The New Testament

The New Testament that was discovered in Egypt in 1952: They were written in Greek on papyrus, and they are called the "Bodmer Papyri" named after Martin Bodmer who purchased them.

The New Testament written in the first century after the birth of Jesus Christ, consists of 27 books and contains the covenant that God established to save mankind. They are arranged in the following order: the four Gospels that contain the work and teachings of Jesus, the records of the apostle's preaching activities, the letters sent to churches or individuals, and a book of prophecy. Judaism accepts only the Old Testament as the Holy Scriptures, but Christianity understands the relationship between the Old and New Testaments as the relationship between promises and their fulfillment. Christians recognize both the Old Testament and the New Testament as the Holy Scriptures.

The Naming of the New Testament

Jesus established the new covenant by keeping the Passover.

The New Testament means the new covenant. Its name was given to differentiate it from the Old Testament. The first covenant God established with the Israelites in the time of Moses was the old covenant, and the new covenant was established by Jesus while preaching the gospel. The term Scriptures written in the New Testament refers to the Old Testament.

Languages

The New Testament was written in Greek, the international language of that time and the language used in the Roman Empire. To spread the gospel throughout the empire, not limiting it to the Jewish nation, the apostles wrote the Bible in Greek; however, it is said that the books of Matthew and Hebrews were written in Hebrew for the Jews, and later translated into Greek.

Writer and Date

Bible	Writer	Date (Approx.)
Matthew	Matthew	A.D. 60–70
Mark	Mark	A.D. 55–65
Luke	Luke	A.D. 60–68
John	John	A.D. 80–90
Acts	Luke	A.D. 61–63
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1& 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon	Paul	A.D. 51–67
Hebrews	Paul (uncertain)	A.D. 65–68
James	James	A.D. 60–62
1 & 2 Peter	Peter	A.D. 64–67
1 & 2 & 3 John	John	A.D. 85–95
Jude	Jude	A.D. 65–80
Revelation	John	A.D. 95–96

Structure

Class.	Content
The Gospels (4 Books)	Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
The Book of History (1 Book)	Acts
Pauline Epistles (14 Books)	Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews
General Epistles (7 Books)	James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Book of Prophecy (1 Book)	Revelation

The Gospels

The Gospels refer to the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and are found at the beginning of the New Testament. The Gospels focus on the work and teachings of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are written from a similar point of view, which is why they are referred to as the synoptic Gospels.

The Book of History

The book of Acts is the only historical book in the New Testament. This book talks about the work of the apostles preaching the gospel not only to Judea but also to the Gentile nations after Jesus’ ascension.

Pauline Epistles

Some believe that there are 13 Pauline epistles, and some believe there are 14 because the writer of Hebrews is presumed to be Paul. They can be divided into three types: letters sent to the churches established during Apostle Paul’s three missionary journeys (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians); letters he sent to his fellow workers working for the gospel (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon); and an epistle targeting a certain class of people (Hebrews). They are also classified into prison epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon) and pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus) that record the guidelines of the ministry.

For details, refer to: Paul’s Epistles

General Epistles

The general epistles refer to the epistles in the New Testament excluding the Pauline epistles: James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude. Some scholars include the book of Hebrews in the general epistles.

The Book of Prophecy

The last book of the New Testament, Revelation, is a book of prophecy. It was written by Apostle John, who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, as he received a revelation from Jesus while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. The Bible begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth in the book of Genesis, and ends with the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. This refers to the coming of the kingdom of heaven in the book of Revelation.

Formation and Preservation of the New Testament

Manuscript of the New Testament written on papyrus in about the third century with fragments of Luke chapter 24 and John chapter 1

The New Testament was recorded in the Apostolic Age during the 1st century. As the disciples who witnessed Jesus’ life and resurrection died one after another, it was necessary to write Jesus’ work and preserve it.

In addition, the apostles and church leaders sent letters to the churches to teach them how to build up their faith correctly. These letters were copied, shared, and read by many churches for a long time. Churches have acknowledged these books as part of the Bible because they share how to follow the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.

The original copy of the New Testament does not exist. From the beginning, manuscripts were made and sent to various churches, and manuscripts of the manuscripts were made when they were worn out. At that time, the manuscripts were usually written on a scroll made by weaving reeds called papyrus, which was easily obtained in Egypt. Papyrus, however, didn’t last long; it was either broken or rotted due to moisture. Parchment was also used to make manuscripts. Parchment, which was made of sheepskin, lasted longer than papyrus and could be bound in the shape of a book. Until the invention of printing in the fifteenth century, the Bible was handed down through manuscripts.

Main Characters and Regions

• Characters: Jesus, John the Baptist, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, Paul, Philip, James, Timothy, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Herod, Pilate, Cornelius, Mary, Nicodemus
• Regions: Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Galilee, Capernaum, Nazareth, Samaria, Antioch, Galatia, Thessalonica, Corinth, Colosse, Rome, Ephesus, Philippi

See also

• Bible
• The Old Testament