Introduction to Introduction to Introduction to Introduction to Sacred ScriptureSacred ScriptureSacred ScriptureSacred ScriptureNew Testament Part IIINew Testament Part IIINew Testament Part IIINew Testament Part III
Adult Faith Formation
St. Mark the Evangelist
New Testament Letters
The Letters of St. Paul• Romans
• 1 & 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• 1 & 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
ALSO …
• The Letter to the
Hebrews
• Letter of James
• 1 & 2 Peter
• 1 – 3 John
• Jude
And …
The Book of Revelation
… also known as the
Apocalypse of John
New Testament Letters
In the New Testament canon, between
the Acts of the Apostles and The Book of Revelation, there are
twenty-one documents that take the
form of letters or epistles.
New Testament Letters
The form found in these documents is the way
of letter writing common in the ancient world.
The New Testament letters usually begin
with a greeting that identifies the sender(s)
and the recipients. Next is a prayer, usually
in the form of a thanksgiving. The body of the letter deals with some aspect of
Christian teaching. There often follows a
discussion of practical matters, such as the
writer's travel plans, and the letter concludes
with further advice and a formula of farewell.
IconiumIconium
Antioch (Pisidian)Antioch (Pisidian)
AntiochAntioch
LystraLystra
DerbeDerbe
Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
CyprusCyprus
SeleuciaSeleucia
SalamasSalamas
PaphosPaphos
AttaliaAttalia
PergaPerga
1st Missionary Journey1st Missionary JourneyActs 13 & 14Acts 13 & 14
Modern Day TurkeyModern Day Turkey
Satellite Image - NASA
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Paul-1st Mi ssionar y Jour ney
INDEX
Paul-2nd Missiona ry Jour ney
INDEX
2nd Missionary Journey2nd Missionary Journey
JerusalemJerusalemEgyptEgypt
Paul’s JourneysPaul’s Journeys
RomePhilippiPhilippi
CorinthCorinth
ThessThessAthensAthens
CaesareaCaesarea
EphesusEphesus
IsraelIsrael
© EBibleTeacher.com
Mediterranean Sea
Paul-3rd Mi ssiona ry Jour ney
Paul’s 3rd Journey
INDEX
3rd Missionary Journey3rd Missionary Journey
IsraelIsraelJerusalemJerusalem
EgyptEgypt
Paul’s JourneysPaul’s JourneysRome
AntiochAntioch
PhilippiPhilippi
CorinthCorinth
ThessThessAthensAthens
CaesareaCaesarea
EphesusEphesus
© EBibleTeacher.com
Mediterranean Sea
Paul’s Paul’s
Journey Journey
toto
CaesareaCaesarea
Acts 23:1Acts 23:1--3535
INDEX
Paul to Caesarea
JerusalemJerusalem
CaesareaCaesareaM
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ean
Med
iterr
an
ean
Sea of GalileeSea of Galilee
Dead SeaDead SeaJo
rdan
Riv
er
Jo
rdan
Riv
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AntipatrisAntipatris
38 Miles
26 M
iles
© EBibleTeacher.com NASA Photo
Paul’s Journey
To Caesarea
Paul’s JourneyPaul’s Journey
To CaesareaTo Caesarea
New Testament Letters
Fourteen of the twenty-one letters are
traditionally attributed to Paul. One of
these, the Letter to the Hebrews,
does not claim to be the work of Paul,
and we know today from studying it’s
style and vocabulary that it isn't by
Paul.
New Testament Letters
The other thirteen identify Paul as the
writer, but most scholars believe that
some of them were probably written
by his disciples: Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians.
Most scholars also agree definitely
that Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy were not
written by Paul.
New Testament Letters
Four of the letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and
Philemon) are called the "Captivity
Letters" because in each of them the
author speaks of being in prison at
the time of writing.
New Testament Letters
Three others (1-2 Timothy and Titus) are known as the "Pastoral Letters" because they give advice to specific disciples about caring for the flock.
All the letters are arranged in roughly in order of length, from the longest, Romans, to the shortest, Philemon, with Hebrews added at the end.
New Testament Letters
The other seven letters of the New
Testament, after those of St. Paul,
are collectively referred to as the
"Catholic Letters." Three of them
(1-2-3 John) are closely related to
the John’s gospel.
New Testament Letters
The genuine letters of Paul were written
earlier than any of the gospels. The
dates of the other New Testament
letters are more difficult to determine
to date, but for the most part they
belong to the second and third
Christian generations rather than to
the first.
New Testament Letters
When was it written?
Where was it written?
Why was it written?
1 Thessalonians
When was it written? Probably in 50 or
51 A.D.
Where was it written? Probably from
Corinth.
Why was it written? The Thessalonians
were worried about those who had died
before Christ’s return.
Galatians
When was it written? Most likely date is
about 54 A.D..
Where was it written? Probably from
Ephesus.
Why was it written? Confusion over a
different Gospels being preached by
some agitators, and who or what was a
true apostle.
Philippians
When was it written? Most likely date
is about 54-58 A.D.
Where was it written? Probably from
end of Paul’s stay in Ephesus.
Why was it written? Three different
needs.
Philippians
The current letter was probably originally three separate letters that got stitched
together:
Letter A: 4:10-20 about money sent to Paul.
Letter B: 1:1 – 3:1a, 4:4-7, 21-23 internal divisions in the Christian community of
Philippi.
Letter C: 3:1b-4:3, 8-9 over keeping the whole of Jewish law.
First Corinthians
When was it written? Probably the Spring of 54 A.D., but possibly 57 A.D.
Where was it written? Paul himself says he is writing from Ephesus
Why was it written? He is responding to some question and confusion of the Christian message by the Corinthian
community.
Second Corinthians
Scholars believe that Second
Corinthians is actually pieced together
parts of between two and five different
letters written by Paul.
Second Corinthians
When was it written? Probably the
Spring of 54 A.D., but possibly 55 A.D.
Where was it written? In Macedonia,
Philippi or Thessalonica.
Why was it written? Paul’s authenticity
as a true Apostles is being challenged
by agitators.
Letter to the Romans
When was it written? Probably in the winter of 57-58 A.D.
Where was it written? Probably from Corinth.
Why was it written? Paul is planning to visit Rome. He presents his
understanding of the Gospel which he plans to preach when he reaches
Rome.
Letter to Philemon
When was it written? Sometime
between 57 and 63 A.D.
Where was it written? Depending on
date, Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus.
Why was it written? Paul is returning an
escaped slave to his Christian master,
calling for a new relationship for them in
Christ.
2 Thessalonians
When was it written? Probably in the 90’s A.D., but not by Paul.
Where was it written? Probably in Thessalonica, by someone who knew
the first letter.
Why was it written? Using Paul’s name, the writer tells them not to be over concerned about Christ’s Second Coming, but to always be ready.
Colossians
When was it written? Written around 70-80 A.D. by someone who knew
Paul’s teaching, but not completely in Paul’s writing style.
Where was it written? Perhaps in Colossae.
Why was it written? To bolster the faith of the Colossian church and correct
some errors in the Christian teaching.
Letter to the
Ephesians
When was it written? Because it relies
on a knowledge of Paul’s collected
writings, probably 80-100 A.D.
Where was it written? Unknown.
Why was it written? 1st half: an
extended prayer 2nd half: a theological
lecture urging unity by appropriate
conduct.
The Pastoral Letters
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
Letters addressed to
Pastors/Pastoral leaders of
Christian communities that deal
with church life and practice.
The Pastoral Letters
When were they written?Scholars have proposed a date
from as early as 60 A.D. to 160
A.D. A date around 100 A.D. is
probably the best estimate.
The Pastoral Letters
Where were they written?Probably around Ephesus
because of its concern for the
church in the Aegean and Asia
Minor area.
The Pastoral Letters
When were they written? They are not “forgeries” but meant to extend Paul’s teaching to a later generation. They call church leaders to a renewed commitment and enthusiasm for Paul’s teaching; church leaders are urged to value and maintain tradition and order.
The Catholic Letters
• 1 & 2 Peter
• Letter of James
• 1, 2 & 3 John
• Jude
First Letter of Peter
When was it written? Most scholars suggest shortly before Peter’s death in 65 A.D.
Where was it written? Unknown
Why was it written? Addressed to Christians in a largely hostile pagan world. They are encouraged to respect government and emperor, and to stand firm.
Second Letter of Peter
When was it written? Unlikely to have been written by Peter, probably after 96 A.D.
Where was it written? Unknown, but written to a church community of mixed Jewish Christians and Greek converts.
Why was it written? Addresses God’s judgment and the long delay of the Second Coming of Christ
The Letter of James
When was it written? As early as 65 or 70 A.D. or as late as 90 A.D. to Jewish Christians living outside Palestine.
Where was it written? Possibly Jerusalem, but also possibly Antioch or Alexandria.
Who wrote it? Really a series of homilies, with a main theme of faith in action. Probably not by the Apostle James.
The Letter of James
Why was it written?James represents a type of early Christian
thought that emphasized sound teaching and responsible moral behavior. Ethical norms are derived not primarily from Christology, as in Paul, but from a concept of salvation that involves conversion, baptism, forgiveness of sin, and expectation of judgment. More a homily than a letter.
Letter of Jude
When was it written? Since material here is referred to in 2 Peter, probably written in the 90’s.
Where was it written? Unknown, but written all to Christian churches in general.
Why was it written? Addresses the ever-present issue of conflicting teaching within the community of faith.
Letter to the Hebrews
When was it written? Sometime between 60 AD and 90 AD … probably in the 80’s.
Where was it written? Unknown, but probably written to Christians of Jewish heritage.
Why was it written? Addresses fidelity to Jesus Christ as High Priest.
Apocalypse/The Book of
Revelation
Apocalyptic writing is unique in scripture, represented only by Daniel in the OT and Revelation in the NT. The word “apocalypse” comes from the Greek meaning “revelation.” Although we consider the whole of the Bible to be God’s revelation, the term ‘apocalyptic’ has come to narrower meaning. It means ‘revelation’ through visions of heavenly mysteries, often related to the end of the world. It would be a mistake to over interpret the apocalyptic messages of Daniel or Revelation to modern time.
Apocalypse/The Book of
Revelation
Apocalyptic writing appears in time of persecution … here in the early
Church. Using extraordinary imagery
and symbols it is critical of those who persecute, calls upon the faith to hold
firm to the end, that God’s salvation will triumph in the end for the faith few …
and evil will be conquered forever.
Apocalypse/The Book of
Revelation
Although often taken to be written by the Apostle John, it is unlikely. Nor does
its’ style match that of the Gospel or
letters of John. It is by an unknown author.
It was probably written during the later
part of the reign of Domitian, around
95-96 AD.
Apocalypse/The Book of
Revelation
The Book of Revelation is considered
the last writing in Christian Scripture,
and closes Divine Revelation.
The principal divisions of The principal divisions of The principal divisions of The principal divisions of
the the the the Book of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of Revelation::::
-Prologue (Rev. 1:1-3) Letters to the Churches of Asia (Rev. 1:4-3:22)
-God and the Lamb in Heaven (Rev. 4:1-5:14)
-The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes (Rev. 6:1-16:21)
-The Punishment of Babylon and the Destruction of Pagan Nations (Rev. 17:1:20:15)
-The New Creation (Rev. 21:1-22:5) -Epilogue (Rev. 22:6-21)
Book of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of Revelation
• The author of the book calls himself John but never claims to be John the Apostle,
• He was so identified by several of the early church Fathers (Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Hippolytus.)
• This identification was denied by other Fathers, (Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom.)
• It is possible he was a disciple of John the Apostle.
• The date of the book in its present form is probably near the end of the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81-96.)
The Bible & the
Catholic Church
REVIEW
Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), [1965]
… the truth of scripture is not that of
natural science or profane history, but
rather
"Truth for the sake of our salvation."
Divine Inspiration …
… is a charism or
supernatural grace given to the
believing community
… is given to all who
collaborate in the production of
the inspired writings.
Divine Inspiration …
… involves two actions: first, it enlightens
the human mind to understand religious
truth & the resulting message; second, it
moves the human will to communicate
that message to the community by oral or
written means. It is a cooperative action
between God and human, not one of
operator and automaton.
The Bible is a documentary witness
authorized by God. All of what is stated or reported has a specific goal: to witness to the unfolding character of God's revealed Word and to the response of human beings. There is a progressive character to this unfolding both in the divine action and human faith.
The Bible exists to give the foundational understanding of faith. Its inspired and normative character is recognized by the believing community enlightened by God. In the Catholic community this recognition by the community is validated by the authoritative statement of the Magisterium or teaching office of the Church.
END