Introduction to the Christian Testament Old Testament = Hebrew Scriptures New Testament = Christian Testament Why don’t we use “Old” and “New” to describe these parts of the Bible?
Introduction to the Christian Testament 27 “Books” / 15 Authors Written between 50 – 120 CE Multiple Genres: Gospels, Histories, Epistles, Sermons, & apocalyptic literature 5000 ancient manuscripts NO originals NO matches
Introduction to the Christian Testament Gospel – “good news,” the Christian Testament’s major sources for information about Jesus’ life Written by Evangelists – “proclaimers of the good news,” the authors of the Gospels Genre: Ancient Biography Less Description Try to Inspire Imitation
What’s your mnemonic device? Four in Canon: – M – L – J
Intro to Gospels Four in Canon: – Matthew -Mark – Luke -John