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OVERVIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
PART ONE
Copyright © 2008 Kay Murdy

St. Augustine emphasized the unity and continuity between the Old and the New Testaments: "There is nothing in the New Testament that is not foreshadowed in the Old Testament, and there is nothing in the Old Testament that is not revealed in the New Testament."

In the last lesson we looked at the Old Testament, or God’s "covenant" (in Hebrew berît) with the Hebrew people. Now we will look at the New Testament or "covenant." As we have seen, the word covenant means a pact or an agreement that God makes with a people. The prophet Jeremiah promised a "New" Covenant, in the sense of a "renewed" covenant. 

"The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).

At the Last Supper, Jesus echoed the language of Jeremiah’s "new" covenant. On the night before he died, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you" (Luke 22:19-20).

THE BIBLE IS A LIBRARY
Last time we studied the great variety of books in the Old Testament Library -- such as books of law, history, poetry, stories, wisdom, prophecy. This time we’ll look at the New Testament Library: Four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; one book of history, Acts of the Apostles; letters of Paul and other letters written by different authors. These are followed by a book called the Apocalypse, or the Book of Revelation. 

Note: The Christian Bible includes both the "Old Testament" and the "New Testament."

WHAT IS A GOSPEL?
The word Gospel comes from the Anglo-Saxon word God-Spiel meaning, "Good tidings," in Greek Euaggelion from the words "eu" (good), and "aggelion" (to announce), which means "Good News." Originally this meant a victory proclamation, such as when a man became a king. In the New Testament the word "Good News" has a specifically Christian meaning. When Mark wrote his gospel to Christians that were suffering Roman persecution, he began by saying, "Here begins the gospel [the good news] of  Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mk 1:1). The word "gospel" was probably developed by Paul who used the word 48 times in his letters. Jesus Christ is the gospel; he is the good news. Jesus is the center and fullness of God's revelation and plan for our salvation. The Vatican II Document on Divine Revelation says of Jesus, "God is with us to free us from the darkness of sin and death and to raise us up to life eternal" (Dei Verbum #4).

Like its predecessor the Hebrew Testament, the New Testament evolved out of the shared experience of a particular group of people and their experience, in this case, of Jesus. Christianity did not come into being in response to a book. The first Christians responded to the person of Jesus Christ. It was only after a long period of time, as the Church reflected on the meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that individuals began writing in response to the experience of their Savior.

According to the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s 1964 Document: "Instruction on the Historical Truth of the Gospels," we find three stages in the development of the New Testament, which can be divided roughly into thirds: Jesus’ life, death and resurrection: 1-33 AD; The Preaching of the Apostles: 30 - 50 AD; The Writing of the Evangelists: late 50 - 100+ AD.

STAGE ONE: Jesus' Life, Death, Resurrection and Sending of the Spirit

We cannot understand the New Testament at all unless we view it as the response of a relationship between Jesus of Nazareth and those who followed him. Jesus asked his followers, "Who do you say that I am?" From a human standpoint, Jesus was a male Jew, a lay person. He was not a priest. He was not a member of the Sanhedrin, the religious legislative body. He did not belong to any of the religious sects within Judaism, such as the Pharisees (closely associated with the Scribes, strict interpreters of the Law), or the Sadducees (the wealthy, aristocrats who controlled the Temple and supported Roman rule), or the ascetic Essenes (who opposed Greek influence, Hellenization, and the corruption of the priesthood and temple). The Essenes isolated themselves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Jesus was not a part of the military or political powers, nor a member of the the Zealots who sought to overthrow those powers. Nevertheless, the religious and political environment that Jesus lived in shaped and influenced the content of his teaching. Jesus was a first century Jew and his proclamations followed the reasoning, thought pattern and images of his world and culture. We see Jesus participating in all the religious observances, the religious feasts, practices and institutions. He followed the Law of Moses even when he was most critical of it.

We might ask, "What did Jesus look like?" The Biblical writer was not interested in his appearance, and asked instead, "What did Jesus do?" When John the Baptist was in prison, he wondered if he had chosen the wrong Messiah. He sent his followers to ask Jesus, "Are you the one to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus answered: "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them" (Matt 11:4-5). (If you are still interested in a description of the Messiah, read Isaiah 53:1-5, the Song of the Suffering Servant).

For Judaism, God had become remote. God seemed to govern the world by means of law and ritual, a doctrine of righteousness, and 613 laws beyond the ten commandments. Jesus brought God near, made God accessible and approachable. When we see and hear Jesus, we see and hear God. The book of Hebrews says:

"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son . . . who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word" (Hebrews 1:1-3a).

QUESTION: How does God speak to you?

Jesus came to show us what God the Father is like. When his disciples asked, "Show us the Father," Jesus said, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves" (John 14:8-11).

Through Jesus' words and works, his miracles and signs, Jesus revealed God's love to the world. Jesus drew all people into the loving embrace of the Father. When the disciples came to Jesus to ask him how to pray, he gave them a simple way to address God: "Father" (Abba in Aramaic), "Daddy," the name a little child calls a loving parent. Jesus said: "This is how you are to pray: Our Father." In Jesus the Father came to make a dwelling place in the heart of the believer. John said in his gospel, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory: The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love" (John 1:14). Jesus reverenced God's name because God is holy. Jesus prayed for God's kingdom (Greek: basseleia) to come, to be accomplished in the lives of all who worked for peace and justice. Because Jesus heard and obeyed God, he prayed that all would be obedient to God's will on earth as God's will is done in heaven. The Father loves his children and listens to them and provides for their daily needs. The Father wants to deliver them from all that is evil.

This is the good news that Jesus came to announce. Jesus began his proclamation by challenging people: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). "Repent" and "Believe" are two commands that go hand-in-hand. Repent in Greek is metanoia, conversion, to change one's mind or direction. To believe (pistis), is to put faith and trust in someone or something. For Christians it is the person and message of Jesus. 

Jesus' harshest words were for those religious leaders who saw no need to repent. The religious leaders turned their past experience of God's action in their lives into legalistic behavior, arguing about laws and regulations to obey. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said, "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Mark 7:6; Is 29:13). When a scribe (lawyer) asked Jesus what he must do to fulfill God's law, Jesus summed up the law with two basic commands: "Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:28-31).

QUESTION: Do I love God as I love my neighbor? Do I have a healthy love of myself?

The God who judges is also the God who forgives. Jesus' Parable of God's "amazing grace" is a story for all who come to God in repentance. Jesus also told the story of two men who went to the temple to pray, one was a Pharisee and one was a Publican (a tax-collector; therefore, a sinner in the Pharisees' eyes). The Pharisee said, "Thank you God that I am not like that sinner." The Publican did not even lift his eyes but said, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Jesus said this man went home justified (Luke 18:10-14).

By his words and deeds, Jesus taught what God's kingdom was like: healing, love, mercy, forgiveness. He taught by means of parables: the reign of God is like a pearl of great price, a mustard seed that starts off small but grows to huge proportions. God's  word is like seed that appears to be wasted on rocks and thorns. The birds ate it before it got a chance to grow; yet in spite of that, the seed yielded an incredible harvest. Jesus taught by miracles and signs that in him, the kingdom of God had come.

Filled by the Spirit after his Baptism, Jesus returned to his hometown, Nazareth. In a synagogue the, he opened the scroll of Isaiah and announced a Jubilee Year -- a Sabbatical Year in which God forgave sins, freed the slaves, and restored the land to the poor:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus fulfilled Isaiah's words by casting out demons, healing the sick, and announcing the gospel to the poor. Jesus proclaimed the good news to all who were in need of salvation. 

QUESTION: If I read Jesus' proclamation "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me" as though it speaks to me personally, what difference would it make in my life?

Jesus himself was the greatest sign that pointed to God's reign. He was God's new covenant that would be sealed, not by the blood of sacrificial animals, but by his own blood, the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sins of the world. On the night before he died, Jesus took the ordinary bread and wine of the Passover meal and gave it new meaning -- the body and blood of Jesus would be given for the salvation of the world. When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you" (Luke 22:14-20).

We now trace a line of development from what Jesus said and did to what the Apostles said and did. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus chose Twelve Apostles. This showed that he had come to gather a Messianic community descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Twelve Apostles were the eye-witnesses to his life and death, "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life -- for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us"  
(1 John 1:1-2).

The events of Good Friday left his followers in a state of shock. They "had hoped that he would be the one to save Israel" (Luke 24:21). But three days later what seemed a defeat turned into victory: Jesus Christ had risen! Jesus was with them in a new way. All that Jesus said and did was now seen in the light of the resurrection. With the fulfillment of Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, his words and actions were seen in a new light, which was not possible before. In the years immediately following the Resurrection (30-50 AD) there was no urgent need for Christians to write about the unique events surrounding the life and mission of Jesus for their living witnesses were still with them, the apostles whom Jesus sent to proclaim the gospel.

An apostle means "one who is sent" not just with a message, but with the power and authority of Jesus. The apostles were fulfilling Jesus' mandate: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Acts of the Apostles records how the early church met for the instruction of the apostles. "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers . . . Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes" (Acts 2:42-46).

At first, the followers of Jesus' saw themselves as Jewish-Christians. Gradually, they saw themselves as a distinct religious group. The Old Testament did not solve all their problems nor answer all their questions. Did Gentiles have to be circumcised like the Jews? Did they need to go on pilgrimages to the Temple or observe dietary laws? The questions stirred controversy.

Jesus had not given them a catechism or canon law to follow, nor did he leave a blueprint of how the Church should be run. He did promise that the Holy Spirit would be with them to "guide them to all truth" (John 16:13). Through the Holy Spirit, the stories and sayings of Jesus and their implication for their lives were communicated by word of mouth in teachings, sermons, examples, practices, testimonies, hymns and prayers. The Apostles adapted the teachings of Jesus in ways that suited their communities. Jesus was a Palestinian Jew who spoke Aramaic. Mid-Century, the gospel was preached to Greek-speaking urban Jews and Gentiles. For some thirty years, the Good News was not the written word, but the living word. The preaching of the apostles was vital for the church, for they were the living link with Jesus. It was not until the 50's that anything was recorded. 

SALVATION

In the New Testament, Jesus saves us through his death and resurrection. The Greek word most often used is soteria, from sozo , meaning "to save." Jesus is Yeshua, meaning "God is salvation" (Matthew 1:21). His name implies "to make safe," "to rescue," "to pull from danger," "to save" us from anything that threatens to destroy us. Jesus is salvation.

TRUE OR FALSE:

• The Gospels are biographies primarily interested in historical accuracy.
• We know exactly what Jesus looked like.
• The central idea in Jesus' preaching was the kingdom of God.
• According to Jesus, life in the kingdom is waiting for all who want it.

Answers, F, F, T, T

HERE IS AN assessment OF YOUR LIFE IN JESUS:

 "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Are you a new creation in Christ, or still the same old person? 

Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord  and Savior?
1) Admit that you are a sinner and your need of salvation (Roman's 3:23).
2) Repent and be willing to turn away from sin and submit to God (Luke 13:5).
3) Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead to give you new life (Roman's 10:9).
4) Ask Jesus to take control of your life.
5) Ask Jesus into your heart in your own words.
6) Receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

"To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth (John 1:12-14).

THE NEXT LESSON IS THE WRITING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE READING? OR GO BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS AND CHOOSE ANOTHER TOPIC?