From my notes, second summer session 1989
Geography
Israel, the land of the New Testament, is a small country...about the size of the state of Vermont. It's approximately 150 miles long and 45 miles wide. Israel contains the lowest point on the earth, the Dead Sea, which sits 1,400' below sea level. There are two seasons in this small country: the wet season from November to April, and the dry season from May to October. The Arabian Desert on the east influences the climate, which is subtropical and produces citrus fruits.
Overview of the New Testament
The New Testament is comprised of 27 books written to fill specific needs of the church at the time of their writing. As more than 27 books were actually written, a process, called canonization, determined which books were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit and accurately represented the teachings and doings of Jesus Christ and the early church.
A. The Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the Acts of the Apostles were written as the disciples began to die off, and no one would be around to tell what Jesus had done and taught...no eye witnesses. It was 25-30 years after the ascension of Jesus that the Gospels were written. Mark was the first to be written, and John was the last. The Gospels were both historical and "good news" books.
B. The Epistles were letters written by Apostle Paul to churches to keep unity as the gospel message spread. We get our church doctrine from these epistles. The letters were written to correct false teachings and to encourage and build up the faith.
The Four Gospels
1 - Mark was the first gospel written, and also the shortest. John Mark, a comrade of Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, was not a disciple. Most of his knowledge came from Apostle Peter. One third of his gospel focused on the passion and resurrection of Jesus. Unique to Mark's gospel is fast action. The word "immediately" occurs 42 times in his gospel. Mark was written more for the Gentile audience.
2 - Matthew was written by the disciple Matthew, also known as Levi. He was a tax collector, and he wrote his gospel for the Jewish audience. He wrote to defend the truth that Jesus was the Messiah by relating Jesus' life with the Old Testament prophecies. The genealogy includes Abraham and David, describing how Jesus came from royal bloodline...Son of David (King). Also the genealogy was from Joseph's perspective, through the male line (the father of Jesus.) Matthew used Jesus' reference to Old Testament scriptures being fulfilled.
3 - Luke was also a gospel written by a non-disciple. Luke was a Gentile aristocrat and a physician. He was also a companion of Apostle Paul, and the only Gentile writer in the New Testament. He wrote to Theophilus, a Roman official, who wanted a chronological order of the life of Jesus. Luke gives the most comprehensive coverage of Jesus' life. His genealogy was from Mary's perspective, the female line (the mother of Jesus). He emphasized prayer and the Holy Spirit in his writing.
4 - John was the last gospel written, and the author was a disciple of Jesus Christ. He was referred to as the beloved disciple. He and his brother James were fishermen from Galilee. John was actually a disciple of John the Baptist first. As the disciple of Jesus, he was one of three of Jesus' inner circle (Peter, James, John). John was the last disciple to die, and wrote five books total (the Gospel of John, 1,2,3 John, and Revelation). He wrote to reach the Jews by referring to Jesus as the Messiah, and to reach the Gentiles by referring to Christ as the Son of God. John was more theological than the other gospels and emphasized belief, which occurred 98 times in his gospel.
Acts
Acts was was by Luke as a sequel to his gospel, and was also written to Theophilus. It was written with a historical purpose, giving the early church history for the first 30-35 years. It tells us how the disciples of Jesus changed from fearful to bold and empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which was the beginning of the early church. Whereas the gospels were a record of what Jesus began to do and teach before the cross, Acts records what Jesus continued to do through His gift of the Holy Spirit after His ascension.
The conversion of Saul (Apostle Paul) and the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas are written in detail. The letters, or epistles, that Paul wrote, which comprise 13 books of the New Testament, stem from those three missionary journeys.
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