NT Survey (Part 1 -Gospels) - Meeting 2

Introduction to the Bible

Christians are men and women of the Book. The Muslim people have the Koran, the Hindus have the Rig-Veda, but Christians base their faith and practice upon the Bible.

But why is this group of sixty-six books called the Bible? Why not some other name?

The title is based upon the word biblos, the name of the papyrus or byblos reed used in ancient times for making scrolls or writing paper. Our English word “Bible” is, then, based upon the Latin and French with an Anglicized ending.

This title shows the basic authority and unity of all of the books within the two testaments.

Christians do not regard the New Testament as a second Bible; they follow one book, with two major divisions of equal value and authority.

Jesus Christ referred to the Old Testament books as the “scriptures” (Matt. 21:42) or the “scripture” (John 10:35), using both the singular and plural designations. The word “scripture” is the translation of the Greek word graphe, which basically means “a writing.” Christ regarded the written, prophetic word to be authoritative and divinely inspired. New Testament writers did likewise (Acts 18:24; Rom. 15:4). Paul even called them “the holy scriptures” (2 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 1:2), and “the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2).

Classification of the Books of the New Testament

Any classification of these twenty-seven books of the New Testament must admittedly be arbitrary because they were not so catalogued when originally written. However, it has been convenient to group the books by their content and literary style.

The present order of the books within our English New Testament has produced this very common listing:

Add here the picture of classifications

Writers

The twenty-seven New Testament books were written by nine different men. Evangelicals are disagreed over the authorship of Hebrews. If Paul wrote it, then only eight men were directed by the Holy Spirit to give us these books.

This chart lists the writers with their respective books.

Add here the picture of the writers

Order of Writing

The New Testament books were not written in the order in which they appear in our English Bibles (consult the chart). The Gospels were not written before the Epistles, nor were all of Paul’s letters necessarily penned before the General Epistles. In fact, the Pauline Epistles were not composed in their listed order either. It is generally acknowledged by evangelicals that James was the first and that Revelation was the last to be published.

It would appear then that twenty-two of the New Testament books were composed during a concentrated period of twenty-five years (A.D. 45–70). This is especially striking when one realizes that the thirty-nine Old Testament books were written over a period of one thousand years (c. 1500–400 B.C.). In the next fifteen years (A.D. 70–85), no books were published. There are probably several reasons for this: The early Christians began to experience the Roman imperial persecutions; the apostolic leaders were being martyred; and survival was foremost in the mind of the church. After the Zerubbabel-Herod temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy (Matt. 24:1–2), the Christians lived in expectation of Christ’s imminent return.

Several Reasons why the NT were composed during a concentrated period of 25 Years:

A. The early Christians began to experience the Roman imperial persecutions

B. The apostolic leaders were being martyred.

C. Survival was foremost in the mind of the church.

Through the Apostle John, God’s progressive written revelation, begun in Genesis, would end with the writing of Revelation (Rev. 22:18–19). With John’s writings and death in the past, the foundation of this church age had been firmly established (Eph. 2:20). There would be no need for further revelation; the need, from the second century on, would be to promote the written message of God through translation and evangelization.

Inspiration and Authority

What is inspiration?

This theological term is based upon the Greek word theopneustos, found only once in the Bible and translated as “given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). It literally means “God-breathed.”

Evangelicals believe that the written Bible is just as authoritative and just as much the word of God as the oral pronouncements of God Himself.

This authority extends equally to all of the sixty-six books and to every word contained within those books. This means that the Christian must regard the entire Bible as the basis of his faith and practice. To him it is inerrant truth, no matter in what area it speaks (theology, ethics, history, science, etc.).

The evangelical argues that inspiration refers to what was originally written by the prophets and apostles, not to the men themselves nor to the effect produced within the life of the reader.

Although the original texts have been destroyed through various means, the essential text of Scripture has been preserved in the thousands of copies discovered by archaeologists and protected in modern museums and libraries.

The science of textual criticism has demonstrated the validity of our present Hebrew and Greek texts upon which our English translations are based. The contemporary Christian can look upon his English Bible with confidence, knowing that he holds in his hands the genuine Word of God without essential loss.

The doctrine of inspiration has not been superimposed upon the Biblical books. This is what they claim for themselves. Critics may reject the claim, but they cannot deny that the claim has been made. Both Paul and Peter made such clear assertions. Paul stated: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). Peter added: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).

The Bible was not conceived by man’s imagination and desire; Spirit-moved men produced the God-breathed writings.

Jesus Christ Himself put His stamp of approval upon the Old Testament. His sermons and conversations were saturated with its contents. He used it as a defensive weapon against the satanic temptations (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). In His debates with His critics, He treated it as the final, authoritative word on the subject at hand (cf. Matt. 12:2–5). He boldly argued that the Scripture could not be broken (John 10:35). He further claimed that not one jot (smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet) or tittle (a stroke of the pen that distinguished one letter from another) would ever pass from the law (Matt. 5:17–18).

The Synoptic Gospel

The word “synoptic” comes from two Greek words: sun, meaning “with” or “together,” and optanomai, meaning “to see.” The word is applied to the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) because they present a common approach to the life of Christ. The Gospel of John is omitted because it contains much distinctive content.

The Synoptic Gospels record a lot of material that is common to all three of them or is found in at least two of them.

From his study Westcott determined these percentages of differences and similarities:

Add here the picture of the differences and Agreements

How Did the Synoptic Gospels Come into Being?

Simply identifying the authors of the Synoptic Gospels leaves some questions unanswered.

How did the authors get the material about Jesus that they used?

Why are the three accounts so similar at so many places and so different at others?

Were the evangelists themselves recorders of tradition or authors with their own point of view?

And to raise the larger question that lurks behind all of these, why four gospels?

Luke refers to three stages in which the gospel material has come to him (Luke 1:1–4):

1. Oral traditions: “Eyewitnesses and servants of the word” “handed down” the truth about Jesus.

2. Written sources: “Many” have already drawn up accounts of Jesus and the early church.

3. Final composition: Luke himself, having “carefully investigated” these sources, now composes his own “orderly” account.

Contents of the Gospels

Each Gospel is a distinctive unit by itself. Each was written at a different time for a different readership for a different purpose.

A reading of one Gospel will not reveal the total life of Christ. No Gospel writer determined to write an exhaustive, chronological biography. Rather, each selected from a vast reservoir of material those events that would best relate to his purpose (cf. John 20:30–31). These events were then arranged for effect rather than for chronological sequence.

The Synoptic Gospels are Similar in 3 Ways

1. Structure: They structure Jesus’ ministry according to a general geographic sequence: Galilee, withdrawal to the north, Judea and Perea, and Jerusalem. In contrast, John focuses on Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem during his periodic visits to the city.

2. Content: They recount many of the same events, focusing on Jesus’ healings, exorcisms, and teachings in parables. In contrast, John does not recount exorcisms, parables of the kind we find in the Synoptics, or many other events (e.g., the sending out of the Twelve, the transfiguration, the Olivet Discourse, the Last Supper).

3. Tone: They convey a tone of intense, rapid-fire action with Jesus’ constant travels, actions (especially miracles), and (usually) brief teachings. In contrast, John’s tone is more meditative, recounting fewer events and longer discourses.

Questions:

1. Why is this group of sixty-six books called the Bible?

Answer: The title is based upon the word biblos, the name of the papyrus or byblos reed used in ancient times for making scrolls or writing paper.

2. The word “synoptic” comes from two Greek words. What are the two Greek Words and its meaning?

Answer: sun, meaning “with” or “together,” and optanomai, meaning “to see.”

3. What are the Synoptic Gospels and why are they called Synoptic Gospels?

Answer: The word is applied to the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) because they present a common approach to the life of Christ.

4. What does the Greek word theopneustos literally means? Show the verse where we can find it.

Answer: God-breathed. (2 Tim. 3:16)

5. It is generally acknowledged by evangelicals as the first NT book to be published.

Answer: James

6. It is generally acknowledged by evangelicals as the last NT book to be published.

Answer: Revelation

7. The classification of these twenty-seven books of the New Testament was group together by their ________ and ___________.

Answer: content and literary style.

8. The twenty-two of the New Testament books were composed during a concentrated period of twenty-five years (A.D. 45–70). Give 3 probable reasons for this.

Answer: The early Christians began to experience the Roman imperial persecutions; the apostolic leaders were being martyred; and survival was foremost in the mind of the church.