New Testament

Books of the New Testament

The 27 books of the New Testament were written by various authors at various times and places. Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament was written in a relatively narrow span of time, probably over less than a century. The following is a list of the New Testament books, followed by the author traditionally associated with that book.

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The Gospels

The Gospels focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus:

Related Topics:
Gospel - Resurrection of Jesus

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• The Gospel of Matthew - Matthew, a tax-collector and apostle.
• The Gospel of Mark - Mark, a follower of Peter and also of Paul.
• The Gospel of Luke - Luke, possibly a follower of Paul.
• The Gospel of John - John, a fisherman and apostle.

(None of the Gospels actually identifies its author by name, though the traditions about authorship are based on very early Christian writings that identify them.)

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History

The history of the early Christian church after the death of Christ is related here.

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• The Acts of the Apostles - Luke

Epistles

The epistles contain various letters written sometimes to individuals but mainly to early Christian congregations. These epistles expound important theological points and give insight into the developing Christian church..

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Pauline Epistles

The Pauline Epistles (or Corpus Paulinum) constitute those epistles traditionally attributed to Paul (for modern views, see below under Authorship). Their names are based on the Christian groups or individuals to whom they are addressed.

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• Epistle to the Romans - Paul the Apostle
• First Epistle to the Corinthians - Paul
• Second Epistle to the Corinthians - Paul
• Epistle to the Galatians - Paul
• Epistle to the Ephesians - Paul
• Epistle to the Philippians - Paul
• Epistle to the Colossians - Paul
• First Epistle to the Thessalonians - Paul
• Second Epistle to the Thessalonians - Paul
• First Epistle to Timothy - Paul
• Second Epistle to Timothy - Paul
• Epistle to Titus - Paul
• Epistle to Philemon - Paul
• Epistle to the Hebrews - Anonymous, traditionally attributed to Paul.

General Epistles

:See main article: General Epistles

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The General or Catholic Epistles are those written to the church at large. They are named after their traditional author. In medieval times, they were often collected not with the Pauline epistles but with Acts to form the Praxapostolos.

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• Epistle of James - James, the brother of Jesus
• First Epistle of Peter - Peter the Apostle
• Second Epistle of Peter - Peter the Apostle (normally considered to be written by another author by modern scholars)
• First Epistle of John - John the Apostle (the Johannine letters are usually attributed to members of the community of his disciples, though 1 John closely resembles the Gospel of John in style and vocabulary)
• Second Epistle of John - John the Apostle
• Third Epistle of John - John the Apostle
• Epistle of Jude - Jude, brother of James

Prophecy

• Revelation - John "the Divine." Traditionally identified with John the Apostle. There is still some debate as to whether this is John the Apostle or another prophet by the same name.
• Bible prophecy