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NT contains 27 books and letters, probably written before the destruction of Jerusalem 70 AD but definitely after Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.’
Matthew: A brief history of the life of Christ, pointing to Jesus as the promised Messiah.
AUTHOR: The early church uniformly attributed this Gospel to Matthew, and no tradition to the contrary ever emerged. This book was known early and accepted quickly. Matthew occupied the unpopular post of tax collector in Capernaum for the Roman government, and as a result he was no doubt disliked by his Jewish countrymen. He was chosen as one of the twelve apostles and the last appearance of his name in the Bible is in Acts 1:13. Matthew’s life from that point on is veiled in tradition.
Gospel of Matthew
TIMES: 4 BC-AD 33
KEY VERSES: Mt 16:16-19
THEME: Matthew is typically described as the story of Jesus written by a Jew for Jewish people. In this context it contains the most references to Jewish culture and the Old Testament of the Gospels. The author’s main purpose seems to be proving to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. Matthew is also the fullest systematic account of Christ’s teachings. These 5 “blocks” of teaching are one of the key differences with the other Gospels: Chapters 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount; Chapter 10, The Mission Charge; Chapter 13, The Parables of the Kingdom; Chapter 18, The Church; Chapters 23-25, Judgment and the End of the World.
Mark: The briefest and most fast-paced history of the life of Christ.
Gospel of Mark
TIMES: AD 62-6390
KEY VERSES: Ti 3:15-16
THEME: The letters to Timothy and Titus are generally called the “Pastoral” Epistles. They are pastoral in tone and in the subject matter they address. While covering much of the apostolic instruction on the life and doctrine of the church, they also provide some guidelines on how Christians in the church should relate to society. One of the overriding concerns of the books is that truth be valued and guarded. Too often today, truth is subjective and culturally conditioned to the point where people don’t even have problems believing mutually contradictory ideas. Paul speaks of the value of truth in his own apostolic role, and he stands against false teachers who would distort the truth for their own ends.
AUTHOR of 2 Timothy: Fearing for their own lives, the Asian believers failed to support Paul after his second Roman imprisonment and his first defense before the Imperial Court (1:15; 4:16). Now he was in a cold Roman cell (4:13) without hope of acquittal in spite of the success of his initial defense. Under these conditions, Paul wrote this epistle in the fall of AD 67, hoping that Timothy would be able to visit him before the approaching winter (4:21).
TIMES: AD 66-67
KEY VERSES: 2Ti 3:14-17
THEME: This is likely the last of Paul’s writings that we have. He writes this letter from a prison cell where he is being kept like a common criminal. He knows that his work on earth is nearing its conclusion, and these are then his last words of counsel to his trusted companion in ministry. One can sense his weariness, but also his strongly held conviction about what is necessary for the continued growth of the church. One can also clearly see the hope that sustains him as he looks forward to going home to Christ.
