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The New Testament
The New Testament holds a special place among Christians. It is considered the completion and confirmation of what came in the Old Testament and serves as the foundation of all Christian doctrines. For this reason, I will try to discuss it in some detail.
Some biblical scholars believe that the New Testament was written in a Greek language known as Koine, which was the common vernacular mixed with some Hebrew expressions. The most important complete manuscripts of the New Testament are the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus, which are believed to have been written in the fourth century CE, as well as the Codex Alexandrinus, written in the fifth century CE.
The New Testament consists of 27 books, namely: the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, several epistles of Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John, and the Book of Revelation of John.
Below is a brief historical overview of each of these books.
The Four Gospels
1 — The Gospel of Matthew
This is the first Gospel, and it is most commonly believed that its author was the Apostle Matthew, one of the twelve disciples, also known as Levi son of Alphaeus, who had been a tax collector for the Roman government.
There has been disagreement regarding the language and date of composition of this Gospel. Some say it was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic (the language of Palestine at the time) and later translated into Greek, while others say it was written in Greek as it exists today.
As for the date of composition, opinions vary, but it is thought to have been written sometime between 37 and 63 CE.
Together with the Gospels of Mark and Luke, it is called one of the Synoptic Gospels because of their strong similarities.
This Gospel is distinguished from the other three by including events and parables not found elsewhere, and it is the only Gospel that explicitly refers to the Church by name.
2 — The Gospel of Mark
It is believed that the author of this Gospel was Mark, one of the disciples of the Apostle Peter, though not one of the disciples of Jesus himself.
The prevailing view at the end of the first century CE was that this Gospel was written in Rome and addressed to Roman Christians. Papias, drawing on what he learned from the Apostle John, wrote that Mark—who served as Peter’s interpreter—recorded everything he remembered of Christ’s sayings and deeds. He had not personally heard the Lord nor been among His followers, but later followed Peter.
The date of this Gospel is generally placed between 64 and 70 CE.
In this regard, Irenaeus, one of the early Church Fathers, said that after Peter and Paul preached in Rome and passed away, Mark handed down in writing the substance of Peter’s preaching. This suggests it may have been written between 65 and 68 CE.
Some have claimed that Mark was the young man who followed Jesus when He was seized in the Garden of Gethsemane, citing the passage:
“A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.” (Mark 14:51–52)
Mark was a relative of the Apostle Barnabas, one of the prominent figures of the Church of Jerusalem and a leading preacher of the Gospel. He was the son of a woman named Mary who lived in Jerusalem. It appears he embraced Christianity through Peter’s ministry, who frequented his mother’s house.
He accompanied Paul and Barnabas from Jerusalem to Antioch but later separated from them for unknown reasons.
The Gospel of Mark is considered the shortest of the four Gospels.
3 — The Gospel of Luke
According to the prevailing belief in the second century CE, the author of this Gospel was Luke, a companion and friend of Paul, and possibly also the author of the Acts of the Apostles. What is known about him comes mainly from Acts, which indicates that he accompanied Paul on part of his journeys.
Luke was born to Greek parents in Antioch, Syria, and practiced medicine; some have even claimed he was a painter. He was a disciple of Paul and frequently accompanied him until Paul’s martyrdom. After that, it is not known where Luke spent the rest of his life or where he died, though the Church honors him as a martyr.
This Gospel was written in Greek. Since Acts appears to have been written shortly after the Gospel, and is dated around 62 or 63 CE, biblical scholars estimate the Gospel itself was written around 60 CE.
This Gospel also contains certain events not mentioned in the others. From its introduction, it is clear that Luke was not an eyewitness but compiled his account from the testimony of those who knew the Lord.
Notably, he uniquely records events that occurred before and after the birth of Jesus, likely drawing from written sources possibly derived from Mary, the mother of Jesus, since no one else would have known many of these details.
4 — The Gospel of John
This is the fourth Gospel and differs significantly from the other three; it is believed that about 90% of its content is not found in the Synoptic Gospels. It is among the Gospels that have generated the most debate among biblical scholars.
Some hold that its author was John son of Zebedee, the Apostle and one of the closest disciples of Jesus Christ. Historians also mention that the Apostle John had been a disciple of John the Baptist.
