The Encyclopedia of World Religions

320 S New Testament

because he thought they had been corrupted by pro-Jewish additions. Christians who disagreed with Marcion responded by drawing up lists of books they accepted. The earliest known lists are the so-called Muratorian Fragment (late second century C . E .) and a list in the writings of Irenaeus, a bishop of Lyons, France ( c. 200 C . E .). Both accept the four GOSPELS , the A CTS OF THE A POSTLES , thirteen letters of Paul, 1 and 2 J OHN , and R EVELATION . They also accept books that were later rejected, such as 1 Clement and the Shepherd of Hermas. The canon of the New Testament, that is, the authoritative list of accepted books, was first final ized in the Easter letter of bishop Athanasius of Alexandria in 367 C . E . He accepted the current set of 27 books. Other writers, such as bishop Euse bius of Caeserea, provide evidence that the inclu sion of J AMES , Jude, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Hebrews, and Revelation was questioned in the early fourth century. In the end, Christian authorities accepted into the canon only books that they thought were written by apostles and that were used in worship services by the major apostolic churches. CONTENTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT The New Testament consists of several kinds of material: four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John); the book of Acts; letters from various apos tles, especially the apostle Paul; and an apocalypse known as the Revelation to John. Gospels The gospels recount the words and deeds of Jesus. Strictly speaking, they are not biographies, for their purpose is to present not Jesus’ life but the religious message about Jesus the M ESSIAH . Mat thew, Mark, and Luke are called “synoptic gos pels” because they present in much the same way the story of Jesus’ adult activities and his trial and crucifixion. They differ on Jesus’ birth: Mark says nothing about it, while Matthew and Luke present two different stories. They also present the discov ery of the empty tomb somewhat differently, and they differ a great deal in their accounts of Jesus’ appearances after his RESURRECTION . John presents

a different view of Jesus from those in the synop tic gospels. The events in John follow a different order, and John’s Jesus reflects on large questions a great deal, especially questions about who he is. Famous examples include the “I am” sayings—for example, “I am the good shepherd”—and John 3.16: “For God so loved the world . . .” The names of the gospels are traditional. Many scholars think that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were not the actual writers of them. Acts The book of Acts is a sort of sequel. It continues the gospel attributed to Luke. It tells the history of the early church from the appearances of the risen Jesus to his followers, especially at Pente cost, to the arrival of the apostle Paul at Rome. The first part deals mainly with the disciples of Jesus at J ERUSALEM . Among other things, it shows them wrestling with the question whether the mes siahship of Jesus was just for Jews or whether it was for Gentiles, or non-Jews people, as well. The second part tells about Paul, who was not one of Jesus’ disciples but who converted to C HRISTIANITY after persecuting Christians. Acts records several journeys that Paul made through Asia Minor (now Turkey) and Greece, spreading the message of Christianity farther and farther. Some passages in this part are in the first-person plural (“we”) and may be from travel diaries that Paul’s companion Luke kept. Epistles of Paul The apostle Paul wrote several letters to Chris tian churches in Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. Tradition attributes 10 such letters to Paul. Schol ars agree that most, if not all of them were writ ten by him. Often Paul wrote to churches that he founded or visited. He gave them advice on what they should and should not do and answered their questions. For example, Christians at Thessalon ika apparently wanted to know what happened to people who died before Jesus returned. The letter to the Romans is a little different from the rest. Paul wrote it to Christians that he hoped to visit. It is extremely important, because