New Testament Facts at a Glance

The New Testament is the second major division in the Bible. It's much shorter than the Old Testament and focuses on the time after the birth of Christ and the spread of Christianity. It consists of 27 books written by different authors who were inspired by God to share His message.

The Division of the New Testament

There are four gospels each named after the believer who wrote them.

· Matthew: includes the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, his genealogy, and information about his death and resurrection. Also includes the Beatitudes,

· Mark: an account of the most significant moments in the life of Jesus Christ to a Christian

· Luke: includes accounts of the births and significant moments in the lives of John the Baptist and Jesus as well as the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus and his ascension into heaven

· John: much of the same as the other three gospels

There is one Acts of the Apostles which outlines the Apostolic Age and proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament has ten Pauline Epistles written by the apostle Paul and addressed to various cities offering guidelines on how to live as a Christian. They are as follows:

· Romans

· I Corinthians

· II Corinthians

· Galatians

· Ephesians

· Philippians

· Colossians

· I Thessalonians

· II Thessalonians

· Philemon

Three Pastoral Epistles provide more specifics about Christian living, leadership and doctrine as well as pastoral oversight of churches.

· I Timothy

· II Timothy

· Titus

There is the Epistle of Hebrews and seven Catholic Epistles referring not specifically to Catholics but meaning universal. The Catholic Epistles are sometimes called the General Epistles.

· James

· I Peter

· II Peter

· I John

· II John

· III John

· Jude

The Book of Revelation is considered a book of prophecy describing Christianity's ultimate triumph over evil as well as a look at God's majesty.

Dates of Authorship

The New Testament books were written between the dates of 45 A.D. and 95 A.D. with Revelations being the latest written book. The dates that the books were written don't necessarily match the order in which they appear in the Bible. For example, Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, but it's suspected to have been written in 55 A.D. while the Book of James may have been written as early as 45 A.D. Most of the New Testament Books were written in the mid 50s A.D. to the mid 60s A.D.