1. 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?

2. 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

3. 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

4. What’s your mnemonic device? Four in Canon: – M – L – J

5. Intro to Gospels Four in Canon: – Matthew -Mark – Luke -John