Intro to Catholic Epistles & Book of Revelation 2/20/2017

Structure of the NT 4 gospels Book of Acts 14 Epistles of St. Paul 7 Catholic (universal) Epistles Book of Revelation 27 books* *First mentioned by St. Athanasius in his festal letter in 367AD

The Catholic (Universal) Epistles Acts of the Apostles Matthew Mark Luke John The Gospels and Acts II Thessalonians Romans I Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians I Thessalonians I Timothy II Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews The Pauline Epistles James I Peter II Peter I John II John III John Jude Revelation The Catholic (Universal) Epistles

7 Catholic (universal) Epistles James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Why “catholic” or “universal”? Written to the entire church not to a specific group

7 Catholic (universal) Epistles Why important? Show us how to practice our faith Give a non-Pauline witness to the New Testament Very important in Coptic Church 1. Read in every liturgy

Epistle of James (Jacob) Author: 3 possibilities 1. James the son of Zebedee: (Matthew 10:2), one of the twelve disciples and the brother of John the Evangelist. He cannot be the writer of the epistle because he was murdered by Herod Agrippa I in the year 44 A.D. (Acts 12:1) At that time, the Christian Churches were not established yet to allow that some of the disciples would send them epistles, and the dispersion had not taken place yet, nor the heresies appeared. 2. James the son of Alphaeus: (Matthew 10:3) 3. James the brother of the Lord: (Galatians 1:19), that is, his cousin. Most agree that he is the writer of the epistle. St. Jerome: St. James ordained Bishop of Jerusalem Instituted a liturgy (prayed in Armenian Church) Presided over the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) St. Paul: pillar of the church

Epistle of James (Jacob) Timeframe: 55-60 Church was suffering affliction from Jews (Acts 4:1; 5:17) Theme/purpose: Harmony of faith and works (practical faith) Encourage the faithful to endure pain and persecution (view pain through the lens of the cross) Key verses: James 2:17-19

1 Peter Author: St. Peter the Apostle (1 Peter 1:1) Theme/Purpose: Hope (to encourage believers in their persecution to live a holy life) Timeframe: Written 63-67 (persecution of Nero 54-68) Key verses: 1 Peter 1:3

2 Peter Author: St. Peter the Apostle (2 Peter 1:1) Theme/Purpose: send his children his final advice, tell them about the kingdom of heaven and the Second Coming of the Lord – beware of false teachers. (2 Peter 1:14) Timeframe: Written 63-67 Key verses: 2 Peter 3:1-4; 13

1,2, 3 John Author: St. John the Beloved (the Apostle, the Theologian, the Evangelist) Theme/Purpose: God’s love for us and our love for God in truth and action (link between truth and love) Timeframe: Written 85-95 Key verses: 1 John 3:18 Key words: light, life, love, truth

Epistle of Jude Author: Jude, brother of James who is “brother of the Lord” (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3) Theme/Purpose: Judgment (warns against false teachers). Focus: keeping the faith **very similar to 2 Peter Timeframe: Written 60-80 Key verses: Jude 3

Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) Author: St. John the Beloved (the Apostle) while in exile on island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9) Theme/Purpose: Revelation of last days, Second Coming and Kingdom of Heaven. Directs our hearts towards heaven during times of tribulation Timeframe: Written ~95-96 Only prophetic book of the New Testament Read Revelation 21:1-4

Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) The Seven Churches (Chapters 1-3) Prophetic Visions The Seven Seals (Chapters 4-7) The Seven Trumpets (chapters 8-4) The Seven Bowls (plagues) of judgment (chapters 15-19) The Heavenly Jerusalem (Chapters 20-22) Conclusion: longing for the coming of the Lord “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Rev. 22:20

Remembering the NT Epistles of Paul: Faith Epistle of James: Works Epistles of Peter: Hope Epistles of John: Love Epistle of Jude: Judgment Revelation: Heaven Faith through works with hope and love save us from judgment and take us to Heaven.

Conclusion “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 “You Christians look after a document [Bible] containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.” -Mahatma Gandhi