Unit Five: The New Testament

Although all of the Bible is important to us, as Christians, our faith is really shaped by the New Testament. As we begin this study, you may be interested in the relationship between the New Testament and the Old Testament. Go to this link to get a perspective on that relationship.

New Testament Canon Lecture


Here is some more information about the canon for you to take a look at.

Gospels Lecture


Some Christians are concerned that the Gospels were written thirty or more years after the events. That concern is based on a lack of knowledge about oral cultures. Go to this link to learn more about oral cultures and the New Testament.

In our lecture, we saw that many scholars explain the material common between Matthew and Luke but absent from Mark as belonging to a source called Q.



This diagram gives a simple presentation of the issues and the relationship between the Gospels. The first column is Mark, the second is Matthew and third is Luke. 'M' represents material unique to Matthew and 'L' represents material unique to Luke. Not all scholars accept that explanation and you can find the other side here. Here is another article that deals with some of the differences between the Gospels.


Regarding the theory that Lazarus was the Beloved Disciple and the author of the Gospel of John, go to this link for more information. Go here for a link to a Youtube video on who wrote the Bible. I do not agree with all that is said and I think that the host misunderstands (or misrepresents) what the Bible scholar says, but I do think that it is a good introduction to the issues.

New Testament Lecture


Darrell Bock has an interesting post on the theme of suffering in the Book of Acts that you can read here. Ben Witherington has an interesting blog post on some themes in Paul that you can find here.


Questions for Discussion
Why do you think certain books were chosen to be in the New Testament and some were not?


Why do the Gospels come first in the New Testament, when they were written after Paul's letters?


How do you explain the similarities and differences between the Gospels? Does using sources contradict inspiration?


What are the differences and similarities between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John?


Why does the Christian Church rely so much on the Epistles of Paul?


Why would early Christians who were being persecuted be encouraged by the Book of Revelation?

Unit Four: Intertestamental Books

This timeline will help you to understand the historical context of these books.

538-332 BC – Persian Period –
333 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III
323 BC – Alexander dies and his kingdom is divided
283-246 BC – Greek translation of Torah in Egypt
175-164 BC – Antiochus IV becomes king of Syria
167 BC – Antiochus IV defiles the Jewish Temple
165 or 164 BC – Temple rededicated under Judas Maccabeus
40 BC – Herod the Great becomes king

Apocrypha Lecture

You can find the Apocrypha online here. For a taste of the Apocrypha, I would suggest that you read Susanna and 1 Maccabees. You can find some of the background of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah here.
One of the important things about 2 Maccabees is its value in understanding the development of the Jewish doctrine of the resurrection. Here is a helpful blogpost on this subject.

Pseudepigrapha Lecture

You can find an online version of the Pseudepigrapha here. Read the Story of Aseneth found here.

Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture

Some very helpful information on the Dead Sea Scrolls can be found here.

Questions for Discussion
Why do you think the Apocrypha is not in Protestant Bibles?

Why do you think the Apocrypha is in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles?

What value does the story of the Maccabees have for Christians today?

Why did the authors of the Pseudepigrapha not use their real names?

What is the significance of the New Testament book of Jude's use of the Pseudepigrapha?

How does the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls help our understanding of the Bible?