instead of the temper of Moses. Paul traveled to Mediterranean countries, starting groups of the church and sometimes got in trouble for it. In one town after an earthquake, he said he wouldn't escape if the jailer would believe in Jesus. In synagogues, he claimed they should listen to the teachings of Jesus because he would have been their king, but they thought him saying that might get them in trouble with Rome. In one town, he hit a Rabbi who was suing him. Then, he continued sailing from port to port preaching and healing people. When he arrived at the temple in Jerusalem, security guards beat him up and he was arrested by the Romans. Jesus visited him in jail. Because of the big demonstrations against Paul, he was sent to Rome for trial. On the way he was shipwrecked for a few months. Then, in Rome while under house arrest, he continued preaching.

Acts, traditionally Luke, who wrote down the narrative given by the Apostle Paul, who was formerly called Saul; actually anonymous.

Pauline Epistles

Summary of Romans. Paul says that Jesus was the sacrifice of anger; then God raised him from the dead, for peaceful sermons honor God.

Summary of 1st Corinthians. Paul says. If there's a fight in church, call security. Preaching is a profession, not a hobby. Respect other's opinions, especially mine. Communion's about sharing the drink, not the fish. So your preacher can't do a miracle? So what? Follow the way of love. Christ rose healing our sins. Save up for guest speakers.

Summary of 2nd Corinthians. Paul says. Rely on God. We're good from God's grace. Be forgiving. Christ means goodness or the teachings of Christ. Jesus teachings are better than Moses. God is forgiving. The Corinthian's generous offerings will help the poor in other towns also and will help continue the empire that believes in God. Paul goes to Corinth to be the judge at some trial.

Summary of Galatians. Paul says. He started preaching because he met Jesus. There's no good reason to follow Abraham's or Moses' law. Don't be superstitious. Just be a nice person. For example, the story of Abraham and Isaac, taken figuratively he says, helps free the reader's mind; the story isn't telling the reader to be or not be circumcised.

Summary of Ephesians. Paul says: Church is worth going to. God makes you a nice person. He's not just for the Jews. So, he started this religion. He gave the idea to Reverend Jesus, Paul's employer. God makes it safe to be nice, which is also a good example to those in charge. Being kind is being respectable. An authority should be good. Resist evil. Rely on God. Pray. Paul asks them to pray for him because he's in jail.

Summary of Philippians. Paul says. Instead of administrator only, he still plans on preaching. It's nice they're staying with the other churches and he thanks them for their payment.

Summary of Colossians. Paul says. Remember, Jesus surrendered that night to keep them from fighting, because God favors peace. In the study of Christ, there is information that helps you be wise. You identified with Jesus. You don't cuss and so on. You try to be good. Paul would like to get out of jail and continue preaching belief in Christ.

Summary of 1 Thessalonians. Paul says. He would like to visit them again. He could preach: "God makes you good and not lust. He raises the dead to get along with each other. Remember to pray."

Summary of 2 Thessalonians. Paul says. You've got faith while Jesus wants to kill those who don't support his government and Paul wants to starve the unemployed. Grace be with you.

Summary of 1 Timothy. Paul calls himself a sinner; then gives in a bossy way some of his opinions on how to behave. He says God is everyone's savior, especially those who believe it. He discovers more of his feelings on right and wrong, and says to pursue good morals relying on God.

Summary of 2 Timothy. Paul says. He preaches, about good Prince Jesus trying to share faith in God, for the world should remember God. The followers of God are kind, peaceful people including himself. Paul needs his scrolls brought for his defense.

Summary of Titus. Paul says. Church Elders should be respectable. Pay no attention to myths or commands that reject the truth. God is likeable and for everyone. From hearing Jesus teachings, God's mercy saves you by giving the Holy Spirit, which includes helping others.

Summary of Philemon. Paul says. He's now a prisoner of Jesus. So, understand what's good about being in, or like, Christ. Paul adopted their former slave who he wants treated as a brother, and will visit them also as soon as possible.

Summary of Hebrews. Probably Paul says. The Old Testament proves Jesus was qualified by God to preach. Furthermore, if sacrificing animals the way Moses did pleased God, then sacrificing Jesus that passover pleased God enough to no longer sacrifice. Thus, sins can be forgiven without being paid for. So, God doesn't want donations from guilt but from generosity. Our faith is against sin, and Jesus' conscience told him that some things Moses said are wrong. Yet, you've got to be polite. Be kind. Rely on God. Your offerings should be to help praise God and to share with others. God bless you.

General Epistles

See main article: General Epistles

The General or Catholic Epistles are those written to the church at large (Catholic in this sense simply means universal). Summary of James. Before you pray, decide what you want, like help controlling your temper. Help the poor. Be as nice as if you'd get in trouble if you don't. What you do shows what you believe. Don't curse. Be considerate. Be peaceful, prayerful & nice. Spend some money the last days in this book. Don't swear, including "Yes, by Something." Pray including for each other.

Summary of 1 Peter. He says, God raised their boss, Jesus, from the dead to help people have the faith to be good. Preaching was in Jesus blood and now you foreigners believe in God. Give God a good reputation. Be kind as if somebody might get crucified if you're not. Although baptism symbolizes planning to be good, like Jesus you're saved by God's love and not yours. Be against lust parties, and in a bossy way, because of shortage and so on and the need for family. Be respectable. Yet, he says, greet with the kiss of love.

Summary of 2 Peter. If you're a nice person, Jesus would vote for you. When Jesus was called God's son, it was considered a complement. God doesn't let bad people get away with it. The collapsing universe is no excuse. God will send us to the next, where we still want to be nice.

Summary of 1 John. Life exists and will forever so God is reasonable. If we're reasonable to, we make friends, share something to drink, apologize and so on. John then claims Jesus was a sacrifice even though that was not in the story, for remembering Jesus teachings is worth it. To refresh your memory: get along with each other. An antichrist is someone who claims Jesus was not a priest. John says to remember the original story and don't let someone lead you astray. Then he claims Jesus was offered as a sacrifice to God to pay for everyone's sins rather than executed as a criminal as in the original report. Then John says, since no one has ever seen God we still need to be nice to each other, for God to live through us. So, because Jesus was Jewish he was brought up believing in the God of the Jews. Because of his ministry, you've heard of God also and can pray to God anywhere.

Summary of 2 John. Church is not a literary group; it's supposed to teach the faith in God that Jesus taught when he started the church.

Summary of 3 John. John plans on visiting them to find out why their minister has been speaking against him.

Summary of Jude. Preach faith in God, for there are some among you who dream things like the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah, having taken the way of Cain. Instead, the Lord favors holy judges. Preach God's love, for God is able to keep you from falling.

Prophecy

The final book of the New Testament has had one of the most profound impacts on Christian theology of the whole work.

Revelation, traditionally the Apostle John, son of Zebedee; actually anonymous.

Revelation is sometimes calledThe Apocalypse of John

New Testament Apocrypha

In ancient times there were dozens—perhaps hundreds—of Christian writings claiming Apostolic authorship, or for some other reason considered authoritative by ancient churches, but which were not ultimately included in the 27-book New Testament canon. These works are considered "apocryphal", and are therefore referred to in singular as the New Testament Apocrypha. It includes not only writing favourable to the position of the orthodoxy, but also a large amount of gnostic writing, and spurious prophecy and general fantasy. These apocryphal works are nevertheless important insofar as they provide an ancient context and setting for the composition of the canonical books. Below are some examples of early apocryphal works (please note this short list is by no means exhaustive):

Didache, anonymous instructional text; written c. AD 50–120.
Gospel of Thomas - anonymous collection of sayings attributed to Jesus Christ; written c. AD 50–140.
Gospel of Peter, mostly lost anonymous Synoptic narrative; written c. AD 70–160.
Epistle of Barnabas - anonymous letter of counsel to an unknown audience; written c. AD 80–120. *Greek Gospel of the Egyptians, mostly lost anonymous Gospel narrative; written c. AD 80–150.
Gospel of the Hebrews, mostly lost anonymous Gospel narrative; written c. AD 80–150.
1 Clement, letter of counsel probably composed by Clement, Bishop of Rome, and addressed to the church in Corinth; written c. AD 95–96. *Apocalypse of Peter, anonymous prophecy concerning the end times; written c. AD 100–150.
The Shepherd of Hermas, anonymous Christian text with a broad range of content, including prophecy, direct instruction and parables; written c. AD 100–160.
Gospel of Judas, anonymous gospel narrative attributed to Judas Iscariot; written c. AD 130–170.

Language

The common language spoken in the time of Jesus was Aramaic. However, the original text of the New Testament was most likely written in Koine Greek, the vernacular dialect in 1st-century Roman provinces, and has since been widely translated into other languages, most notably, Latin, Syriac, and Coptic. (However, some of the church fathers seem to imply that Matthew was originally written in Hebrew or more likely Aramaic, and there is another contention that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote in Hebrew, which was translated into Greek by Luke. Neither view holds much support among contemporary scholars, who argue that the literary facets of Matthew and Hebrews suggest that they were composed directly in Greek, rather than being translated.)

It is notable that many books of the New Testament, especially the gospel of Mark and the book of Revelation, are written in relatively poor Greek. They are far from the refined Attic Greek or Classical Greek found composed by the higher classes, ruling elites, and trained philosophers of the time. Relative exceptions to this include the gospels of Luke and John and the Acts of the Apostles, the latter probably written or redacted by the same person who wrote or redacted Luke.

A very small minority of scholars consider the Aramaic version of the New Testament to be the original and believe the Greek is a translation (see Aramaic primacy).

The History of Translation and Usage of the Phrase New Testament

The English phrase New Testament ultimately comes from the Hebrew language. New Testament is taken from the Latin Novum Testamentum. This in turn is a translation of the earlier Greek Καινή Διαθήκη (pronounced in postclassic Greek as Keni Dhiathiki). This Greek phrase is found in the original Greek language of the New Testament, and found even earlier in the Greek translation of the Old Testament that is called the Septuagint. At Jeremiah 31:31, the Septuagint translated this phrase into Greek from the original Hebrew ברית חדשה (brit chadashah). The Hebrew phrase is usually translated into English as new covenant.

As indicated above, the phrase was first used by early Christians to refer to the new covenant that was the basis for their relationship with God. About two centuries later at the time of Tertullian and Lactantius, the phrase was being used to designate a particular collection of books that embodied this covenant.

Tertullian, in the 2nd century, was the first to use the terms novum testamentum/new testament and vetus testamentum/old testament. For example, in Against Marcion book 3 [1], chapter 14, he wrote:

This may be understood to be the Divine Word, who is doubly edged with the two testaments of the law and the gospel

And in book 4 [2], chapter 6, he wrote:

For it is certain that the whole aim at which he has strenuously laboured even in the drawing up of his Antitheses, centres in this, that he may establish a diversity between the Old and the New Testaments, so that his own Christ may be separate from the Creator, as belonging to this rival god, and as alien from the law and the prophets.

Lactantius, in the 3rd century, in his Divine Institutes, book 4, chapter 20 [3], wrote:

But all Scripture is divided into two Testaments. That which preceded the advent and passion of Christ—that is, the law and the prophets—is called the Old; but those things which were written after His resurrection are named the New Testament. The Jews make use of the Old, we of the New: but yet they are not discordant, for the New is the fulfilling of the Old, and in both there is the same testator, even Christ, who, having suffered death for us, made us heirs of His everlasting kingdom, the people of the Jews being deprived and disinherited. As the prophet Jeremiah testifies when he speaks such things: [Jer 31:31–32] "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new testament to the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the testament which I made to their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they continued not in my testament, and I disregarded them, saith the Lord." ... For that which He said above, that He would make a new testament to the house of Judah, shows that the old testament which was given by Moses was not perfect; but that that which was to be given by Christ would be complete.

The Vulgate translation, in the 5th century, used testamentum in 2nd Corinthians 3 [4]:

(6) Who also hath made us fit ministers of the new testament, not in the letter but in the spirit. For the letter killeth: but the spirit quickeneth. (Douay-Rheims)
(14) But their senses were made dull. For, until this present day, the selfsame veil, in the reading of the old testament, remaineth not taken away (because in Christ it is made void). (Douay-Rheims)

However, the more modern NRSV translates these verses from the Koine Greek as such:

(6) Who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
(14) But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.

Thus, it is common to translate using either of two English terms, testament and covenant, even though they are not synonymous.

Gospel sources

The sources of the Gospels, and their relationship, are a matter of some debate, though nearly all scholars and theologians see John as being the last and Luke as having based his account on other sources (since Luke admits to doing so). Some of the Church Fathers said that the Gospel of Matthew was the first written, and this view held sway for many centuries. Modern scholars now believe in Markan priority and the two-source hypothesis, that is to say that the Gospel of Mark and the Q document are the main primary sources of the Gospels. However, as noted below, Q is currently a hypothetical document, though it may have some resemblance, possibly a strong one, to the concretely existing Gospel of Thomas.

Authorship

The New Testament was written by many different people. The traditional view is that all the books were written by apostles or their followers (e.g., Mark and Luke). For example, Papius wrote about AD 140, "This also the presbyter said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord's discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the thing which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely" (cited by Eusebius, Hist. eccl., 3.39.21ff.). Irenaeus wrote about AD 180, "Luke, the attendant of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel which Paul had declared. Afterwards John, the disciple of the Lord, who also reclined on his bosom, published his Gospel, while staying at Ephesus in Asia" (cited by Eusebius, Hist. eccl., 5.8.3ff.).

The majority of modern scholars now largely discount this evidence for apostolic authorship, aside from seven of Paul's letters. Except for Hebrews, no serious question about the authorship of any of the books was raised in the church before the 18th century, when critical inquiry into the New Testament began. However, it should be noted that scholars such as A. N. Sherwin-White, F.F. Bruce, John Wenham, Gary Habermas and others argue for a high degree of historical reliability of the key New Testament events or the New Testament as a whole (see: Resurrection of Jesus for details).[5] [6][7][8] Prominent liberal scholar John A.T. Robinson argued for early dates of the entire New Testament and ascribed many of the key New Testament texts to their traditional authors. [9]

Seven of the epistles of Paul are now generally accepted by most modern scholars as authentic—these "undisputed" letters include Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, First Thessalonians, and Philemon. Scholars are divided over the Pauline authorship of Second Thessalonians, Colossians, and Ephesians (listed in decreasing order of support). It is mainly evangelical scholars who hold Pauline authorship of the Pastorals (1 Tim, 2 Tim, and Titus). Almost no current mainstream scholar, however, holds that Paul wrote Hebrews. In fact, controversy about the authorship of Hebrews, the only anonymous epistle, goes back to the 3rd-century ecclesiastical writer Caius, who attributed only thirteen epistles to Paul (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., 6.20.3ff.).

The exact authorship of most other books has not been agreed upon. The issue is somewhat different for the gospels, because they are all technically anonymous, if we assume the titles reflect no reliable tradition; so the question is whether the traditional attributions (to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are correct. The Johannine writings, particularly the Gospel and the first epistle, have been accepted by many as coming from circles around John the Evangelist; the question there is whether Revelation is ascribed to the circles.

Of key concern is the role of presuppositions in Biblical scholarship, especially gospel and Historical Jesus studies. It is now widely recognized that every individual comes to historical study with their own experiences, religious beliefs, and philosophical assumptions, and that these factors can play a defining role in the final product that any particular scholar produces. In the case of the gospels, modern research has been approached from a number of perspectives: Jewish, feminist, Protestant, Roman Catholic, agnostic, materialist, historical, and social-scientific, to name just a few. A prime example of this diversity of opinion is represented in the numerous and often contradictory "historical Jesus" books published in the past 25 years (compare, for example, the work of the Jesus Seminar, B. Mack, John Dominic Crossan with that of John P. Meier, James Dunn, and N. T. Wright). This has often had the effect of creating reconstructions of Jesus in the images of the particular authors, as opposed to narrating who Jesus really was, what he did, and what he taught. Nevertheless, most scholars are of the opinion that this process of often heated debate has produced viable results.

The problems with correctly assigning authorship to ancient works like those in the New Testament can be demonstrated by looking at its four gospels.

Because of the many similarities between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels ("seeing-together"). The Gospel of John, in contrast, contains much unique narrative and dialogue and is considered to be different in its emphasis from the other three gospels. The question of how the similarities between the synoptic gospels arose is known as the synoptic problem. How material from each gospel was introduced to other gospels brings up significant problems in assigning authorship. Was each written by one individual, the four simply relaying in their own words the events of Jesus' life they themselves witnessed? Was there a first author and gospel whose work substantially contributed to the later gospels? Was each gospel written over a relatively short or long period of time? Was each gospel written by only one person?

The dominant view among critical scholars, the Two-Source Hypothesis, is that both Matthew and Luke drew significantly upon the Gospel of Mark and another common source, known as the "Q Source", from Quelle, the German word for "source". The nature and even existence of Q is speculative. Most Q scholars believe that it was a single written document, while a few contest that "Q" was actually a number of documents or oral traditions. No information about its author, if it existed, can be obtained from the resources currently available and, indeed, little or any direct biographical information about their authors is assumed to be traceable.

Modern scholars are also skeptical about authorship claims for noncanonical books, such as the Nag Hammadi corpus discovered in Egypt in 1945. This corpus of fifty-two Coptic books, dated to about 350–400, includes gospels in the names of Thomas, Philip, James, John, and many others. Like almost all ancient works, they represent copies rather than original texts. None of the original texts has been discovered, and scholars argue about the dating of the originals. Suggested dates vary from as early as 50 to as late as the late second century. (See Gospel of Thomas and New Testament Apocrypha.)

Date of composition

According to tradition, the earliest of the books were the letters of Paul, and the last books to be written are those attributed to John, who is traditionally said to have lived to a very old age, perhaps dying as late as 100, although evidence for this tradition is generally not convincing. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 185, stated that the Gospels of Matthew and Mark were written while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome, which would be in the 60s, and Luke was written some time later. Evangelical and Traditionalist scholars continue to support this dating.

Some other modern critical scholars concur with the dating of the majority of the New Testament, except for the epistles and books that they consider to be pseudepigraphical (i.e., those thought not to be written by their traditional authors). Some do not. For the Gospels they tend to date Mark no earlier than 65, and Matthew some time between 70 and 85. Luke is usually placed in the 80 to 95 time frame. The earliest of the books of the New Testament was First Thessalonians, an epistle of Paul, written probably in 51, or possibly Galatians in 49 according to one of two theories of its writing. Of the pseudepigraphical epistles, Christian scholars tend to place them somewhere between 70 and 150, with Second Peter usually being the latest.

However, John A. T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament (1976), proposed that all of the New Testament was completed before 70, the year the temple at Jerusalem was destroyed. Robinson argued that because the destruction of the temple was prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:15–21 and Luke 23:28–31, the authors of these and other New Testament books would not have failed to point out the fulfillment of this prophecy. Robinson's position is popular among some Evangelicals.

In the 1830s German scholars of the Tübingen school dated the books as late as the third century, but the discovery of some New Testament manuscripts and fragments, not including some of the later writings, dating as far back as 125 (notably Papyrus 52) has called such late dating into question. Additionally, a letter to the church at Corinth in the name of Clement of Rome in 95 quotes from 10 of the 27 books of the New Testament, and a letter to the church at Philippi in the name of Polycarp in 120 quotes from 16 books. Therefore, some of the books of the New Testament were at least in a first-draft stage, though there is negligible evidence in these quotes or among biblical manuscripts for the existence of different early drafts. Other books were probably not completed until later, if we assume they must have been quoted by Clement or Polycarp. There are many minor discrepancies between manuscripts (largely spelling or grammatical differences).

The canonization of the New Testament

Main article: Biblical canon

The process of canonization was complex and lengthy. It was characterized by a compilation of books that early Christians found inspiring in worship and teaching, relevant to the historical situations in which they lived, and consonant with the Hebrew Testament (early Christian communities were primarily Jewish). In this way the books considered authoritative revelation of the New Covenant were not hammered out in large, bureaucratic Church council meetings, but in the secret worship sessions of lower-class peasant Christians. While an episcopal hierarchy did develop and finally solidify the canon, this was a relatively late development.

In the first three centuries of the Christian Church, there was no New Testament canon that was universally recognized. Nevertheless, by the 2nd century, there was a common collection of letters and gospels that a majority of church leaders considered authoritative. These contained the four gospels and many of the letters of Paul. Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian (all 2nd century) held these to be on par with the Hebrew Scriptures as being divinely inspired. Other books were held in high esteem but were gradually relegated to the status of New Testament Apocrypha.

One of the earliest attempts at solidifying a canon was made by Marcion, who rejected the entire Old Testament, all but one gospel (Luke), and three of the Pauline letters. His unorthodox canon was rejected by a majority of Christians, as was he and his theology, Marcionism. Adolf Harnack in Origin of the New Testament (1914)[10] argued that the orthodox Church at this time was largely an Old Testament Church (one that "follows the Testament of the Creator-God") without a New Testament canon and that it gradually formulated its New Testament canon in response to the challenge posed by Marcion. Around 200 the Muratorian fragment was written, listing the accepted works. This list was very similar to the modern canon but also included the Wisdom of Solomon (now part of the Deuterocanonical books) and the Apocalypse of Peter. The New Testament canon as it is now was first listed by St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in 367, in a letter written to his churches in Egypt. That canon gained wider and wider recognition until it was accepted by all at the Third Council of Carthage in 397. Even this council did not settle the matter, however. Certain books continued to be questioned, especially James and Revelation. Even as late as the 16th century, theologian and reformer Martin Luther questioned (but in the end did not reject) the Epistle of James, the Epistle of Jude, the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Book of Revelation. Even today, German-language Luther Bibles are printed with these four books at the end of the canon, rather than their traditional order for other Christians. Due to the fact that some of the recognized Books of the Holy Scripture were having their canonicity questioned by Protestants in the 16th century, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the traditional canon of the Scripture as a dogma of the Catholic Church.

New Testament Text Types

There are several distinctive types of New Testament texts.

The Alexandrian text-type is usually considered the best and most faithful at preserving the original; it is usually brief and austere. The main examples are the Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus and Bodmer Papyri.

The Western text-type has a fondness for paraphrase and is generally the longest. Most significant is the Western version of Acts, which is 10% longer. The main examples are the Codex Bezae, Codex Claromontanus, Codex Washingtonianus, Old Latin versions (prior to the Vulgate), and quotes by Marcion, Tatian, Irenaeus, Tertullian and Cyprian.

The Caesarean text-type is a mixture of Western and Alexandrian types and is found in the Chester Beatty Papyrus and is quoted by Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem and Armenians.

The Byzantine text-type is called a conflated text and is found in the Gospels of Codex Alexandrinus, later uncial texts and most minuscule texts and is the basis of Erasmus's printed Greek New Testament of 1516, which became the basis of the 1611 King James Version of the English New Testament.

Most modern English versions of the New Testament are based on critical reconstructions of the Greek text, such as the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament or Nestle-Alands' Novum Testamentum Graece.

Views on New Testament authority

All Christian groups respect the New Testament, but they differ in their understanding of the nature, extent, and relevance of its authority. Views of the authoritativeness of the New Testament often depend on the concept of inspiration, which relates to the role of God in the formation of the New Testament. Generally, the greater the role of God in one's doctrine of inspiration, the more one accepts the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy and/or authoritativeness of the Bible. One possible source of confusion is that these terms are difficult to define, because many people use them interchangeably or with very different meanings. This article will use the terms in the following manner:

Infallibility relates to the absolute correctness of the Bible in matters of doctrine.
Inerrancy relates to the absolute correctness of the Bible in factual assertions (including historical and scientific assertions).
Authoritativeness relates to the correctness of the Bible in questions of practice and morality.

Christian scholars such as Professor Peter Stoner see the Bible having compelling and detailed fulfilled Bible prophecy and argue for the Bible's inspiration. This is argued to show that the Bible is authoritative, since it is argued that only God knows the future. A common objection in the West regarding this matter is that the miraculous does not occur and therefore other explanations are warranted. C.S. Lewis, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, and Christians who engage in Christian apologetics have argued that miracles are reasonable and plausible. [11] [12] [13][14][15]. On the other hand, in the West those who do not believe in miracles often use the arguments of David Hume, Benedict de Spinoza or argue that Deism is valid. [16][17][18].

All of these concepts depend for their meaning on the supposition that the text of Bible has been properly interpreted, with consideration for the intention of the text, whether literal history, allegory or poetry, etc. Especially the doctrine of inerrancy is variously understood according to the weight given by the interpreter to scientific investigations of the world. A brief outline of these views in different Christian denominations follows.

Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy

For the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, there are two strands of revelation, the Bible, and the (rest of the) Apostolic Tradition. Both of them are interpreted by the teachings of the Church. In Catholic terminology the Teaching Office is called the Magisterium; in Orthodox terminology the authentic interpretation of scripture and tradition is limited, in the final analysis, to the canon law of the Ecumenical councils. Both sources of revelation are considered necessary for proper understanding of the tenets of the faith. The Roman Catholic view is expressed clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992):

§ 83: As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.
§ 107: The inspired books teach the truth. Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.

Protestantism

Following the doctrine of sola scriptura, Protestants believe that their traditions of faith, practice and interpretations carry forward what the scriptures teach, and so tradition is not a source of authority in itself. Their traditions supposedly derive authority from the Bible, and are therefore always open to reevaluation. This openness to doctrinal revision has extended in some Protestant traditions even to the reevaluation of the doctrine of Scripture upon which the Reformation was founded, and members of these traditions may even question whether the Bible is infallible in doctrine, inerrant in historical and other factual statements, and whether it has uniquely divine authority. However, the adjustments made by modern Protestants to their doctrine of Scripture vary widely.

Evangelical and fundamentalist Protestantism

Certain conservatives, fundamentalists and evangelicals believe that the Scriptures are both human and divine in origin: human in their manner of composition, but divine in that their source is God, the Holy Spirit, who governed the writers of Scripture in such a way that they recorded nothing at all contrary to the truth. Fundamentalists accept the enduring authoritativeness and impugnability of a prescientific interpretation of the Bible, especially on such issues as the ordination of women, abortion, and homosexuality. However, although they are overwhelmingly opposed to such things, evangelicals are increasingly willing to consider that the views of the Biblical authors may have been intentionally "culturally conditioned", and evangelicals may even argue that there is room for change along with cultural norms and scientific advancements. Fundamentalists may be therefore described as "conservatives", whereas evangelicals might be better characterized as more flexibly "traditional" on these and other issues.

Both fundamentalists and evangelicals profess belief in the inerrancy of the Bible, but the fundamentalists' stronger emphasis on literal interpretation has led to the rejection of many scientific concepts, particularly that of evolution, which contradicts the doctrine of Creationism. Evangelicals, on the other hand, tend to avoid interpretations of the Bible that would directly contradict generally accepted scientific assertions of fact. They do not impute error to Biblical authors, but rather entertain various theories of literary intent which might give credibility to human progress in knowledge of the world, while still accepting the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. While separation from the world and its influences may be the primary message of the New Testament for some fundamentalists, evangelicals try to remain part of wider society as a witness to personal salvation through Christ.

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978) is an influential statement, articulating evangelical views on this issue. Paragraph four of its summary states: "Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives."

Critics of such a position point out that there are many statements that Jesus makes in the Gospels or that Paul makes in his epistles, even to the point of making them commands, which are not taken as commands by most advocates of Biblical Inerrancy. Examples of this are Jesus' command to the disciples to sell all they have and give the money to the poor so as to gain treasure in the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 10:21), or Paul's calls to imitate him in celibacy (1 Cor 7:8). Other sections of the Bible, such as the second half of John chapter six, where Jesus commands that the disciples eat his flesh and drink his blood, are interpreted by most adherents of Biblical Inerrancy as symbolic language rather than literally, as might be expected from the statements of the doctrine. Supporters of Biblical Inerrancy generally argue that these passages are intended to be symbolic, and that their symbolic nature can be seen directly in the text, thus preserving the doctrine.

Mainline and liberal Protestantism

Mainline Protestant denominations, including the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church USA, The Episcopal Church, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, do not teach the doctrine of inerrancy as set forth in the Chicago Statement. All of these churches have doctrinal statements asserting the authority of scripture, but officially interpret these statements in such a way as to allow for a very broad range of teaching—from evangelicalism to skepticism. It is not an impediment to ordination in these denominations to teach that the Scriptures contain errors, or that the authors follow a more or less unenlightened ethics that, however appropriate it may have seemed in the authors' time, moderns would be very wrong to follow blindly. For example, ordination of women is universally accepted in the mainline churches, abortion is condemned as a grievous social tragedy but not always a personal sin or a crime against an unborn person, and homosexuality is increasingly regarded as a genetic propensity or morally neutral preference that should be neither encouraged nor condemned. The most contentious of these issues among these churches at the present time is how far the ordination of gay men and lesbians should be accepted.

Officials of the Presbyterian Church USA report: "We acknowledge the role of scriptural authority in the Presbyterian Church, but Presbyterians generally do not believe in biblical inerrancy. Presbyterians do not insist that every detail of chronology or sequence or prescientific description in scripture be true in literal form. Our confessions do teach biblical infallibility. Infallibility affirms the entire truthfulness of scripture without depending on every exact detail."

Those who are more liberal view the Bible as a human witness to the glory of God, the work of fallible humans who wrote from a limited experience unusual only for the insight they have gained through their inspired struggle to know God in the midst of a troubled world. Therefore, they tend not to accept such doctrines as inerrancy. These churches also tend to retain the social activism of their Evangelical forebears of the 19th century, placing particular emphasis on those teachings of Scripture that teach compassion for the poor and concern for justice. The message of personal salvation is, generally speaking, of the good that comes to oneself and the world through following the New Testament's Golden Rule and admonition to love others without hypocrisy or prejudice. Toward these ends, the "spirit" of the New Testament, more than the letter, is infallible and authoritative. As such, belief in the errancy of the words of Scripture is in practice as important to Protestant liberalism as inerrancy is to its evangelical and fundamentalist counterparts.

There are some movements that believe the Bible contains the teachings of Jesus but who reject the churches that were formed following its publication. These people believe all individuals can communicate directly with God and therefore do not need guidance or doctrines from a church. These people are known as Christian anarchists.

Messianic Judaism

Messianic Judaism generally holds the same view of New Testament authority as evangelical Protestants.

External links — Source Text

Greek:

The New Testament Gateway - Dr. Mark Goodacre.
Greek New Testament text (searchable only; no downloads) with lexical aids
Greek New Testament This is a Greek text of the New Testament, specifically the Westcott-Hort text from 1881, combined with the NA26/27 variants.

Other Languages:

External links — References

New Testament Gateway, sponsored by Duke University
Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy
Overview of Inerrancy
Catechism of the Catholic Church
State Church Of The Roman Empire
Apologia — Courses Christianity, Cults, and Other Religions
Christian Faith — Exhaustive Information About Christian Faith
A Lutheran discussion of the dates of writing, compiling, and setting of the canon can be found at Ask the Pastor.
A comprehensive discussion of the development and authorship of the New Testament can be found at these pages:
For more information on the Evangelical view on the time of writing, see:
- http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/ca/ca_04.htm
- More Than a Carpenter, chapter 4, by Joshua McDowell
- Redating the New Testament by John A.T. Robinson, who dates every book of the N.T. to before 70.
For further reading:
- Who Wrote the New Testament? by Burton L. Mack, Harper, 1996
- Who Wrote the Gospels? by Randel McCraw Helms.
Ethics of the New Testament — article by V. Antonov
Raymond E. Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament is considered by many scholars to be one of the finest general introductions to the NT.
- [19]New Testament Alterations
Jewish Encyclopedia: New Testament
Catholic Encyclopedia: New Testament

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ===The Gospels===
+Summary of Matthew.     Jesus was adopted by a descendant of the kings of Israel.  When he grew up, he went around doing faith healing and giving a speech on morals.  He opposed: anger, insults, lust, divorce, worry, and criticizing.  He favored: good deeds, apologizing, forgiveness, generosity, good will, friendliness, sincerity, charity, praying for things, God's will, and forgiveness, and faith in God but the possibility of the punishment of evil. Poor, he sent 12 disciples ahead of him to get people to show up.  Then, he and some others barged into a priest's house and ate up the priest's food.  His grouchy interpretations of some parables offended people but he did faith healing.  He also divided a few loaves of bread into tiny pieces to give to a crowd and the pieces miraculously got bigger, and he walked on a wavy lake out to a boat.  Yet, he insulted people a lot and suddenly vandalized a temple's gift shop and yelled at the Rabbi and threatened to mess up the temple even more.  Worried, he later toasted the forgiveness of sins.  Still, a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was put to death, but he rose from the dead, then told his disciples to teach his teachings. Jesus's sermon is in Matthew 5, 6, & 7.
-Each of the Gospels narrates the ministry of Jesus Christ.  The author is listed after each entry.
-*The [[Gospel of Matthew]], traditionally the Apostle [[Matthew the Evangelist|Matthew, son of Alphaeus]]; actually anonymous.
+Summary of Mark.     Jesus traveled around preaching and doing exorcisms and healing's in synagogues.  When the crowds got bigger they sat on a lake's shore and he stood on a boat.  He put short stories about ordinary things into sermons to give the crowds something nice to listen to.  One time when he said "calm down" the storm stopped.  He sent 12 apostles around to advertise.  He broke a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish into tiny pieces and they distributed them to a crowd of over 5,000 people and the pieces got bigger and fed them all.  He walked to a row boat that was in the middle of a wavy lake.  When some Rabbis criticized him, he criticized them back.  He opposed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  He continued doing exorcisms and healing's and miraculously feeding crowds bread and fish.  Then, on the way to Jerusalem, he told his disciples he planned on getting in trouble.  When they got there, he vandalized the gift shop of a temple.  The next day, he and a crowd went into the temple and he preached without permission to use the temple.  As he was leaving, he said the temple would be thrown down.  An apostle said, "When?" and he said, "Someday; keep preaching no matter what."  At the passover dinner, he told an apostle to turn him in for the money and he gave his apostles his bread and wine.  After he was arrested, he admitted to the soldiers he was born king of the Jews.  So, he was put to death, but he rose from the dead.  After he lived the rest of his life, it was still preached he rose from the dead and that God can save you also.
-*The [[Gospel of Mark]], traditionally [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]], who wrote down the narrative given by the Apostle [[Saint Peter|Simon, called Peter]]; actually anonymous.
-*The [[Gospel of Luke]], traditionally [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]], who wrote down the narrative given by the Apostle Paul, who was formerly called Saul; actually anonymous.
+Summary of Luke.  Although Jesus was a prince, he was born in a shepherd's barn.  He decided to travel around his country preaching after a dove landed on him when he was baptized.  He did healings and exorcisms and started getting large crowds.  He stood on a boat with his audience on the lake's shore.  He favored forgiveness, generosity, kindness, mercy, and peace.  He also read minds and raised people from the dead.  He said 'calm down' and a storm stopped.  He sent 12 apostles around to advertise.  He miraculously fed over 5,000 people by dividing 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish among them.  He appointed 72 missionaries and sent them around to say something like, "Don't worry; remember the kingdom of God."  Yet, he yelled at a respected minister at a dinner.  In fact, he yelled at many who criticized him because he considered himself to be a prince.  Then, he started raising an illegal army and telling stories that slandered God.  He vandalized the gift shop of the temple in Jerusalem and started holding his services in the temple without permission. One day, as he left the beautiful temple, he said he was going to have his army tear it down. So, one of his apostles decided to have him arrested.  At Passover, he told them to eat bread and grape juice.  He was charged with treason and put to death.  After his father buried him in a tomb, somebody raised him from the dead.  He magically appeared to his apostles and told them to be peaceful and to preach repentance and forgiveness.
-*The [[Gospel of John]], traditionally the Apostle [[John the Evangelist|John, son of Zebedee]]; actually anonymous.
+Summary of John.  A dove landed on Jesus when he was baptized, so  he went into a temple and forced them to close the shop selling doves.  He then threatened people who don't believe in him.  At a well, he claimed God is a spirit.  Jesus healed people and allowed working on Saturday.  He divided a few loaves of bread and a few fish among a huge crowd.  Later, he was mobbed.  Upset, he called them cannibals, so they left.  Another time, guards were sent because Jesus started arguing with someone in a temple courtyard, but they decided to let him speak.  He considered Moses laws such as stoning to be figures of speech.  He continued traveling around doing healings and defending his short, poetic sermons.  After Jesus dramatically raised his friend from the dead, so many people joined his army a warrant was issued for his arrest.  On passover, Jesus sent Judas on an errand; then told his apostles he was going to hide out at his parent's and would contact them by a trusted messenger, who he sent asking if they could stay there to.  However, the police brought Judas, and  Jesus was arrested, charged with treason and put to death.  A couple of days later, he rose from the dead.  He visited his apostles and told them, "Be peaceful and forgiving," and he showed them his injuries.  Later, he returned and asked them to stop fishing and help him feed his sheep.
 See also:  [[synoptic problem]]
 ===Acts===
+Summary of Acts.  The Apostles escaped a burning building and a crowd gathered.  Peter said to them, "God raised Jesus from the dead.  Don't worry.  Get the Holy Spirit."  So, they started a commune to help the poor.  It closed because Saul was investigating a murder.  When Saul was struck by lightning, Jesus helped him stand up.  So, Saul became a preacher using his other name, Paul.  Like Peter, he preached that Jesus taught to use forgiveness instead of the temper of Moses.  Paul traveled to Mediterranean countries, starting groups of the church and sometimes got in trouble for it.  In one town after an earthquake, he said he wouldn't escape if the jailer would believe in Jesus.  In synagogues, he claimed they should listen to the teachings of Jesus because he would have been their king, but they thought him saying that might get them in trouble with Rome.  In one town, he hit a Rabbi who was suing him.  Then, he continued sailing from port to port preaching and healing people.  When he arrived at the temple in Jerusalem, security guards beat him up and he was arrested by the Romans.  Jesus visited him in jail.  Because of the big demonstrations against Paul, he was sent to Rome for trial.  On the way he was shipwrecked for a few months.  Then, in Rome while under house arrest, he continued preaching.
-The book of [[Acts]], also occasionally termed Acts of the Apostles or Acts of the Holy Spirit, is a narrative of the Apostles' ministry after Christ's death, which is also a sequel to the third Gospel.
 *[[Acts]], traditionally [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]], who wrote down the narrative given by the Apostle Paul, who was formerly called Saul; actually anonymous.
 ===Pauline Epistles===
+Summary of Romans.  Paul says that Jesus was the sacrifice of anger; then God raised him from the dead, for peaceful sermons honor God.
-The [[Pauline Epistles]] (or ''Corpus Paulinum'') constitute those epistles traditionally attributed to Paul, though only seven or eight of them are actually authentic.  They consist mostly of moral counsel and behavioral instruction, though they do include other elements as well.
-*''[[Epistle to the Romans]]'' — Paul
+Summary of 1st Corinthians.  Paul says.  If there's a fight in church, call security.  Preaching is a profession, not a hobby.  Respect other's opinions, especially mine.  Communion's about sharing the drink, not the fish.  So your preacher can't do a miracle?  So what?  Follow the way of love.  Christ rose healing our sins.  Save up for guest speakers.
-*''[[First Epistle to the Corinthians]]'' — Paul
-*''[[Second Epistle to the Corinthians]]'' — Paul
+Summary of 2nd Corinthians.  Paul says.  Rely on God.  We're good from God's grace.  Be forgiving.  Christ means goodness or the teachings of Christ.  Jesus teachings are better than Moses.  God is forgiving.  The Corinthian's generous offerings will help the poor in other towns also and will help continue the empire that believes in God.  Paul goes to Corinth to be the judge at some trial.
-*''[[Epistle to the Galatians]]'' — Paul
-*''[[Epistle to the Ephesians]]'' — traditionally Paul; actually anonymous
+Summary of Galatians.  Paul says.  He started preaching because he met Jesus.  There's no good reason to follow Abraham's or Moses' law.  Don't be superstitious.  Just be a nice person.  For example, the story of Abraham and Isaac, taken figuratively he says, helps free the reader's mind;  the story isn't telling the reader to be or not be circumcised.
-*''[[Epistle to the Philippians]]'' — Paul
-*''[[Epistle to the Colossians]]'' — traditionally Paul; actually disputed (possibly Paul)
+Summary of Ephesians.  Paul says:  Church is worth going to.  God makes you a nice person.  He's not just for the Jews.  So, he started this religion.  He gave the idea to Reverend Jesus, Paul's employer.  God makes it safe to be nice, which is also a good example to those in charge.  Being kind is being respectable.  An authority should be good.  Resist evil.  Rely on God.  Pray.  Paul asks them to pray for him because he's in jail.
-*''[[First Epistle to the Thessalonians]]'' — Paul
-*''[[Second Epistle to the Thessalonians]]'' — traditionally Paul; actually anonymous
+Summary of Philippians.  Paul says.  Instead of administrator only, he still plans on preaching.  It's nice they're staying with the other churches and he thanks them for their payment.
-*''[[First Epistle to Timothy]]'' — traditionally Paul; actually anonymous
-*''[[Second Epistle to Timothy]]'' — traditionally Paul; actually anonymous
+Summary of Colossians.  Paul says.  Remember, Jesus surrendered that night to keep them from fighting, because God favors peace.  In the study of Christ, there is information that helps you be wise.  You identified with Jesus.  You don't cuss and so on.  You try to be good.  Paul would like to get out of jail and continue preaching belief in Christ.
-*''[[Epistle to Titus]]'' — traditionally Paul; actually anonymous
-*''[[Epistle to Philemon]]'' — Paul
+Summary of 1 Thessalonians.  Paul says.  He would like to visit them again.  He could preach: "God makes you good and not lust.  He raises the dead to get along with each other.  Remember to pray."
-*''[[Epistle to the Hebrews]]'' - traditionally Paul; actually anonymous
+Summary of 2 Thessalonians.  Paul says.  You've got faith while Jesus wants to kill those who don't support his government and Paul wants to starve the unemployed.  Grace be with you.
+Summary of 1 Timothy.  Paul calls himself a sinner; then gives in a bossy way some of his opinions on how to behave.  He says God is everyone's savior, especially those who believe it.  He discovers more of his feelings on right and wrong, and says to pursue good morals relying on God.
+Summary of 2 Timothy.  Paul says.  He preaches, about good Prince Jesus trying to share faith in God, for the world should remember God.  The followers of God are kind, peaceful people including himself.  Paul needs his scrolls brought for his defense.
+Summary of Titus.  Paul says.  Church Elders should be respectable.  Pay no attention to myths or commands that reject the truth.  God is likeable and for everyone.  From hearing Jesus teachings, God's mercy saves you by giving the Holy Spirit, which includes helping others.
+Summary of Philemon.  Paul says.  He's now a prisoner of Jesus.  So, understand what's good about being in, or like, Christ.  Paul adopted their former slave who he wants treated as a brother, and will visit them also as soon as possible.
+Summary of Hebrews.  Probably Paul says.  The Old Testament proves Jesus was qualified by God to preach.  Furthermore, if sacrificing animals the way Moses did pleased God, then sacrificing Jesus that passover pleased God enough to no longer sacrifice.  Thus, sins can be forgiven without being paid for.  So, God doesn't want donations from guilt but from generosity.  Our faith is against sin, and Jesus' conscience told him that some things Moses said are wrong.  Yet, you've got to be polite.  Be kind.  Rely on God.  Your offerings should be to help praise God and to share with others.  God bless you.
 ===General Epistles===
 :''See main article: [[General Epistles]]''
 The General or Catholic Epistles are those written to the church at large (''Catholic'' in this sense simply means ''universal'').
+Summary of James.  Before you pray, decide what you want, like help controlling your temper.  Help the poor.  Be as nice as if you'd get in trouble if you don't.  What you do shows what you believe.  Don't curse.  Be considerate.  Be peaceful, prayerful & nice.   Spend some money the last days in this book.  Don't swear, including "Yes, by Something."  Pray including for each other.
-*[[Epistle of James]], traditionally [[James the Just|James, brother of Jesus and Jude Thomas]]; actually anonymous.
-*[[First Epistle of Peter]], traditionally the Apostle [[Saint Peter|Simon, called Peter]]; actually anonymous.
+Summary of 1 Peter.  He says, God raised their boss, Jesus, from the dead to help people have the faith to be good.  Preaching was in Jesus blood and now you foreigners believe in God.  Give God a good reputation.  Be kind as if somebody might get crucified if you're not.  Although baptism symbolizes planning to be good, like Jesus you're saved by God's love and not yours.  Be against lust parties, and in a bossy way, because of shortage and so on and the need for family.  Be respectable.  Yet, he says, greet with the kiss of love.
-*[[Second Epistle of Peter]], traditionally the Apostle [[Saint Peter|Simon, called Peter]]; actually anonymous.
-*[[First Epistle of John]], traditionally the Apostle [[John the Evangelist|John, son of Zebedee]]; actually anonymous.
+Summary of 2 Peter.  If you're a nice person, Jesus would vote for you.  When Jesus was called God's son, it was considered a complement.  God doesn't let bad people get away with it.  The collapsing universe is no excuse.  God will send us to the next, where we still want to be nice.
-*[[Second Epistle of John]], traditionally the Apostle [[John the Evangelist|John, son of Zebedee]]; actually anonymous.
-*[[Third Epistle of John]], traditionally the Apostle [[John the Evangelist|John, son of Zebedee]]; actually anonymous
+Summary of 1 John.  Life exists and will forever so God is reasonable.  If we're reasonable to, we make friends, share something to drink, apologize and so on.  John then claims Jesus was a sacrifice even though that was not in the story, for remembering Jesus teachings is worth it.  To refresh your memory: get along with each other.  An antichrist is someone who claims Jesus was not a priest.  John says to remember the original story and don't let someone lead you astray.  Then he claims Jesus was offered as a sacrifice to God to pay for everyone's sins rather than executed as a criminal as in the original report.  Then John says, since no one has ever seen God we still need to be nice to each other, for God to live through us.  So, because Jesus was Jewish he was brought up believing in the God of the Jews.  Because of his ministry, you've heard of God also and can pray to God anywhere.
-*[[Epistle of Jude]], traditionally [[Jude|Jude Thomas, brother of Jesus and James]]; actually anonymous.
+Summary of 2 John.  Church is not a literary group;  it's supposed to teach the faith in God that Jesus taught when he started the church.
+Summary of 3 John.  John plans on visiting them to find out why their minister has been speaking against him.
+Summary of Jude.  Preach faith in God, for there are some among you who dream things like the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah, having taken the way of Cain.  Instead, the Lord favors holy judges. Preach God's love, for God is able to keep you from falling.
 ===Prophecy===