The New Testament, which means "new Aliance” in Hebrew, it is a compiled from 27 books of the Christian Holy Bible, distributed in 260 chapters, originally written in Greek, between 50 and 150 d. Ç.
The earliest possible compilation of the New Testament canon was made by Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, through an annual Passover letter written to the churches in AD 367. Ç. This letter contained the 27 books that we find today in the New Testament.
These books tell the story of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the spread of his teachings, the formation of the first churches, and the prophecies of eternity.
The New Testament is divided into 4 parts: the Gospels, The Historical Book, the epistles it's the prophetic book, distributed as follows:
the Gospels:
- Mateus
- frames
- Lucas
- João
The Prophetic Book:
- Apostles' acts
The Epistles, subdivided into:
Epistles of Paul:
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Epistles:
- Hebrews
- Tiago
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Judas
The Prophetic Book:
- Apocalypse
New Testament books and their authors
the Gospels
The first part of the New Testament story is formed by the four Gospels, which means “good news”. Are they:
- Gospel according to Matthew: written by Matthew, apostle of Jesus;
- Gospel according to Mark: written by Mark, disciple of Jesus;
- Gospel according to Luke: written by Luke, disciple of Jesus;
- The Gospel According to John: written by John, apostle of Jesus.
These first 4 books narrate the story of Jesus, from his birth to his death and resurrection, in the vision of his disciples who accompanied him throughout his journey.
Mateus, the first book of the New Testament, presents Jesus as the Messiah promised by God in the Old Testament. frames presents Jesus as the servant of God, who came to earth to carry out his Father's orders.
Lucas, in turn, announces him as the Son of Man, as a way of showing the human side of Christ. Already João presents the divine side of Jesus, calling him the Son of God.
In the Gospels, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is presented as the victory of good over evil, being he heralded as the Son of God, who conquered the sin of mankind, providing the grace and forgiveness of God.
The Historical Book
The second part of the history of the New Testament is constituted by the Historical Book called by Acts of the Apostless, written by Luke, disciple of Jesus.
The Book of Acts tells the story of the first expansion of the church after the death of Jesus Christ. Upon resurrecting, Jesus enabled some of his followers through the Holy Spirit, calling them apostles, which means "the ones sent."
The narration revolves around how the apostles spread the gospel of Jesus, guiding people who formed a new Christian community and churches. One of the main characters in this book is the apostle Paul, responsible for writing letters that guided the local churches at the time.
See also the meaning of Bible and Gospel.
the epistles
The third part of the New Testament is composed of the Letters (Epistles) of the Apostles to the newly founded churches. This part is subdivided into two others: the thirteen Epistles of Paul, written by the apostle Paul, and the General Epistles, written by other apostles.
at thirteen Epistles of Paul they are:
- Letter to the Romans - in which the apostle writes about the righteousness of God and the teaching on salvation;
- 1 Letter to the Corinthians - talks about the divisions and questions that were taking place within the church;
- 2 Letter to the Corinthians - Paul warns false prophets and guides the church to face problems through love;
- Letter to the Galatians - explains that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ;
- Letter to the Ephesians - Paul explains how all the members of the church form one body, with Jesus being the guide;
- Letter to the Philippians - Paul teaches how to overcome the sufferings of life with the strength and joy that come through Jesus Christ;
- Letter to the Colossians - warns and teaches that faith must be only in Jesus Christ and in no other teaching;
- 1 Letter to the Thessalonians - the apostle speaks about the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth and the importance of the quest for holiness;
- 2 Letter to the Thessalonians - Paul talks about the second coming of Jesus Christ;
- 1 Letter to Timothy - addresses the type of conduct that should be taken inside the temple;
- 2 Letter to Timothy - talks about the types of obstacles that people faithful to Jesus face;
- Letter to Titus - talks about the need for good doctrine along with good works;
- Letter to Philemon - addresses forgiveness.
At General Epistles they were letters too, but they are called that because they were intended for the general public and not necessarily for a church. Are they:
- Letter to the Hebrews - with unknown author, the letter to the Hebrews talks about the superiority of Jesus Christ and the faith that the members should have;
- James - written by James, brother of Jesus Christ, the letter talks about the importance of faith being accompanied by good works;
- 1 Peter - written by Peter, Jesus' Apostle, the letter talks about the joy of those who believe in Jesus Christ, even in suffering and also about the glory of God;
- 2 Peter - written by Peter, Jesus' Apostle, the letter talks about the certainty of the gospel and the return of Jesus;
- 1, 2 3 John - written by the Apostle John, these letters talk about the importance of loving one another others, the good testimony of believers (good deeds) and about confessing sins to obtain the forgiveness of God;
- Judas - Written by Judas, brother of Jesus Christ, the letter warns of the danger of false prophets.
know more about Jesus.
The Prophetic Book
The last book of the New Testament, called the Apocalypse, which means “revelation,” was written by the apostle John when he was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos and had revelations from Jesus Christ, about the fulfillment of God's plans for history and about the eternity.
In these revelations, John affirms that Jesus Christ will return to seek out those who followed his teachings and accepted him as the only and eternal savior.
Differences between the Old and New Testaments
The first big difference is in the name itself. The word testament means “covenant” in Hebrew. The 39 books of the Old Testament tell the story of the ancient covenant made by God with humanity and the promise of the coming of a Messiah, in order to save the world from sin.
The New Testament is this new covenant realized, made through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who achieved Divine Grace and God's forgiveness against the sin of mankind.
The two testaments were also written at different times. Old is dated between 1800 to 500 a. C., while the New Testament was written between 50 and 100 d. C, and this implied many changes in the ways of practicing Christianity.
In the Old Testament, for example, the adorations to God they were practiced in temples, with animal sacrifices and object offerings. In the New Testament, Jesus explains that he is the only means of worship to reach God, claiming to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).
As much as the birth of Jesus Christ gave new meaning to God's relationship with humanity, the Old Testament has a strong relationship with the New Testament, for always pointing to the coming of the Messiah, promised for God.
See also the meaning of:
- Anathema;
- kadosh;