New Testament
The New Testament is a significant portion of the Christian Bible, comprising texts originally written in Greek that detail the life, teachings, and impact of Jesus Christ, along with early Christian teachings and letters. It is often understood as establishing a "new covenant" between humanity and the divine, reflecting a shift from previous covenants outlined in the Hebrew scriptures. This collection includes the gospels, which narrate the life of Jesus, and the letters, primarily authored by the Apostle Paul to various Christian communities. The four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—each offer unique perspectives and themes, catering to different audiences and reflecting the diverse early Christian communities. The New Testament was shaped into its current form after the first generation of Christians and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, leading to the compilation of various accounts and teachings. The texts gained greater authority and distribution after Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine. Today, the New Testament remains a foundational scripture for Christians, influencing theology, ethics, and cultural practices worldwide.
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Subject Terms
New Testament
Related civilizations: Imperial Rome, Greece, Egypt, Israel.
Date: composed c. 50-c. 150 c.e.
Locale: Roman Empire
Authorship: Compiled by early Church fathers
Bible: New Testament
The Christian Bible is a collection of shorter books. The word “bible” literally means “little books.” The first three-quarters, known as the Old Testament, are books of law, prophecy, and literature that were originally written in Hebrew. The final quarter, the New Testament, contains books first written in the Greek that was used throughout the Roman Empire.
The New Testament is more accurately described as a “new covenant” because it refers to an agreement between two parties, human and divine, rather than the legacy of a single party. The Hebrew scriptures describe the covenants that God made with Noah, Abraham, and Moses—covenants symbolized by the rainbow, the circumcision, and the Sabbath. They also include Jeremiah’s prophecy of a new covenant written on the hearts of believers rather than on tablets of stone. The Greek scriptures, which refer constantly to the Hebrew, tell of a new covenant that Jesus Christ establishes with those who accept his message—a covenant symbolized by the Lord’s supper, the Christian communion.
The gospel, or “good news,” was first transmitted by word of mouth. The earliest complete texts in the New Testament are letters that Paul wrote to the churches he established in Greece and Asia Minor. Only after the first generation of Christians was dying off, and especially after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 c.e., did the surviving accounts of Jesus Christ’s life take their present shape.
Many lives of Jesus were written during the next century, but four had special authority. One bishop remarked that four was a good number, corresponding to the four quarters of the earth. Traditionally, Matthew wrote in Antioch (east), Mark in Egypt (south), Luke in Rome (west), and John in Ephesus (north).
The first three gospels are said to be “synoptic” because they can be “seen together”: They present the same teachings and the same events. For this reason, scholars think there were books of sayings that apostles or “envoys” took on their travels. However, each gospel reflects the temperament of a different community. Matthew’s has more Jewish people, for example, while Luke’s has more gentiles. John’s community is especially interested in the mystery of the divine person.
The twenty-one letters in the New Testament may be associated with the various communities. As Paul is connected to Luke, who also wrote the story of the apostles’ acts, Peter is traditionally associated with Mark, and James and Jude share Matthew’s interest in Jewish customs. Three letters are attributed to John, as is an apocalypse or vision of the last judgment.
When Christianity became the state religion, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great ordered copies of the New Testament to be made in quantity. These were not scrolls, like the Hebrew Torah, but books with pages. The oldest surviving copies of the New Testament were probably compiled at this time.
Bibliography
Mack, Burton L. Who Wrote the New Testament? The Making of the Christian Myth. San Francisco: Harper, 1995.
Metzger, Bruce M. The Making of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.